The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-11 00:00:00

GROUP XXX.

This Committee reassembled to-day, at the usual hour, presen
Lord Charles Wellesley (Chairman), and the other Members.

AIMESI3I7I3.Ir AND TRILTITE 3UNC'r'lOl7.
Mr. CoRRY, on the part of the Duke of Buckingham, was hoard
to-day. The Learned Counsel contended that the statements with
respect to the Cambridge and Oxford Railway, which were put 0 r-
ward by the counsel for that Bill were not sustained by the evi-
dence. The line was, to speak M general terms, defective in its geo-
graphical situation, and the advantages that would result to literature
and science, even according
to the showing of the learned gentlemen
who had been examined in support of the Bill, were too
trifling to call for a railway. The other advantages that would result
from this railway were quite speculative. Tor instance, with re-
ference to coals. Could any one that had listened to the evidence
be satisfied that there would be such a traffic in that commodity
as was contended for by his Learned Friends ? It we,
necessary for him to say a word as to the description of
evidence that had been adduced to prove the nega-
tive of what he advanced. His learned: friend did not call coal-
merchants to give evidence on this subject, though one would have
supposed they would have been the most eligible witnesses, but
straw-plait manufactures, though when they had to make
good any statement respecting farms, they were sure to call
farmers. But coming at another point, it was stated by
the promoters of the Oxford and Cambridge Railway, that
there would be a profit of 61,i per cent. on the total capital. Now,
he felt satisfied that he could prove to the Committee from the evi-
dence, that instead of realising this profit of 64 per cent.
from this railway, there would be a deficiency of 3
Per cent. on the capital to be laid out on the
undertaking. The gross profit was stated by Mr. Pilck,
upon whose evidence such stress had been laid, as 83,6731., while the
working of the line would be 33,4071. This calculation was made on
a sum somewhere about 800,000/. Now the fact was, that
that the capital required for this (the Cambridge and Oxford Rail-
way), was shown by the most unquestionable evidence,
to be 1,200,0001. It was also proved from the evidence before the
Committee, that the income to be derived from this railway would
not exceed 33,5001. It was also shown that the working of this line
would be upwards of 30,0001. or 40,000/. The Learned Counsel here
read copious extracts from the evidence of Mr. Stephenson and the
other witnesses in support of the A) lesbnry and Thames Junction
Railway, and having offered a few observations with reference to the
engineering features of the line, which he described as being ex-
tremely unfavourable, concluded by calling on the Committee, in
mercy to the promoters tkemselves, of this Oxford and Cambridge
Railway, to reject the Bill.

At the request of Counsel Mr. Bryce was called, and denied what
had been attributed to him by one of the witnesses (Mr. Chase)—
namely, that the Oxford and Cambridge would never pay a farthing
and that he was opposed to the 1 ne.

Mr. HAWKINS said he appeared on the part of the landowners, to
oppose the Aylesbury and Thame Junction line. He' denied that
though a railway might be required in the district through which
this railway proposed to pass, the present line would meet adequately
these requirements, or in any way offer 'advantages to be
compared with the Oxford and Cambridge line. Only three
persons at Aylesbury and Thame had become shareholders in
this railway, so that it did not appear that the people there were
very favourable to this undertaking, for there were no meetings held
in support of it, but at a meeting held in favour of the other
line several people from Aylesbury and Thame attended, and
were unanimous in supporting it (the Oxford and Cambridge
Railway. There could not be a traffic on this line that
would justify an outlay of 100,0001., as proposed in this rail-
way, and the Committee would require considerably more evi
deuce before they could entertain such a Bill as the present.
There was not an advantage held out by this contemptible little line
that was not offered ten-fold by the Oxford and Cambridge line.
(The Learned Gentleman, after a few further observations, con-
cluded).
Mr. CALcitarr, on the part of the Aylesbury and Thame line,
having replied,
The Committee adjourned till twelve o'clock to-morrow.

- GEOLTP XXXVI.
GOOLE AND DONCASTER.
This Committee, having but this one Bill upon their list, met to-
day at half-past three o'clock. They sat only for a few minutes, and
adjourned till Friday nem', when they will meet at twelve o'clock,

GROUP XXXI.
Tile G
e Committee met at twe:ve, Lord Seymour in the chair.
112MBLAND, nATUISIREY, SHEFFIELD,
DEWSBURY, LEEDS, AND BRADFORD.
Mr. BAINES (with whom was Mr. Lee and Mr. Wordsworth) on
opening the merits of this project, said it was intended to
connect Dewsbury with Wath-upon-Deanne. It started from
Dewsbuty, forming a junction with the line from
Leeds, which received the sanction of Parliament last year,
and was now in course of formation, so that communication
would be opened from Dewsbury by the Manchester and Leeds line
through Huddersfield onward to Manchester. From Dewsbury it
passed on through Cornhill, lsretherton, and Dorton, to Barnsley.
The importance was enhanced by the connexion which it established
between the main trunk line of the country, the Midland, and the
Manchester and Leeds lines, and the branch had been so laid out
as to shorten the distance between Dewsbury and the localities of the
district, and also London. The Dewsbury district, which it supplied,
was important for the woollen manufactures carried on in that part
of the West Riding. The raw material for that manufacture
was brought from the south and south-east ; from the coun-
ties of Lincoln, Derby, Leicester ; from London, and the
south of England generally ; and the manufactured article
went down to the south of England, the greater part for exportation,
even the waste from the manufactories being sent by thousands of
tons into Kent, for the cultivation of the hpp„ The, opponents of this
branch were chiefly what had been -called the Sheffield and Wake-
field line and the South Yorkshire ; the last formed no junction with
the Midland, offering a south conveyance, but depended for
this on the passing of the London and York Railway Bill. In
remarking on the former of these schemes, Mr. Baines said lie
would show that there were twenty gross inaccuracies in the depo-
sited plans of that scheme, differences in height of 5, 12, 13, and even
17 feet, the last occurring at the mouth of the tunnel with a change
of gradient. The em'ves on that liae were quick and inconvenient,
five of them being of a radius under a quarter of a mile, one under a
furlong, one of 25 chains, on a gradient of I in 118, and that at the
end of a tunnel. There was tunnelling to the amount of 4,597 yards
long, being one-eighth of the whole line.
Mr. Bailin then called the attention of the Committee to an
agreement which had been made privately between the Sheffield
and Wakefield, and the South Yorkshire Companies, in which they sti-
pulated, among other risings, to give up the Dodworth branch to the
South Yorkshire in case their Bill passed, and to transfer to the same
company all the powers of their Act of Parliament in respect to the
portion of their line south of Barnsley station, including the Dod-
worth branch. Mr. Baines trusted the Committee would not hesi-
tate, on hearing the merits of his project in evidence, to pass the Bill.
Mr. Bates, a factory inspector, on being examined, stated that in
Dewsbury, and within two miles of it, there were 101 mills wills
6,126 horse power, employing 6,278 persons ; that 206,616 tons of
coals were consumed annually, and that the population was 50,061.
Mr. Rainer and Mr. Burnley gave evidence of the mineral traffic
and the accommodation which would be afforded to the wool fac-
tories.
Mr. Waite, who surveyed the line, stated in the course of his evi-
dence that he had found twenty inaccuracies in the plans of the
Sheffield and Wakefield line as deposited at the Private Bill-office, in
conseqm_nce of whicli it would be impossible to ascertain the heights
and depths, and thereby the amount of the earthwork. lie pointed
out an instance where a difference of vertical height on the plan
appeared which would render the construction of the line according
to these sections impossible.
The witnesses were cross-examined on the part of the Sheffield
and Wakefield Railway, and Lord Searborough, Mr. Beaumont, and
other opposing landowners on the route of the railway.
The Committee then adjourned till to-morrow at twelve.

GROUP XL.
LEEDS, 'To/LE, AND MID kAND JUNCTION.
The Committee resumed this day at twelve o'clock. Mr. Stafford
O'Brien, chairman, and the other members all present.
Mr. Sergeant WILKINS stated that the object of this line was to
connect the important towns of Leeds and York by a shorter route
than that at present existing, which is 31% miles by railway, though
the turnpike road is only '24 miles ; and the fact of there being
two other competing lines was an evidence of a new line being
wanted. Some of the peculiar advantages which this line promised
over those of its competitors were that it is the shortest—that it has
the best gradients—that it passes through and accommodates the
towns of Aberford and Tadcaster, the latter of which is by far the
most considerable town between the two termini—that the local po.
pulation is as great as on any route which can be adopted, andgreater
by far than on that of the Leeds and York—that it traverses valuable
fields of coal and limestone—that it connects together, in the best
and most convenient manner, the Leeds and Bradford, and Midland
Railways, with the Leeds and Selby Railway at Leeds, and again
with the Harrowgate and Church Fenton and the York and North
Midland Railways further along the lire, thus also opening out the
most direct communication with the Port of Hull, that it effects a
greater amount of public accommodation at a proportionably less
cost than either of the other lines, and that it has the sanction of the
principal landowners with one or two exceptions, and also of a pre-
ponderating proportion of the occupiers along the line.
Mr. John W. Leather, C.E., and engineer to the line was called by
the Learned Sergeant, and gave testimony in favour of this scheme,
both as regarded its engineering facilities and the accommodation
that would be afforded to the population along the proposed route.
Colonel 'Wyndham, he conceived would benefit by the Bite, that
gentleman being owner of a large part of Tadcaster, and the
amount of earthwork on Sir Edward Vavasotirs property was less
titan on Afr. Hudson's line.
Cross-examined by Mr. HeeE.—He thought Mr. Hudson was mis-
taken in his views regarding the merits of the proposed line. Had
had little or no experience in working railway lines.
Cross-examined by Mr. IIARDY.—The directors had abandoned the
junction with the London and York, because they had not allotted a
sufficient number of shares to raise the Increased amount of capital
that would have been reqaired. Could give no account of the
e"singst aht
Qi s o
f stations,thnecessary
aand mount of toll that Mr. Hudson would exact for crossing his lines,
cull
ttistfroinnctlyinga
this line.incurredwasn3
Mr Ric
•
• owLEs appeared on behalfof
Mr. Sergeant NVu.ntss having one or two individuals.
would be crossed by mr. lludson Irked witness how many lines
majority of which, however, Mr. 11Mo
tine enumerated eight, of the
con-
structed works involving munch greater
engineering
Chairman. Had any on the proposed line. lie thought Rt!Llrelreleung.dinieulti" than
field too late, Mr. Hudson having published no notilerreitititered the
line tin
October, whilst he commenced operations in August.
Mr. ROBINSON then called Mr. Wilson Ackrold, a worsted-spinner,
of Otley, who stated, that upwards of 2,030 tons of wool were carried
annually from York to Leeds, to be used in Leeds, Bradford,
Kaightley, and other places.
The Hon. CIIAIRMAN here chserved, that the Committee did not
for a moment doubt that but that a Lee was wanted between York
and Leeds, bat they really thought that the subject of mere traffic
might now be dispensed with, as, in their opinion, it applied ualhy
to all three of the competing lines.
Mr. Sergeant WILKINS said, after that intimation from the Com-
mittee, he should not press the point.
Cross-examined by Mr. IlieDyaßD—Paid the carrier 10s. Could
not say whether the carrier put any of that into his own pocket, or
whether the company only received 7s. Gd.
Mr. Walker, carrier, called by Mr. Sergeant Wilkins, stated, that
during the season 60 tons of wool per week was the average, and 20
tons cif general merchandise, the average for the year between Leeds
and I cr... In his opinion, any line to be constructed should take in
Aberford and Tadcaster. •
21r. Clapham, called by Mr. Robinson, preferred the junction line
for two reasons ;
first, because it was the first projected, and next,
because it did the least damage to the farm he occupied. The Leeds
and Selby line might as well be closed for any benefit it derived from
the transit ofpassengers.
To Mr. lIILDYARD —One line would answer his purpose pretty
much as well as the other.
Mr. George Cooper was in favour of the proposed line.
In reply to Lord NORREYS, who asked which line would pass
through his thnn, witness said Mr. Hudson's.
Mr. Jchn Beaver, Lanier aa • d cattle dealer, preferred the Junction,
because he would like to get out of Mr. Hudson's hands.
Mr. George Edward Scriven, farmer and tallow-chandler, com-
plained of the delay in delivering goods on the York and Selby, and
also of the danger at the Great bleicklefield station.
To Mr. ALEXANDER-11as live shares in the proposed line.
Mr. Joshua Wilkinson, haberdasher, was next called by Mr. Ro-
BINSON, who corroborated last witness.
By MT. ALEXAIs 'DER —I hold fifty shares, and am a provisional
Committeeman of the Junction line.
Mr. John Wilkes, sen., resides at Aberford, and is surveyor of
inthat turn-
pike roads
signed by her tenants,
ts requesting her aid to the proposed Junction
line. The road through Aberford and Tadcaster was the old turn-
pee road. The Leeds and York would not pass within a mile and a
half of either Wetherby or Thorpe-Arch. H a shareholder.
He was also
Mr. Green stated that the other line, in his judgment, passed over
the more valuoble property.
e to-morrow.
The Committee adjourned at four o'clock, till twelv

GROUP XLIII.
•
SOINTERSETS3XItE MIDLAND.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Mr. F. Fox was then examined by Mr. Sergeant KINGLAKE,
proved the accuracy of the levels referred to by Mr. Gregory.
Cross-examined by Mr. Guiorsx—ln his erOn-C2CalZiaation he ad-

mitted that the line could not be made within the line of deviation,
unless in the form of a corkscrew.
Mr. Starge was the next witness examined, who stated that he
went over the ground with Mr. Fox, and spoke to the accuracy of
the levels taken by him.

7,sl;.iiTC.lslnsicad proved the accuracy of the levels as taken by
Mr. Fox. . .

Mr. BIDDER considered that it would be much more expensive to
work a line with these gradients than upon a line where the gradients
were less severe, in consequence of the necessity there would be to
keep engines always in rradines to assist trains in getting up the
incline. . _ _ _ _ _

----The cross-examination of Mr. Bidder having been concluded, the
committee adjourned till twe've o'clock to-morrow.

GROUP XLIV.

FLEETWOOD, PRESTON, AND 'WEST
RIDING JUNCTION.
(Continued from our Afterntion Edition.)
In the cross-examination of Mr. Smith (the witness, not the coun-
sel) and of Mr. Cundig, it appeared that the East Lancashire line,
like the Fleetwood arid Preston, was a line proposing to afford com-
munication between Fleetwood and Elslack, which, in the case of the
East Lancashire, was to be effected by the assistance qt two other lines.
One of these, the Blackburn and Preston, was now completed, and would
be opened in a few days. It commenced at a point about four
miles from Preston, where it left the North Union Railway, which
had a station at Preston. It proceeded from that point to Black-
burn, nearly in a direct line. The East Lancashire line, which was
now in course of construction, commenced at Blackburn, where it
joined the Blackburn and Preston line, and proceeded by Accrington
and Burnley, to Coln. The Leeds and Bradford Lxtens:on
Railway, a line now in progress, proceeded from the East Lan-
cashire Railway at Coln, to Efslack, and various other places,
Mr. Smith said that he very much preferred the Fleetwood and
Preston to the East Lancashire line, and if both were made he would,
make use of the Fleetwood and Preston. '

Mr. Clough, a flax merchant, at Preston, gave general evidence in
favour of the proposed line. He thought would cause a conside •
rable improvement in the flax trade, because in tlui first place it
would give an outlet to the flax trade itself; and secondly, it would
give a communication with the coal district, and by lowering the
price of coal it would enable the owners of flax mills to work them
at a cheaper rate than they can at present.
Mr. Longsdale, agent at Fleetwood of a firm of carriers, gave
evidence in favour of the proposed line. He gave in support of his
views statistical details as to the traffic of Fleetwood, which, how-
ever, are of no public interest.
Mr. Pennington, superintendent of the goods department on the
Preston and Wyre line, gave similar evidence, with statistical details
as to the traffic on that line. lie thought the propose.l line would
give great accommodation to the people of the neighbourhood through
which it passed. _ .

A discussion here ensued as to whether a petitioner against the
Bill had a locus standi when the branch which would have injured
his property was abandoned. The Committee ultimately declined to
hear the petitioner. .

It was then found that the parties were not prepared to go any
further in the case of the Fleetwood and Preston Railway, and the
case, therefore, stood over.

Mr. Sergeant WRANGIIAX then opened the case of the
CLITICEUOM JUNCTION.

The fifth Bill on the list. The Learned Counsel addressed the
Committee at great length on the part of the promoters of the Bill,
and at the conclusion of his speech, it bein•r n.iw four o'clock, the
Committee adjourned till to-morrow at twelve o'clock.

STANDING ORDERS' COMMITTEES.
HOUSE OF LORDS.
Their Lordships met this day at the usual hour. Present—The
Earl of Shaftesbury (in the chair), Lords Hawarden, Redesdale, and
Ilchester.
WATERFORD, WEXFORD, WICKLOW AND DUBLIN
RAILWAY.
In this case, Mr. Btrazn. on .the part of the Parliamentary agents,
appeared before the Committee, and prayed an adjournment until
Monday next, for the purpose of taking the sense of the shareholders
being explessed at a public meeting in Ireland.—Application granted.
SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY, RYE TO RI-T.: HARBOUR.
This case came before the Committee on merits and on proof that
three level crossways were of no public inconvenience.
Evidence as to these points having been given at great length, the
Lord Shaftesbury intimated that the Bill had passed.
Their Lordships then adjourned at five o'clock.

QUEEN'S BENCH.-(THIS DAY.)
(Sittings at Nisi Prius.)
TUCKER V.
This was an action of ejectment. The plaintiff was
trustee under the will of the late Mr. Tucker, for his widow,
and sought to recover the possession of certain premises
which the defendant held under deceased, and from whom
deceased's son often received rent. Defendant contended that
he held the premises under the assignee of another will, and
was not the tenant of defendant.
The case occupied a considerable time, but was of nO public
interest.
The jury found for the lessees of the plaintiff.

BAIL COURT.-(THIS DAY.)
(Sittings in Banco.)
This Court was occupied for a considerable portion of the
day in hearing the arguments for and against an application
for a new trial. The allegation at the original trial was the
infringement of a patent. The case was of no interest to the
public.

COMMON PLEAS.-(THIS DAY.)
LNGDAM v. LENNOX.

This was an action for the recovery of 1001., lent upon a
bill of exchange to a person named Williams, for whom de-
fendant became security. The defence set up was, that the
date of the bill had been altered after the defendant had first
seen it.—The jury found for the plaintiff.
The other cases tried during the day were of the same
character.