The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-27 00:00:00

MIDLAND RAILWAYS (LEICESTER AND

SWANNINGTON .A.LTEZLATION).

The Committee resumed this day (Friday) at eleven o'clock. The
Earl of Fortescue in the chair.

Mr. Hutton and Mr. Cubitt gave evidence in support of the alter-
native line, having been called by Mr. WADDINGTON, who appeared
on behalf of Messrs. Harris, Stretton, and Smith, as opponents to
the Bill.

Mr. MACAULAY having addressed their Lordship and offered to
introduce a clause for compensating Messrs. Smith and Harris, by
avoiding their premises, which they could do within the limits of
deviation,

The Committee ordered the room to be cleared of strangers.
On our re-admission,
The Noble CHAIRMAN announced that the Committee considered
the preamble proved, but required that the clauses respecting the
avoiding of Messrs. Harris and Smith's property should be put ill.
The Committee then adjourned for half an hour, to enable the re-
presentatives of those gentlemen and the promoters of the Bill to
make their arrangements on this point, which having been, in the
main, satisfactorily brought to an issue, the Committee broke up at
three o'clock.

Room D.
SHEFFIELD AND LINCOLNSHIRE.

The Committee resumed this day (Friday) at eleven o'clock, Lord
Somers chairman.

Mr. Gooch, civil engineer, gave evidence in favour of the line, and
stated that 150,060/. would be sufficient to effect a junction with the
London and York Railway. On his cross-examination he said that a
larger sum would be requisite to effect a junction with Lincoln itself,
by means of the Sheffield and Lincoln Extension.
Mr. Rendall, C.E., offered evidence respecting certain docks, which
was not important, when
Mr. Gooch was recalled to supply evidence which was expected
to have been derived from Mr. Stephenson, in approval of the pro-
posed junctions with other lines. On cross-examination he stated that
these junctions were objectionable certainly as a principle, but at the
same time, such as must necessarily be encountered in a great sys-
tem of railways. An oblique crossing was not more objectionable
than a direct one. The tables of traffic having been put in, the case
of the promoters here closed. _ . .

Counsel then appeared for certain landowners, and contended that
Retford must be removed fl em the list, and the promoters would have
to prove that Worksop was of sufficient importance to merit a line
of railway to ,theftield. Not a sin :le landowner from Retford to Shef-
field had been called to prove the necessity of such a line, whereas,
on the contrary, they were almost all of them opposed, and that
as much might sometimes be learned of what was not brought
in evidence as by what was adduced. The Learned Gentleman
then read part of a report of the Board of Trade, published in 1844,
before the London and York Railway was commenced, even giving
the preference to the Swinton line. He al 4o thought the Committee
would attach great weight to the evidence of Mr. Fowler, C.E.,
who had admitted that the extra expense of 30,0001. or
40,0001. for forming a tunnel would have stopped the line altogether.
The Learned Gentleman contended further, that it was not a sufficient
ground for the formation of a railway simply because this or that
town might possibly benefit by the abstraction of some branch of
manufacture from another place, for that would give every town and
village in the kingdom an excuse for applying for railway communi-
cation, but that the general advantage of the community alone ought
to be the guiding principle in the grantin; of new lines.
Mr. OVERDALE followed, also on behalf of the landowners, and, in
a lengthened address, dwelt upon the positive disadvantage to the
people of Lincolnshire, who were mostly farmers, being compelled to
go to Sheffield instead of to Rotherrun, especially as the Midland was
already contiguous to the principal mineral district.
The Committee adjourned, till eleven o'clock on Monday, at a
quarter past four.