The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-21 00:00:00

EATON AND ZRELNCRES).

Mr. llildyard appeared in support of the Bill, and Mr. Sergeant
Allen on the part of the Coventry Canal Company, petitioners against
the Bill.

Mr.IIILDTARD said that he would endeavour to bo as brief
as possible. •I'he present railway might be considered as a
line to be constructed from the Moira Collieries to Nun-
eaton. They proposed by this railway to afford the same
communication to the south that had already been afforded
ti-,1 the east and west in the locale of the line by the preceding Bill.

THE SUN,

It would join the London and Birmingham Railway, and open a
communication thence to the mineral wealth of the district
through which they would pass. The present mode of
transit by canal was thirty-nine miles, but by their railway,
it would be only 28 miles. The distance in this case was not cer-
tainly diminished to the extent that it was in other instances ; but a
saving of 11 miles in the communication with a mineral district
was still a matter of no Insignificant character. By the present mode
of communication by canal, Leamington was 80 miles from the
Moira Collieries ; but the proposed railway would diminish the
distance to 32 miles, thereby effecting a saving of no less than 48
miles. lie would take another town, namely, Banbury, which was
the centre of a most important rural district, and required a much
more bountiful supply of coals, and at a cheaper rate than it at present
possessed. A saving of 55 miles from the Moira Collieries to this
town would be effected by the proposed line. The distance to
Aylesbury from the same point would be reduced to 42 miles. To
Leighton Buzzard there would be a saving from these collieries of
40 miles, the distance by canal being 113 miles, while by railway it
would be only 71 miles. There were a great many other
places which would receive similar advantages from this
railway, but he would not occupy the time of the Com-
mittee by even enumerating them—such being the benefits
that would result from the construction of this railway and the pro-
posed amalgamation with the Ashby-de-la-Zouch canal, as far as the
mineral wealth contained in that district was concerned. There
were certainly objections offered to this scheme. In the first place,
it was alleged that the pro;osed amalgamation of the Ashby-de-la-
Z.Acli canal would operate injuriously on certain interests.
But as he had already shown tint the direction of that
canal was through a highly important district, he trusted that the
principle laid down as related to those amalgamations would in-
fluence the Committee, and that they would consider the objections
urged upon this ground valueless. There were also objections on
the part of the landowners, and certainly Lord Howe had a perfect
right to petition against this line, but the Committee would
perceive that the advantages which this lino held forth were such as
to overpower objections purely private. In conclusion, he had to state
that he would not trouble the Committee with any detailed evidence
ai to the mineral traffic on this line.

Mr. J. Manors, agent to the Marqu's of Hastings, was examined by
Mr. MACAULET, to show that the distance at present from several
places on the line, owing to the moAc of transit by canal from the
Moria Collieries, diminished the demand for coals from that district.
The Committee adjourned at four o'clock till to-morrow, when the
hearing of the evidence on the part of the Bill will be resumed.

GROUP LV.

MANCHESTER, SHEPPXELD, AND MID

LAND JUNCTION.

The Committee (Mr. Shaw in the chair) resumed this morning at
twelve o'clock, when
Mr. Fowler, engineer of the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction
line, was called by Mr. WHATELEY, Q.C.—He stated that, according
to his estimate, the line proposed by Mr. Vignoles was exceedingly
bad, the gradients severe, and the cost of it would be 113,000/., and a
great difficulty would be experienced in the accumulation of water at
Dronfield during wet weather. This difficulty could only be obviated
by a sort of zigzag line over the brook thore.l
To the cross-examination of Mr. ADAMS, the witness stated that
he had been in practice eight years, and had constructed the Stockton
and Darlington Railway and the Clarence Railway. His opinion was
that the earthworks on the line of the present promoters would be
immense, and the gradients worse than on any other line with which
he was acquainted. He had taken the average of eight of the prin-
cipal lines in the kingdom, and found that the average of their returns
gave 621. per mile per week. The Great Western, which showed the
highest rate, returned 811. per mile ; and the Newcastle and Shields
line, which showed the lowest, made 251. per mile ; the Midland
Counties line returned 621. per mile—just the average—while It
would require 1251. per mile on the proposed Sheffield and Chester-
field line to obtain the seven per cent. dividend which the promoters
anticipated. The line would pass through or over no less than 3!
streets in the town of Sheffield, and the station in the town itself
would be 18 feet above the level of the street. The ground to be oc-
cupied is all building ground. The Sheffield and Bakewell line had
also bad tunnels and very severe gradients, gradients much more se-
vere than these of the East Lincolnshire line.

Mr. Locke, the engineer, was called to show that tL•e means of
communication between the Sheffield and Manchester line and this
line would be highly inconvenient.

Mr. Harrison,foithirty years a valuer at Sheffield, stated that he
had valued the property in the town of Sheffield, and estimated it at
more than 850,0001. He further said that it would destroy more
than 470 houses, including public-houses and taverns, 77 workshops,
and 27 manufactories. The line, however, passed through the worst
part of the town.:

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Mr. Fowler, ten., had valued all the rest of the line, and estimated
to the junction beyond Chesterfield at something more than 59,0001.,
and on to Bakewell at a total of 85,0001.
Mr. WI ATELEY then addressed the Committee on the general
merits of the case referring to the defeat of the Bill last year, and
deprecating the supposition that the Duke of Norfolk's opposition was
induced by any merely personal motives.
Ou the conclusion of Mr. WHATELET'S address, the Committee
took the next opposing line.
The CHAIRMAN explained that the statements had not been given
in, as they ought to have been, two days before the Committee sat.
MANCHESTER. AND HYDE.

Mr. WORDSWORTH opened the case of the promoters by stating that
this was a line between the two places of six miles in length. In
1821 the population through which the line passed was 13,000, in
1841 it was over 27,000, comprising large manufacturers of cotton
and hats. The contemplated expense was 150,0001. one half of which
was provided by the residents locally interested in the line, and the
other half by the Manchester and Birmingham Company, confessedly
the persons who were the best judges of the necessities for the line.
The opposition offered this line was but small, and chiefly offered
by the proprietor of Bellevue Gardens, a place of resort for pleasure
by the inhabitants of Manchester. Some, however, of the residents
in that neighbourhood were anxious for the destruction of these
gardens, though that was not the oject of the promoters, who were
quite desirous of giving every recompense to the present holder.
The whole of this district was occupied by extensive manufacturers of
cotton and hats. There is still further a large coal field at Denton,
the proprietor of which, the Earl of Wilton, was a petitioner le
favour of the Bill. This coal would be exceedingly useful, and was
indeed now much used in the factories in Manchester. The
Learned Counsel then stated the opposition of the several newly pro-
posed lines. _

Mr. liempson, land-steward to the Earl of Wilton, was called to
show the existence of coal, and the inclination which his Lordship
felt for this line. The manufacture of hate at Denton had much
declined of lee, from the great substitution of silk hats, but the
people are anxious to enter upon the manufacture of cotton, for
which the place was well adapted, and which was likely to succeed
if the facilities of railway communication were obtained.
The Committee then adjourned till to-morrow.