The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-26 00:00:00

GROUP XXVIII,

This Committee assembled to-day at one o'clock ; present, Lord
Dalmeny (chairman), and the other members.
The following Bills are comprised in this group, viz.:—
London and Birmingham (Newport l'agnall Branch).
Hertford and Hatfield.
London and Birmingham (St. Alban's and Luton Branch).
London and York (St. Alban's, Luton, and Dunstable Branch).

Northern and Southern Connecting,

St. Alban's, Hatfield, and Hertford Junction.
LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM (ST. AL,
BAN'S AND LITTON BRANCH.)

After some opposition from Mr.lWells, on the part of the London
and 'fork competing line, the Committee agreed to proceed with the
Bill.

Mr. TALBOT, on the part of the promoters, said he would detain
the Committee with but very few observations. The object of this
line was to make a communication between the London and Bir-
mingham Railway and several important towns, which were at pre-
sent destitute of any efficient communication of this nature. The
line from Oxford to Cambridge, which had been recently sanctioned
in Committee,. embraced Luton, and that would render unneces-
sary a branch to that town ; but they proposed to make such,
should the Oxford sad Cambridge not be carried out. The length
of the line wit'h branches, was 2634 miles, and the estimated cost of
the works 4C 43,0001. From St. Alban's to Dunstable there was
a trade in st raw plait carried on as well as a trade in whit-
ing. He bell evod that he would be able te show that the
opposition on. the part of the London and York, and of the
inhabitants of St. Alban's, who complained of the crossing near the
town, was not sufficiently just to entitle them te have this Bill re-
jected. He hi id no doubt, too, that it would clearly appear that
there was no residential Injury inflicted which could not be compen-
sated by Dm ley, or which was of any great extent. The Le -ailed
Counsel concl tided by calling evidence.
Mr. Hawki as, of Redbourne, was examined, and stated that this
railway wont d be extremely advantageous to Redbourne and the
vicinity. Cor as were at present brought to that district by canals.
The Commi, ttee, after hearing some further evidence, adjourhed at
four o'clock.

G XXX.
DIZIDZA ANDROUP
EASTERN COTTNTIES
LIN (CAwiILEIDGE TO WEEDON).
(Contini tea from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
The Comm tttee resumed at three o'clock, when the clauses, with
a few nulmp, irtant amendments, were passed, and the report or-
dered to be ca rried up to the House.
The Commi dies then adjourned.

Str
mTH
orningGßOUP XXXI.
aAt LthEe Sns.ual hour, Mr. Bound
The Comm! .ttee met
Th
in the chair.
Mr. Arts - •
TI t, then proceeded to reply en behalf of the promoters of
the Bill, B 5 Said
adduced, met I during the whole of the evidence that had been
had lost sigh throughout the addresses of his Learned Friends, they
Tho Board o t of the real object of the line sought to be constructed.
mencing at erade reported favourably on the entire project, com-
stated that t Gloucester and terminating
at Fishguard. As they
he "
comment," _ ..necessity of the railway was too evident to require
which it ...Kt went on to say that
proposed the important district
to traverse
comparative isolation, i would be removed from
afford direct ;communication inasmuch a
with as the railway would
the whole of the English counties
th the metropolis of England and
the Bill was I referred virtually pas.sed And the Committee to whom
tug the passa re of the Severn by a
bridge
in its original form, includ-
found that ti le Admiralty objected A 5.
e; but as it was subsequently
means of a bridge, and as theyt°lllnad eilaesing of the Severn by
that portion Of the Bill, by refusing their consentto it,ver to negative
amended the preamble they had passed, by erasingtl the Committee
to thepassag 13 of the Severn, but assenting to theieportion relating
outer portion of the
linemamely from Chepstow to Pembroke and Fishguard. They at the
same time it itimated that the promoters might apply in
the
next
on of Peril ;Mcompelled
ont for the powers they had been thus etao-
Wrefuse. Th e point, therefore, to be decided was a narrow one. A
gap had bet al left in their line, which they proposed to fill up by
crossing the i Severn by a tunnel, and completing their line to Chep-
stow. The 1 hie of the South Wales Company would, to all intents and
Purposes, te i just es perfect as it was before. The present opposition
was worse i han a case of competition. It was the case of the
dog in the ' manger. The opponents would not allow the South
Wales Co mpany to improve the Forest of Dean Railway,
because t hey said it would tend eventually to injure
the traffic; neither would they themselves improve it, because they
considered the outlay of expense would not repay them. It had been
agreed that . by the 52d Geo. 111., the Crown was foreclosed from in-
terfering w Ith the rights of the Forest of Dean Railway. It had not
been denied . that The Dean Forest Company had an inchoate right to
improve th . di . railway ; bat it was contended that an independent
company c plt Id have no right to interfere. The Learned Gentleman

then reviewed the opposition that had been offered to the eon•
struction of the line, with a view to show the weakness of the alle-
gations of the opponents, and concluded a long and eloquent address
by calling on the Committee to pass the preamble.
The room was then cleared. On our re-admission the Committee
stated, that their opinion was against the preamble of the Bill as it
stood ; and the Committee were further of opinion, that the preamble
of that part of the line from Chepstow to Gloucester had not been
proved. The Committee were not inclined to allow the connexion of
the Great Western with Cheltenham and the Forest of Dean Railway.
The Committee then adjourned till to-morrow.

GROUP XXXII.
The Committee met this morning at twelve o'clock ; Mr. J. De-
nison in the chair.

BUCHINGHAMSITIRE (TILING TO
BANBURY).

, -
After some evidence had been called corroborative of what was
put in as to traffic on the line, the promoters of the line examined
Mr. Robert Stevenson, the engineer of the line, who stated that this
project arose out of a local requisition for better accommodation to
the district through which it is intended to proceed. Several other
routes were originally proposed, but the one before Parliament, from
Trigg north west to Banbury, was fixed on as affording the best
accommodation to the whole district, and as the most favourable
for laying down a line of rail, passing, as it does, along
the bottom of a valley, through a very rough and uneven
country. Starting from Tring station, about half-a-mile from Tring,
where it forms a junction with the London and Birmingham on the
level, it passes through part of the town of Aylesbury, through the
neighbourhood of Quainton to near Winslow and Claydon, where it
meets the Oxford and Bletchley line, and from this it passes
through Buckingham and by Brackley up to Banbury. The steepest
gradient on it would be 1 in 157. There would be two tunnels, one
near Claydon 1,100 yards long. and one near Farthingho of 580 yards
in length. The estimate for the whole line was 900,0001., averaging
22,5001. per mile. The London and Birmingham Company have
leased it, guaranteeing to the promoters 4 per cent, and half the
profits. It was contemplated to carry the coals, which are a
great impediment on the main Birmingham line from Rugby,
by the Great Western to Banbury, and thence along this
rail, and by side rails from Tring to London, by which arrange-
ment it was expected they could be carried at a reduced price,
perhaps three farthings a ton, or less.
Mr. Stephenson added that if the traffic were great, say 700,000 or
800,000 tons annually, coal could be carried at a halfpenny a ton,
and at a speed of twelve miles, with a profit to the company ; but he
did not mean this to apply to the project before the Committee which
was rather expensive, for expense and length entered as important
elements into the calculation of charge. A line, costing 20,0001. a
mile, and running upwards of 60 miles, where also the speed he
mentioned could be adopted, he had no doubt could pass coals at a
halfpenny a ton.

The formal evidence required by the standing orders of the House
completed the case for the promoters.
Mr. Commix, for the Great Western Railway, and Mr. Rim:calms,
for Lord Carrington, then severally addressed the Committee.
The room was ordered to be cleared, and parties on being re-
admitted were told that the Committee had decided that the pre-
amble of the Bill was proved.
....

The clauses were then severally read and passed.
The Committe adjourned till twelve o'clock to-morrow.

GROUP XLIV.
This Committee (Lord Palmerston in the ehair) met at 12 o'clock,
to go through the Bills of the
YORE AND CARLISLE, AND 'YORKSHIRE
AND GLASGOW UNION (A2HALGAIKA-
TION).
but the Committee were engaged for two hours with a question of corn
pensation to Mr. James Pullen,alandowner on the route. After the room
had been cleared, the Committee decided that the Company should take
the tolls on Mr. Pullen's property at 641., and thirty years' purchase,
and pay Mr. Pullen the taxed costs of his opposition.
The clauses of the Bill for the Amalgamated Company were then
gone through and passed.
The Committee adjourned till twelve o'clock to-morrow.

GROUP LIT.
This Committee re-assembled this morning at the usual hour; Mr.
P. Miles in the chair.

ST. HELEN'S CANAL AND RAILWAY, AND
GRAND ZUNCTION (HUTTON TO WAR-
RINGTON BRANCH).
The evidence en behalf of the promoters of the St. Helen's Rail-
way was resumed.

Sir. Robert Dagleish, the contractor for the supply of the locomo-
tive power on the present St. Helen's and Runcorn Gap Railway,
examined—This line was eight miles long. There were two inclines
on it about half a mile long, in which the gradients were 1 in
25 and lin 30. These could not be worked by locomotive power, but
a stationary engine was used. The expense of working the proposed
line would be much less, and it would afford railway communication
to many collieries which did not possess it at present.
Examined by Mr. lIA.yEs, on behalf of Sir John Gerrard—The line
would pass through this gentleman's property, and close to his corn-
fields, lie considered that it would be of advantage to his (Sir John
Gerrard's) estate. Re was aware, however, that Sir John was op-
posed to the line.

Mr. Rendall, the engineer of the line, was then examined. The
cost of the line would be 235,7481., in addition to which,
there would be the cost of a dock at Garston, amounting
to 86,9711. This scheme was purely a protective measure to
the owners of St. Helen's Canal. The coal trade could not
be carried on efficiently unless Increased facilities of transit were
given. The proposed line would meet the exigencies of the case.
To take th• line along the canal was the best and cheapest mode of
proceeding,
The Committee adjourned till twelve o'clock te-morrow.

GROUP LIII.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.

SH/LOPSHIRZ UNION RAILWAY AND
CANAL (CHESTER and WOLVERH &MPTON).
Mr. AUSTIN (with whom were Mr. Hope and Mr. Lang) appeared
as counsel, and said that the length was 45 miles, the cost 730,0001.,
and as it was a canal proposed to be converted into a railway, the
Committee would, of course, suppose that the gradients were
not bad. The line had a great deal of local support, and
very little opposition. The principal opposition would be on
the part of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Corn-
pany. Some opposition would also be offered on the 'part
of certain iron masters in the neighbohrhood of Wolverhampton ;
but the great majority of the iron-masters were in favour of the line.
The traffic did not support the present canal, but he should be able
to show that it would nevertheless pay the proprietors when con-
verted into a railway.
Mr. George Skee, carrying agent to the Canal Company in ques-
tion, was then called and examined by Mr. LANG—This witness
proved that the present traffic on the canal was between 1,600 and
2,000 tons per week, the goods principally consisting of heavy Iron
castings, which were taken northwards. The Grand Junction
Railway had deprived the Company of almost all their other traffic.
If a line were made direct to Birkenhead, the cost and trouble of
transhipment of goods passing along the canal to the neighbaurhood
of Liverpool would be obviated.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant ICINGLAgn—A large sum of
money had lately been expended in the improvement of the river
Severn for the purpose of making Stourport a convenient place for
bringing up merchandise, and that sum of money would be rendered
useless if this line were constructed.
Cross-examined by Mr. JAMES (who appeared on behalf of the Ha-
berdashers' Company)—The tolls on the canal in question were re-
duced in February last a farthing per mile on iron goods, and a half-
penny on others. The arrangement for the conversion of the
canal into a railway was made some time last year.
The next witness not being in attendance, the Committee ad-
journed until twelve o'clock to-morrow.