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Cottrell

March 30 / 58

The dist^ce as the crow flies f^m the bottom of the incline to the GWR is about 1 m. & ¼ – I could lay down a tramroad, w^ch w^d not be much longer – I _^ ^{one I} may say it w^d be 1 mile & ½. This w^d require the consent of anoth^r landowner to cross his field – for w^ch of course prob^y I sh^d have to pay him a handsome rent – Supposing the tramroad made, & the cost of working it by horsepower to be 3^d a ton per mile, the cost of putting the ore on the GWR w^d be 4^d½ per ton – Be pleased to say whether this plan w^d suit you, that I may communicate with the la owner of the land I sh^d wish to cross –

I am ready to give instr^ns t my sol^r to prepare a lease t you as soon as I underst^d that we are agreed upon all the chief points & that you have selected the actual lands to be leased – I believe we are agreed upon all points but the nature of the Communicⁿ to be establ^d w^th the GWR – If there is any other point left doubtful please to notice it in y^r reply that it may be at once settled I will add that since y. appeared t me t dislike the proposal I made t fix a max price for the ore w^ch y. w^{d to be} charged to any comp^y establ^g smelt^g f^nces on my land, I shall now propose to omit that stipulⁿ & leave the matter for future arrang^t whenev^r such Comp^y shall be _^^actually form’d.

P.S. After the Bristol & S Wales junctⁿ r^lway is completed, the ores going to Wales will not be sent to Swindon but to Bristol Therefore if you institute comparisons of cost, you sh^d compare the cost of _^^{different methods of} sending the ore to Thingley junctⁿ, one mile west of Chipppenham –

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Cottrell

March 30, 1858

The distance as the crow flies from the bottom of the incline to the Great Western Railway is about one and a quarter miles – I could lay down a tramroad, which would not be much longer – I one I may say it would be a mile and a half. This would require the consent of another landowner to cross his field – for which of course probably I should have to pay him a handsome rent – Supposing the tramroad made, and the cost of working it by horsepower to be three pence a ton per mile, the cost of putting the ore on the Great Western Railway four and half pence per ton – Be pleased to say whether this plan would suit you, that I may communicate with the landowner owner of the land I should wish to cross –

I am ready to give instructions to my solicitor to prepare a lease to you as soon as I understand that we are agreed upon all the chief points and that you have selected the actual lands to be leased – I believe we are agreed upon all points but the nature of the Communication to be established with the Great Western Railway – If there is any other point left doubtful please to notice it in your reply that it may be at once settled I will add that since you. appeared to me to dislike the proposal I made to fix a maximum price for the ore which you would to be charged to any company establishing smelting furnaces on my land, I shall now propose to omit that stipulation and leave the matter for future arrangement whenever such Company shall be actually formed.

P.S. After the Bristol and South Wales junction railway is completed, the ores going to Wales will not be sent to Swindon but to Bristol. Therefore if you institute comparisons of cost, you should compare the cost of different methods of sending the ore to Thingley junction, one mile west of Chippenham –