The Sun.
London, England, 1840-07-27 00:00:00

BL ACK WALL RAILWAY.

On Thursday evening a special Vestry was held in
the Vestry-room of St. George's in the East, for the
purpose of taking into consideration the great annoyance
a large portion of the inhabitants of St. George's parish
were daily subjected to through the noise occasioned in
the working of the machinery used by the Blackwall
Company. The Vestry was most numerously attended.
The Churchwarden was in the Chair.

Mr. RAYNER (the Churchwarden) said that the pre-
sent meeting was called in consequence of a requisition,
which was most numerously signed, in order to devise
means to abate the intolerable nuisance which was
created by the noise made by the machinery of the
Blackwell Railway.
The requisition convening the meeting being read,
Mr. BADDELY said that he had resided in the
parish for sixteen years, and being one of the requisi-
tionists, and having attended numerous Vestry meetings,
he never attended one in which he felt more interest
than the present, and he thought the Churchwardens
were entitled to the highest praise for so promptly
calling it. The nuisance created to the inhabitants
of the parish was intolerable. Under the Act of
Parliament the Company possessed powers which he
could not conceive how any Government could have
granted them. It was said that it would be insanity
to think of attacking such a powerful body as the
Blackwell Company ; but he thought that if they did
not see and have the present nuisance abated, it would
be actual ruin to the parish. No person could reside
in the neighbourhood of the railroad, and all the houses
would be left empty. Landlords were every day get-
ting notices to quit, consequently the rates would be
increased for the support of the poor, which would
bring ruin on those whose business obliged them to
remain in the parish. Though the nuisance was great
now, with a single line of rail, how much greater would
it be when there was a double line ? He therefore
hoped that the Company would take these matters into
their serious consideration ; if not they were liable to
an indictment for a nuisance, and he hoped that the
Churchwardens, when properly authorised by the
parish, would not fail to do their duty. He had a
resolution to propose, which he would submit to the
meeting. He then, in conclusion, proposed a resolu-
tion, declaratory that it was the opinion of the meeting
that the machinery used by the Blackwall Railway
Company was a nuisance to a large portion of the rate-
payers, and unless such nuisance was abated the parish
would materially suffer, and would cause the; houses to
be untenanted, thereby increasing the rates and de-
creasing the value of property.
This resolution being seconded, passed unanimously.
The Rev. Mr. DOUGLAS, as a clergyman of the Es-
tablished Church, wished to make a lew observations.
He said he came here to complain of the nuisance in a
moral point of view. The nuisance on a Sunday
amounted to desecration of the Sabbath. It encou-
raged all descriptions of Sabbath-breakers, and in the
churches and chapels, the train passing by during divine
service, it not only prevented the clergymen from being
heard, but the noise drew the attention of the congre-