The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-25 00:00:00

TAW VALE EXTENSION.

-
Mr. Sergeant Slcavitv opened the case for the promoters of this
line. The object of the Bill was to make a railway from Crediton to
Rarnetaple, an important western sea-port, with 15 acres of docks,
and thus form a direct communication by means of the
Exeter and Crediton, the Bristol and Exeter and the Great
Western Railway with London on the one side, and with
south and central Devon en the other, through the medium of the
8012til Devon line and its extensions. The length of the line was
thirty miles and seven ihrlongs, and its cost was estimated
at 137,0001., or 16,0001. per mile. It would accommodate
a population of upwards of 61,474, and prove a source
elf considerable advantage to a large and increasing agricultural and
goods traffic. All the schemes competing with it had been lost on
standing orders, and the line came before the Committee in the
thvourable position of being only opposed by a few landholders. and
with only one case of residential injury. The engineer-
ing features of the line were equally favourable, for he
believed. while it Wars almost perfectly straight, the severest gradient
on the line was tin 137, and some short time agd- a precisely similar
line wrs selected by Mr. Brunel, for accommodating the same dis-
trict. The line had another advantage to which be must direct the at-
tention of the Committee. The Committee were no doubt aware that
there was an exceedingly extensive traffic carried on between Cork and
Waterford and Bristol, bat owing to the existence of shifting sands
in the Bristol Channel, upwards of twelve hours was lost in waiting
for the flood of the tide before vessels coming from Ireland could get
11P to that port. Now this line would do away with that loss of time,
and the consequence was, the line was strongly supported in the
sister kingdom.
The remainder of the day was occupied with general truffle evi-
dence, in favour of the line.
Thid Conunittec adjourned shortly after four o'clock.

p c GROUP XIII.
Ulay to Th
onrutte•.. mot at tho usual hour this morning, 51r William
euair,

13.1isa.zar..
The 'Cominvtt "IllaN X.1."P1°31.
~.,4 traffic evideuee of atognetii.
166 Vatre 0",1 the ,11..).s of the nierning in hear.
:''rizie4l.ainnature in favour of this project.
3lr. sfacneigh, the
direction of Messrs. Loe:,,,nlauti The Isla Sown the line under the
at the line, with branches fi,,,,A larron, proved Igaitntth:hleernegthit
its engineering
'::Zele.lithw.e,n
estimated at
joined the Calecloniartrarel,wastmy
features were farou 7ae
then I ti3:ll.
1161,5161.
'Mr. Everington corroborated the
testimony or the L„,,
Thera were no tunnel, On the line, and but one ,-taXtness,
severest gradient was 1 hi 99, and the sharpest radius or a ur.,,,..,rhe
three ftirlongs. The works generally were of a light ana easy ,:-.._
ratter, and certainly could be constructed rapidly, and wind], the
estimate.
This closed the case for the promoters of the Bill.
Mr. Atsrtbi then addressed the Committee at some length on be-
half of tits opposing landholders, whose property was sitttated between
Mnirkirk and Ayr. The Learned counsel said the length of the
line between these two places was 25 miles, and the gentlemen whom
he represented, and who opposed the line on public grounds, were
the owners of 13 of those 25 miles.
Ilia Committee then adjourned.

ROUGP XVII.
IdAU CHT.SITECIR. Aof X) SOUTHES. DIP T 0 T.
The Committee fist to-day at one o'clock, the /Jou. 1;. Yorke in
the chair.
The evidence in support of the oppoettion of the Great Western Hail-
Way was continued.
The first witness called was Mr. Biddle, a mealman, carryiig on
onliness at Stroud. who stated that the line would run tb_rough
seven of his fields, and would seriously injure them. The trafec be-
tween Cheltenham and Swindon would not warrant the constriction
%the /...^..a.
Mr. Skinner, a sheep-dealer, wall acquainted with Weyhit. and
Appleshaw fairs, stated that few sheep went from these fairs to the
ziorth, and that they were not injured by being driven. In his (cross-
examination, however, he atimitted tnat the practice of conveying
sheep by railtvay was becoming more general. Some dealers from
the north purchased sheep in these markets. Sheep might be driven
to Birmingham for 11. per hundred. The conveyance of sheep by
the proposed line would depend mainly upon the price which the
Company would charge for their transmiesion. lie would rather send
a hundreetsheep by railway than drive them.
Mr. Gregory, platform pent:en:art at the Reading station of the
Great Western Itailway, said that the average number of persons
going in the direction of Basingstoke from Stroud, Cirencester, and
stonehouse was only 16 weekly, but this did not Include passengers
from Swindon or Cheltenham.
Mr. C. Hill, superintendent of the Swladon Station, said that the
Lenexa of ticket i lased at this station between January 1 and June
last, for passengers between Swindon ant Cheltenham, was 1,359. A
witch rats between Swindon and Southampton three times a week.
The elistereee by road from Cirencester to Cheltenham was 15 miles,
Red the journey by railway on an average took more than two boar:,
en account of the delay occasioned by the change of gauge. A train
lett Cirencester at a quarter past five, and arrived at Cheltenham
twenty minutes before eight.
Re-examined by Mr. Kiev:NG-31°st certainly great delays are
occasioned by the conduct of the hostile company, the Bristol and
Birmingham, in compelling the Great Western trains to wait until
N v., k their train tart, When the Great Western is completed to Chelten-
., 1 darn, thee iiei ee from Swindon to that town would be effected in
rc._ec,.. ataineur • • ten or twenty minutes by the mail-train.
The Committe. then adjourned until twelve o'clock to-morrow.
,k.,..._ In the co, ' • : the proceedings...he Chairman and Committee
(‘,
complained of
-\e
.0 : p suspended on the wall opposite them, which
*.i.
they stated. did,. 4 fairly represent the lines in the district, and con-
neirel that It. 77,4 urethra. calculated to mislead them. The maps
0,,,,, 'c'd.ti.-thei eolOieed, and on which they pieced reliance, were the
raaP• it aPPeareQQ.p.. d. woes one eeT.ecuted undeT Qt.t44."1:1% '''& tt-Westeree .-..,
tki a