The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-09 00:00:00

.L.trEirpooL AND MANCHESTER RAIL-WAY

P".ZOCEEDINGS IN TIII TOWN COUNCIL OF
LfrUle POOL.
The first ancl.;=nty division took place on Wednesday reepeet-
ing the intended Liverpool and Manchester rail-road, the in.
tereat in which increases on each side as the meeting of Parliament
draws near. In compliance with the forms of the House, the as-
sent or dissent of all the parties along the proposed litie of road
must be ascertait.ed previous to bringing in the 818, and accord-
ingly an application on the eithject was presented to the last Council,
which was referred to the Finsece Committee to report. That Com-
mittee, in reply to a request front the Chairman (Mr. Lawrence)
that they would recommend the assent of Council being given to
the making oil tunnel, which was meant to pass through the Cor-
poration property, had reported kat week as follows r—that, in the
absence of all reqnisiteinformatiop, they could not recommend the
Council to give their assent. fa consequence of this, Mr. Law.
rence in his place on Wednesday, renewed, on behalf of the rail-
road, the application he had made to the Finance Committee, en-
gaging to introduce a clause into the Kill, to require the Company
to make the tunnel to the entire satisfaction ur the Corporatipn
Surveyor, or any other competent person whom the Council might.
appoint, and he ended with a motion for the assent being Oven.
This was seconded by the MAYOR.
Mr. T. CASE asked for the estimate of the tunnel, and com-
plained, that ,the Council were neither in possession of this nor the
other information necessary to their decision. .Many very fervor.
tent considerations presented themselves, arid amongst others, the
Injury that, might arise to the leasehold property about to be laid
out in a square and streets between Crabtree-lane and Upper Par-
liament-tercet. Stesm.engines erected at the exit of the tunnel In
Crabtree-lane would be. one of those nuisances which the Corpo-
ration always set their faces against.
Mr. LaweexcE said tliiit it was utterly impoesible to jeive
either estimate or section of the tunnel, until the borings ha as-
certained the description of strata through which it was to pass.
Mr. WA IO /IT did not see what the Corporation had to do with
the estimate, and asked, at a subsequent period, if it was not ex.
elected that the passing of the Bill would lower the freight of coals
2s. Gd. • ton ?
Mr. HotLIxsUEAD did net think the freight of a ton of enels
of importance, and expressed his fears that the tdnnel Would dry
up all the springs of the Corporation Water-work', the Interests
of which concern Vie Council were bound to protect,
Mr. J. B. IleaLlitsne•D begged to know the reason of all
this extreme haste on the part of his friend, Mr. Lawrence ? It
was not, by any means, essential to the Bill getting into Perna-
anent. Why, too, had not the Council heard from ftlr. L. some
such agreeable proposal for their acceptance, and as an iuduceinent
to their assent, as that made by the Rail-road Committee to the
Marquis of Stafford, which Mr. H. characterised as a most discre-
ditable business P He then, at great length, and in strong terms,
commented on the conduct of the Committee with regard to the
above transaction, and in other respects connected with the altera-
tion of the line—their sacrifice of the ianocent and less powerful
landowners on the new line, to appease the hostility of the two
great Noblemen, the Earls of Derby and Sefton ; but their object
would fail, as those Individuals would In no degree abate in their
opposition. Ile thought that the public, by this " monstrous
coalition" between land and water-carriage, the Duke's canal and
the rail-road would be worse off than ever. For • time, like the
effect produced by opposition coaches, the rates of carriage might
indeed be reduced, but only afterwards to be raised asked, when
other competition, had been destroyed.
Mr. LAWRENCE declared that he considered no disgrace to at.
tack to the Committee for their negotiation with Lord Mefferd ;
the port he had taken in it he should never be ashamed to avow. A
great national end, in his opinion, was to he attained ; and enter-
taining that opinion, he thought that,in order to secure the inter
est of the nobleman in question. the appropriation of shares to him
was perfectly correct—far more so than to have jobbed in them for •
:rat, as the Committee might have done.
Mr. Dan; IEnrATER then role and addressed the Mayor, stating,
that on a subject of such great importance as that under their con-
sideration, he could not content himulf with giving a silent s ote ;
he should not discharge his duty to the Council in so doing. It
was very well known that his sentiments, twelve months ago, were
favourable to the rail-road, and they remained unchanged. He
owned that the tunnel (or the nil-mad itself, we 'lid nut learn
which) would be a nuisance ; but will the Council were bound to
encourage a measure which promised to be advantageous to the
town.
Mr. W- W. CURRIE said, that a great part of what had fallen
from his friend Mr. J. B. llollinshead, appeared to him foreign to
the subject as far as the Corporation was concerned. His remarks
might be very proper as coming from the opposers of the measure
out of doors, but ought not to influence the Council. The single
point for their consideration he (Mr. Currie) thought was, to gtiard
against the public sustaining any injury from the present measure.
That a tunnel was perfectly practicable was well known, we one
connected with the Regents Canal was made sane years ago, of the
length of 900 yards, under the town of Islington, and it had not
been found at all detrimental to property. Nothing could be fairer
than 111 r. Lawrence's proposal, that the Bill should contain •
clause compelling the Committee to construct the tunnel in !question
under the superintendence (he might say) and to the entire satis-
faction of the Corporation, and he should vote for their assent being
given.
Mr. J." 11. floaatwsnEAD said that he should not propose any
amendment, but give a direct negative to the motion.
The votes were then taken as follows :
For the motion,l6, via. Messrs. Ripley, Dawson, Pole, Little.
dale, Conic. Drinkwater, Robinson, Conic, Statham, Moss,
Lawrence, W. Molyneux, Sir John Tobin, Messrs. Wright, Ni-
cholson, and the Mayor.
Against it, 14. viz. Messrs. T. Brancker, Leigh, Earle, J. D
Cane, Rowe, .1. B. Hollinshead, T. Case, Staniforth, Clarke, tie.
rard, Molyneux, grimacer, Hollinshead, and Case.
The motion was accordingly carried ; and the Town Clerk was
directed to signify the assent of the Corporation, with the usual re.
serration, however, as ,to any opinion on the clauses of the Bill,
when it shall have been printed.—Liverpool Mercury.