The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-08 00:00:00

that they were loaded with slugs, which he had
made himself, but he refused to say of what metal
they were made, adding, that, in all probability, they
would be found, when if shown to him he could rea-
dily recognise them, but until then it would be use-
less to enter into any further details. The prisoner
continues perfectly calm and composed. He enters
into conversation with his keepers, and appears to
look with impatience to the hour for his meals, which
he takes with a good appetite, and he sleeps well.

The heat had become almost intolerable in Paris.
On Tuesday the thermometer (Farenheit) marked
87i degrees ; on Wednesday 951.
" We have received from Pontanion," says the
Con stitutionnel—
" Some information of rather a strange nature. We have
been told that three Englishmen, sentenced last year by the
first Council of War,sitting at Papieti ( Otaheite), to ten years'
hard labour, and confined during six weeks in the bagne of
Brest, had been hastily removed from it on the 25th of July,
and conveyed to Pontanion. It was stated that they were
released in consequence of a letter written by one of them
to his ambassador in Paris, who bad been instructed by his
Government to expostulate upon the condemnation of his
countrymen by a French court-martial, sitting in a country
which England did not consider placed under the authority
of France. We are the more inclined to credit this supposi-
tion, as an order was lately received to take off the chains
and the convict dress which these men had brought with
them to Pontanion. This looks very like another Pritchard
affair."
The Three per Cents. closed on the Paris Bourse on
Wednesday at 83f. 60c. ; the Five per Cents., 122 f:
25c. ; the Orleans Railroad Shares, 1,276 f. 25c. ; Rouen,
968 f. 75c. ex. div. • Havre, 700 f. ; Great I,(orthern, 710 f.;
Avignon, 885 f. ; div.
622 f. 50c.; Bordeaux, 567 f. 50c.;
Basle, 215 f. ; Dieppe, 395 f. ; Pads and Strasburg, 4901.;
Tours and Nantes, 500 f. ; Paris and Lyons, 5171. 50c. ;
Lyons and Avignon, 495 f.; Bordeaux and Cette, 485 f: ;
Spanish Actives, 341/8.
The following are the quotations for new lines
LYONS, AUG. 3.—Paris and Rouen, 9701. ; Avignon and
Marseilles, 868 f. 75c. ; Northern, 6981. 75c.; Paris and Lyons,
503 f. 75c.
BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, AUGUST 6.

Anglo-Belgian, 24—Boulogne and Amiens, 12% Bordeaux, Tou-
louse, and Cette (Mackenzie), 134 —Ditto (Espelete), 1 1,13 —Dutch
Rhenish, 6 —East _lndian, % —Louvain ala Sambre, I%—Northern
of France Constituted, 13 —Namur and Liege, 3%—Orleans and
Bordeaux, 8%—Paris and Lyons Constititted.s% —Rouen and Havre,
27%—Sambre and Meuse, 414—}Vest Flanders, 3%.

Summonses were issued on Thursday irom the Fore'gn-
office to the Ministers to attend a Cabinet Council. The
meeting will, it is expected, be held this afternoon, at
the Foreign-office, Downing-street.

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.

(YESTERDAY)

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Room B.
LIVERPOOL, ORMSEIRIC, AND PRESTON.

The Committee appointed to inquire into the merits of this Bli
met this morning for the first time.

The members of the Committee are Earl St. Germans (chair-
man), the Duke of Rutland, the Bishop of Durham, Lord Byron, and
Lord Beaumont.

Appearances were put in for a host of oppanents, among them
core—Mr. Scarisbrook, represented by Mr. Merryweather and Mr.
Kerr ; the Manchester and Southport Railway , and Liverpool and
Preston Railway, by Mr. Hope, Mr. Monk, and Mr. Marshall, for
whom Mr. Selwyn appeared.
The counsel for the promoters were Mr. Austin, Q.C., Mr. Talbot,
Q.C., Sergeant Bellasis, Mr. Brandt, and Mr. Calvert.
Mr. AUSTIN, Q.C., opened the case for the promoters of the Bill,
and in so doing expressed his regret, that although this case had
been thoroughly sifted in the Committee of the House of Commons
during the present session, the promoters would still have to contend
against the determined hostility of the, .e :parties, who nad been so
signally defeated before the Committee of the other house. He stated
that it would be almost impossible in a line of C;is I,tigai to find one
which would afford such a vast amount of benefit as the present; it
would accommodate an immense local population, amounting, he
believed, to upwards of a million and a half. A vai iety of details were
then gone into by the Learned Counsel, which the public are awarehas
been given at considerable length in the proceedings bebre the House
of Commons' Committee. The total length of the line was about
thirty-seven miles. The main line was twenty-two miles In length ;
the Southport branch seven miles three furlongs ; the skelmersdale
branch 2!4 miles, and there was one or two other small branches
near Liverpool of about a mile in length. The estimated cost was
700,000/.
Mr. E. Eccles, cotton worker of Liverpool, was the first witness
examined.

Mr. MERREWETHEII was proceeding to cross-examine the witness
on behalf of the Blackburn and Bolton Rahway, when

Mr. AUSTIN objected to his doing so, on the groand of his having
no locus standi.

After a short discussion the room was cleared, and the Committee
decided that the Blackburn, Clitheroe, and Bolton Railway had no
locus standi.

Mr. Eccles was then cross-examined by Mr. FIoPE.
Mr. T. Slat ter, land surveyor and agent to the Earl of Derby, was
then examined by Mr. BRANDT on behalf of the promoters.

Mr. MERREWETIIER and Mr. IlopE cross-examined at considerable
length.
Mr. R. Bateson, of Liverpool, cotton-broker, was examined by Mr.
CALVERT, upon the amount of traffic between Liverpool and the
towns to the north.

Mr. HOPE cross•examine:l, with a view to show that the proposed
line would not afford the necessary convenience, and that the saving
of time to be effected by this line was not of any moment in the
carriages of heavy goods and merchandise.
Earl Skelmersdale was examined by Mr. BRANDT, upon the benefits
to be derived from such a direct communication between Liverpool
and Preston as the proposed line would afford, and which was viewed
in a favourable light by the persons inhabiting these towns.
Cross-examined by Mr. MERREWETIIER—The proposed line would
not pass through any manufacturing cistrict between Skelmersdale
and Liverpool.
Cross-examined by Mr. HOPE—He was examined before the Com-
mittee of the House of Commons. He viewed with equal favour the
two schemes which had been brought before that Committee ; but
the rival scheme having been rejected, he now supported the pro-
posed line, because he thought it better than none at all.
By Earl St. GERMANS—He thought that of the two schemes the
proposed line would afford the greatest amount of accommodation to
the districts between Liverpool and Preston.
Sir W. Feilden, M.P. for Inocki4urn, Chairman of the Liverpool,
Ormskirk, and Preston Railway, examined by Mr. CALVERT—He
thought the proposed line most beneficial to the trading interests of
the towns of Liverpool and Preston. Was requested by his con-
stituents to be the chairman of the company. _

- -
Cross-examined by Mr. HOPE—Did not know the course of the
Liverpc3l and Preston Lailway, rejected in the House of Commons.
Mr. Fat in-,don, ot' Warden 11511, near renwoilluttn, examined by
TALEOT, have evidence in ,avour of the line.
Crosz-examincl by Mr. iiopE —Prccerred the present line to the
02e whicla had been rejected in the House of Commons, on two
grounds—firs:, bec -me it would prevent tie parties ;rom possessing
a monopoly in he north traffic, and it would do less injury to his
proper: y.
Mr. Ei;:beck, examined by Mr. rRANDT, also spoke to the benefits
which V'e proposed line would COP '2,7 upon the northern traffic.
Cross-examined by Mr. HOPE—The propoed line would effect a
saving of twelve miles over the present route from Prsston to Liver-
pool by way of the North Union and Parkshie Railways.
By the Earl ST. GERMANS—Did not know the course of the re-
acted line. _ _

Mr. B. Moore, Chairman of the Liverpool Docks, examined by
Mr. ALTsTIN, Q.C., spoke to the immense and increasing traffic in
these docks, which he believed was not to be equalled in the world.
The present dock trustees proposed to construct a line of railway
alongside their docks, by means of which vessels could unload at the
south end of the dock, and the goods could be conveyed
rit once, without the expense of cartage, on to the pro-
rcsed line. Cattle could also be landed at this point at
a'. times of the tide, and could be carried away without the incon-
venience o' driving through the streets of the town, which in general
are very narrow.
Cross-examined by Mr. Hors—The Manchester and Liverpool
Railway had access by means of two junctions with the north and
south end of the existing docks at Liverpool.
Mr. Harrison of Newcastle, considered that the proposed line
would afford great accommodation to the public and would open the
means of communication between Newcastle and Liverpool.
Cross-examined by Mr. Hors—The distance from Newcastle to
Liverpool by the Newcastle and Darlington Railway would be 148,
or a saving of distance equal to 38 miles. The Newcastle traffic to
re eLiverpoolen t
with
'va was at
atpreaent sent to Blackburn, in consequence of an
the East Lancashire line. The parties interested in
the Newcastle and Liverpool traffic were anxious now to have two
parties to deal with, for the purpose of effecting a favourable arrange-
ment for the conveyance of traffic from Blackburn to Liverpool.
These two parties he considered would be the Bolton, Wigan, and
Ormskirk Railway and the present Liverpool, Ormskirk, and Preston
Railway.
At this stage of the proceedings the Bishop of Durham, one of the
members of the Committee, let the room in consequence of an en-
engagement which lie was unavoidably compeliad to attend. By the
canton of all parties, however, the examination of the witnesses
was proceeded with in his absence.
T. Heskeath, examined by Mr. TALBOT—Was the owner of
considerable property at Ru [ford, which was affected for the distance
of four or five miles, and stated that he preferred the present to the
rejected lines.
Captain Bethel, of Preston, examined by Mr. CALVERT—Consi-
dered that the proposed line would be of very great importance to
the troops stationed at Preston, as it would afford them the means of
a direct route to Liverpool, and the Isle of Man new barracks were
in the course of erection at Preston, both for cavalry and infantry,
capable of containing 2,000 men.
Cross-examined by Mr. HOPE —Did not think that Fleetwood would
be a good port for the embarkation of troops to Ireland. Did not
know the rejected line. Had not been connected with the move-
ments of any troops by railway.
Mr. Cherry, provision met chant, of Liverpool, examined by Mr.
BRANDT—Thought the proposed line would be of great advantage.
The CHAIRMAN here Intimated that the Committee were quite
satisfied of the necessity of direct railway communication between
Liverpool and Preston, and he thought it useless on the part of the
promoters to offer any further evidence upon the point to which the
evidence had been so long directed, and suggested the propriety of at
once proceeding with the engineering evidence. The Committee
would of course be perfectly ready to hear any evidence tending to
show the comparative merits of the two lines, and also evidence
which referred to that portion of the line between Southport and
Liverpool, and the opening up of the Lancashire coal-fields.
Mr. Forster, agent and owner of mines in Skelmersdale, was then
examined by Mr. CALVERT—He considered that the Skelmersdale
branch would atibrd the requisite means of conveyance necessary for
opening up the coal-Heals in his neighbourhood the greatest con-
sumption of coals from the district where his mines were situated
would be principally at Orrnskirk He thought there were about
140,000,000 tons of coals in the coal-field referred to, which could be
carried by the Skelmersdale branch of the proposed railway. The
coals were of an excellert quality, both for culinary and manufactur-
ing purposes. The present consumption of coals in Ormskirk was
55,000, and by the constraction of this line a saving of 3s. I Id. per
ton would be effected to the consumer.

Cross-examined by Mr. MERREwErnEit—The coal of Skelmers-
dale was not so good as that of Wigan. The scheme rejected in the
Housa of Commons gave communication to the coal-fields of Wigan.
The present line did not give that accommodation.
Cross-examined by Mr. HOPE—The price of coal at the pit's
mouth was Bs. per ton. It was delivered at 12s. At Skelmersdale
the price of coal at the pit's mouth was 6s. Bd., and at Southport the
same coal was sold for 10s. Ad.

Mr. Farchurst, miller and corn-dealer of Ormskirk, and Mr. T.
Kershaw, chemist of Ormskirk, gave evidence in favour of the pro-
posed line as between Ormskirk and Southport, the former of whom
stated the amount of traffic between the two towns at 800 tons, and
the latter at 1,500. In consequence of the discrepancy, Mr. Fare-
burst was recalled, and, in answer to a question put to him by the
Noble Chairman, stated that the amount lie named referred only to
provisions and groceries, and not to a more general traffic.
The Committee then adjourned till 11 to-morrow.

Room C.
HUDDERSFIELD and MANCHESTER Italy.
WAY and CAN (LL (OLDHAM BRANCH).

The Chairman (the Earl of Rodnor), and the other members of
the Committee on this Bill, met to-day at eleven o'clock.
An agreement having been entered into between the promoters of
this'Bill and the Manchester and Leeds Company, by the insertion of
a clause with which both parties were satisfied, the opposition of all
the petitioners was withdrawn, the Committee decided that the
preamble of the Bill was proved, and the Chairman stated that he
would report to the urine accordingly.
OZDHAM, MaNC 3ms rzit, ILIVMI2.POOL,