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Cottrell –March 14 / 58
Altho ye offer contnd in yr lr f of the 9th inst does not come up to my estmte I hve decided to accept it provided we are agreed upon all other points – so that the royalty will be 1/6 on the first 20,000 tons in each year then to fall to 1/ during the remnder of that year. All Ore sold to be ^for ye ppose of being smelted in Wiltsh. to be excepted fm this, and to be ^made the Subject of a septe agreemt. The royalty on all such ore to be 1/6 per ton –
If it shd be fnd desirable hereafter for the lessee t convey down to the Canal on his rlway ore belongg t any other proprietor, the prevs consent in writing of the lessor shall be requisite & it shall form ye subjt of a septe agreemt.
An agricultl rent of two pounds per Ann. per acre to be paid on all lands occupied by the lessee. In makg the inclined rlway You wd naturally wish prefer to bring it down to the Canal <illegible deletion> by the shortest line. This wd also I believe be the most convent for me as it can wd pass along ye margin of some Coppice woods. – doing comparatively little
I will select for you 15 acres of the best ore, according to my judgment, extending along the crown of the hill, from the sandpit in the direction homewards – this is the best in my opinion, but if your Judgment differs, I can have daresay there will be no objection to selecting another position the land elsewhere – I think it shd either be in one or at most in two portns wth a narrow piece connecting ym and wth a connecting piece in the latter case wd be necessy
<expanded version>
Cottrell –March 14, 1858
Although the offer contained in your letter from of the ninth instant <1> does not come up to my estimate I have decided to accept it provided we are agreed upon all other points – so that the royalty will be one shilling six pence on the first 20,000 tons in each year then to fall to one shilling during the remainder of that year. All Ore sold to be for the purpose of being smelted in Wiltshire to be excepted from this, and to be made the Subject of a separate agreement. The royalty on all such ore to be one shilling six pence per ton –
If it should be found desirable hereafter for the lessee to convey down to the Canal on his railway ore belonging to any other proprietor, the previous consent in writing of the lessor shall be requisite and it shall form the subject of a separate agreement.
An agricultural rent of two pounds per Annum per acre to be paid on all lands occupied by the lessee. In making the inclined railway you would naturally wish prefer to bring it down to the Canal <illegible deletion> by the shortest line. This would also I believe be the most convenient for me as it can would pass along the margin of some Coppice woods. – doing comparatively little
I will select for you fifteen acres of the best ore, according to my judgment, extending along the crown of the hill, from the sandpit in the direction homewards – this is the best in my opinion, but if your Judgment differs, I can have daresay there will be no objection to selecting another position the land elsewhere – I think it should either be in one or at most in two portions with a narrow piece connecting them and with a connecting piece in the latter case would be necessary.