The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-29 00:00:00

GROUP XXXVI.

The Committee to
stheorlhyematetrhiosnegroo,culpocok. of Bills hatveembbeersenarreef—err3erdr:
metrn thismrn
Bernal (Chairman), Mr. Mangles, Hon. W. Bagot, Col. Conolly,
and Viscount Somerton.
The following is the list of Bills submitted for their consideration:--
1. Wakefield, Pontefract, and Goole, and Port, &c., of Goole.
2. Goole and Doncaster.
3. Wakefield, Pontefract, and Goole Askerne, and
Oakenshaw Branches).
4. Hull and Barnsley Junction.
5. York and North Midland (East Riding Branches).
6. Malton and Driffleld Junction.
7. Newcastle and Darlington Junction (Thirsk and Malton
Branches). _

The first Bill in the list being unopposed was referred to Mr.
Greene, the Chairman of Committees, there being no petition
against it.

The second 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 sot taken on account of its having been thrown out by
the Standing Orders' Committee.
No parties appeared for No. 5. There was a petition against No.
2 branch, but no one appeared to support it.
No. 6 was postponed till Friday.
V7AIOEPIEED, PONTEFRACT, AND GOOLE
(NZETIII.Er, ASZERN, AND OAHENSHAVI
BRANCHES).
The Committee intimated their intention of first preceeding 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 shoild, therefore, with the permission of the Com-
mittee, 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 junction with the Hull
and Selby P.ailway, shortly after leaving Doncaster, and would
proceed in nearly a direct Ilse to Knottingley, on the Wakefield and
Goole, and would, therefore, by the aid of the Methley branch, form
this line to the Midland Railway, and afford the most direct commu-
nication 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-
turers 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
coming 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 Methlay branch on behalf of certain Inha-
bitants of Pontefract, who had petitioned against it, on account of
its passing through the park and race-course belonging to the town,
by which the inhabitants would be deprived of a means of enjoyment
which they had possessed from time immemorial, and becattse this
might be obviated by a slight deviation of the line.
Mr. LEMON said the park had not been used ter 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 quite as contiguous to it, in lieu of that whi ii it would
be necessary to take for the purpose of the railway, which had been
agreed to by the trestee9, and the company had purchased the ten
acres of land, and were ready to lay it out for the purpose of a park,
and further to subject the land which they required for the
line to the payment of land-tax, poor-rates, &c., which would bring the
town about 701. a year. It was not, however, until another line from
Doncaster to Pontefract was proposed, that the trustees, thirty-six
In number, seemed desirous to get rid of the arrangements which the
promoters of the r iilway had made with them. Even so late as the
90t:-. instant the trustees confirmed the proposition, on condition
that certain clauses were inserted in the Bill, and a pathway made
ior a short distance along the line, to all of which the promoters
agreed.

Mr. Moxon, aldermen of Pontefract, and one of the Bank trus-
trees, was then called, and examined by Mr. LEMON—lie 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 consideration of the promoters of the line with respect
to the purchase of land in lieu of that required byt lie railway, they
agreed to and confirmed on the 20th instant. After the land required
for the railway was taken, the race-course, or park, would he quite
as long as the race-course at Doncaster. The laud, which was halt
bog and half arable, was not worth mme than 501. an acre.

.„.
By the COMMITTEE—The people would he benefited, instead of
❑jured, by the railway. More than 300 acres of the park would re-
nain untouched.

Cross-examined by Mr. Caar.ow—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 than the old.
Mr. J. Ilarris, 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 for a
railway, as the curves would there be severe also, and the works
heavy,

CABROW said he was instructed that Mr. Blythe, an engineer,
could prove that the line might 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 explahted„ by reference
to the map, that if the Methley branch did not proceed through a
portion of the park, that it mast of necessity join the North Midland,
33 a curve would be a serious disadvantage.
Mr CAtutow applied to the Committee to adjourn until to-morrow,
in order that the witness whom he had mentioned might be able to
attend.

DECISION.
The Committee intimated that he had not shown that the public
would derive any benefit by a deviation to avoid the park, or that
they were opposed !o the project. They, therefore, considered that
the preamble of the Bill had been proved.
The Committee, after proceeding with the clauses, adjourned
until to-morrow.

STANDING ORDERS' COMMITTEES.
HOUSE OF LORDS.

- - ---
The Committee on standing Orders met this day, according to
adjournment, at the appointed hour. The Lords present were
the Earl of Shaftesbury (in the chair), the Duke of Richmond, and
Lord Hawarden.
OMAGH, DUN. GANNON, ARMAGH, AND BELFAST
RAILWAY.
This case, which was adjourned from a previous day, after having
been under the consideration of the Committee, was further post-
poned until Thursday next.
DUBLIN AND KINGSTOWN EXTENSION RAILWAY.
This case which came before the Committee for proof, that the
parties had complied with Lord Wharneliffe's order, next occupied
the attention of their Lordships. The necessary evidence having
been given, Lord Shaftesbury intimated that the Bill had passed.
Their Lordships rose at live o'clock.

LAW INTELLIGENCE,
BAIL COURT, April 28.
THE QUEEN V. ROBINSON.
In this case it appeared that the defendant was a clergy-
man in the Established Church, and that a true bill had
been found against him by the grand jury at the Oxford
Assizes upon a charge of perjury. Defendant's Counsel
contended that the case was one which should properly have
been brought to trial at the civil side of the Court, and now
moved by certiorari for a rule to that effect.—Granted.

COURT OF EXCHEQUER, April 28.
In this Court a case was called on which involved a bond
debt to the amount of 2,0001., and the Court having been
occupied until one o'clock in hearing the arguments for and
against making the rule absolute, the defendant's counsel
intimated that there was a probability of the parties coming
to an arrangement, and the case was stopped.