The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-04 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.
BRISTOL AND EITETE!,-"! T:AILWAY.
11>R18T,I., T1117113D t z,p,?t,i4l :z,,
of this comp4h) was hdd at, the 21.-isemWy tZ,;•
Princes-street, this day, to take into consideration the
proposed extensions of the line.
Mr. Brown having taken the chair
The Secretary, Mr. BADMAN, read the report, which
stated that the chief purposes of the proposed lines were,
first, the establishment of the best and shortest high-
way between Exeter and London; and, secondly, in-
creased accommodation for Midland, Somerset, and
Central Devon, combining with the latter a convenient
transit to Cornwall. The first • was intended to be
secured by a railway from the trunk line, near Taunton,
to join the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth Railway,
at Castle Cary. There were two other schemes for
lines between London and Exeter: the Exeter Great
Western, by way of Yeovil, and the South-Western
scheme, by way of Basingstoke, Salisbury, and
Yeovil. By the line from Taunton to Castle Cary, the
distance between London and Exeter wai shorter than
by either of those two; and, instead of an expenditure
of a million arid a half of capital, it would not require
one-fourth of that amount ; as out of 581 miles between
Exeter and Castle Cary, 36- were on their trunk line,
leaving very little more than 22 miles of new railway
to construct. To afford accommodation to Midland So-
merset, it was proposed to make a line from Bleadon,
near the southern end of the Uphill cutting, toAxbridge,
`Cheddar, Glastonbury, and Street, there to fall into the
line above mentioned. The length of this loop would
be 23k- miles. The directors felt it to be their duty to
call the attention of the shareholders to the country west
of Exeter, with a view to the construction of lines
through that district into Cornwall; the abandonment of
the North Devon Railway scheme, and the revival of the
Devon and Cornwall Central by the South-Western
Company, having left them no alternative but to carry
operations into those districts, and they had therefore
caused the necessary plans and documents to be deposited
for the lines extending from Crediton, in the county of
Devon, by way of Okehampton, to Launceston, in the
county of Cornwall, a distance of 36 miles, and from
Launceston to near Liskeard, 18 miles—there to meet
the Cornwall Railway.
The CHAIRMAN apologised for the absence of Mr.
Gibbs, the chairman of the company, which was caused
by that gentleman's not entirely concurring in the
schemes which the directors felt it their duty to recom-
mend to the proprietors. llitherto they had worked
most cordially with the Great Western Company, but
that company had recently thought fit to promote a
scheme between Exeter and Yeovil, which, if successful,
would divert the most important traffic from their line,
that of the through traffic to London. The directors,
therefore, felt bound to promote the schemes then before
them, for the purpose of protecting their interests, when
their lease to the Great Western Company expired,
which it would in two years. The Chairman concluded
by moving a resolution approving of the report, and
authorising the directors to take the necessary steps for
carrying out the proposed lines.
Mr. VATCRER seconded the resolution.
Mr. MORTIMER asked whether Mr. Gibbs had seceded
from the direction,

The CHAIRMAN replied in the negative, and the
resolution being put, was carried unanimously.
Another resolution, authorising the directors to make
the Parliamentary deposits, was also carried ; and after
a short conversation, in the course of which Mr. Gregory,
the new engineer, explained the course of the line, the
meeting separated.