Monday, November 10, 1834

1834

November

Monday 10

Down the old bank to Halifax at 1 to Mr. Parker’s office about the Godley slopes (Godley road embankment).  Mr. Parker had been confined to the house with a bilious attack 2 or 3 days – Above 1/2 hour with him –

To be a meeting of the commissioners on Monday – Mr. Adam will attend – To buy for me what adjoins me, and to prevent the 150 yards near the turnpike being sold at all, if possible – If not , to get it for me if law and money can do it –

Mr. Parker said they had just sold to Isaac Green a field in Gibbet lane (for £900 I think he said) at about 2/10 a yard, the field through – or which field with 2 others, had been bought for £900 in 1832 –

My 2 fields in Hopewood Lane are on Day’s map No. 277 = 2 DW 0 quarters 6 perches and No. 279 = 2 DW 0 quarters 5 perches –

Mr. Eastwood going to give up business as a sort of working jeweller’s shop – The young man going into the stone trade, having married Mr. Greenwood’s sister (the mason’s son who has got on so well at College, Cambridge?) and to have the stone in Northowram in a farm of his – Eastwood had inquired if Parker knew of a place in the country with a little land – Would Mytholm do? I said Eastwood had better see it – There were about 30 or 32 forgot which I said DW and I had asked Pearson £65 per annum rent, but the place must be put up to let by ticket –

Parker said Mr. Sutcliffe would like to stay on at Northgate house – Well! said I, if he will take it on my terms, i.e. on a running lease from year to year , so that I have it at liberty when I like, I will not be so hard about the rent – In that case, I should not think myself bound to stick up to the £120 a year which I have asked – Parker to ask him what rent he will give –

Then (after being full 1/2 hour at Mr. Parker’s) to the library – Mr. J. Waterhouse, Junior there – Shewed him the plan of the slopes, and begged him to explain to his father, and say I should be glad to see him at Shibden-hall, having much to say on other business subjects – John Waterhouse, Junior sure I should find his father at the countinghouse – and walked with me there –  1 1/4 hour talking about the road and navigation –

He cares not about buying that part of the embankment opposite his farm – The commissioners will not allow it to be planted and it is good for nothing else – It was Mr. Emmett of the Back Lane said so much against my being allowed to plant the piece I had got – Well! said I, nobody needs be against it – I want merely a copse wood, and don’t care much about it – I should be willing enough to sow it with whin seed (I have plenty) if that would do any good –

Of the farm belonging, as I thought, to Mr. Waterhouse – he has only 1/3 jointly with Mrs. Empson and the late Mrs. Christopher Saltmarshe – Mr. Saltmarshe does not care about it; and the Empsons want him to buy their share, but he will wait till he sees what is to be received from the Commissioners for land taken –

Thinks the 150 yards ought not to be sold – Does not believe a word of Joseph Wilkinson’s having bid Stocks 10/. a yard for it – said I understood Stocks’s object was to erect a Gear-shop on it which I wished to prevent and would not let the land go for 10/. a yard if I could help it – Asked for a list of the proprietors of the navigation – Excused himself from giving it, and could hardly believe that he had lent me one to copy before – Said any proprietor could consult the books at Mr. Norris’s and gain any information from him – Would get me from him a copy of the last act – I saw Mr. Waterhouse was rather shy of saying much – He said it had not been made law to make the concern public and he thought it was prudent not to do so – He offered me the loan of a sort of balance sheet, which I declined, saying I merely wished to know the sum total of Stock, which I noted down from the last settlement dated 31 May last = £159631.15.7.

There is nothing in hand – At least, if the dividends were due just now, there would hardly be enough to pay them?  Said I had lately heard much about the concern, and hoped money was laid out judiciously – This seemed a sorish subject – Yes! All laid out well – Nothing could be said against anything, but perhaps that too much had been spent at Salterhebble, and it appears there was some inadvertence on the part of the subcommittee on this point –

I asked if it was true that the canal was to be deepened for large vessels – No direct answer – but this plan seems to be the favourite one with Waterhouse and his friends – It would be good for the coal trade, which goes on 2/3 of the line to be able to ship the coal in vessels that could coast it to London – Canal and locks, all would be to alter, but something must be done –

Old Briggs now the largest proprietor – William Briggs 1 of the subcommittee timorous – None of them liked the responsibility of determining with a general meeting of the proprietors – Waterhouse urged the necessity of the subcommittee giving a decided and unanimous opinion, in which I agreed – William Briggs will only give an opinion as an individual – No member of the subcommittee more diligent in inquiry into the business than Mr. Hodgson, and he satisfied with all that had been done –

I asked if, as a friend, Waterhouse would advise me to sell out – No direct answer – but situated as he was, he should not like to sell out in a hurry – a good investment – always marketable – owned shares might sell less well than now, for by and by much money might be to be advanced – Had been no transfers these 3 months – When I said I had reason to suppose I could sell at £430, he seemed surprised –

Would not take upon himself to say there never would be a railroad but it would not be supported by the people of this parish – The Leeds and Selby a poor concern – would never pay till there was a railroad from East to West right across the Country – The proprietors of our navigation would never have anything to do with a railroad –

I asked if the half million spent on widening the Aire and Calder, and the 1/2 ditto spent on Goole paid well – Waterhouse answered that was such an immense concern, nobody could tell except those who had an intimate knowledge of it in all its bearings –

There is to be a meeting of the subcommittee on Wednesday and will probably be a general meeting soon – Said I did not wish to sell out if the concern of ours was likely to go on well – Had no wish for parsimony, cared not what was laid out if it was laid out reasonably and paid a reasonable interest –

Waterhouse owned a railroad would hurt the canal, but when I said, would it diminish the profits one half?, he seemed to think not –

I came away with the impression that Waterhouse the Messers Rawson and company want a ship-canal, that twice cent per cent must be raised on the original stock, and that this measure will be carried without a well-sustained opposition – Waterhouse owned it was a risk to run – but there was hazard in everything – Even to let it alone, was hazard – Yes! I agreed that something must be done, but the question is what –

Some time at Greenwood’s (the cabinet maker) about washing-stand for north chamber etc. –

Home at 4 35/.. – Mallinson just come to see if we could get a window to light the little landing place near my aunt’s room door – No! not for the gutter – Gave up the thought – Nailed up with board the hole made in the underdrawing – Thinking of getting a borrowed light from my aunt’s room –

Talking to Ann, telling her all, and 1/4 hour with my father – Dinner at 6 1/4 – Coffee downstairs – Played 4 hits, of which lost 3 – Then talking about the navigation concern and looking over maps – 1/4 hour with my aunt till 10 10/.. – Then till 11 writing the 2 last pages and so far of this –

Cold windy day – a slight shower about 12 3/4 p.m.  Fahrenheit 45 1/2° now at 11 p.m.  

Took back to the library volume 1 Gützlaff, and brought home volume 2 –

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/17/0106 and SH:7/ML/E/17/0107