The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-27 00:00:00

GROUP XLVIII.

This Committee met to-day for the first time, in Room C of
the House of Lords, apportioned on this occasion for the use
of the Commons. The following are the names of the Mem-
bers :—Lord Court clay (chairman), Mr. Towneley, Mr. Sey-
mour, Mr. Chute, and Mr. B. B. Cabbell.

The following is the list of Bills referred for the considera-
tion of the Committee:—

Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr Branches (No. 4).
General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Branches. -
Glasgow, Airdrie, and Monklands (Cowlairs, Carmyle, Cen-
tral Junction, and Coplaw Hill Branches, &c.)
Glasgow, Airdrie, and Monklands (Cowlairs Branch).
Glasgow, Paisley. Kilmarnock, and Ayr Branches (No. 5).
Caledonian, Glasgow, Garnkirk, and Coatbridge Railway
(Branch to Glasgow Station).
Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock (Branch to Caledonian Rail-
way and Diversion of Canal).
Caledonian (Branch across Clyde and Glasgow Station).
Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction (Deviations be-
tween Duntocher Lime Works and Bowling, &c.)
The usual preliminaries were then gone through, such as
reading the list of petitions, and the petitions with the ap-
pearances.

TED GLASGOW, PAISLEY, ZILMARNOCZ,
AND AYE. (so. IV.)
was the first Bill taken.
Mr. ANDREWS opened the case on behalf of this Bill, which
he said was a project for crossing the Clyde at Glasgow, in
order to reach a station on the north side of the river. There
was also an alternative line (No. 5) in the same Committee,
and he would consider them both together. The promoters
of the Bill were the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr
Railway Company, which had been made for several years,
and was constructed to connect Glasgow, Palley, Kilmar-
nock, and Ayr together. The union line passed through
Paisley, Johnstone, on Port Berth. Irvine, to Ayr, with
branches to Ardrossan and Kilmarnock. It passed through
a rick mineral and agricultural district, and many isnportannt
towns were stationed on it. They had obtained powers to
make a branch to the Bridge of Weir, and also an extension
to Girvan, from Ayr, called the Belfast Union Railway,
being the intention of forming a connection between
Belfast and Glasgow. They had also obtained a larger
extension through the Valley of the Nith, to join the
Caledonian railway at Springfield. They were also applying
this session, to extend the bridge, or weir branch, to Port
Glasgow and Largs ; and also branches in the neighbour-
hood of Kilmarnock, one to Muirkirk, and one to Dalmelling-
ton. In addition they were promoting one from Dumfries to
the neighbourhood of Kirkcudbright, and branches
in the neighbourhood of Canobie. The whole
scheme would, therefore, when completed, be very
extensive. They were, in consequence of the large
traffic of the Company, very deficient in station ac-
commodation, especially at Glasgow, Their present station
was on the south side of the Clyde, in Bridge- street, and
that was a small one, though it was not even theirs exclu-
sively; part of it belonging to the Greenock Railway Com-
pany. The average passenger trains that daily arrived and
departed from this station, was 43, and 16 goods trains.
The annual number of passengers carried was 1,314,694, or
an average daily of 4,000. The whole extent of the station
was three-fourths of an acre. Not only was the size
inconvenient, but also the site; being placed in Gorfals,
a suburb of Glasgow. It was, therefore, very objec-
tionable to parties coming to Glasgow, on account
of its distance from the centre of city, and they
had to cross the new Glasgow bridge, and pay
a pontage for every wheeled carriage, in the lowest case two-
pence each vehicle. In the progress of the passengers to and
from the next railway station, two of the busy thoroughfares
had to be crossed at great inconvenience. This being so, they
had looked out for another station, and had on more than
one occasion been defeated in seeking to cross the Clyde ex-
actly opposite their present station, making a direct connec-
tion with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway. Having
been defeated in that scheme they had chosen
what they thought the next beat scheme, and now
proposed to make their station in Dunlop-street, near
to the busiest thoroughfare in the city, and contiguous
to the principal offices. In the site chosen there was room
for two companies, if it were required. and he stated so, as
the Caledonian had also a scheme before the Committee for
that object. That company last year obtained the sanction
of a Committee for crossing the Clyde to Dunlop-street, but
it was vetoed by the Admiralty. The Ayrshire Company
assumed, after this defeat, that the Caledonian would again
come to Parliament for a Rill, and therefore, to be prepared,
they had this year prepared two schemes; one to the east of
Dunlop-streeet, and another to the west of the same street.
Either one or other of the Bills could be taken, and the
ground was so scheduled, and the scheme was so prepared,
that both the companies might be able to cross the Clyde on a
viaduct. It could be arranged also that the Ayrshire Com-
pany's station could be either situated on the west or the
east, but the west would be preferable. At the desire of the
inhabitants of Glasgow, who wished to have this question,
which had been the cause of so much litigation, settled, re-
quested Royal Commissioners to be sent down to Glasgow to
investigate into the whole affair. (The Learned Gentleman
here read an extract from the report of the commissioners,
in favour of a general plan of crossing the river for all the
lines, like to the Caledonian scheme of last year.) This
decision having been given, the Ayrshire Company had so
arranged their plans that they could cross in the same way
as the Caledonian ; in doing which both companies could be
accommodated, without any inconvenience to each other.
(The Learned Gentleman then explained through the map
before the Committee the details of the plans which he sub-
mitted; having done which,, he proceeded to call his
witnesses).
Sir James Campbell, merchant, of Glasgow, and late Lord
Provost of Glasgow was examined as to the merits of the
present scheme. lie thought it highly desirable that the
company should be allowed the crossing of the Clyde, in or-
der to obtain access to the city, which now contained
340,000 inhabitants. Both schemes, that of the Caledonian,
and that of the Ayrshire, might be accommodated at the
same crossing.
Cross-examined by Mr. Cockburn—He was a director of
the Dumfries line, which was in opposition to the Caledo-
nian Company last year. The Ayrshire Company had, he
believed, scheduled the same land as that which the Caledo-
nian had done last year. The leading authorities of last year
were in favour of the Caledonian scheme.
The Committee then adjourned.

GROUP L.
The Committee met about twelve; present, Mr. Banks,
chairman, Sir B. Hall, Mr. Hindley, Mr. Henley, and Mr.
Carew.

GLASGOW, PAISLEY, lIIIAVEARNOCE, AND

/Lyn (No. II.)

Evidence in favour of the project was continued this
morning.

Capt;in Blair was called to give evidence on two unop-
rOsed fork branches, the Hillend and the Howrat branches.
He ,tated that there were large iron works in the neighbour-
hood requiring a vast amount of land carriage of lime and iron-
stone. He approved of the making of these two small
branches, and also of the extension f the Dairy station.
Mr. Knight, traffic manager on the company's line, after
stating their present rates to be 114 d. a ton per mile for the
first 16 miles, id. for 28, and %d. for 40 miles, gave the fol-
lowing comparative statement of export of coals for the four
ports on the neighbouring coast, viz.:-
1846 Ayr ... 72,460 tons.
1845 Troon 129,283
Irvine 47,703
Ardrossan
The Troon exports were much greater in 1846 than the
year before.
Mr. Miller, the engineer of the line, stated that his prin..
• cipal object in laying out the proposed branches, was to ac-
commodate the minerals of the neighbourhood, in order that
that traffic might be fully developed. Such were the Fen-
wick, London, and Colliery branches, which were constructed
with a descending gradient towards the ports. The coals,
thus brought down, came upon the main line, and had ready
access to the north, south, and west, and the towns or ports
situated in any of these directions. The length of the whole
projected branches was 26 miles, and the total estimate for
works, lands, Esc., 415,0001. There were no engineering
difficulties.
This closed the case for the promoters.

GLASGOW, B.I7.MARNOGX, .AND ARDROS-
DAN (DEVIATIONS AND AMENDMENTS).
Mr. Sergeant MURPHY, without opening on the merits of
the line, proceeded to call the evidence.
Lord Eglinton stated that, in consequence of possessing
property in the neighbourhood, he felt great interest in the
lines. He had supported the opposing Ayr line at one time,
hut, because their rates were too high, he chose to support
the other.
Several witnesses were called, who deposed to general
traffic and advantages.
The Committee adjourned till twelve on Thursday.