The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-24 00:00:00

CHICHESTER. AND BOGNOR.

Counsel, Mr. Johnstone and Mr. Clarke; agents, Deans,
Dunlop, and Co.
Mr. IlowE opposed the Brighton branches, on the part of
the Duke of Richmond and other landowners, and the Com-
missioners of the Felpham Level.
JOHNSTONE complained that the line he appeared for
had been considered as an opposing line to the Brighton
branch, and that if so considered, he had been unfairly
treated, inasmuch as the Bill having b.en read a second time
on Thursday last, the standing orders of the House had not
been complied with, giving them seven clear days' notice.

His objections were overruled.
Mr. AUSTIN said the Bill on which he appeared was for two
branches. The one, to Littlehampton' started from the Leo-
minster station, on the Brighton and Chichester line, would
be 114 Milis long, and would cost 10,000/. The other
branch Yeti "the same line at Woodgate, for the town ofßognor,
a bathieg-place well known, and lying eight miles west of
Lit tlehampton, and seven miles south-east of Chichester The
length would be 3i miles from Woodgate to the sea, con-
structed at a cost of 35,000/. There would be no engineering
difficulties on the line, and it would be of great importance,
as connecting, through' the Brighton line, Bognor and
Brighton and Lewes. The opposing line from Bognor to
Chichester was in the present state of things an
absurd project. Mr. Austin said it was' six miles long,
leading to no town except Chichester, and that with the
existing communication, the distance by that line toßrighton
and to Lewes, and to London, would be eight miles greater
than by the other, and besides that disadvantage, the cost of
constructing it would be 80,0001.
The opposition to the Brighton line was unimportant ;
the Duke of Richmond was the owner of only one field ;
and the opposition of the Commissioners of the Felpham
Level was met by a clause which he (Mr. Austin) was pre-
pared to introduce into the Bill, binding themselves to clear
all embankments and dikes on the level.
Mr. MICREWXTIIEII proceeded to prove these things by
witnesses.

Mr. Rastrick, the:engineer,being called, gave evidence that
the sections of the Bognor and Chichester line showed erro-
neous levels, in consequence of which that line would be 16
feet below the other rails, where it was proposed to join them
at Chichester, and that they had been tested by survey, and
found incorrect. _

Mr. JOHNSTONE begged, on the part of the Bognor and
Chichester line, to have the examination postponed till
Wednesday, that he and his friends might have the oppor-
tunity of considering the point of error which had been un-
expectedly raised, and especially that the engineer might
survey the ground.
The Committee having decided on going on with the case
to-morrow, adjourned.

GROUP XVI.
HAMPTON BICELNCIE.

The Committee on Group No. 16 met at twelve o'clock to-
day. The objects of its inquiries are the several railways
projected to complete the communication between the
metropolis and the southern coast between Beachy Head
awl Portland. It is but a duty to the public and
the other gentlemen who act as the official clerks
of the House of Commons to observe, that the first instance
of incivility, and a want of that obliging disposition which
forms one of the greatest amenities of life, and which is cer-
tainly one of the greatest expeditors of basines., was expe-
rienced by us to-day in the deportment of the person who
officiates as the clerk of this Committee. The public have a
right to know the whole of the proceedings in the several Com-
mittees, and the duty of a reporter is sufficiently arduous and
the responsibility sufficiently important, without being sub-
jected to the impediments of a jack in office, who appears to
have a greater experience of puerile self-sufficiency than of
a sense of gentlemanly urbanity and of public duty. Hap-
pily the House of Commons is sensible of the importance
of the opinions of the public, and the Members themselves
invariably exhibit that courtesy of which their subordi-
nate has, iu this instance, shown a most sadly deficient
knowledge, the exhibition of which to-day was for a time an
impediment to the obtaining of that information to which by
prescription at least the public have acquired a title: %.
After some discussion on the arrangement,of the business be-
-
fore the Committee,

Mr. ALEXANDEK said, that he wisked to inquiie what
course the Committee intended to pursue:lewas decided that
the Hampton Court branch should be taken to-day, and that
the Epsom branch should be taken on Wednesday.
The Committee, which comprises Sir Charles Douglas,
chairman, Mr. Lockhart, Lord Pollington, the Hon.
0. Duncombe, and Mr. Blewitt, having thus arranged, the
Chairman called upon
Mr. HILL, who appeared on the part of the South-Western
Company, said that the object of this Company was rather
with a view to the accommodation of the public than with a
view to profit. It was intended to deviate from the present
established line at about a mile below Ditton Marsh, and
to terminate near to the bridge at Hampton. The cost
would be about 40,0001., half of which was for land.
It having been intimated that opposition was to be pro-
duced on behalf of the Western Green Chapel Trustees,
Lord Hotham, and another gentleman,
Mr. HILL called Mr. John Wilson Croker, who stated that
he lived at Moulsey, within about a mile and a
half of the proposed line, and was satisfied that it
would be of great convenience both to the public in the
metropolis, and at Hampton and its neighbourhood. As an
illustration of the utility which this line was likely to be, he
might say that the first passenger line which had been esta-
blished between Paris and Versailles, which places bore re-
speetively much the same positions as existed between
Hampton and London, and in France, they had not been
content with one line, but had established two; one on
each bank of the Seine. Between Hampton-court and
London there were no less than twenty-two omnibuses and
coaches constantly passing, while on the main line of the
railway there was not a single conveyance of that kind.
Every landowner but one was in favour of the line. Mr.
Sharpe, the principal landowner, though not summoned to
give evidence, had requested him to state his perfect con-
currence in the plan of the Company.
To the inquiry of Mr. H. J. HODGSON, who appeared for
Lord Hotham, Mr. CHOKER said that his Lordship had not
signed the petition for this extension.
Mr. Edward Jesse, conservator of the royal parks at Hamp-
ton, and author of the celebrated works on natural history,
stated that he had known the neighbourhood for many years
and believed this line would be highly advantageous
to the public, in consequence of the great influx of visitors to
the palace at Hampton-court, of whom as manyas 8,000 had
been there -in one day. In the winter the visitors chiefly
consisted of the lower classes, who generally came there on
Mondays and Tuesdays. During that season the visitors
were certainly few, but there was a large influx from early in
April to the end of October, to whom this railway would be
a great convenience.
Mr. Giffard, of the Admiralty, gave similar evidence, and
then further stated that for himself and other gentlemen,
whose duties required their constant presence in London,
it would be a great convenience, inasmuch as it would very
greatly reduce the time of the journey. At present
it took him twenty minutes to get to the train,
and three-quarters of an hour to get from the train
to his own residence at Hampton, a distance of only four
miles. The amount of traffic might be gathered from the
fact, that on his journey to town threy omnibuses drove up at
once to the station. He felt assured that by the construe
tion of this line the value of property at Hampton would be
greatly increased.
After a little discussion respecting the right of Mr. Evans
to be heard in behalf of the trustees of the Weston-green
Chapel, he was allowed to proceed, after stating that the two
grounds on which the trustees opposed the line were, firstly,
that the line would take their ground and chapel ; and se-
condly, that the congregation would be disturbed by the
passage of the trains, which would be only 80 yards distant.
The first ground was done away with, by the declaration
of the Company that they would use their powers of devia-
tion' and leave the chapel the distance stated from the line.
As to the second ground of objection, Mr. Giffard stated
that there had been a church built lately with the appro-
bation of the ecclesiastical authorities, within sixty yards of
the line, and that the congregation in that church were not
disturbed by the passage of the trains. He thought there was
a doubt of this, because a relative of his had a house upon
the brow of the cutting through which the railway passed,
and where no disturbance was experienced.
On Mr. TALBOT inquiring as to the course the Committee
would pursue with respect to the traffic tables which he had
to put in, and which were very extensive,
Mr. EVANS again pressed his objection, which Mr. Talbot
ugfor the value of the
consecrated. It was at
le proposedaalast
pdetermined
whichwas meet
by b
both
o
smallt o
a an
sdj
announced by Mr. Evans,
that they would not withdraw their opposition.
Mr. Locke, the engineer of the Company, was then called
by Mr. AUSTIN, who stated that the line commenced near the
12th mile on the main line, near the Ditton station, the
length of the branch being nothing less than two miles,
throughout which there would be no engineering difficulty
whatever—the cost weuld be 40,0001. the smallest' carve
would be one of twenty chains throughout three furlongs.
The line affected no ornamental or residential property what-
ever, and there is a good deal in the neighbourhood.
There was no petition from landowners upon
this point. The line was intended to be a
double one, the working expenses amounting to 2,181/. ;
according to the traffic table, would amount to
public road would be crossed on a level.
more than 5,000 L, leaving a profit of about 3,0001.
somethingtah
ye
erae rt.o r nos ,n e
To Mr. HODGSON, Mr. Locke replied that there was in-
tended to be a station near part of Lord Ho-
tham's property, the line being conducted partly on
an
ppree embankment,nded
from and t partlyhe
flooding
iof tleht difficultymiNllostream, h ewaslonging to Lord Hotham, as, whether the station were
erected solid from the ground, or on piles, it would in no
way affect the stream, which could go off in no other way
a
than by the direction which it was now intended should be
given to it by the line. If any objection were raised to a
fixed bridge, he was was quite prepared to give a swing
bridge instead.
To Mr. EVANs, Mr. Locke replied that the gradients on
the line, were one of 1 in 1,560, one of 1 in 396, and one'of 1
in 126 ; the rest of the line would be level, and none of
those gradients in anyway interfered with the chapel property.
The nearest point from the centre of the line, from the front of
the chapel, was about 80 yards, and there would be about 57
pals from the foot of the embankment to the chapel;