Tuesday, January 6, 1835

1835

January

Tuesday 6

8 55/..

12

No kiss

Fine morning; very hard frost.  F 39° in my dressing room at 9 1/2 a.m.  Settled George’s account.  Breakfast at 9 3/4 to 10 –

Then had Washington till 11 3/4 – Settled with him – He brought me the large plan (shewing proposed line of road, coal-looses, etc. – To keep for a day or 2 – Looked it over – a little while with my aunt –

At the drift etc. –

Out with Ann at 2 25/.. – We walked to Crow Nest – A few minutes there (Ann settling about shirts, etc. for the poor people), then to Cliff Hill at 3 1/2 – 58 minutes there.  Mrs. Ann Walker in very good humour –

Home in an hour at 5 28/.. – Some time with my aunt to wish her good night, intending to write letters (to Lady Stuart and Norcliffe) in the evening –

Dinner at 6 1/2 – Coffee –

Kept Aquilla Green waiting 1/2 hour then had him  in the north parlor from 7 55/.. to 10 35/..! talking about politics 1st, then about Joseph Wilkinson etc., and lastly, as usual, on the subject on which he (Aquilla Green) came, a corn mill at Mytholm – To take the level from this end of Belvidere, and should gain 10 feet of fall – Must carry the water along a Culvert thro’ Joseph Wilkinson’s field along the brow, to come out along the brow of Jonathan Mallinson’s holme – Joseph Wilkinson’s field about 100 yards across –

Said I could not depend upon him – Could not make any agreement with him – would not attempt it – would sooner give up all thought of a mill – but A. G- might try what he could do, if he liked – might see what Joseph Wilkinson would ask for the privilege – I knew the same sort of privilege granted (double the length of goit, A. G- said) for those mills in Ovenden which I mentioned at £10 per annum – I thought J.W- ought to take £5 per annum or be paid a sum off at hand according to this value –

A.G- thought the mill-work wheel etc. independent of masonry, dam, and goit, would cost £700.  I estimated the whole job at £2500 – A.G- said £2000, but sure £2500 would be the utmost – What rent should I ask – Said I could not build mills for 5 per cent – If I laid out £2500, should want £150 per annum (i.e. 6 per cent) A.G- said he must see what power could be had before he could tell what rent he could pay – But if he had a mill, should want the Mytholm land, and hoped I would not let it off till I had decided not to build the mill –

Agreed – A.G- to let me know what J.W- said as soon as he could, thro’ his (A.G-’s) mother, because it would not do for Mr. Hodgson to know he was inquiring about a mill –

The state of the poll on closing at 4 p.m. was according to the written statement brought by Matthew from the central Committee at the Swan –       

                                      Wortley       260

                                      Wood          294

                                      Protheroe    273

Sad rough work in the town – Almost all the blue flags torn in pieces by the orange, radical mob.  Matthew knocked down and a little, tho’ not much, hurt – Aquilla Green said the Committee had not voted, and there was hope for Wortley – Mr. Hodgson split his vote (tho’ a Whig) between Wood and Wortley – Told A.G. I did not want anyone to change his opinion against his conscience for me, but I had made up my mind to take none but blue tenants so long as there remained people of this way of thinking; and when there were none, then I must try to change myself – Said a good deal on the subject, but all very quietly and fairly, as he himself owned –

Very fine day – Hard frost in the morning – Rather thawing towards evening. F 37 1/2° at 11 1/2 p.m. in my study, fire in the stove all the day from noon --

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/17/0138