'the town of Chelmsford, or some part of the parish of Springfield, in the county of Essex, and a place called Colliers' Reach, in or near the River Blackwater, in the said county.' They were incorporated under the name of "The Company of Proprietors of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation," and empowered to raise among themselves the sum of £40,000, in four hundred shares of £100 each, and in case that sum be insufficient, they may raise an additional £20,000, either among themselves, or by the admission of new subscribers, or by mortgage of the undertaking, or by granting annuities. Under this company, the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, as it now is, was completed. The total length, from the basin at Chelmsford to the tideway at Colliers' Reach, is a little more than thirteen miles and a half, viz. from the head of the navigation to Beleigh Mill, above Maldon, is ten miles and seven furlongs, with a fall of 59 feet 5 inches; from Beleigh Mill, by a cut, to the Blackwater, and by the course of that river, to Heybridge, is one mile and one furlong, with a fall of 7 feet 3½ inches; and from thence, by canal, to the basin at Colliers' Reach, opposite Northey Isle, one mile and five furlongs, with a fall, to low-water-mark, in the basin, of 12 feet 8½ inches. From Colliers' Reach, the length of the estuary of Blackwater River, where it falls into the sea opposite Sales Point, is nearly eleven miles. The spring tides flow 8 feet at Maldon Bridge, so that vessels of considerable burthen can enter that port at those times; but at neaps it only flows 1 foot The basin at Colliers' Reach was executed under the direction of Mr. John Rennie, and was opened in the early part of 1796.
TONNAGE RATES.
| Coal | 2d per Chaldron, per Mile. |
| Stone | 1d per Ton, ditto. |
| Lime for Manure, Chalk, Dung, and other Manures | 1 ditto, ditto. |
| Wheat, Barley, Rye, Peas, Beans, and Tares | ½d per Quarter, dttto. |
| Oats, Malt, and other Grain or Seeds | ½d ditto, ditto. |
| Meal or Flour | ½d per Sack, of Five Bushels, per Mile. |
| All other Goods, Wares, and Merchandize | 2½d per Ton, per Mile. |
EXEMPTION FROM TOLL.
Stone, Gravel, and Sand, for the repair of Roads, (not being Turnpike), in any Township through which this Navigation passes, and which shall not be carried more than Five Miles, provided they do not pass a Lock, except at such Times as when the Water flows over the Gauge, Paddle, or Waste Weir of the Lock.
