The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-09-04 00:00:00

yitoilvirA) 1;110%D GUAGE COMMUNICATION.

I.ree and influential meeting of gentlemen, fanners,
▪ greimitirn Sherborne and its neighbourhood was
hos on Titer...Ay week, at the Townhall, to consider
avantsges to he derived by a direct communication
beeeen Sherborne and the broad gouge system.
mr. WILLIAm Frooes having been unanimously called
Chair. Gentlemen,--I think it is impos-
• to the importance nf the movement we
ve now wet le inaugurate; and I congratulate the
isksbitants of the town and neighbourhood upon their
sweishling iii so influential a body as that I now see
More use, at the short notice of only one clear day. It
kbows nie that you are fully alive to the necemity for
..kies ore great effort to maintain the high position
•hich Sherls.the him for some years been gradually
attaining, and which, with the united exertionii of all
intermted in its welfare, we may still farther advance.
I believe that no town in the West of England can boast
01 the advantages which we enjoy, and no town has • ,
setter proos•et if establithing a successful and ',mope-
rca market. For some months past we have all been
enemas of making an effort to re-establish our corn-
market. A great ninny gentlemen have given it much
c„..,deration, and • great deal of correspondence has
bee carried ; lit from various muses the scheme
kss w 4 ripened into maturity, and we are at the present
~,„„,,.et without airy definite prospect before us of re-
,4„kktishing our ,ornsmarket. The noble-hearted pro-
roe. tor of Sherearrse l'utle (Mr. Digby) has very free.
query cont.= n 1 ore upon this subject. Dyers
tans having Emil -made to him with regard to the site
f:r a market. he heartily entered into the views of the
tradesmen of the town of Sherburne ; and has also been
ii,eroes co-opereting with the farmers and his
tesaith of the neighbourhood, in their efforts to provide
iiscoralie Sation for those corn-dealers who may come
from a didence. I suggested to him, that, in order
to miss dir seheme • prosperous one, we must put
..ara 'nes in direct cousinunication with the bromi-
c,.4s system. from which we were severed
ty by a thotance 14 about four miles. I •
Dizby that LlO,OOO would be required,
fleksi .4 • loch might he borrowed ; and I intimated
no
has that it would- be quite hopeless that so large a
ono could be raised in this neighbourhood, unless he,
mid those connected with bin., would assist its raising this
rapital. Mr. high; then spoke of the advantages which
the broad-goat:, system would open up. Sherborne (he
mid) might be made the centre of one of the best
hinting countries in Eng and. He adverted to the late
Kith Corps (.re, when no many persons came here, and
meld not comoniently get bark again, lie said we
should have some little difficulty to encounter, but he
promised to do the best lie could for us. I myself, ansl
all that were pn-sent, felt that the central line, so far as
London and the West were concerned, was a capital
lose, and in every respect perfect, as tar as it could be
with a single line of rails; but, as nearly all our goods
mine from the North, and nearly all our agricultural
produce is sent t.s the north, it has been found, after •
very short experience, that it is more convenient and
less intensive to convey the goods--on acoount of the
break guage at Yeovil—by road from Sherborne to
that Coot. And. again, all goods conning from the
Non.. •., Sherberne—when they get to Yeovil the 1
"lead hat I believe is the technical term), is so short,
that it ' bern found, practically, cheaper to have
eto Sherb.rne by horses and cartn. I am
speaking t.. ntlemen here who are well aware of these
rnisentaie• tod who are feeling acutely the incon-
venience and . • arising from it ; and it is 110,1 for us
to counder 'her this inconvenience cannot be
SIMOTCI. As I 1..0e skid before, the tliotsnoe between
us and the broad rage system is very short ; and
it rang over as :s country as we could deaire.
nen is nething at antagonistic in our scheme to
re hoe %101 l now r.o.s from London to Exeter, but
sses.....sesedy can be no hares is our having additional
railway coninutoostion to the Noah ef England. Let
no get a oimmunication with the ('rest Western and
the ftrisml said Fir ter Railways (only 4 miles from us)
sad, I am persuaded, that if we get the former, the
other will quickly follow, and I confess I should like to
we them Irdli. We should then have the same
slyer:ages which our friends and neighbours are
opocing over a little way from us; and we should also
pare the way to secure for ourselves the great
abantage .4 having, permanently, express trains
mopping at She n rbure. ith all these cheering prospects
Wore us it behoves us to give "• long pull, • strong
MIL Uld a pull astogether," and with the backing-up
which we have every reason to hope for from the high'
riled, generals, and noble individual who is the
...tour of Sherhunie Castle, we may look forward,
diet a delay of a few months only, to the completion of
railway comusunications with Sherburne as g.sod as any
town can pomihly desire. (Cheers.)
Mr. H. ENAOR, in moving the first resolution.
adored to the inconvenience which we now daily
en:enemas with the railway which is now brought to
~sr door,. If the town of Sherborne (said he) ever
r...h to establish a good market here again, they must
rford greater accommodation for fanners, and others
who would be likely to come here, than is now afforded
by our railway smngeinen W ts. e are in a very large
cormgrowing district ; and we have got, within five
miles of us, • very capital market. That market has
got railway eumniunication with nil parts of the world,
and unless we can place ourselves in communication
with the broad-guage, and thus bring our friends from
the North, South. East, awl West of us, it is useless to '
reekou upon having semi market; if, on the eontrarsi
we can get the desired accommodation, we sh
doubtless, have as good • market as we ever had.
have emumenicated with large merchants at War-
minster, Bridgwater, Devises and other places, who
have said that if we could give them the opportunity of
coining here, they would do all they could to support
our market. (Cheers.) Mr. Ensor concluded by moving
the following resolution —"That, in the opinion of
'ha meeting, it is essential to the future prosperity of
sherborne and its imnicsliate neighbourhood, that a
direct communication be established between the town
of Sherborne and the broatl-gauge system."
Mr. FH.IIINE, before seconding the resolution, begged
submit to the tradesmen present the following :—lt
smeared that from Sherburne to Bruton by way of
Sparkford, and Castle Cary, the distance was 25
▪ whilst f Sherburne to Bruton by way of
Tensi•lecoinbe the distance was only Its nide.. He
therefore suggested that a narrow gauge line might be
Lade from Itadstock to Bruton, where it would join the
iseset Central at that place to Temples:omM, and froui
taeace to Sherburne, thereby effecting • saving of ten
mho of transit. He merely threw out this suggestion
:ttle .neeting as Inc thought it was worthy of con-
'Aeration. and concludt d by seconding the resolution.
resolution seas then put by the Chairman, and
enond without • dissentient, amid loud cheers.
Mr. V, Hirru. then moved theta committee be formed,
:41sting of nine gentlenien, with power to add to
•,or number; three to (min • quorum. This was
meilld by Mr. W. Parsons, and unanimously adopted.
jrr lollowing were appointed the committee :—Mr.
Finks, Mr. Wm. Whittle, Mr. S. Mosley, Mr.
I,*.tt• Mr. H. Ensor. Mr. Thorne, Mr. H. Coate, Mr.
o. sad Mr. T. Penny.
of thanks have been unanimously accorded to
" ierman, the meeting separated.
Wtvaocrit.—CtdomPtlCA arch and School Society.
li•tn.lay.' the 27th alt. the annual meeting of the
tial Church and School Society was held at the
.keeibe Regis National School. The attendance
,sceedingly limited, not more than 30 or 40
tas king present. The proceedings were
dby singing, and greyer* were offered by the
"A. Washington. The choir was taken by J.
E.g.. and speeches were delivered by the
1". A. Washington, the Rey. R. Dale, and the
'7. A. Robinson, of Lymingtoii, who attended aa
kletutioa from the l'areut Society. The speeches
'ut of an interesting character.

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