The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-11 00:00:00

have called some gentleman connected with that company in proof
of this, if it were the ca,,e. But not a single witness stated any-
thing of the sort. He, therefore, contended, taking all the circum-
stances into account, that the Committee could not sanction the
proposed undertaking, inasmuch as it was not required by the wants
of the district.

Mr. LAING, on the part of the .premoters, replied en the general
case.

The room was then cleared, and on the re-admission of parties,
The CuatamlN said the Committee would not give any decision al
present.
The Committee then adjourned.

GROUP LIT.

LEICESTER AND EIRIIINGRAt7, wsTri A

BRANCH.

The Committee met at the usual hour this morning, and were oc
cupied the whole day in hearing the case of the opponents to this
Bill.

As the opposition was principally confined to the objections of
the landed proprietors on the part of the competing lines and private
individuals, no point of any peculiar public interest was elicited.
Several witnesses were examined, but their evidence was merely
a recapitulation of the statements already made known in connexion
with the line.
The Committee then adjourned.

GROUP LX iY.
IRISH GREAT WESTERN (PORTAR-
TANGTON TO GALWAY).
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)

The Marquis of Clanricarde was examined, and bore testimony to
the general advantages of the line. Ills Lordship considered that
the railway which would afford to the inhabitants of Galway an op-
portunity of sending their corn to Cork and other parts of the south
of Ireland where distilling was extensively carried on, must de-
cidedly be of great national importance, and promised to be highly
remunerative.

Mr. Denis Kirwan, of Galway, was examined, and stated that there
was a considerable traffic from Galway to the south.
Colonel Foster, Assistant Adjutant-General of the Forces in Ire-
land, was examined, and expressed his opinion as to the benefits of
the proposed line in a military point of view, as it would afford
facility in sending troops to Cork, Fermoy, and other parts of the
south of Ireland from Athlone, which was a matter of the greatest
importance.

Robinson;of Clare, stated that the population of that town
was 18,000 ; that there was a great quantity of corn sent from
Athlone, and that a railway would afford a communication with the
markets of the south of Ireland.

After hearing some additional statements as to traffic, the Com
mittee adjourned.

LEICESTER AND BEDFORD RAIL
WAY.

A meeting of the Scripholders, duly summoned, under the
sessional orders, was held at the London Tavern, yesterday
at one o'clock, to consider whether the Company would pro-
ceed further with the Bill,
WYNN ELLIS, Esq., M.P., took the chair, and said he had
done so as Chairman of the Board of Management, feeling it
his duty to attend and render them every aid in his power;
but having been for some time unable to attend the meetings
of the board from bodily indisposition, the necessary state-
ment would be made by Mr. Lindsell, the deputy-chairman,
who would also answer any questions which proprietors
might think proper to put.
Mr. LENDSELL, after having expressed his regret that Mr.
Ellis had been prevented from participating more actively in
the business of the day, said that, in addressing gentlemen
who were wellacquainted with railway matters, it was hardly
necessary to tell them that the meeting had been convened
in pursuance of the sessional orders of Parliament, which
made it binding on every company applying to Parliament
to hold a meeting prior to the third reading of the Bill, for
the purpose of sanctioning further procedure in the case.
He called on
The SECRETARY, who read the advertisement calling the
meeting.
Mr. LINDSELL then proceeded to say, that he saw there
was a numerous meeting present, and he took it for granted
that there was then in the room, or would be soon,
sufficient to constitute the meeting legal—(Hear.)
The directors, then, took this opportunity to bring be-
fore the meeting everything connected with the interests
of the Company, their original object and the means
which had been used to carry that object out. The district
of country through which the line passed was Bedford, on
the south of Leicester, and Hitchin on the north ;
it opened up the coal fields of Derby and Leicester,
whereby the inhabitants on the route would be
supplied with that necessary article; and they would,
besides, find a ready market for their produce.
But, beyond all these considerations, the great object of the
Company was a communication between London and Man-
chester. To effect this it was an object with the Company
to form a junction with the companies at both ends of the
line—with the London and York in the south, and with the
Midland Counties in the north. The directors, therefore,
put themselves in cdmmuuication with the London and
York at an early period, and he was glad to say that they
had met with the most friendly ,aid and assistance ; but
while this friendly aid and assistance was rendered them,
both companies had maintained their independence.—
(Hear, hear.) He said that the direct communication with
the metropolis had already been achieved in that great
triumph of the London and York, on which he had the
greatest pleasure in congratulating those gentlemen. Not-
withstanding the success they had achieved,' it was still
the intention of this Company to preserve their integrity,
and only make use of the London and York line in
their approach to the metropolis.—(Hear, hear.) It had
been also the intention of the Company to effect a connexion
with the Midland Counties, and by their line to complete a
direct communication with Manchester and the ether large
towns of the north. At an early period after the formation
of the Company the Chairman opened a correspondence with
that Company, and the result was an invitation
to meet with their board at Derby ; but he
was sorry to say that, notwithstanding their friendly
disposition, they had not met with that attention and en-
couragement from that Company which they had been led
to expect. When they arrived at Derby they were told, on
the part of the other company, that they must form an alli-
ance with the South -Midland, and that after that the Mid-
land would be ready to treat with them on the subject of an
alliance. But, after a connexion was to have been formed with
the South Midland in addition to that of the Midland, to whom
by the way 15,000 shares were to have been offered, they
were told that there they must form a union with the London
and Birmingham—a line which they had always looked
,-; non as directly opposed to the Leicester and Bedford.—
(flea:: hear.) He asked whether gentlemen would
think it tight to accept these terms?—(hear, hear.) Mr.
Stephenson was the gentleman deputed from the Mid-
lands to communicate with them ; to him, then, the
first thing that they had said was, that their
object was not to stop short with a communication
between Leicester and Hitchin; it was their object to proceed
on to London, and with this view they had put themselves in
London and York. What conveni-
ence eswpoo
It was not their intention
would
denthcee wmitihdiathudel ufei
to use the London and York line e.xcept between Hitchin and
corr
London. Mr. Stephenson said, ,Kame not the London and
York, for between the London And York and the
London and Birmingham there was war—war to the
knife." He said they asked Mr. Steplenson whether
the Midlands would agree to their employing Mr. Cubitt,
the engineer on the London and York, but he answered that
they could not consent to any engineer from a hostile line
being employed in connexion with theirs. Such was the in-
terview that had taken place between them and the Midland
Company. They still hoped, however, to effect an alliance
with that Company, and with this view asked time to
consider the terms before
,they gave an answer. - This
having
.been agreed upon, they drew up a resolution
worded with every care to avoid offence, to the effect, first,
that no terms could be accepted compromising the indepen-
dence of this company ; or second, inconsistent with its posi- 1
tion with the London and York ; and third, that they offered,'
to the Midlands an interest equal to that offered to the Lon-
don and York.—(Hear, hear.) He thought that he had by
this time shown that the directors, after completing an alliance
with the London and York, but failing with the Midlands,
their failure was in consequence of the course of conduct pur-
sued by the Midland Counties.—(Hear, hear.) Notwith-
standing these difficulties, he saw nothing to prevent them
prosecuting their original object. But there was one im-
portant feature which he wished to explain. At the time
that this line commenced, the sessional orders had not been
issued requiring 10 per cent. deposit, and they had only
required of the shareholders a deposit of 5 per cent.;
but the directors, having the fullest confidence in this
line that it would be profitable to the shareholders, and prove
a great advantage to the public, had taken it upon their own
responsibility to pay 10 per cent. into the hands of the Ac-
countant-General.—( Hear, hear.) He was sure that this
would meet with their entire approval. The directors also
would take care, in respect of all the deposits made by the
shareholders and other sums yet to be paid, that they should
receive five per cent. on all such money.—(Hear, hear.) He
had no other expectation than that the meeting would
unanimously approve of proceeding with the Bill.
The solicitor then read the Bill.
The CHAIRMAN moved a resolution, approving of the Bill
and giving the directors power to proceed.
Mr. LINDSELL seconded it.
Mr. D. W. HARVEY, after stating that he approved of the
Bill, and of proceeding with the line, made some remarks on
the caution necessary at the present day in railway projects.
He said he wished that some of those Noble persons, Earl
Fitzwilliam or some other Peer, would take steps ,to pass
an order prohibiting all companies who had obtained
their Bills from making their lines unless they deposited such
instalments as would be a guarantee that they were able to
complete it, and giving power to the shareholders to retire
on receiving back their deposits, minus the reasonable ex-
penses.
Mr. RICHARDSON asked whether they could not persuade
the Direct Manchester line to join them in prosecuting
!.heir object? He also asked, being himself a share-
hajer in the London and York, whether there
was at; 17 ground for the rumour which he had heard, of its
being iinp:obable that the Company would obtain their Bill?
Mr. Listos}7.l, said, in the presence of the Chairman of the
London and York, he, would say nothing of it. As to the
other question, he had to answer, that they had tried to effect
a union with several of the direct lines to Manchester, but as
yet without success.
Mr. RASTALL, chairman of the London and York, and a
director in the Leicester and Bedford Company, said that the
Hon. Proprietor knew as much about, the probability of
the London and York Bill ultimately passing as he did.
After eighteen days' examination before a Committee of
the House of Commons, which produced a favourable effec t
and after nineteen days examination on oath before the
House of Lords, which also produced a favourable impression
there, it would be bold to say that the Bill would not be
granted. on Mr.
Mr. J. J. M. RICHARDSON made some remarks
ds this
Hudson's conduct in the House of Commons
ttoewlix,
h ana,ge-
Bill, and on the Hon. Gentleman's conduct in
as
connected,
ment of the railway companies with wh!chmovements,
lest at
and cautioned the directors to watc
h howhiosut their Bill.
an unguarded moment he might t
resolution,r when the votes
The CRAM/ AN then put might
were unanimous in favour of p
intimated that additional capital, to
The CHafammr then intim
the amount of some hundreds, must still be represented, to
make the meeting legal,d therefore he adjourned it till one
o'clock on Tuesday t an.....,