The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-28 00:00:00

Mr. M. SMSTR, on the p rt of the inbabitants of Leek, who pre-
sented a petition against the Churlet Valley line, crossexamined this
witness at considerable length, with the view of showing that the
Lichfield and Macclesfield (projected) line would afford better ac-
commodation to the district than the proposed line.
The allegations of several other petitioners were then 'gone into,
and the Committee adjourned till twelve o'clock to-morrow.

GROUP XXIX.

ROSTON, STAMPORD, AND RIRMINGRAM,
(STAMPORD TO WISBECE) M 17116.
(Continued frEn our ♦fternoon Editiu.)

Mr. TALBOT then called evidence.
Mr. Ward was examined, and stated that it was his opinion that
the line would be injUriois to Wisbech and its vicinity.
Mr. Morgan examined—He believed that :it would be 'extremely
injurious to Wisbech to have a railway without a harbour line.
It a proper harbour line were made,
the corporation of Wisbech
wound not, In his opinion, object to the railway. All the objection
of the corporation rested upon the want of a harbour line on this
railway.
Mr. DANIBLLS having offered a few observations in reply, the room
was cleared. On our re admission,
The Cuatrustax said he was instructed by the Committee to an-
nounce that they had agreed to the preamble of the Bill, but would
require the promoters to bind themselves to introduce a Bill next
session to effect a junction between their line and the harbour of
Wiebeach, In case of the same not being effected by another company,
There was a question relating to the Bedford levels, upon which
the Committee adjourned.

GROUP XXX.
CADIBRIDOZI AND OXFORD.
(Continued fVom our Afternoon Edition.)
'The witnesses not being in attendance, the further consideration of
the Bill was postponed till to-morrow at twelve o'clock.
The Committee then adjourned.

GROUP XXXIrI.
The Committee to whem this Group of Bills have been referred,
met this morning shortly after one o'clock. The Members are-31r.
Bernal (Chairman), Mr. Mangles, Hon. W. Begot, Col. Conolly,
and Viscotint Somerton,
The following is the list of Bills submitted for their consideration:—
I. Wakenelti, Potittfl'act, and Goole, and Port, &c., of (bole.
2. Goole and Doncaster.
3. Wakefield, Pontefract, and Goole (Methley, Askern, and
Oakenham liranchee).
4. Hull and Barnsley Junction.
S. llork and North Midland (East Riding Branches).
ti. !,taltoll and DrifYield Junction.
T. Newcastle and Darlington Junction (Thlrsk and Mahon
Branches).
The flirt Pill in the list being Unopposed was referred to Mr.
Greene, the Chairman of Committees, there being no petition
against it.
The tetOnd Bill (which was unopposed) was deferred, it not being
yet passed the Standing Orders' Committee. There was a petition
against It but no one appeared to support it.
No, 3 was also postponed on account of the opposition of the pro-
prietors of land not being ready.
No. 4 was not taken on account of its having been thrown out by
the Standing Orders' Committee.
Ni parties appeared for No. 5.
..Theorret it.was a petition against No.
2 branch, but no one appeared to support
No, 6 was postponed till Friday.
vra2LErxr.x.3), PowrEranacir, AND GOOLE

(11ZETICX&Nr, -AS3ILERNIE, AND OA.ILENBAIIM
BRANCHES.)
The Committee intimated their intention of first proceeding with
this Bill.
The usual formal proofs having been given,
Mr. LEMON, the agent for the Bill, stated that It was not until
within the last hour that the promoters had been informed that
they would have to encounter opposition to their project, which
they had heretofore reason to believe would be unopposed.
Labouring under this impression, they had abstained from employing
counsel, and he shoald, therefore, with the permission of the Com-
Inittee, state the nature of the line. In the last session of Parlia-
ment a Bill was passed for making a railway from Wakefield,
through Pontefract, to Goole on the Ouse. The branch which
they ought to make was proposed to form a janction with the Hull
and Selby Railway, shortly after auptsat Doncaster, and would
proceed in neatly a direct line to Knottingly, on the Wakefield and
Goole, and would, therefore, by the aid of the Mathley branch, find
this line to the Midland Railway, afford the most direct communi-
cation from Doncaster and the eastern parts of England to Leeds,
and the north-west of England.
Askerne was a favourite watering-place of the middle manufac-
tures of the West Riding of Yorkshire. By the London and York
and their line, Carlisle and the towns of the north would be six
miles nearer than by the present railway conveyance. Persons
coining to Wakefield by the North Midland had to proceed to the
Normanton station, and to retrace a great portion of their journey,
in order to reach that town, but they proposed a branch of a quarter
of a mile in length to the Midland, to obviate this inconvenience.
Mr. CARROW opposed the 3fattley branch on behalf of certain inha-
bitants of Pontefract, who had petitioned against It, on account of
its passing throunh the park and race-course belonging to the town,
by which the inhabitants weuld be deprived of a means of enjoyment
which they had possessed from time immemorial, and because this
might be obviated by a small deviation of the line.
Mr. LEMAN said the park had not been used for a race-course for
ten years.:and as it was situated in a low swamp, he was justified in
saying that the people of Pontefract did not wish to retain it for the
purpose of recreation. Besides the railway company proposed to
purchase ten acres of land in a higher and more pleasant part of the
town, and quits as contiguous to it, in lieu of that which it would
be necessary to take for the purpose of the railway, which had been
agreed to by the trustees, and the company had purchased the ten
acres of land, and were ready to lay it out for the pnrpose of a park,
and further to subject the land which they required for the
line to the payment of land-tax, poor-rues, &c., which would bring the
town about 701. a year. It was not, however, uniil another line from
Doncaster t^ Pontefract was proposed, that the trustees, thirty-six
in number, seemed desirous to get rid of the arrangements which the
promoters of the railway had made with them. Even so late as the
20th instant the trustees confirmed the proposition, on condition
that certain clause were inserted in the Bill, and a pathway made
for a short distance along the line, to all of which the promoters
agreed.
Mr. Mixon, alderman of Pontefract, and one of the Bank trus-
trees, was then called, and examined by Mr. Lamest—He said
he was the second largest proprietor of land in the town.
At a public meeting of the trustees in October last, at which plans were
submitted to the proposition of the promoters of the line with respect
to the purchase of land in lieu of that required by the railway, was
agreed to and confirmed ou the 20th instant. After the land required
for the railway was taken, the race-course, or park, would be quite
as long as the race-course at Doncaster. The land, which was half
bog and half arable, was not worth more than 501. an acre,
By the Cosourrak—The people would be benefited, instead of
injured, by the railway. More than 300 acres of the park would re-
main untouched.

Cross-examined by Mr. CARILOW—The Commissioners and the in-
habitants of the town had the " right of stray " in the park, but the
ten acres of new land would be more useful that the one.
Mr. J. Harris, the engineer to the branch, was then
called—He said the line was the best that could be laid
down. A line to the south of Pontefract would not have
been so advantageous as it could not have been made without a
" circumbendibus" of too severe a character. He endeavoured to
avoid the park, but found it impossible to do so without injuring the
line. The north of the park would be also disadvantageous fora
railway, as the curves would there be severe also, and the works
heavy,

Mr. CARRON said he was instructed that Mr. Blythe, an engineer,
could prove that the line must be taken either to the north or south
of the park without injuring it, but as he was under examination in
another Committee, he was then unable to call him.

Captain Laws explained the difficulties and dangers of junctions
on a curve with main lines on which a considerable number of trains
were constantly passing and re-passing, and explained, by reference
to to the map, that if the Mitchley branch did not proceed through a
portion of the park, that it must of necessity join the North Midland,
as a curve would be a serious disadvantage.
Mr. Csaitow applied to the Committee to adjourn until to-morrow,
in order that the witness whom he had mentiened, might be able to
attend.