And, first, to briefly catalogue the complaints from all sources. They are as follows:—(a) Insufficient depth of water in the river for the increasing size and tonnage of steamships. (b) Tide-waiting at Gravesend and at the dock entrances, inward and outward. (c) Excessive dues. (d) Vexatious restrictions owing to conflicting and overlapping authorities in the river. (e) Excessive cost of barging, pilotage, and labour in loading and discharging. (f) Loss of time at the port. (g) Dangerous navigation, due to tides, bends in the river, narrow channel, fogs, and the crowded state of the river. That these complaints are well founded is generally admitted.