Friday, November 21, 1834

1834

November

Friday 21

8 20/..

11 1/4

No kiss.

Fine morning.  Ready in 35 minutes –

Some time with the painters – Breakfast at 9 1/2 –

Read part of the newspaper.  Nothing to be settled as to the new cabinet till Sir Robert Peel arrives from Italy – The Duke of Wellington likely to be premier again, now that the Melbourne cabinet is happily dissolved –

Ann and I out at 10 50/.. – Walked with her to the present Hipperholme turnpike in 1/2 hour, then down the old bank to Mr. Parker’s office and there 1/4 hour till 12 1/2 – Then to the navigation office.

Had seen Mr. Adam (Mr. Parker in London) – Commissioned by Ann to explain about the 2nd aggression of the hunt, more particularly in the person of huntsman Mr. Jeremiah Dyson, on Wednesday, Holcans – Ended by desiring Mr. Adam to write to him in the name of the hunt, saying that if a satisfactory apology was not made and satisfaction made for damages forthwith, that an action would be brought against the hunt without loss of time – Mr. Adam to write by tonight’s post, and to let Ann have a copy of what he wrote tomorrow morning.  I would go myself or send – Said I had could pay the £200 if Mr. Adam liked – Yes! it would be convenient – as they owed money to the bank –

Found a sub-committee meeting sitting (just closing) at the navigation office, consisting of Messers Waterhouse, Norris, William, William Briggs, and – Hodgson of Woodlands on the Boothtown Bradford road, and the Engineer, Mr. Bull? (or Mr. Wood?). 

All very civil – Shewed, or rather explained, the plan lying on the table of the canal and projected improvements, and let me bring away (folded in a lithographed scale 1/2 the large plan) plan of the navigation and proposed line of improvements, to be kept till Monday morning –

Nothing decided – must be decided by the majority at the next general meeting – No one as yet pledged to anything – Then, said I, those who have made up their minds will attend the meeting to vote as they think best – Answer yes! (they the gentlemen present) would perhaps surmise that I thought of attending –

Mr. Waterhouse expressed his opinion that double locks would be best – I asked the Engineer’s opinion.  He, too, for double locks – I gave no opinion of my own, but felt decided for double locks –

The improvements the committee at present advocate, estimated at £40,000, or rather £38730 with single locks and single towing paths, or £49,475 with double locks and double towing paths, are on a line from Porto-Bello to Millbank, the latter being or including the limit of the coal trade for which a large scale of vessel is desirable – This line = about 1/4 of the whole navigation-line – The other 3/4 may be done on the same scale sometime, said I, and taking each 1/4 at £50,000, the grand total = £200,000.

They would not call it a ship-canal, saying it was only for vessels of 80 tons – To be 7 feet deep of water – Asked how the money would be raised – In the same way as by the Aire and Calder Company – A book opened for those to put down their names who chose to lend money (secured on the tolls) at 4 per cent – The Aire and Calder had now 100,000 in their book, ready for advance at any time – and we had already £20,000 (£30,000) offered at 4 per cent, one gentleman having put down his name for £10,000 –

Staid about 1/4 hour –

Returned up the old bank (small snow and rain all the way back and for some time afterwards) and home at 1 1/4 –

All the afternoon with the painters, or Greenwood’s men who came about 2, all to set up the wardrobe in the tent room – 3 hours getting it up – Could not get it up by the blue room stairs – had to bring it through my dressing room and take the door into the tent room off the hinges, and take down the door and part of the boarding next to or rather between the upper kitchen stairs and the store-room –

Ann found her aunt in good humour and got back about 2 –

Dinner at 6 5/.. – Coffee – Ann reading Volumes 2 and 3, Last Days of Pompeii, while I read over the 28 folia of navigation report – ‘Report of Henry R. Palmer, civil engineer on the proposed Improvement in the Calder and Hebble navigation,’ dated October 2, 1834, and received only yesterday by Mr. Norris – Mr. Waterhouse had just looked it over last night – especial favour to let me have it home –

Civil note this morning before going out from Mr. Samuel Freeman with the bill for the 6 railposts (double holed, i.e. for 2 round rails) for the gateways in the road through the upper land – ‘6 rail posts 6 feet long 1 foot wide 1 inch thick with 2 holes sunk through each 9/6’ – Told the man who brought it, it was quite right – to give my compliments and say I should be glad to see Mr. Freeman, but was going from home and would write and let him know when I returned –

Had read through the navigation report and written all this journal of today at 9 1/2 p.m.

Fine, softish morning till about noon, then came on the small rain and rain which continued more or less for 2 or 3 hours –

Only a minute with my aunt she was getting into bed –

 

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/17/0111 and SH:7/ML/E/17/0112