The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-11 00:00:00

NORTH RENT RAILWAY CONTINUATION.

A demonstration was made on Wednesday, by many
of the leading landowners in the county of Kent, at a public
nude g, held at Siffingbonen. to consider the proposal to
complete the North Kent Railway from Svood to Dover, to
be constructed under the direction of • public commission, to
be appointed under an net which is to be applied for in the
awning 'mien of parliament. The novelty of the proposi-
tion attracted a large attendance, there being present up-
wards of 290 of the principal landowners, occupiers, and in-
habitants resieent in the neighbourhood, and on the rents
of the proposed line of railway. Among Maw were
the Right Hon. 8. R. Lesbington F. Bradley Dyne, Esq.,
Biz John K. Tylden, James Yalliu:ce,Esq., Rev. H. T.Wal-
ford, W. tlunon, Reci , J. Walter, E• q., J. Grayling, Fwel
George Cobb, Esq., W. Disney... Ewe., Rev. H. Hilton,
E. Homewood, B q., Rev. W. J. Brewer, T. Knight, Esq.,
R. Knight, Req., an Mesers.Vinson. Hyne, Jordan, Fooed,
B. Court, E. Barrow, G. Sneed, J. Warden, R. White, J.
Dean, J. B Coulter, J. Church, am, Re.
On the motion of Sir J. M. Tilden ..conded by the Right
Hon. S. Ruesbold Lashisgton, F. B. D 1741, Esq., of Gore
Court, was called to the chair.
The CHAIRMAN stated that the necessity for a railway
communication along the line of North Kent, for local
convenience. and for connecting other parts of the county.
and the various government establishment., was too well
known to need much °eminent. At the same time, it was as
well known that such a route was the only way by which a
direct oinuunnication with the continent could be effected.
The public utility and importance of such a line had been
' often declered, not only by the inhabitants of Kent, but by the
Commissioner,. of Railways, to whom the question was re-
ferred by the House of Lords, in 1847, tor a special report.
The report of the commissioners was to the effect that,
looking to the importance of Dover as a harbour of refuge,_
and the expense which it has been determined shall be
incurred in forming that harbour, and, bully believing that
the ',nekton which Dover occupies tinnier coot, is a sufficient
reason to justify, that large cational expenditure, they were
of opinion that its connexion by a secure and direct railway
communication with the metropolis and the naval arsenals,
wee of the grea:est importance; and, therefore, they con-
sidered that it is expedient that another lined railway should
be constructed by which Dover and Dover harbour may be
connected with the metropolis and the government 'meanie's-
ments, without being dependent ou the present exposed por-
tion of railway between Folkestone tied D_ver. (Hear.)
' That was the deliberate opinion off red by the railway coin-
mis•ieners, and they had now met together for the purpose of
concerting mecums of cooperation among the landowners
and genii. meet of the county, in order to obtain parliamen-
tary pow• nto construct the necessary works under the
auspices of a public commission. Having stated that the
nature of such cemmieston would be exelstn as
ed to the ee:-
fog by the solicitor of the bill, he calls.: on Mr. U. L. Taylor,
the engineer, to describe the course of the line.
Mr. TAYL'ili entered into a detailed statement of the
course proposed to be token by the line, which well form a
junction with the present South-Eastern Com.,anre No:th
Kent line at 8 roud, and thence teas the river Medway
by a bridge which had received the sanction ul
Mr. Cahill, the engineer. Aver bag expensive reopen,
as reach as penile's, it was intended to take the course of
Vignoile's North Kent line, with such emseclaiona as lea-
ther experience, titer that fine was laid down, had shown to
be necessary. A.l the plat a and necessary no:ices sad been
deposited, and the prcject had been reported on by Mr.
1 Walker, the governm• rat engineer, to whom it had been re-
-1 felted by the L..rd Warden of the Cinque l'orts, as by far
the best line that had ever been prop cted in the county.
(Hear. hair,) The details having been tally gone Inc.
Sir J. M. 'f YLDEN moved a aeries of re'elutioae, which
will be found in our advertising columns. He stated that
the efforts et hich had been frequently made to establkh a
line through Nu:th Kent had been iovartsely opposed and
frustrated by the South• Eastern Railway Company, on the
ground of their intending to construct a suetrior system of
railw es ,mreunicsticn throughout the aunty—anintention
which Pay had Last to amomplish, and had now neither
the means nor the disposigon to attenpt. (Hear, hear.)
The South•Eas et n cempany tied iiven written pledges, bum
personal and parliamentu, to execute such a line of rail-
way, but though they bed induced, by such promises, a
withdrawal of the pr jecta of their opp :rents, they had
abstained hem performing their own engagements. (Hear.)
Under these circumataucee, it re w became the dui of curt)
gentleman, and, indeed, of every innabitant, of the county
to come forward and give setae substantial earnest 0: their
determination to be no linger deprived of the means of inter-
communication which was enjoyed by almost every other
portion if the kingdom. (lii ter, hear.) It one wed known
that the traffic to be brought on the Ilea would realise a re-
turn which would amply compensate the county fur the cost
of construction. (Hear, hear.) It was particularly to he
observed that no c mmereial profit was s mght by the
un-
dert.king; hence no i.ers cal leibiaties wile to be incurred.
(Hear, hear.) Bee, iu order to secure a faithful discharge
et the duties of management, it was intended to secure an
ample and judicious pubic audit. (Hear, hear.)
JAMES VALLANCE, Eaq , banker, sec,ndea the re-
solutien, and atte r a iew observations tram Mr. CiAbCOVNE,
who appeared to think that the lice would not prose a pro•
titable undertaking, —.........

The CHAIIIIIAN stated, that Mr. M'Gregor bad fee-
qnently declared than the line must be made, that it would pay
well, and that the Ramsgate, Margate and North of Europa
GAIN which now went by wa•er, woul4 come over this
lime. With regard to the conduct of the South Eastern
Railway COalrisl, he did me wish to refer to it, hot would
leave it to be dealt e i:h by other gentlemen as it deserved.
(Hear, hear.)
The Right Hon. S. R. LUSHINGION stated that he
rose to address the meeting on the occasion uhder feelings
of great difficulty and euabarr.ssiacnt, iz consequence of
the opposition which it seemed the directors of the South
Eastern Railway Company bed determined to give to the
proposition before it. For wend years, and during a 1 tag
series of struggles, he had unitlarmiy given his Enos.
strenuous support to the South Eastern Railway Company
from a conviction that they were the best able to tem.
plate the hulwoy communication of the county. In 1830 he
cad been on a committee of the House of Commons
and bad on that occasion opposed the then proposed hue.
His opposition had continued to the year 1845, when a clause
was iutroduced into the bells of the South Eastern Company
which satisfied him they wcre in earnest, and fully intended
to construct the direct line. From that time he bad assisted
the South Eastern Company to the utmost cf his power,
fully relying on the good taitn of the chairman and directors
of that company. I: now appeared however, that berthed been
mistaken in ha views • that in short, the efforts which were
now being made by the county for its own convenience were
to be met by strenuous oppssitian, instead of receiving the
countenance and co-operation which the correspond.
ence with the company had lead him to anticipate.
the right hon. gentleman, having read the correspond-
ence referred to, concluded his remarks by stating that
be considered that the South Eastern Company ought
to have been more 'pendia as to the grounds of their
threatened opposition. Under the circumstance', he
thought the only alternative they had was to proceed with
the bill. He thought the clauses its the bill for appointing a
public COUILOtaIiJa were unexceptionable, and that the mode
of raising the required capital upon the same pritsciple as
turnpike trusts, was the only practicable and
proper one to take in the present condition of
the money market, and in the present state ot
railway property. (Hear, bear.) The public neces-
sity for making the line was unquestionable. On public
grounds, it was well known, that the government would
aid and support the measure • and therefore he considered
that everything ought to be dne, that parliament and all
constitutional powers rendered necessary, in order to accom-
plish the undertaking in its lull integrity. (Hear, hear.)
The right hon. gentleman concluded by declanng his deter-
mination to do all in Lis power to effect this great public
object.
Mr. WHITE, solicitor to the bill, explained the nature
tied operations of the clauses, and pointed out in a very able
manner the evils of the existing oommunication by the Rei-
gate angle. He considered that no progress could be made
except by showing a bold front and dtteruainatiou on the part
of the gentlemen of Kent to carryout for themselves what the
South Eastern Company either could net or would not do for
th•• m. He (Mr. W.) was no railway lawyer; but, in his profes-
sional position as solicitor to the ecclesiastical commissioners,
he had had great experience as to the gross mismanagement.
that prevailed in the whole railway ay stem of the county y
(Hear, hear.) He could undertake to prove that from first
to last the railway system had been conducted upon an un-
sound bail, and that if a proper superintending control had
been exercised by the legislature the whole railways of the
kingdom might have been constfueted for 100 millions in-
stead cat having cost something like 250 millions. (liter.) In
his view, had this been done, there would have been no job-
bing and no extravagaut expenditure. (Hear, hear.) It was
almonstrous thing for the government of the day to have
pent ittesl the power of conducting the transit of the country
to have pissed out of their hands entirely and into the
hands of pelves commercial companies. (Hear, hear.) The
highways of the country are now no longer the Queen's
highway. (Hear, hear ) G -vernment audit and govern-
ment control is shown to be necensry, and it should
be torgotten that all railway companies have • partner who
hue constructed the lines. That 'sterner is the public,
who must be served without risk, and who must be accom-
modated without expense.
The CHAIRMAN, alter referring to the attempt which
was made some years since by Messrs. J. and it. Lace
to promote the Kentish Railway, and which was abandoned
only because of the pledges then given by the South Eastern
Company, to carry the project out themselves, desired the
meeting would allow him to support this statement by read-
ing a letter setting forth the arrangement then entered into
between Mr. Fearoo, on behalf of the South Eastern Com•
pany, and Mr K d, on behalf of the projected Kentish
Cuiulbiuy. The letter was as follows:
To It. W. Kennard, Esq.,

Temple, Nov. 16, 1814.
Dear Sir,—Referring to the communications which have
takeu place betwtea you and myself on the subject of the
North Kent Rue, promoted by the gentlemen arsoeated with
yourself us the Kentish company, I beg to state that I am
authorised by the directors of the South Eastern Railway
Company to agree to the followieg terms, vii.:—That the
South Eastern Company shall pay all the expenses incurred
by the Kentish Company to this time; that the Kentish
Company shall withdraw, and that the local noblemen and
gentry, and such others as may bo so disposed, shall form
henceforth a committee to give their best aid to the South
Esstern Company to carry out the plan of the latter coin.
pang ; that such of the members of your committee as may
not be locally interested shall engage to do anything in their
peer to assist the South Eastern Company i■ their project.
1 am induced to think that b may not be unacceptable to the
local noblemen and gentry of your party to remain as a com-
mittee of co-operation, beams. I know that a considerable
proportion of them entered on the Kentish project not
as a speculation, bat from a strong wish to see a hoe carried
into effect in their diatziok 1 wish, therefore, to accompany