The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-23 00:00:00

GROUP XXI.

The Committee met this morning at the usual hour. Sir
James Graham in the chair.
OXFORD, WORCESTER, AND WOLVER-
HAMPTON (HALSOWEN AND DUDLEY),
VN.O DIEM INGHAM,W'OLVIIIITIAMPTON,
AND DUDLEY (FROM STOITEISIZIDGE TO
WEST BROMWICH).

The Committee was occupied the whole of the day in
hearing the evidence of Mr. Brunel with respect to the
first-mentioned line, of which he is the engineer, and which
will be laid down on both gauges. He detailed at great
length the railway wants of the district, and stated that it
' was of the utmost importance that the line should
be worked in connexion with the Oxford, Worcester, and
Wolverhampton, and the Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and
Dudley, of which, strictly sp,aking, it was an integral por•
tion. He drew a comparison between his line and the Stour
Valley project of the North-Western, which he showed to be
in favour of his line. The line was necessary to afford the
required communication between the manufacturing ar.d
mineral districts of that portion of the country which it was
proposed to traverse.

Ilia examination extended to the adjournment of the Com-
mittee until to-morrow.

GROUP XXVIII.
SLEAFORD BRANCH.

The Committee met this morning at Twelve o'clock; Sir
T. D. Acland in the chair.
Captain Lewes's examination was resumed, and stated that
there would be no difficulty in accommodating the traffic
between the West Riding of Yorkshire and Norfolk, Much
of the yarn used in the Norwich fabrics being open at Brad-
ford, in order to be finished at the former place. There would
also be cont.iderable shipments of stone, he had no doubt, both
at Sutton and Lynn. The Ambergate line, he asserted, was
to be a single line; but
Mr. Sergeant CLARK stated that this was a mistake, as the
line was to be a double one, and all the contracts were already
made.

Mr. West, a landed gentleman, residing dt Lincoln, stated
that he was intimately acquainted with the district and the
property around Sleaford. He also attended the Wakefield
market, and could say that a great part of the produce from
that portion of Lincolnshire went there far sale. Of Lynn he
could not say much ; but he was intimate with both Boston
and Spalding; and he han no hesitatiod in saving, that
taking a circle, of which the radius was seven miles from
Sleaford. The chief mart is that town, and if the branches
were constructed ihe land would be rendered much more
valuable. About 50,000 quarters of corn are now annually
sold in Sleaford market, and the area from which it is drawn
is'atiou: 98,000 acres, of which about 65,000 are at present
under the plough, The corn sold consisted of wheat,
barley,
oats, and beans.
On the requisition of the Chairman,
Mr. West produced a copy of the estimates on which his
evidence was given, and from it he stated that the extent of
land actually under tillage is 63,640 acres, leaving 4,120
acres in fallow. For these acres, on the usual calculation of
12 bushels per acre, there would be required for them 255,440
bushels, or 4,424 tons. This, of course, is beyond the amount
made in the district itself. In addition to this manure, there
would be a large quantity of oil cake would be brought into
the district. At present the price of wheat at Seaford is two
or three shillings a quarter lower than it is at Newark, and
if these branches were made, the produce would not only in-
crease the amount of the produce, but enhance the price, and
give facilities for carrying it to distant markets. Lynn is at
present a large import place, but the linseed cake comes
chiefly from Hull and Gaineiotough. Many of the crushing
mills are on the banks of the Trent. At present it comes by
a circuitous route, and costs 12s. a ton for carriage; while by
the proposed railway of the Direct Northern Company the
distance would not be more than 40 miles, and the expense
not more than five or six shillings.
After the conclusion of Mr. Sergeant Wrangham's exami-
nation in chief,
Mr. Sergeant CLARK inquired whether the witness was not
a traffic taker for the London and :York Company, to which
he replied that he was not so, but bad been engaged to esti-
mate the agricultural produce of some of the districts through
which their line was to pass. There are at the present mo-
ment several crushing mills at Nottingham, bat the bone
manure he believed to come from Newton and the Gainsbo-
rough district, After much further croSS•examination as to
the probably increased value of the land from the intended
line, to which Mr. Westreplied that he believed the Direct
Northern to us the best line: Mr. James ascortained that
the line would pass fur three or four miles through the 'Mar-
quis of Bristol's property. In the witness's opinion. the dis-
north of a line, drawn west to east from Sleaford to Newark,
was much more productive than that south of it, and this
communication would give the facility for getting north-
wards. The distance between Geinsborough is about 45
miles, and this line will shorten it by about two miles. Bos-
ton is of no use for the supply of seed cake, as it never came
there. Much further cross-examination insued on the several
capabilities of Lincolnshire fur agricultural produce, and the
opportunities which the respective lines of the Direct Nor-
thern and the Ambergate Companies 'would give for its trans-
mission.
After some further evidence the Committee adjourned till
Monday.

GROUP XLVII.
The Committee in this Group met to day in room 28.
Members prestnt—Mr. Elliot Yorke (Chairman), 'Mr. Gill,
Mr. Parke, ii r. Leigh, and Mr. Trelawney.
- -

AEDEXE JUST. EATIIGATE 3-UNCTION
(AIIaIiNDIVZENT 4:1.2071 DEVIATION).
Mr. FORSYTHE for the Monkland Railway Company raised
a preliminary objection to the further progress of the Bill in
this Committee, on various grounds, and contended that it,
might be transferred to the Committee which had the Glas-
gow, Airdrie, and Monklands Railway under under consi-
deration.

The Committee overruled the objection, and
Mr. A. APNEILL, of the Scotch bar, proceeded to open the
case for the promoters. Owing to the hurry of business in
the last year, the engineers of the line had found it imprac-
ticable to arrive at that result which would best benefit• the
public, and enable the company to construct their line at the
least possible cost, and they therefore desired to amend their
Act, so that by a slight deviation they might get rid of a
bad and dangerous curve, and save an expense of at least
10,0001.

Mr. BURKE, who appeared for the directors of the original
Airdree and Bathgate Railway, as petitioners against the
proposed amendments, was proceeding to state the objections
which his clients entertained on this matter, when
The CHAIRMAN said that the whole opposition appeared to
the Committee to be one which could be very fitly arranged
by a clause.
The room was cleared for the purpose of considering the
terms of the clause, and on the public being readmitted,
The CHAIRMAN announced that the Committee had re-
solved that a clause should be inserted in the Bill, reserving
to the original promoters the powers given by the Act of
1846.

The formal proofs were then put in, and the clauses were
partly considered.
The Committee adjourned without formally announcing
the finding the preamble proved, in consequence of the re-
port not having been received.

OUP L.
This Committee metG to-Rday at Twelve o'clock. Mr.
Bankes in the chair.
GLASGOW, PAISLEY, XILIVIABNOCIC, AND
AYR, AND GLASGOW AND BELFAST
UNION (No I.)
The remaining-clauses of this Bill were this morning pro-
ceeded with. Several amendments were made respecting
the branch to Ayr Harbour, North Quay, to the use of hcrse-
power, and regulating the crossing of roads upon a level.
A considerable discussion arose on the mineral toll clause,
respecting which Mr. Gordon petitioned.
Mr. Wilson, of Dundyvan and air. Stevenson, manager of
Mr. Gordon's works, were exatnined by Mr. Sergeant
Murphy, with the object of showing that the operation of the
six mile clause would operate injuriously on Mr. Gordon, and
that it was unjust to make an exemption, such as proposed,
on the portion of the line between Auchinleck and Glenbuck.
After come discussion on this point, the exempting portion
of the ciauxe
to operate throu wasghout. struck out, and the six mile proviso made
The remainder of the clauses, with the exception of one,
was then gone through, and agreed to with certain amend-
ments.
The further consideration of the dill wee then postponed
tall Monday.