Document 73 p 4
| Cause & then the Chairman of ye sd Sessions asked this Depont if Mr Smeaton had ever viewed the Ruins | ||||
| of ye sd Bridge & this Depont Answered that he believed not And saith that he was then ordered to withdraw | ||||
| x for a short time wch he did And saith that upon his return he was told by the sd Gawen Aynsley that it was the | ||||
| wish of himself and the Gentm upon the Bench that the sd Complt wd Get an Estimate made by the sd Mr Smeaton | ||||
| or some or Engineer of equal Eminence of ye value of ye then standg pts of ye sd Bridge & also of ye fallen Materials | ||||
| & that such Estimate shod be Delevd withn six weeks to some one of ye Justices for the Co or to ye Clk of the peace | ||||
| And that on ye Delevy of such Estimte ye sd Complt shod also by writing under his hand Specify wt Sum he wd give | ||||
| to be reld from his sd oblign And this Depont furr saith that immdly on his return home he wrote to ye sd Compt | ||||
| (who was then as this Depont bels) in Hampshire & communicated to him wt had past at Sessions & wt ye | ||||
| Justices furr reqd And saith that he recd An Ansr from ye sd Complt that he had wrot to Mr Smeaton requestg him | ||||
| to come ovr & make the Estimate required And Saith that he this Depont very soon aftrwrd recd a Lre from Mr | ||||
| Smeaton who informed this Depont that he intended in compliance with ye sd Complts request so soon [as?] | ||||
| his health wd pmit to come over & make ye Estimate beg then much indisposed And this Depont furr [saith?] | ||||
| that Apprehendg from ye whole of Mr Smeatons Lre that probably ye time limitted by ye Justices might Elapse | ||||
| before Mr Smeatons’ health wd permit him to make this Estimate He this Depont wrote to John Davison Esqr the | ||||
| Clk of ye peace for ye Co of Northland acquainting him wth ye Circumsts Of Mr Smeaton indisposn but that he | ||||
| this Depont hoped he (Mr Smeaton) wd shortly be able to come over & make the Estimate And saith that he this | ||||
| Depont had an Ansr from ye sd John Davison in wch to The best of this Deponts recollection he expressed himself | ||||
| glad Mr Smeaton had Concented to come over & hoped his coming over wd give genl satisfactn or | ||||
| used expressns to such Effects & this Depont furr saith that ye sd Mr Smeaton on or abot ye 3d or 4th of Decr | ||||
| 1783 did come over & make such an Estimate as the Justices had required And furr saith that ye paper | ||||
| writing Marked B doth contain a true Copy of ye Estimate so made by ye sd Mr Smeaton And that he can | ||||
| the Better so depose because that he this Depont did Examine ye sd paper writing wth ye original Estimate | ||||
| in Co wth ye sd Mr Smeaton who Signed his name or Character J. Smeaton appg at ye foot of ye paper writing now | ||||
| produced in the presence of this Depont and this Depont furr saith that ye sd Mr Smeaton aftr havg finished his | ||||
| Estimate sent ye same to ye sd Complt for his perusal & considern And saith that he hath been inform’d & verily | ||||
| bels that ye sd Complt did very soon after return ye sd Estimt to Mr Ra Herron his Soltr in Newcastle upon Tyne | ||||
| togr with a Declarn by him the sd Complt that he was ready to pay to the Co: the sum stipulated by Mr Smeatons | ||||
| Estimate for a Rels from his oblign And furr saith that he verily bels that ye sd Ra Herron did some time | ||||
| before ye Quar Sessions wch were held for ye sd Co in the Mo of Jany 1784 deliver to ye sd John Davison the | ||||
| said Estimate who as this depont bels did under the Dircion of ye sd Justices some or one of them | ||||
| transmit the same to Mr Milne an Engineer of Great Credit for his Conson on ye pt of ye Co and | ||||
| this Depont furr saith that he did expect & had every reason to believe that ye Justices wd at their | ||||
| then next Sessions accept from ye Complt the sum wch Mr Smeaton had Estimatd he shod pay & rels | ||||
| him from ye sd oblign & had not an Idea that any objectn could be made on Accot of ye Estimate | ||||
| not being made & delivered within ye time limitted And furr Saith that he was the more Induced | ||||
| to believe so for that ye sd John Davison on the 10th Jany 1784 wrote to ye sd Ra Herron the Card | ||||
| now produced by this Depont marked on ye Back thereof wth ye Lre C And this Depont Saith that he is | ||||
| enabled to depose that the sd Card is of ye Hand writing of ye sd John Davison as he this Depont is well | ||||
| acqted yrewith having freqtly seen him write And furr saith that he hath been informed & bels | ||||
| that the Estimate so made by ye sd Mr Smeaton & the undertakg so made by ye sd Complt to pay | ||||
| the sum Estimated were delivered by ye sd John Davison to ye Justices of ye sd Co of Northland at | ||||
| the Quar Sessions held for ye sd Co in Jany 1784 John Donkin | ||||
| * Copy of Mr Donkins’ Deposition on | ||||
| the part of Mr Errington | ||||
| [??] wday at Loftus’s 12 Jany 1787 | ||||
Note: Donkin's Replies to Interrogatories, p 4
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| An entry outlined like this has a note which may be seen by hovering over it. |
Transcribed by KS and CTW