The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-08 00:00:00

YORK AND CARLISLE.

The Committee then took the line named above, and Mr.
ATKINSON called

Mr. Gaskill,— the managing partner of the Kendal and
Preston Coal Company, who stated that the price of coals
had of late years been raised in Kendall from the difficulty of
obtaining them. The proposed line is a branch of the line
put before the Committee, and the belief of the witness was
that this line would be very useful in attaining so desirable
an object.
Mr. Muscamp,' a coalowner, of the county of Durham,
stated that he had examined the line geologically and had
found immense deposits of ironstone, lime, and coals, all being
of excellent quality. The proposed line would open the
several portions of this district in an excellent manner, and
lie could speak positively as to the general concurrence of the
merchants and manufacturers of South Durham and the
neighbouring district in the proposed line.
Mr. Macnamarra, a banker and carpet manufacturer, in
Barnard's Castle, confirmed the previous evidence.
Mr. Robinson, of Brough, under Staines Moor, stated that
for ten years he had been employed in the management of
the Staines Mining Company, whose property consists chiefly
of lead mines, and that the line would be extremely
useful to the community of the district.
The Noble CHAIRMAN having intimated that the Commit-
tee conceived that the promoters had made out a fair case,
and that no other witnesses need be called,
The Counsel stated that the population at both of the
termini is 629,524, and that the gross revenue expected is
159,591/., yielding a profit of 7 per cent.
Mr. Harris, the assistant-engineer, stated that the gradients
for the country vb ere easier than those of many other lines in
the neighbourhood. The whole cost was estimated at

1,301,3631 The earthworks were estimated at 601. a yard,
while some had been taken on other lines at 421. a yard.
The Committee professed themselves satisfied with the
evidence, and the Chairman declared the Bill to be proved,
and the report, with a few verbal amendments in the clauses,
was ordered to be brought up.
Both these lines are, of course, carried.

BLACKBURN, CLITHEROE, AND NORTH

WESTERN JUNCTION.

Mr. Wosnswoßrx opened the case on behalf of the pro-
moters, by stating that this was an extension of the Black-
burn and Darwen Railway. It was, to a certain extent, a
competitor of the Fleetwood and Clitheree Company, and of
the East Lancashire Company. The scheme of the last
Company was rejected in the House of Commons; the scheme
of the second of these Companies had been cur-
tailed to the course between Preston and Fleet-
wood; while this line had come out of the ordeal in
its entirety, so that the company came before their Lordships
under favourable circumstances, especially as the company
were now on friendly terms with their late opponents.
The line from Blackburn to Long Preston, where it forms
a junction with the North Western line, would be a distance
of 23* miles. There was to be a branch to Thornton of 8i
miles in length, with another short branch of a-mile to some
large lime works. The number of assenting landowners on the
line are 122, owning land to the extent of 17i miles ; 69 owners
having a length of three miles and a quarter, are neuter,
while there are only thirty-seven owners, holding two miles
and a half, who dissent. By means of this line there would
be a double communication with the several parts of the
district within the range of this railway round Blackburn,
and not only accommodate that place with a pod supply
of coals but would greatly facilitate the development of the
manufactures of Clitheroe. The only opposition offered to
this railway was made by the East Lancashire Company
through the petitions of landowners. This attempt
had been made in the House of Commons, and
especially with respect to the station p-oposed to be erected
in the town of Blackburn. But in that case Lord Palmerston,
and the committee over which he had presided, had decided
that the question of the public safety and convenience should
be left to the Board of Trade. After alluding to the petitions
which had been presented, some of which he stated had
been obtained under erroneous impressions on the part of the
signers, the Learned Counsel stated there was in reality
no real substantial landowners' case to be made out.
Mr. H. Smith, agent of the North Lancashire Steam Na-
vigation Company was called, and stated that the company
had been extensively engaged in commercial communica-
tion with Belfast and the north of Ireland, as well as with
the west coast of Scotland. He considered that by the for-
mation of this line of railway such a market would be
opened as would very largely increase the importation of
Irish produce. The flax trade, which is the most growing
trade in Ireland, would especially be improved, there being
an immense quantity now brought from abroad,
which would hereafter come from Ireland. Fleet-
wood, where the railway traffic had very greatly increased,
possessed great advantages over Liverpool in the cheapness
of its port dues, and in the fact that the railway trucks
could go on the quays and pour their contents, into the
holds of the ships.
Mr. Sergeant WRANGIIAM was about to cross-examine on
the point of distances, when he was interrupted by
Mr. WORDSWORTH, who stated that the Learned Ser-
geant had only to do with the station at Blackburn, and
that he was not competent to enter into the general merits of
the line.
The Earl of DEVON wished, as in the last instance, to know
the precise status of the Learned Sergeant—how his client

was damaged.
Mr. Sergeant WRANGITABI cited 'the instance of the Nor-
wich Company, which was successful in the Commons, but
had been thrown out in the Lords by the petition of their
unsuccessful competitors, and he therefore felt assured that
the petition of the East Lancashire Company ought now to
be entertained, for without following that course the case
could not come before the Committee, and thus they might
pass a bad line and shut out a better one from any fuue
application to Parliament.
The Earl of DEvox did not wish to decide an abstract
question.
Mr. Sergeant WRANGIIAM contended that this was a most
important point of practice, and he trusted it would be de-
cided now. He would also cite the case of the line to New-
bury, promoted last year, respectively by the South Western
and the Great Western Companies. Last session the first of
the companies got their Bill in the Common, but lost it in
the Lords. This session the Great Western branch passed,
with hardly any oppoeition, through both Houses.
Mr. WOMSWORTII denied that there was any such con-
straint as that alleged on the other side.
A long discussion then ensued upon the point, which was
reserved, and the Committee adjourned.