The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-23 00:00:00

OL.A.SCIOW's,

DROSSAN,
(Continued ftom our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)

- - .
The Counsel on either side having been enable to agree, and being
still unable to settle their differences, occupied their Lordships for
some time in a fruitless discussion, which ended in their leaving the
room to make an arrangement amongst themselves.
The disputed clauses being settled on the return of the counsel,
this Bill was passed finally. The Committee proceeded with the

GLASGOW, BARRI/1141D, AND NEZISTON.

Mr. ♦rsriw opened the case, and called several witnesses whose
examination occupied the Committee up to four o'clock, at which
hour they rose, and adjourned till to-morrow at eleven.

IlDnwarracut AND NONTIM.II2I.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Tha caSa for the promoters occupied the Committee up to four
t, when the Committee rose and adjourned till to-morrow,
with Vie understanding that Mr. Hope would not call any mere wit-
tiesks„

Room D.
swrzeToN AND LINCOLN.
This Committee resumed its sitting at eleven o'clock in Room D ;
all the Members present.
Densaster, We
Mr. DENISON addressed their Lordships at considerable lengthk
agalmt the proposed line, which is a branch of the
field, and Leeds, on behalf of Sir Joeepis Copley. whose mansion
would be Incommoded by the proximity to tretey,liwiner,.wchbiacrhlezialsotcexis:
titled to by Lord Francis Egerton, Lord Gwi
M.P., Mr. Denison, 31. P and several other
bt:esses, though it was
• , wall might built so as tr.. shut
admitted to Mr. Hildyard that a
cut the railway from the dwelling, and
addressed r theu n 'Committeels ; aft e r
on w h
jchbehalf of
Mr. Serjeant WRANGRA
the London and York RailwnY. urging their Lordships to defer their
decision till next session, when the merits of the South York sine
would have been brought before their Lordships, and a fairer estimate
of the merits of the competing lines wonl4 then be arrived at.
Mr. Ilmovano contended that a great injustice would be in-
flicted on the public if their Lordships suffered the South York
line, which had been rejected by a Committee of the other House,
to interrupt their decision with regard to the Swinton and Lincoln,
which was to connect four towns with large populations, namely,
Doncaster, Sheffield, Rotherham, and E sl arn sy, by IN miles only
of railway. Rotherham was the greatest cattle-market in the north
of England, and the coal for 4 or 5 miles round Barnsley was ten
feet thick, of excellent quality, and low in price. A preference would
not be given to the Derbyshire coal as had been alleged, and the
company tvere ready to do anything in reason to remove Sir Joseph
Copley's objections.
Mr. DExison stated that even were Sir Joseph Copley not con-
nected with the South York nothing would reconcile him to the pro-
posed line.

The Committee deferred their decision, and intimated that they
would to-morrow morning take the Sheffield and Lincolnshire line,
which also asserts Its right to be considered a competing line.
Their Lordships then adjourned at a quarter-past four o'clock.

110 USE OF COMMONS.

GROUP 11.

The Select Committee appointed to consider the merits of these
Bills eouiprised iu this group re-assembled at the ustu hour this
morning. Lord Morpeth in the chair.
WEST COENWALL. .

• •
Mr. COCKBURN made a short address to the Committee on behalf of
the opponents of this line, after which Mr. SMITH replied.
The room was then cleared, and the Committee baying remained
some time in deliberation, the parties were re-admitted, when
The CHAIRMAN announced that the preamble of the West Cornwrll
Railway was proved, and the Committee required certain alterations
to be made in the clauses with respect to several of the whatil near
the line.

GROUP XIII.
This committee met to-day -at one o'clock, Sir William Clay In
the chair.

CALEDONIAN EXTENSION.

The case on behalf of this line was resumed,

Sir WALTMI RIDDELL intimated that it wag the intention of the
promoters of the Bill to adhere to the course mentioned by Mr.
Cockburn—namely, the stopping of the line at Muirkirk. This was
done under the impression that a line which was stated by the other
We to be under construction from Ayr to Muirkirk would be bona
fide carried out. In each a case it would be manifestly absurd for
two lines of railway to be constructed parallel through such a dis-
trict of country as that from Muirkirk to Ayr, and hence
the promoters of the Caledonian Extension thought it
advisable to give up that portion, and retain all the rest. Should
the line from Ayr to Muirkirk not to be made, then the Caledonian
Extension would come before Parliament in another year for that
portion.

The examination of witnesses was then proceeded with.
Mr. Ferguson, mining engineer, and lessee of the Lesmahagow
Collieries, gave evidence as to the extent and character of the coal
fields along the route of the line. The Muirkirk field was six miles
long by one broad, and the aggregate thickness of the coal seams,
was forty feet. The Glenbuck coal-field was an extension of the
Muir/ark field, only It was richer in gas coal. This coal was 2s. a
ton at the pit bank, and 40,000 tons a year could be easily raised
if an outlet was given for the sale of them. The
present line would effect an opening to the east and west.
The Doeglas coal-field on the route of the line was also a valuable
one. The area of the coal-field was about 30 square miles, of an ag-
gregate thickness of about 60 feet. Three feet of it was gas coal,
which had scarcely been wrought at all. Iron-stone was also abun-
dant, both clay and block-baud. The block-band iron-stone alone
could supply 10 furnaces for 32 years, and the clay-band iron-stone
could supply them at least ten times longer. The Lesmahagow
eoal-field contained 40 square miles, and was, in the aggregate, 25
feet, of which 1 foot 9 inches was gas coal. The greater part of the
latter coal was sent by carts to Glasgow. The line would be of
great advantage to all these coal-fields. Black-band iron-stone was
also found in large quantities in the Lesmahagow field. lie had no
doubt that, if the line were funned, it would lead to the establishment
of iron works.

Williamson and Mr. Williams, mining engineers, corroborated
the evidence of the previous witnesses.
Mr. Adam Black, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, examined—lle was
Chairman of the Edinburgh and Leith Gas Company, and he was of
opinion the opening up of the Lesmahagow coal-fields would be of
great benefit to the company in supplying Cannel coal at a cheap
rate. The witnegs also deposes that Edinburgh, being the head seats
or law and education in Scotland, there was a considerable traffic in
passengers between that metropolis and Ayr.
Mr. Scott, factor to Lord Douglas, deposed that his Lordship
approied of the line on public grounds, and that the line would I,e of
the greatest pos-ibis advantage to the agriculture of the district.
The line passed for twenty miles through Lord Dougla3's property,
end would open up in the most direct manner the markets of Glasgow,
Edinburgh, and Ayr.

The Ctinimittee then adjourned till to-morrow at twel►e o'clock,

GROUP XVII.
MANCHESTER AND SOI

This Committee re-assembled this day at one o'clock, the Hon. E
Torte in the chair.

Mr. W. Nicholas, who had rented the Luggershall toll-gate on the
high road between Cheltenham and Southampton for many years,
stated that the amount of toll had decreased at the rate of 101.
a year; but it came out in the cross-examisation that, all parsons
going to the important fairs of Weyhill and AppleshaW, could easily
avoid the gate, and •no doubt'did so. None of the shell) coming or
going to these fairs passed through this gate.
Mr. John Banning. toll-collector at the Collinborne-gate in the
same district. deposed that his receipts had very much diminished ;
but he admitted, in his cross-examination. that this amount did not
represent the local traffic, because this gate could also be avoided.
Mr. Samuel Robbins, re-siding at Tewsey, where he carried on the
business of a timber-merchant, said there was a good conveyance tor
timber by the Kennett and Avon canal, and that, so far as that
neighbourhood was concerned, it would not use the railway for the
conveyance of timber.
By the CHAIRMAN—No railway was nearer than eighteen miles.
Cross-examined by Mr. .AXE. 9 —Supported the project for convert-
ing the Kennett and Avon Canal into a railway. He made a pro-
posal to the Manchester and Southampton Company to bring their
line nearer his wharf, not because he could get timber cheaper by it,
but because he should be able to sell his wharf for a larger slim.

Mr. John Harris, was proprietor of a coach which ran for twenty
years between Cirencester and Cheltenham, which he discontinued
because when the railways were opened it became unprofitable.
This, with the exception of the engineering evidence, closed the
case on behalf of the South-Western.l
Mr. Austin, to-morrow, will open the case on the part of the Great
Western.
The Committee then adjourned until to-morrow.