The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-03 00:00:00

WOOL.

Since Monday last the imports of wool in the port of London have
beef' on a very limited scale. In the private contract market ex-
ceedingly little business has been transacted in any kind of wool, yet
we can notice no alteration in the quotations.

TALLOW.

There is no alteration in this market since our last ; prices are the
same, both on the spot and for arrival. In new Tallow there has
been rather more inquiry, but very little business. Town Tallow
40s 6tl net cash.

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.

(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Room A.
ST. ALBANS, LUTON, AND DUNSTABLE.
The Committee on this Bill met to-day at eleven o'clock, Lord
Winchester in the chair.

This Bill was opposed by the London and Birmingham Company.
Mr. Sergeant Waarream opened the case for the promoters. He
said, he trusted that he would be able to show the Committee that the
present Bill was entitled to their Lordships' favourable consideration.
There was a large population at Luton, which had latterly increased ;
there was an immense manufacture in the article of straw plait,
which was imported from the principal houses of that place
to Italy, America, and New York. The present conveyance of that
article to London was peculiarly disadvantageous, being compara-
tively slow and dear. In the House of Commons they were opposed
only by the London and Birmingham Company, who, however, did
not appear against the Bill. They did, however, appear on the pre-
sent occasion ; and accordingly there was a petition from certain
landowners along the line, complaining of injury, but he would be
able to show their Lordships that there was no residential injury in-
flicted. There was also a petition from the inabitants of St. Albans ;
but as his Learned Friends on the opposite side had already obtained
a locus stanch, he thought it unnecessary to observe on that subject
anything further than that a number of those who had petitioned had
withdrawn their names, and among those was the mayor of the town.
In fact, there was a petition of some fifty individuals against the
Bill, while the number who signed petitions in favour of the Bill
amounted to four huedred and fifty. With these observations he
would leave the case in the hands el the Committee, and would pro-
ceed to call witnesses to prove the preamble of the Bill.

Mr. Vyse was examined, and stated that he was a straw bonnet
manufacturer, resident at Luton. lle employed himself 300 persons
in making straw bonnets, while the entire number of persons em-
ployed in the same manufacture at Luton, and for a radius of three
miles, was 4,530. This was quite exclusive of the manufacture of the
plait, which he would not attempt to estimate. The money turned at
Luton in this article amounted to 500,0001. per annum. The whole
monetary transactions carried on at Luton was upwards of 2,000,0001.
In 1839 there was but one bank at Luton, which was attended but
twice a week, but now, at that town, there were two banks ,which
were attended every day. The population of the town at the last
census was 7,748, while from the calculations he had made, which
were deduced from the increase in the number of buildings, there was
at present a population of 11,248. There were a variety of matters
used in the manufactures carried on at Luton, and the present mode
of transit to and trom London, was most inconvenient, as wellas be-
tween St. Albans and Luton, at the former of which towns there was also
a large trade carried on. The feeling of Luton was in favour of the
railway, which was evinced not only by petitions but by public
meetings.
Cross-examined by Mr. AusTnv—The plait manufacture centered
in Luton. Was seventeen years resident Luton; during that period
there had been au increase in the number of manufaetorieS to
forty-seven.