The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-25 00:00:00

/3IRMINGNA.WL AND OXFORD JUNCTION,

IMPORTANT DECISION.

The Committee met at eleven o'clock ; present, the Earl of
Ripon (chairman), the Earl of Wynford, the Earl of Sondes,
the Earl of Montford, and the Earl of Eldon.
At the commencement of the proceedings, two witnesses
were called. and gave general evidence in favour of the
Warwickshire branches.
Mr. IlorE addressed the Committee at some length on be-
half of the Warwickshire branches.
Mr. TALuar having replied, the room was cleared.
•
On our re-admission,
The CHAIRMAN delared that, in the opinion of the Com-
mittee, the preamble of the Birmingham and Oxford Junc-
tion Bill was proved.
The Committee then adjourned at half past four o'clock.

Rco n IL
BIRMINGHAM AND GLOUCESTER
BRANCHES. (HALESOWEN BRANCH.)

DECISION.

The Committee met this morning at eleven o'clock, Lord
Strafford in the chair.

Mr. lIII.DvAan opened the case on the part of the pro-
mcters. The object of the Bill was simply to construct a
branch from the Birmingham and Gloucester Rail-
way at King's-Norton, iu the county of Worcester,
Halesowen, which is situated in the midst of an important
mineral district in the same county. The length would be
51A miles, and its cost 130,0001.

'Mr. Best, a gentleman connected with the district, gave
evidence to show that great advantage would result from the
construction of the branch, by giving an easy and speedy
means of transit for coals to Droitwich and other places on
the line and contiguous to it.
Mr. M'Connell, supelintendent of the locomotive depart-
ment of the Birmingham and Gloucester, said he resided at
Bromsgrove, where the locomotive station of the line was
situated, and that he used a great quantity of coal there,
and that the Halesowen coal would be much in request
at that and other places south of Bromsgrove,
if the branch were made, as it would cheapen
their cost. It would bring a great deal of
new traffic on the main line, and would place Cheltenham,
which consumed a quantity of coal, within forty miles of
this great mineral distritt.

M ?.. Matthews, land agent to Lord Middleton, through
whose property the line would run for three miles and a half,
stated that his Lordship assented to the line, and tha it would
be advantageous. _

Mr. Lluniphrey, the proprietor of a Halesowen colliery,
gave evidene in favour of the line.

Mr. Evans, proprietor of salt-works at Droitwitcb, said
the consumption of coal in the salt-works there, 42xceecled
'2,000 'tons a week, -a great- portien- .of which came from
"Halesowen and that district, but which would be used in
geater quantities if the line were made. Much interruption
was frequently caused to the works on account of the delay in
getting coals at the present moment. The cost of coals would be
materially reduced, which would have the effect of increasing
the trade, by c'..eapening the cost of manufacture.
Mr. Sturge, an extensive corn merchant at Gloucester,
considered that the salt traffic would be considerable.

Mr. Berkeley, an engineer, had laid down the line under
the direction of Mr. Robert Stephenson. Its length was five
miles and a half, its cost 130,0004. and the steepest gradient
1 in 64 for one mile and five-eighths. It had a tunnel of
960 yards in length, which would cost 39,0004 There were
gradients of 1 in 64 on main lines which had a great amount
of traffic, and; therefore, could not be fairly objected to in a
branch, as it could be worked without inconvenience. Unless

the line had this gradient, the cost of its construction would
be quite disproportionate to the revenue which the Company
expected to derive from its construction.,There would be
some passenger traffic.
This closed the case on the part of the promoters.

Sir T. PmLiars addressed the Cominittee against the
branch, on behalf of the petitioners, and contended that the
o—c a, a it ali:,..saalipcUll Jutclbt,i.cta <a Wt.*,
important part of the mineral oi,trict than the portion more
contiguous to iialesowen, and therefore did away with the
necessity for any additional line, and called ou the Commit-
tee to reject the preamble of the Bill. _ _ _

The ammittee having passed the preamble of the Bill,
the clauses, with some additions respecting the property of
certain petitioners, were agreed to; and the Chairman hav-
ing stated that he should report their favourable decision to
the House, the Committee separated.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP LXVII.
This Committee re-assembled at the customary hour this
morning in Room 22 (Grand Corridor), Lord Lincoln in the
chair.

SOUTH-EASTERN (PROM HIINGERFORD-

BRIDGE TO GREENWICH).
Mr. Cubitt, engineer, was heard in opposition to the line
which he said appeared to involve considerable difficulties,
was badly laid out, and required a careful revision.
Mr. Drew, clerk to the trustees of the Bermondsey, Rother-
hithe, and Bedford Roads, was also called, for the purpose of
showing the great injury to those roads by the line which it
was proposed should cross them. The thoroughfares were
most important, and the trustees were decidedly opposed to
the Bill.

This having closed the evidence on the part of the op-
ponents,

Mr. AUSTIN, Q C. (who appeared for the Croydon Railway
Company), said he hoped he had shown the Committee that
the Bill ought not to pass daring the present session. He
submitted that the whole of the subject of extensions and
junctions of the Metropolitan Railway ought to have been
referred to the decision of a Committee of the House
of Commons. A question of such considerable importance
as allowing this Company to make a viaduct
of four miles length, by which fifty metropolitan streets, and
three turnpike reads would be passed over, could not be fully
considered by the present Committee. The plan altogether
was bad, and most expensive, as Mr. Cubitt had shown, and
he submitted that his proposal, that the Committee should
decline deciding upon this important question in the last
week or fortnight of the session, and postone -the matter till
the next session was but fair and reasonable. The Learned
Counsel having concluded his addresF,

'Mr. MERREVVETHER replied on behalf of the promoters of
the Bill. He submitted that little attention should be paid
by the Committee to the evidence of Mr. Cubitt, because it
was only on the previous day that he had seen the plans of-
the company, -and, .he.could not, therefore, be supposed to be
•ftilly acquainted with the merits or demerits of it. His
Learned Friend had opposed the Bill on behalf of
the Croydon Company, but he (Mr. Merrewether)
hoped that the Committee would consider that that
Company had no ground of opposition to the Bill, because
this Company had proposed to insert in their Bill a clause
which would enable the Croydon Company to form a junction
with the line proposed. The secret of their opposition to this
scheme was their wish to prevent this Company having a
western exten,ion, so that they might monopolise the whole
of the traffic of that district Now he submitted that such a
reason ought. not to induce the Committee to decide against
this scheme.
The Learned Counsel having concluded his reply, the room
was ordered to be cleared.
On our re-admission, after the lapse of a few minutes,
The Noble CHAIRMAN said the Committee had resolved
that the preamble was not proved, and they had desired him to
intimate that in coming to that determination they do not de-
sire to express any opinion adverse to a west-end eXtenssion.
Mr. lERZWETHEII,—For the South-Eastern Company?
The Noble CHAIRMAN—Quite so.

LONDON AND SOIJTB•WESTERN (LONDON..

MUDGE EXTENSION").

The report on this. Bill (the preamble of which was de-
clared to be proved on the previous day) wai then adopted,
after which the Committee adjourned till Monday.

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAZETTE.
ST. JAMES'S-PALACE, JULY 24.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint Edmund Earl of
Morley to be one of the Lords in Wainting in Ordinary to
her Majesty, in the room of George-Sholto Earl of Morton,
resigned.
ST. JAMES'S PALACE, JULY 24.
The queen has been pleased to appoint Henry George
Francis Earl Dude to be one of the Lords in Waiting in
Ordinary to her Majesty, in the room of Cornwallis Viscount
Hawarden, resigned.
ST. JAMES'S PALACE, JULY 24.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint Henry Manners
Lord Waterpark to be cue of the Lords in Waiting in Ordi-
nary to her Majesty, in the room of John Robert Viscount
Sydney, resigned.
• ST. JAMES'S PALACE, JULY 24.
The Queen has been plemed, to appoint Thomas Henry
Lord Foley to be Captain of her Majesty's Honourable Corp,
of Gentlemen at Arms, in the room of Jbbn George Weld Lord
Forester, resigned.
ST. JAMES'S PALACE, JULY 24, 1846.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint Lucius Bentinck
Viscount Falkland to be Captain of her Majesty's Guard of
Yeomen of tho Guard, in the room of George Earl of Beverley,
resigned.
FOREIGN-OFFICE, JULY 2], 1846.
The Queen has been pleased to approve of .4r. James Fiora,
as Consul at Manchester for the United States of America.:
FOREIGN-OFFICE, JULY 23.
The Queen Irks been pleased to approve of Mr. Thomas
Haire, as Cqrfsul at Gibraltar for the Grand Duke of Olden-
burgh.
• CROWN-OFFICE, Jura' 24.
MIZIEZIES RETURNED TO siavi IN VIII PRESENT
PARLIAMENT.
County of Lancaster.—Southern Division.—Williafn
Brawn, of Liverpool, in the said county, Eeq., in the room
of Francis Egerton (commonly called Lord 'Francis Eger-
ton), now Earl of Ellesmere, called up to the House of
Peers.
County of Roscommon.—Denis O'Connor, Esq. (com-
monly called-the O'Connor Don), Quo of tlaciacla
4444 of 314e3t)e6 TVAAWZ. . •