The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-01 00:00:00

NORTH BRITISH (HAWICH BRANCH).

The Hon. Mr. TALBOT, Q.C., said he would very briefly lay before
the Commitee the merits of this line, which would pass through a
very extensive district, and involved very important considerations
to the public, and also to the welfare of the company. This scheme
was projected by the promoters of the North British Company, whose
other Rill had passed yesterday, and the branches included in which
Bill would undoubtedly be feeders to their original line. The Com-
mittee, he dared say, had heard in course of the discussion which had
taken place in that room last year, that the North British Company
had been successful in their attempt to obtain a line of rillway be-
tween Edinburgh and Hawick, and the object of the present Bill was
to give accommodation to the lateral interests, and principally to the
town of Galashiels, which was of growing importance. The Com-
mittee would have to decide as to the mode in which this company
proposed to bring the traffic of that country upon the main line, so
as to be satisfactory to the public and remunerative to the com-
pany, and also as to whether there were any sufficient
countervailing objections to the project. He would now proceed to
call their attention to the proposed branches. They had a branch to
Inner Leithen and Peebles, and from those they had a branch to Ga-
lashiels. They had then a branch to Selkirk, which lay eastward of
their line, and also to a place called St. Boswells. They had also
branches in the south to Melrose, and in the east to Kelso, as well
as to Roxburgh and Jedburgh. They would have a considerable
district lying on that portion of their line, and he thought he might
say with perfect truth with respect to the project of last year—the
Edinburgh and Hawick line—that it would be niost materially im-
proved by the construction of the projected branches. The entire
district was one of very considerable agricultural importance, and
there were also manufacturing interests of very considerable magni-
tude in that part of Scotland which it was most desirable to accom-
modate with railway communication. Everybody knew that Ga-
leahiels was a place of great commercial importance, and
that town, as well as those of ;.1 elkirk, llawick, and Inner
Leithen, experienced considerable disadvantages in consequence of
there being no facilities of communication with each other. They
were manufacturing districts, and it was most desirable that they
should have facilities for communicating with each other. The whole
district was blessed by nature with very considerable water power,
which had induced the manufacture of cloth, &c., to a very great extent.
He would now direct the attention of the Committee to the merits of
another branch. The Committee had seriously blamed the promoters,
but he hoped undeservedly, for not marking upon their plan the rail-
way which had been authorised by Parliament last year, between
Berwick and Kelso. It certainly was not done for the purpose of de-
ceiving the Connnittee, and it was now plainly laid down on thelnap.
They proposed to extend that branch to Peebles, and it had been
proposed by other parties from the westward to bring traffic east
and west of the lino of the Great Caledonian Company, so
that from Berwick to the westward of Ayr, they would hive
a sort of cruciform railway—the line of this Company
being the horizontal portion of the cross, that of the Caledonian
forming the other limb, and the llawick project forming the lower
limb. The fact that as soon as the project of this Company to afford ac,
commodation to that district was set on foot, there was suddenly a host
of competitors, showed the importer-lee and desirableness of the
project. The Caledonian, finding that the current of the feeling of
the landed proprietors in that district was in favour of this Company,
withdrew from the field. They had entered a retraxit with respect
to the line between l'oebles and Simonton. The opposition had now
been withdrawn, and he was happy to state to the Committee that
they would not now have to decide between rival projects. They
would perceive that this project would give direct access to
Glasgow, and it was of course of the utmost importance that the
agricultural and manufacturing districts which he had alluded to
should have railway accommodation with the metropolis. They
proposed constructing branches to Selkirk, Melrose, Kelso,
Roxburgh, and Jedburgh, all of which would of course
desire the best and most direct communication with
Glasgow. That was the general outline of the case, and he would
now proceed to point to the Committee, in detail, but very shortly,
the merits of the individual branches. And first, with regard to the
branch to Peebles, which left the main line south of Galashiels, which
they had already perceived was of considerable commercial importance.
It was of importance particularly in reference to its intercommunica-
tion with Selkirk, and also with llawick, lu which district there was
now carried on a manufacture of considerable and growing im-
portance- the manufacture of Tweed trousering—which he believed
was patronised by a late noble and learned occupant of the Woolsack
in the house of Lords. He believed that that noble personage ad-
mired that article very much.—(Laughter.) But, whether that was so
or not, it had become of considerable importance, and it was very
desirable that Galashiels should have the best communication with
the principal towns in Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom,
in all of which Tweed trousering was very much used. They then
pursued the valley of the Tweed, in the direction of Inner Leithen,
where there was water-power of between 8,000 and 10,010 horse-

power now used in manufactures, and it was desirable to give that
district railway accommodation for the full development of its na-

tural resources. Steam power would of course he used extensively,
in a short time in that district, and it was necessary that a branch
should be made to ilalashels and the' Lothian, to supply it with
coals for that purpose. There were no engineering difficulties in that
district and the inhabitants were extremely anxious for the con-
struction of a line, and he would undertake to bring forward me.t

respectable evidence to bear out his statements. He was sorry to
say that this bran' was opposed by a certain landowner, a gentle-
man for whom he entertained the greatest respect, and who he
regretted to find opposing the branch. The none of that gentleman
was Mr. Ballantyne, the proprietor of a place called llolylec, near
Inner Leithen. The place was, no doubt, a very agreeable one, being
situated on the north side of the Tweed; hie house stood upon a
considerable eminence, and the ground fell for a considerable distance
underneath—the tunipike-road being lower than the level of his house.
The Company proposed to pass over his property in such a manner
no doubt as to affect as little as possible tho rather pic-
turesque view which he at present possessed, but they
had no alternative. If they passed along the other side
of the Tweed, they would rouse the indignation and the
opposition of Lord Ellbank ; but Hon. Members knew very well that
opposition was raised against companies of this sort on all sides ;
and if they were compelled to pass over Lord Elibank's ground, they
would cause far greater injury to his Lordship's ground than they
possibly could do to Mr. Ballantyne's. They, therefore, bad to
choose between two alternatives. He trusted when the Committee
came to the consideration of the evidence which would be laid before
them (which would, of course, be more satisfactory than any state-
ments that he could make), they would rind that the Company had
done what was best under the circumstances. He hoped that they
would not decide on rejecting the Company's scheme of affording
railway communication to Peebles, because the views of Mr. Bal-
lantyne might be injured.

GROUP XII.

GLASGOW AND I.VEST OF SCOTLAND
DISTILICT.

The Committee re-assembled this morning in the Court of common
Pleas; Mr. V. Smith, chairman.
.A.TIZSHIRE, BMIDGEI OF WEan, ,AND pORT
GLASGOW JUNCTION•

Examination of witnesses continued—
Mr. Turner, solicitor to the Glasgow and Greenock Company, said
that their liabilities were found to be so extraordinarily large that
they were obliged to give up the idea of constructing the branches to
the Greenock and Port Glasgow harbours. They were obliged to
come to Parliament in 1841 for power to raise a sum of 100,0001.,
and, again, in 1843, for a further sum of 150,0001. to pay off their
liabilities. They now proposed to raise a sum of 60,0001. for the
purpose of malting a branch line to Iturston and the bridge of
IVeir.
The witness en being cross-examined by Sir T. Pitman, put in a
number of letters which had passed between the Company and the
chief magistrate and town clerk of Port taasgow, showing the anxiety
of the inhabitants that the branch to the harbour should be -con-
structed, and the apparent willingness of the Company to accede to
their wishes.