The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-06 00:00:00

LONDON AND YORE, (THE EASTERN

COUNTIES).

(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)

Mr. Sergeant WRANGIIAM then proceeded at some length
into the question of the estimates of the line. The cost of
constructing the London and Birmingham and the Grand
Junction Railway was not more than the estimate for the
proposed London and York. Their Lordships would not,
he was sure, sanction a scheme which proposed
to lay the traffic of the north of England by a
circuitous route on a crowded line. With reference to
the residential injury to the palace of the Archbishop of
York, that would be avoided by a deviation. In conclusion
he called upon their Lordships to sanction the London and
York in preference to any other scheme proposed, as it had
the confidence of the public, and afforded the most direct and
continuous line from London to York, and the north of Eng.
land and Scotland itself.
At the conclusion of the Learned Counsel's observations,
which occupied the whole of the period of the sittings of the
Committee,
The NOBLE LORD intimated that the Committee would
reserve their decision till Monday next.

Room A.
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH COMPANY,

The Committee appointed by their Lordships to inquire
into the merits of this Bill assembled for the first time this
morning.

Mr. limr„ Q.C., appeared for the promoters, and in a
speech of some length stated the interests likely to result to
toe country from the establishment of this company.
The Bill was opposed. as it had been in the Commons'
Committee, by Mr. A, Bain, who claimed priority of inven-
tion, and who also stated that the last improvements which
had been patented by Messrs. Cooke and Wheatstone were
not of a nature to benefit the public.
The Committee intimated that Mr. Webster, who appeared
for Mr. Bain, must confine his evidence solely to the ques-
tion of the piracy by Messrs. Cooke and Wheatstone of Mr.
Bain's invention.
The Committee then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP XVII.

MANCHESTER AND SOUTHAMPTON, AND
SOUTH-WESTERN (ROMSEY AND zstED-
BRIDGE BRANCH).
The Committee met this morning at the usual hour, the
Hjn. E. Yorke in the chair.
MANCHESTER AND SOUTHAMPTON.
The cross-examination of Mr. Edwards, collector of the
port of Southampton, was resumed by Sir T. Piiiwrs, on
behalf of the Great Western Railway and landowners on the
route of the proposed line. The witness detailed the
various items and quantities which made up the aggregate
quantities and sums adduced in his evidence yesterday. It
will be recollected that he estimated that the traffic of this
line to the north would be 88,000 tons, 30,000 of which were
estimated as the probable increase, owing to the facilities
which it would afford. The imports at Southampton would
be materially increased on account of direct and moderate
communication with the north; corn, for instance, would
come in greater quantities from Russia, Sweden, Denmark,
Prussia, and, in fact, from the whole north of Europe. The
aggregate quantities were made up of the following:—
raw silk, 300 tons; mohair yarn, 12 tons; worsted,
20 tons; saffron and gums, 150 tons; goat's hair,
187 tons; manufactured silks and stuffs, from France,
300 tons; merinos, green and dried fruit, wines, spirits,
and other articles from France, 2,000 tons; corn from
France, 2,400 tons; goods of various kinds from the Channel
Islands,l,ooo tons; from the Mediterranean, 1,000 tons; East
Indies, 400 tons. 12,000 tons of corn now sent by water and
other modes of communication to the north, would be diverted
to this line, 200 tons of coffee, 150 tons of manufactured and
uninanufactured tobacco, and 6,000 tons of the present coast
traffic. When he estimated the cost of transmitting a ton
of goods from Southampton to Manchester at U., he did so
at the rate of a penny per mile, which he considered would
before long be the general rate of charge for goods on all the
railways in the country; and the Great Western, he ex-
pected, would be the first to set the example. When he said
the ccst of transit at present was 34 Is. 6d., he did so at the
rates now charged by the existing lines, and included the
charge of transit between the termini of the South-Western
and London and Birmingham.
Re-examined by Mr. ALEXANDER—He found that the
charge would be the same for all the proposed lines which
ran in any way towards the north, and that the Manchester
and Southampton, owing to its direct and short route, pos-
sessed an advantage to that extent over all. By the proposed
line, the saving in transit to the public in the 88,000 tons
would be 6,600 tons. If the line were now made there
could be no doubt that 58,000 tons of goods would go by it,
and instead of the increase being 30,000, it could not fail to
be much greater. The necessity of such a line had long ex-
isted in his mind, and he had even suggested its construction
to individuals connected with the Great Western, but they
had not thought proper to take it up.
11. Mildmay, Esq., M.P., one of the Members for South-
ampton, examined by Mr. JAmEs—Had received frequent
communications from his constituents and from the public
bodies of the town with respect to obtaining more direct and
cheaper communication with the manufacturing districtsto of
the north. He considered that such a communication n
as
that afforded by the proposed line wouldbeofgr
independentea advan-
tagel
to the inhabitants of the town. Another
station would also be an advantage.
soCutrhosasm-epxthanni,iannedd
not
at Falmouth.
linS3.oturrttir.—Bullion was landed at
uottv-1
Company, stated that
mayorl‘lr fjoorsethphe trarbdblidmeeP
the South of England Steam-packet andthe acoduinretcytnarnodf
of the town council, in
a resolution was passed at amee
Southampton,l deputy-lieutenant
ktenta n_t o f
Julv last year, in favour of the Manchesteri and Southampton,

port it in Parliament. A meet-
and for the Isle of Night_ toofthetosPvn was held on the 12th August,
ing of the inhabitants.
and calling on the Members for the borough, for the county
d by parties paying more than half of the
petition signed at which resolutions in favour of the line were passed, and a
assessmenttneo.f the borough. That feeling continued up to the
At a meeting held in London, m compliance
tie sessional orders, he held 5,000 shares belonging to
presentwith
persons in the town of Southampton who assented to the
line ; others, who were present also, held large numbers of
shares, and, in fact, the meeting was unanimous for pro-
ceeding with the line. The inhabitants of the town
generally were in favour of the line. The opening up .
of a direct communication with the north would '
he of the utimst advantage to the line. A station on the
pier would also be of advantage; besides an independent sta-
tion, and an independent line would lead to competition, by
which the public would be benefited.
By Mr. AUS:IN—Had fifty shares allotted to him, which
he sold at 51. ss. premium. He had since bought five shares;
he could not say at what price, as he had not paid for them. He
could not sas, whether the other Town Councillors held shares
but if they aid not they ought to be ashamed of themselves
He did not simply look at the saving of the distance to the
north by the Manchester and Southampton, but to the ad-
vantage which it possessed over any other proposed line on
account of avoiding break of gauge, which was a serious
drawback. About 7,000 shares were allotted to persons in
Southampton.
Re-examined by Mr. JAMES—The shares were not at a