The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-08-18


Nos<aeS,ey's Esf<r. Poser ard w,Aence
Dtyspcz~ - II appears from Henn'ng's sts.
S,,tes q LARGE volume 8, chapter &c. page
495. skat the towu Of Manchester was tpcor-
oet1{e5l bv the House Of BurResses 20 no
Weber. f7C9. Siucs inst time the town nss
xcwccd safs& Of land. amounting 80 guam
49,, ~ sevsssi acres. exiendins aIone the
80. ~, ~ Names river for q distance
- nsrhsna nearly bali mile. Ia COM
<,.si,e X po<sible increase OF pofu.
{.ssnn ss<l resources OF che plsce.
sh.s ,srd- from time immemos5al known
e. the = Town commons" has always
S<en esteemed and repuied oil great
svsicet because OF tue extensive waterspower
"a eligible situAsion In connection with the
river commands. IL was reserved Tor the
use Of the town by the trustees OF william
Byrd when, In 1863, or previously, unuet
nuthoriiy Of the House OF Burgesses, .ney
laid OF that portion OF said Byrds properly
embraced within the limits OF Mancnes.s',
inclu0ing said common. into vss. <Sc'' III
a town, to be disposed OF W sos.eIy. as
addition to the waier-power 90 o"neu
by the town from Us caeaslon, It's
trustees in is40, With toe sspc..on
.of the Legislature, purchases anv.nsa
00nIIHRUUN
Wiaseld scott, Robert Henry CabeIl, and
.Josenb MAYO. trustees under the Will OF
ABIGAIL MAYO, deceased. The union OF
shese two parcels OF land, web the priyl-
IeQes attached TO each, under the same
ownership, has, OF course, largely contri-
buted TO the value OF the whole, command
ing as they did the location dor ana the
right 10 ell the most valuable water-poweT
at the fails on the south side OIL james
river.
James river Is not q Davigable stream OIL
any point opposite the land Owned oy the
evaporation OF Manchester. The influence
Of the tide In the river does not go beyond
a point between Mayo's aud tie panyille-
railroad bridge, and the Manchester water
power land extends along the river some
distance above the Danville-railroadb bridge,
and some distance below that OF heyo's, the
Isuer portion being subject 10 the Gov oil
the tides, and the upper part seoVe ude'
water.
Mayo's canal, now owned by the present
city OF Manchester, is part OF the property
conveyed 70 the trustees OF the town oil
Manchester in 1645 by Winfield Scott and
others. The canal used by the town TO make
It's water.power available before that pnr'
chase was located between Mayo's canal
and the present abutment OF Mayo's bridge,
and has long since been filed up and built
on. As an evidence Of this the LegisIa-
lure In 1S33'34 passed "an act au.
tborizing the trustees OF the town OF
Manchester TO extend their canal through
the southern sbutment OF Mayo's bridge"
But the towns canal was originally con-
structed subservient TO the ancient rights
incident TO the Mayo property. The water
rights and privileges OF the Mayo property
were existing In 1869, and lolR previously
thereto. In 1860 there was " double forge
milIsD on the Mayo property. operated by
water passed along the present Manchester
canal QbeD Mayo's). This forge, together
with the two and q balfac OF land on which
Il stood, and the canal, with ten feet OF
land on either side, with two thousand
acres OF back land, was the capital prize in
Byrd's lottery, before mentioned, and was
convened by Byro's trustee to "Henry
Morse, late OF williamsburg, but now Of
Great Britain,v by deed dated october J.,
1859, recorded 10 the Office OF the late Gen.
eral Court, book 1869 to ITO, page 49,.
IThe records Of the Isst.named court were
DESTROYED when the State courthouse In
the Capitol Square was burnt, April 3, 1861
Excepting the two thousand acres OF back
land, the property conveyed 10 Morse
passed TO the possession OF Colonel John
Mayo, the original builder OF The bridge
now, as then, known by. his name.
As before stated, 1t was conveyed
with additional parcels OF land sd1scent)
10 the town Of Manchester In lS45 by Scott
and others. trustees. The Mayo canal, thus
purchased, ran next to the town lots OF
Manchester and around the commons OF the
town excepted In Byrd's lottery for the
use OF the town.. Where Byrd or his trus-
tees obtained the right to erect the canal so
long known as Mayo's, save by grant from
she Crown, as be got bis lands. Is not
known. It's antiquity IS conclusive argu-
ment Ia favor OF It's legal origin. II will be
seen by the above narrative that the present
wster.power used by the city OF Nancbes-
ter aud its tenants, aud those under whom
they claim, has been used, and continually
used, since 1863.