The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-31 00:00:00

RAILWAY BILLS.

Yesterday the bill of the Birkenhead, Flintshire, and
Holyhead Railway was thrown out. The case of the Merthyr,
Tredegar, and Abergavenny, to authorise a lease of the line
to the London and North Western and Shrewsbury and
Hereford, or either of them, was opened and evidence ad-
duced. The North-Eastern Company's opposition to the
Hull extension of the Lancashire and Yorkshire was corn-
menced. The Lo. ds passed the bill of the Launceston and
South Devon, but that of the Midland Company's exten-
sion between Rowsley and Buxton is adjourned until
Monday,
THE THAMES EmmonatENT.—Yesterclay, on the reas-
sembling of this committee, the Hon, Mr. Cowper in the
chair, after hearing Mr. Sergt. Wrangham and Mr. Burke
for the bill, Mr. Phinn. Q C., for the Metropolitan Board
of Works, and Mr, Hope Scott for the City Gas Company,
the committee decided on giving two arches of the embank-
ment, with a headway of Bft., in Front of the company's
gasworks, instead of a headway of 4ft , as proposed by the
TiroArg. Sonst. Wrangham was
then heard at considerable length on behalf of the promoters
of the measure, and said that in order to give due legal effect
to the decision of the committee at their preceding sitting,
he had to propose that, with a view to afford time for the
further consideration of the best means of relieving the
thoroughfares of the metropolis in connexion with the em-
bankment, it should not be lawful for the Commissioners
under the powers of the Act, or without the further sanc-
tion of Parliament, to lay down any roadway ever that part
of the proposed embankment situate between Whitehall
Stairs and Westminster•bridge, and that nothing therein-
before contained shou'd prevent the dedication of the last
mentioned portion of the embankment to such public pur-
poses as Parliament might deem expedient. The promoters
had had no opportunity of dealing with this_ part of the
subject, as developed in Mr. Pennethorne's plan, and it
would leave the question open for further consideration.
After hearing Mr. Calvert, Q.C., Mr. Baddely, Q.C., Mr.
Nicholson, and other counsel, the room was cleared, and,
on the readmission of the public, the chairman said the
committee had come to the resolution that the preamble of
the Bill was proved, leaving the consideration of all colla-
teral questions to bo dealt with and decided in committee
on the clauses.

TRAFFIC RECEIPTS.
The traffic receipts of railways in the United Kingdom
amounted for the week ending the 24th of May, on
10,191 miles, to £526,137, and for the corresponding week
of last year, on 9,936 miles, to £583,118, showing an increase
of £255 miles, and a decrease of £56,981 in thereceipts. The
gross receipts on the following 14 railways amounted in the
aggregate, on 6,629 miles, to £402,297; and for the corre-
sponding
week of 1861, on 6,483 miles, to £454,521, show-
ing an increase of 146 miles, and a decrease of £52,224 in
the receipts. The decrease on the Caledonian Railway
amounted to £613, on the Eastern Counties to £2,312, on
the Great Western to £2,874, on the Lancashire and York-
shire to £21,466, on the London and North Western to
£4,872, on the London, Brighton, and South Coast to
£3,677, on the London and South Western to £333, on the
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire to £5,541, on the
Midland to £5,860, on the North Eastern to £4,821, and on
the South Eastern to £l,646—total, £54,015. But from this
must be deducted £741, the increase on the Great Northern,
£907 on the Great Southern and Western, and £143 on the
North British—together, £1,791, leaving the decrease, as
above, £52,224. The goods and mineral traffic on those
lines amounted to £202,401 and for the corresponding week
of 1861 to £203,996, showing a decrease of X 1,595. The
receipts for passengers, parcels, &c., amounted to £199,896,
against £250,525, showing a decrease of £50,629. The
traffic receipts on 66 other lines amounted, on 3,562 miles,
to £123,840, and for the corresponding week of last year,
on 3,453 miles, to £128,597, showing an increase of 109
miles, and a decrease of £4,757 in the receipts, The great
falling off in the traffic of the past week as compared with
the corresponding period of 1861 arises from the depression
of trade in the uniamiltuturing diataicAo, b ib oldefly from tho
comparison being made with Whit-week in 1861, as shown
in the passenger traffic. The traffic receipts of the past
week show a decrease of £1,233, as compared with those of
the preceding week ending the 17th inst.