The Sun.
London, England, 1830-04-08 00:00:00

between London and Carlisle ?—I do not exactly ; it
would partake of all the improvements which 'might be
made between London and Newark, which I reckon ten
miles by the proposed new line ; what it is beyond that I do
not know, because it strikes off from the Edinburgh mail
road at Doncaster.
You think that ten miles might be saved between London
and Newark ?—Yes.
You could not save ten miles if the road still went by
Ware ?—I compare my line with the Barnet line by Al-
conbury Hill ; that improvement proceeds by Barnet to
Hatfield, and so on to Welwyn, Hitchin, and Shefford.
Have you ever surveyed any line that would save Stain-
more ?—I never have ; I travelled over it many times.
You are acquainted with that country ?—Yes.
Do you think any better line could be adopted ?—Yes ;
I am persuaded there may.
Do you know the valley of Wenslydall that runs parallel
to the Stainmore line?—l never made a survey of it, but

it is quite evident that the line over Stainruore might be
improved.
You say you have made a survey of the line of road by
Wooler, and another by Berwick ; did you ever make a
survey of the line of road from Newcastle to Jedburgh ?
No ; I made a survey from a place called Scotch Corner,
by West Auckland and Hes:ham, to the Scotch border,
and I found between Scotch Corner and Ilexhain to be
very hilly.
When you allude to saving 30 miles between London
and Edinburgh, you speak of the Wooler road?--I do, of
the Wooler and Coldstream as compared with the 13er-
wick line. _

When you made that survey between Morpeth and
Edinburgh, did you take Coldstream Bridge as a necessary
'Ace to cross the Tweed at?—l did.
Would Coldstream Bridge he the natural place to cross
the Tweed think it would ; I do not say that it would
exactly be the shortest, but it being a large and expensive
bridge, I thought a small deviation would not justify the
providing a new bridge.
Might not the present line through Morpeth and Aln-
wick be very much improved?--Yes, it may be improved
the whole way.
You may save very much both in distance and in hills,
may you not ?—lt would not save very much in distance;
Berwick lies so much out of the right line between Mor-
peth and alinburgh that there cannot be more than five
milee; saved. Every survey was taken with the same im-
partiality and care as to the statement of facts.
The line night be taken nearly level, mi,ht it not?—
Not altogether level, but there is no very great difficulty
in it.

You would make a considerable saving between New-
castle and Alnwick, would you not?—l do not recollect,
not much I believe, unless I bad the survey before me;
but I believe not much.

Li the saving of five miles between Morpeth and Edin-
burgh, or between Newcastle and Edinburgh ?—lt is both
the savings taken together.
Have you made estimates of those lines you have spoken
of? Yes; I gave them all into the Post-office, plans,
sections, and estimates, and comparative statements.

In saving those five miles from Newcastle to Edin-
burgh, do you not miss the town of Morpeth ?—No, I
come through Morpeth.
In the survey of the road you made from Morpeth to
Alnwick, did you not contemplate going to the east of
Morpeth and up a hollow?—No; I went through the
town of Morpeth and leaned to the eastward, instead of
going up the street to the westward ; I afterwards passed
up a hollow on the east side of the town, but I went
through Morpeth.
You did not make a survey of the road from the east
of the town of Morpeth to the turnpike gate on the
north of Morpeth, two miles beyond Morpeth ?—I can-
not go into these particulars without referring to the
maps that were made several years ago, but they are de-
lineated truly on the survey.
What do you consider to be the saving of distance be-
tween Newcastle and Edinburgh going by Coldstream,
instead of going by Berwick ?—I stated, that compared
with the present road, it would be about 14 or 15 miles.
You made a survey of the site of a uew bridge at Mor-
peth, did you not, last year ?—For a bridge only.
Was not the bridge placed exactly by your last survey
in the same situation it was by the former survey ?—No ;
it was placed further down, it was still in the town, but a
little way further down ; there were many different sites
pointed out.
That you preferred was to the eastward of the town,
was it not?-1 placed it just below the weir, on a direct
line with the front of the new gaol.
You have contemplated a road from the rectory at
Morpeth, down the hollow, to come round to the
east near the new gaol, and so continue to Alnwick,
have you not ?--I have, but it was not thought
proper to adopt that ; the principal object I could
see there was, that it would take the road by the bask by
the new gaol, instead of the front of it, that was the only
objection that I could see, and it was some little reason, it
is a fine building ; I surveyed the line by the back, because
I thought there would be fewer houses to purchase, and
open ground to go on at the back of the gaol ; it made very
little difference as to the public thoroughfare, whether it
went by the back or the front.
In that instance the road would have come further to
the east into the town of Morpeth ?—Perhaps 100 yards.
Do you remember the alteration you proposed to make
at Catchburn ?—Yes.
The present bridge at Morpeth is situate so as to serve
that alteration ?—lt is.
Would the nearest line of road between London and
Edinburgh go through the city of York ?—The surveys
will show that ; I surveyed two lines, and I found very
little difference in distance between them, but they are
both laid down upon the plan in every respect, and there
are sections and estimates for each line.
It appears that you have made cut, by the different sur-
veys you have trade, that you could gain 36 miles between
London and Edinburgh ; to-day you state that you could
save 30 miles ; you say you could save 10 between London
and Newark, six between Newark and Morpeth, and how
many between Morpeth and Edinburgh?—Fourteen,
making about 30 altogether.
Did you not make out that you could save 19 between
Morpeth and Edinburgh ?--I do not recollect that I did.
Might not a considerable saving be made between North-
allerton and Darlington if it was not for the river that in
the winter time prevents carriages using the short road
that turns out about half way between these two towns ?
I took a great deal of pains there and laid down the whole,
but I cannot now recal the details sufficiently to my recol-
lection to speak or enter into particulars.
Sir Henry Parnell, Bart., Member of the Committee,
examined—Have the goodness to state what course was
puisucd with respect to the Commission on the Holyhead
road, so far as it will be useful to the object of the present
inquiry ?---I suppose the Committee would wish to have a
general explanation of the course of proceedings by which
that road has been improved. There was a Committee
appointed by the House in the year 1615, for the purpose
of inquiring into the state of this road, and the report of
that Committee contained a recommendation to appoint a
Commission to superintend the improvement of it. A
survey of the road through Wales had been made by Mr.
Telford in the year 1810. A Commission was appointed,
and the sum of .QO,OOO/. voted for commencing improve-
ments in North Wales. In the year 1817 another Com-
mittee of the House was appointed, which took into con-
sideration the state of the road between London and Wales,
and recommended that the Treasury should direct a survey
to be made by Mr. Telford, of that road. Ile made
two reports, one in 1819 and the other in 1620, which
were laid before the House, and in which he showed, by plans
attached to his reports, 24 different improvements that were
desirable to be made. In order to carry those plans into
effect, the Parliamentary Commissioners obtained loans
from the Exchequer Bill Commissioners, and also obtained
poke; from Parliament to have additional tolls levied on
the road for the purpose of repaying those loans. In the
year 1823 the Treasury recommended that, in the place
of the Parliamentary Commissioners applying to the Lx-
chequer Bill Commissioners, they should make their ap-
plications to the Treasury, and receive advances of money
on votes cf the House, by way of loan directly front the
Treasury. The general recruit is that nearly all the im-
provements recommended by Mr. Telford in his reports of
1619 and 1820 have been carried into effect with the ad-
vance of a sum of about 130,0001.
;e that between London and Shrewsbury, or between
London and eielyheed ?—Between London and Watling-
street, eleven miles on this side of iiAirewsbury. Fifty-
four thousand pounds were advanced by the Exchequer
Bill Commissiouere, and the rest on votes of the House by
the Treasury. The plan, of repayment by additional tolls
has so far been successful, that it eppe irs by a paper laid
before the House this Session, that 40,0181. of principal
money has been repaid to the Exchequer Bill Cofmnis-
sioners, and 13,0581. of interest, besides which some
payments have been made by the Parliamentary Com-
m iseioners to the Treasury. I can state the different works
which have bsen carried into effect in England, if it be
desired ; they have been chiefly confined to getting rid of
bad in different parts of the road, so as to render the
road free of any thing like a difficult hill. It is this that
elves this road' the great advantage it has over other roads
in fast travelling, for the coachmen can drive as fast as
they please doWn nearly all the hills without danger, and
iu this way allow their horses to go quietly up them.
Are you aware at whet rate the mail travels?—The