The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-24 00:00:00

RA MAYA Y COMMITTEES.

(SATURDAY.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.
Room A.

W.ANOHESTER AND SOUTHAMPTON.

(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of Saturday.)
Did not think opposing landowners whohad made arrange
*rents with the Manchester and Southampton, could ex-
pect the Great Western to pay the expense of their opposi-
tion. It was customary for agents to solicit landowners to
oppose Bills to '• stir them up to a sense of their grievances."
Re-examined by Mr. TALBOT—The narrow gauge was in-
tended to be laid down on the lines he had mentioned, with
the view of completing the narrow gauge communication
north and south.

This closed the case on the part of the opposition.
Mr. Russell was cross-examined at great length by Mr.
Sergt. WRANGHAM—The Great Western Company had given
directions to lay down the narrow in conjunction with the
broad gauge on the Oxford and Rugby and on the Gloucester
line. Did not think it was reason,..ble to expect the Great
Western to pay the expenses of opposing landlords who had
made engagements with the proposed line. It was also the
custom to canvass landowners to oppose, "to stir them up
to a sense of their grievances." _ _

This closed the 6'43e1 on the part of the opponents of the
Bill.

Lord More'remeee said he had consulted Lord Clarendon
last evening with respect to a letter sent by the Board of
Trade to the Great Western Company, calling upon them to
lay down the narrow gauge on the lines referred to. He
stated that that communication should have any effect upon
the investigation in which their Lordships were engaged.
Mr. Sergeant WRANGII.I3I then proceeded to address the
Committee in reply. He said it was not his intention at
that late period of the se.:sion, when all who had been en-
gaged in similar inquiries for the last seven months were
mentally and physically es.hatisted, to address them at any
great length in reply to the opposition. The issue which
the Committee had to try was confined within an
extremely narrow compass. They sought to construct a line
extending for ninety miles from Cheltenham to Southampton,
and sixty miles from Swindon to the same point, the latter
portion, of which was utterly devoid of that railway commu-
nication which other portions of the island possessed, the
persons residing and carrying on business in which had their
exertions crippled, the transmission of their goods to the
consuming districts, and the supply of articles which
they required from them, almost cut. off. His Learned
Friend had not made out anything like a case
for the rejection of the measure. 'Both Mr. Stephenson and
Mr. Bidder, whose experience was moat extensive, and whose
opinions were entitled, therefore, to the utmost conoideration,
had stated that the country was perfectly competent to de-
fray the expense of the that it was an average agricul-
tural country, and that the local traffic alone would
realise 5/. per cent., 'whereas the main ground on which
they sought the 'Sanction of their Lordships to the
line was fan great accession of foreign traffic
from the gr:lat manufacturing districts of the north on the
one hand,, and the imports of Southampton and other traffic
on the ;ether. They had not produced any evidence against
the kr.tl from persons residing in the district,with the excep-
tion of Mr. Skinner, who stated, in cross examination, that
If cheep were to be sent to Birmingham, he should send
tliem by railway. Then it appeared from other witnesses
that sheep were actually sent from the fairs in the district
round to London, and by the Eastern Counties into Norfolk,
to be fattened, and afterwards conveyed back by the same
railway to Smithfield for sale. The line would put the
coals of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, and other districts', into
competition with the coals of Radstock, with which the dis-
trict was p:incipally supplied. From Cheltenham to Swin-
don, for instance, the line would save 15 miles. But if the
Great 'Western denied the utility of railway communication
north and south, what majesty Brunel to Birming-
ham, out of his kingdom ?
Lord MONTEAGLE—It was an innovation.—(Some ap-
ple.use followed this sally of the Noble Lord.)
Mr. Sergeant WRANGIIAM then went on to exhibit the
advantages of the line. Now the Bristol and Gloucester, the
Grand Junction, and the :Midland lines, the proprietors of
which had expended millions in constructing lines from the
north to be precluded from having those lines completed to
the south, simply because the Great Western did not approve
of it because it might compete in somemeastrewithet. After
finmeother observations he concluded by calling on their Lord-
ships to pass the preamble of the Bill. The Learned Counsel
concluded at twenty minutes to four o'clock.
The CHAIRMAN ordered the room to be cleared,
Parties were admitted at twenty minutes after five o'clock,
when the CHAIRMAN said the Committee have come to the
decision that the preamble of the Bill is not proved ; but they
have determined to accompany that decision with a resolu-
tion to this effect :—That the engagement entered into on be-
half of the Great Western to complete a narrow gauge com-
munication from Oxford to Basingstoke, and then from South-
ampton to the manufacturing districts is not to be understood
in any respect as impeding the prosecution of any other line cf
communication from Southampton to the north, should the
public ex:igency re
then sheer tparatede execution of such a work desirable.