[ Regent's Canal Company, London. ] Seven items, comprising five printed circulars, an Autograph Letters Signed from secretary Edmund Leonard Snee to Sir John Edward Harington, and the autograph draft of Harington's letter..

First proposed by Thomas Horner in 1802, the Regent's Canal was incorporated by John Nash in 1811 in his plans for the development of Regent's Park. Hugely-successful in the nineteenth century despite the rise of the railways, it fell into decline in the early twentieth, but is now firmly established as an amenity of London. The seven items in the present collection are in good condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. Items ONE to FOUR are printed circulars from Snee, transmitting copies 'of the Resolutions this day passed at the General Assembly of Proprietors of the Regent's Canal'. All from the Regent's Canal Office. Dated: 6 June 1827; 3 June 1829; 2 June 1830; 1 June 1831. The first is preceded by a circular letter from Snee, regarding a share issue to raise funds to pay off the company's debt to the government; the last three contain statements of receipts and expenditure. All four are 3pp., 8vo, on bifoliums, and all are addressed, with postmarks, to 'Sir J. E. Harington Bart. | Berkeley Square.' FIVE: Printed circular letter from Snee. Regent's Canal Office; 18 July 1827. 1p., 4to. Addressed to Harington, with postmarks. Items One to Six are docketed by Harington. Begins 'The Measure adopted at the late General Meeting having produced a Subscription of 8367 Shares, in the proportion of three New for every four Old Shares, amounting to £209,175; and of 3346 Surplus Shares, in case of a deficiency under the 4th Resolution; […]'. SIX: Autograph Letter Signed ('Edmund. L. Snee. | Secy.') from Snee to Harington, replying to Item Seven below. Regent's Canal Office; 12 June 1827. 2pp., 4to. Stating, following consultation with the Deputy Chairman, that 'the gross amount of the Revenue, calculated on the average of the last three months, exceeds £30,000 – Per Annum. - The ascertained (annual) Expenses of the Concern, amount to about £9,000, but to this must be added the Repairs – wear & tear &c. and Expenses of working the Tunnel Engine, making the current outgoings amount altogether to about £12,000.' Continues regarding the 'Surplus Receipts', and states what will be done 'in the event of the requisite Sum not being raised in time to accomplish the Object of paying off the Company's debt to Government'. SEVEN: Autograph Signed Draft of letter from Harington to Snee. Berkeley Square; 11 June 1827. 2pp., 12mo. He finds, regarding Item One above, that 'no clue is therein afforded to form any judgment of the probable surplus receipts, from which a rate of dividend may be reasonably expected, should the sum required or £223,000 be raised in the manner proposed'. It is 'desirable to ascertain if, in the event of the object not being attained by a subscription for so large a number of shares' the deposits on the new shares will be returned. From the Harington papers.