The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-12 00:00:00

MARKET NEWS.-(THIS DAY.)

itAT 11241 %MISTS.
SurruttELD —Meadow Hay, 315 s to 41 8s ; Clover ditto, 4/ 55 to
51 158 ; Oat Straw, 11 12s to 1/ 143 ; Wheat Straw, 11 145 to 11 165 per
load. Supply moderate and trade dull.
CUMBERLAND. —Meadow Hay, 3/ 8s to 4/ 105 ; Clover ditto, 41 45
to 51 12s ; Oat Straw, 11 I3s to 11 158; Wheat Straw, 11 165 to 11 175
per load. A fair average supply, and a heavy demand.
WIIITECHAPEL.—Meadow Hay, 31 3s to 418 s ; Clover ditto, 418 s
to 61; Oat Straw, 11 12s to 11 145 ; Wheat Straw, 11 14s to 1116 s
per load. Trade dull, at the above quotations.

PRAYER-BOOK AND HOMILY SOCIETY.— Yesterday
the thirty-fourth annual general meeting of the supporters of this
society (the object of which is to circulate at home and abroad
prayer-books and all other works of the church) was held in the
lower room, Exeter-hall. The Marquis [of Cholmondeley was in the
chair. The report set forth that a fifth edition of the liturgy in
Chinese had been printed. The Reformation in Germany had called
forth the energies of the society, its correspon.ents in that country
having been supplied with copies of the prayer-took and of some of
the homilies in tile German language; also the Thirty-nine Articles
of religion both in German and Latin. The attention of tile mana-
gers of the society was in a great measure directed to the •piritual
condition of British seamen, and during the past year no fewer than
3,667 vessels in the port of London had been visited, making a total
within the last twenty years of more than 50,000 ships of various
kinds. Agents had been stationed at the principal ports of theki:ge-
dom for the purpose of distributing religious books amongst ;he
crews.
The Lord Mayor went to Spithead, on Sunday morn-
ing, to view the line-of-battlo ohips Ravingly tp Weir ileparture tgy
the Ideclittrrantan.

RAILWAY COMMITTEES

(THIS DAY.)

IMPORTANT DECISION.

GROUP IV.
GREAT NORTH or SCOTLAND, PEaTH
AND INVERNESS, AND INVERNESS
AND ELGIN.

The Select Committee appointel to c6llBlder the merits of the Bills
comprised in this Group, reassembled at the asual hour this morning,
idr. B. Hope in tine chair.

The room was densely' crowded, owing to this morning having
been appointed by the 'Committee fur giving their decision upon tho
engineering merits of the Perth and Inverness line. Immediately
after the Committee had formed, the room was cleared, and after the
Committee had remained in consultation for about half an hour, the
parties were re-admitted, when

The CHAIRMAN announced that the Committee bad come to the
following decision :
The Committee are of opinion that the preamble of the Pcrth and
Inverness, and the Inverness and Elgin Junction Railroad Bills, are
not proved.

Tile Committee have come to this conclusion, with reference to
the proposed altitude and engineering character of the proposed Perth
and Inverness line. as compared with those of any other line of
railroad now actually completed and in operation.
The Committee, in coming to this conclusion, have not omitted to
consider the suggestion that the Perth and Inverness line might be
laid with a double line of rails instead of with a single one, as now
projected.

The Committee, however, wish it to be understood that they have
arrived at this result solely on the present state of experience as to
the severe gradients of considerable length over great altitudes, and
are not to be taken as giving any opinion against the formation of
the Perth and Inverness line, should experience of the working of
railways now in progress of formation, or of others of a similar cha-
racter, support the principle on which the Perth and Inverness is
proposed to be constructed. Neither is it the intention of the Com-
mittee in any way to prejudge the question—whether, if a line be
constructed from Aberdeen to Inverness, the northern counties of
Scotland are not entitled to the benefit of a second line from Perth
to Nainie.

Mr. Sergeant BELLASIS wished to know what course the Corn.
mittee intended to pursue now.

The CHAIRMAN stated they intended now to proceed with the proofs
in favour of the Great North of Scotland Bill.
Mr. Sergeant BELLAsis begged to state then that the promoters of
the Perth and Inverness Railway had evidence to produce in relation
to the nature and extent of the traffic which would be accommo-
dated by the railway proposed by them, which evidence, in their
judgment, would fully justify the engineering peculiarities of the
line, and they tendered such evidence to the Committee.
Mr. CRAUFORD, on the other side, stated that they were prepared
with evidence to prove that there was no such traffic.
The Climax-ix said these facts would be noticed in their report to
the House.

Mr. Sergeant Muuriff applied to the Committee to be heard on be-
half of the Aberdeen, Banff, and Elgin, as a competing line to the
Great North of Scotland Railway. lie was prepared, he said, to
prove that the Aberdeen, Banff, and Elgin line, was infinitely su-
perior to the Great North of Scotland.
The roo n was cle.s.red for considering this request, and after a
short consultation titi Committee came to the resolution to hear Mr.
Sergeant Murphy it 'his clients were determined to proceed after
the declaration of the Committee in favour of a particular line of
railway from Perth to Inverness, being in the route of the Great
North of Scotland, but the Committee must call upon Mr. Sergeant
Murphy to open his case at once.

GROUP XIV.
NORTH KENT DISTRICTS (SOUTH-
EASTERN).

The Committee to which this district is referred met to-day at
twelve o'clock, in Room No. 30. Present, Mr. Protheroo (chair-
man), Lord Etnlyn, Mr. J. O'Connell, and Mr. Grogan.
Mr. AUSTIN (on the part of the South-Eastern Company) pro-
ceeded to call evidence in support of the South-Eastern Branch,
through Greenwich park.

111 r. Stephenson stated that the nearest point at which the Green-
wich branch would approach the Observatory would be 255 yards
from it. Has made experiments with reference to the vibration that
the trains will cause in passing through the tunnel, and what effect
they would have on the astronomical instruments.

The CHAIRMAN said that the Committee were very anxious to hear
Mr. Stephenson's statement with reference to the ♦ibration of the
trains, but the main point was, whether the consent of the Admi-
ralty could be obtained? Should they not consent the Committee
would consider the reason they had for withholding their permission.
➢ir. AUSTIN said that the Committee would probably excuse his
taking the course he was then pursuing, but if the Hon. Chairman
would recollect he would find that the Committee had desired to bear
more evidence with reference to the line as between Greenwich and
Woolwich.

The Custabusr said that the Committee were rather disposed at
present to take into consideration the probability of the consent of
the Admiralty being given. Still there were other parties to be
heard. In fairness to the North Kent their objections should be
heard, and the landholders also should have an opportunity of coming
before the Committee. If the South-Eastern Company had the con-
sent of the Admiralty then they were ready to hear what evidence
could be offered, and if they had not the consent of the Admiralty
the Committee would deliberate whether it would be worth while to
enter upon the inquiry.
Mr. AUSTIN said that in obedience to the suggestion of the Com-
mittee he had come prepared with full evidence as to the utility of
the branch. Ile would ask the Committee were they prepared to go
on if he produced the consent of the Admiralty ?
The CHAIRMAN—We are.
_ _

Mr. Avails said that he had a letter from the Admiralty addressed
to the Deputy-Chairman of the South Eastern Company, and was
dated the 9th of May, Saturday last. The letter was from the Secretary
to the Board of Commissioners, and stated that he was com,natided by
the Commissioners to state that the opposition to the South-Eastern
Greenwich branch would be withdrawn on the understanding that
the railway should be carried through the park in a tunnel, and
that a clause should be inserted in the Bill giving to the Admiralty
the power of regulating the speed and weight of trains passing
through such tunnels, and of imposing such penalties as they might
think St for any infraction of the regulations they might lay down.
They further wished to make such regulations as they might deem
necessary for the purpose of preventing any injurious effect on the
astronomical observations at the observatory, of which injuries they
were to be the sole judges, and giving them the power of inflicting
such penalties for the infraction of such regulations as they might
deem necessary, and also, in the event of the continned contravention
of those regulations, to stop the trains altogether.
The CHAIRMAN said that it would be very important to the Com-
mittee to know the nature of the restrictions to be proposed by the
Admiralty. Were the clients of Mr. Austin satisfied that these re-
gulations would be such as would not injure the traffic; and would
Mr. Stephenson be prepared to take that branch as his only line with
those regulations?
Mr. Stephenson—Quite so.
Mr. TALBOT said that he was prepared to prove that the trains
could not be worked with safety to the observatory.
The Committee here deliberated for a short time, and at length
The CHAIRMAN said that the consent of the Admiralty was de-
pendent on certain conditions which struck the Committee as very
important. The Committee were desirous of ascertaining what those
classes would be, so that they could be satisfied that they would not
injuriously affect the public interest, or the traffic. The Committee
could therefore not proceed until such information had been obtained.
Mr. AIIsTIN said that the Committee could not expect to find any
code of regulations contained in those clauses. They would simply
contain the power of making regulations. He apprehended that no
regulations would be imposed on the line until the Admiralty found
that such regulations were necessary, which he believed they
would not.

The CHAIRMAN said still such information should be obtained, and
a sufficient time allowed to do so.

The Committee then deliberated, and the Chairman announced that
they had reversed their decision, and had determined to proceed at
once.

Mr. TALBOT said that he was instructed, and he believed correctly,
that the consent of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests would
oNly be given on such terms as would render the formation of the
line of no use. The Committee should adjourn until those terms
were known.

Mr. COCKBURN said that he had no doubt of the consent of the
Commissioners of Woods and Forests, but still they had not got a
formal consent.

The CHAIRMAN said, that under those circumstances, though it
might appear to be vacillating, the Committee would adjourn until
such consent could be specified and obtained.
At the suggestion of Mr. J. O'CoNNRLL,
The CHAIRMAN inquired whether so much of the evidence could
not be gone into as would permit of the objection of the landowner
to be heard. The Greenwich portion was but an inch in the yard of
road they had to lay down, and the objection to that question might
be deferred. The Committee were very anxious to save both time
and money to the Companies.
...Both sides seeming to consider this arrangement as not likely to
meet their views,

The Committee adjourned until twelve o'clock en Thursday.

GROUP XVIII.
SOBTERSETSHIRE MIDLAND.

This Committee resumed its sittings this morning at the usual
hour ; Mr. B. Denison, chairman.

Mr. E. Hippesley, surveyor, of Wells, in Somerset, proved that
the line, as laid out on the plans and sections, could not be com-
pleted within the lines of deviation, or if completed it would be
utterly impracticable to work it, as it would consist of a number of
small curves of not mere than a quarter of a mile radius.
In his cross•examination by Mr SMITH, he Amitted that he had
not been employed in la 3 ing out a railway before he had levelled
upon several lines of railways.
Mr. Stable corroborated the accuracy of the levels as taken by the
previous witnesses.

Mr. Ashrnead and Mr. Fox gave evidence to the same effect.
Mr. Ilubbersty—Had estimated that the amount of earth-work ne-
cessary in the construction of the line would be 1.211.157 cubic yards
'wore than stated by Mr. Bill. The cost of the necessary earth-work
wou:d be 125,541/., or about one hundred and twenty per cent. more
than Mr. hill's estimates.
Cross-examined by Mr. DEEDES—HC had not been on the line.
The estimates were made up by his clerks in the office from data
furnished to him by the sections of the previous witnesses.
This witness concluded the case on the part of the promoters.
It was then proposed that the further consideration of the case
should be adjourned till Thursday next, in order to allow the pro-

inoters to call witnesses to rebut the evidence which had been laid
befcre the Committee.
The room was then cleared for a division.

Upon tke parties being called in,

The CHAIRMAN informed them that it was the unanimous opinion
of the Committee that it would be useless to waste the time of the
parties, or themselves, in receiving further evidence, as the Com-
mittee had come to the conclusion, irrespective of this portion of the
evidence, that it would be unwise hi them to grant the Bill.

The preamble of the Bill was, therefore, declared not to be proved.
The Committee then adjourned at three o'clock.