The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-18 00:00:00

NORTH PENT LINZ.

rMr. Sergeant WHAN6UhIf opened the ease for the promoters of this
line. The object of the Bill was to authorise the construction of a
line of railway from London through the district of North Kent to
tadb district,
Dover and Deal. Upon the necessity and importance of such line,
traversing as it did a large and active population, he might truly say
a locomotive population, there could not be a doubt
entertained. '1,:lf; e
thepopulation
naval
and military Ofth
e Northlitary Beat
uibiisinn
independently of the metropolis, was about 400,000, and it con.
tallied many
at Woolwich, Chatham, and Sheerness, while the line at
the same time passed through towns of such importance as
Maidstone and Canterbury, and ports of welt importance as Dover
and Deal. It required, therefore, no argument in support of such
line in the present advancing state of the railway system ; indeed,
its importance was fully admitted by a Committee of the House.
when the South-Eastern Bill was passed, but at that time there
were two insuperable obstacles to the making of such a line, namely,
the crossing of the Medway, at Rochester, and the difficulty, or, as it
was thought then, the impossibility of tunnelling under the Brough-
ton Hills, near to Faversham, lint it had since been fully ascertained
tkat these obstacles were not so great as they were originally sup.
posed to be, and it was now only for the Committee to decide which
of the two proposed lines was the best for serving the wants
of the district. The line he had the honour of sup-
porting commenced in the neighbourhood of Southwark-bridge,
in the Berough, and he might here mention that there was a project
before Parliament for extending the line across the bridge into the
very heart of the City, and the line would also be connected with a
short branch of the South-Western Company, which would carry it
to the Hungerford-bridge station, and to the centre of the western
part of the metropolis. From Southwark-bridge the line passed in
the direction of Peckham and Camberwell, and then, by a tunnel,
through Blackheath. A small loop was thrown out at this point,
which would pass through Woolwich and rejoin the main lino on
Plurupstead-eommon. The main line passed under Woolwich-com-
mon, thence over Plumpstead-common, and on through the populous
villages of Crayford, to the town of Dartford, and
thence to Gravesend. Passing from Gravesend it arrived
at the Medway, which it crossed in an unobjeetionable manner,
through Rochester, and along the banks of the river by means of a
viaduct, which would be an ornament rather than an injury to the
town. From Rochester it ran to Chatham, thence to Sittingbourts,
In the immediate neighbourhood of Milton, and then on to Faver-
sham, at which point they had laid down an alternative line, to
enable them either to avoid or to pass through that town. Front
Faversham the line made for Canterbury, and after passing the
Broughton Hills, they threw out a branch towards Ramsgate, for
facilitating the communication between the Isle of Thauet and the
metropolis. Now the present distance front London to Canterbury
by the existing line was 85 miles. The North Kent Line would re.
duce the distance to 57 miles, while the project of the South-Eastern
Company would only reduce it to sixty-two miles or thereabouts.
From Canterbury there was a fork line, one running to Dover and
the other to Deal; the latter was sixteen miles in length, and the
former fourteen. Tire existing distance between the metropolis and
three
t*
Dyer was eighty-eight miles, the North Kent line would reduce it
to seventy-three. The estimate of the line was about
and three quarters. The Learned Counsel concludee,di. , millions
.Lsteca
to
ong that
snow
he wished; before producing the unginteeie•,e
..totegn of traffic which iti
give
the importance of that district, and the

passed.
Mr. AUSTIN said be would admit that the traffic of the district
fully justified the making of a line through North Kent, and traffic
evidence of a general character need not therefore be gene into. The
0- •
ele traffic evidence of any importance, for the Committee to be '
HI
:sion of, was that which was of a comparative nature, and
posse `hove that the traffic of one route was less or greater than
'ended to ,_
11'. Sergeant M :.!ieene consented, after what had fallen from his
!hatat of the or:r'
eon the traffic evidence, but he should pro-
the population of the districts through
..
Learned Friend, to aba2
pose to put in a table, shoe-
,g
which the line passed. , eatable being put in.
Mr. ArsTre hail no objection to Slit..
Mr. Sergeant Meerne understood that the necessity for a line
running through North Kent was admitted by all parties.
Mr. AUSTlN—Certainly it is.
The Cnentsies said it might be taken for granted that the extent
of population and truffle in the North Kent district Was quite
enough tojustify the construction of a railway.
Mr. Sergeant I'd CIIPILY submitted then that the only question to
he decided by the Cemmittee was what Company should be en-
Itrusted with the making of the line.
Mr. Ausnis—Just so.
Mr. Sergeant Muarne—Then we propose to call witnesses to prowl
that the North Kent line is prefered by the mejority of the inhae
bitants of North Kent to the scheme of the South-Eastern Company,
Accordingly witnesses from r:11 parts of North Kent were exa-
mined to prove that the people were decidedly against the South-
Eastern, and in favour of the North Keut.
Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL objected to the time of th individualsComite being
taken up with examining witneases as to their opinion
of the merits of the one line over the other, to show that they
liJICW Iran couYeristiona they had bad with Wars that thus others

were not present were more favourable to the North Kent line
teats the South-Eastern project. If these witnesses, however, spoke
1 the opliVon of a body of people expressed at a public meeting it
he a very different thing.
l',"itnesses were accordingly' produced from the various towns on
th.: line, to prove that public meetings had been held at each place,
wiiere petitions in favour of the North Kent line were unanimously
s.!cpted. _ _ _

TlJ;ttvidence occupied the whole of the day.
The Committee adjourne'l till to-morrow at twelve o'clocic.

GROUP XV.

The Committee met, for better accommodation, in the Vice-
Chancellor of England's Court, this rournlin at twelve o'clock.
Pi-es:cut, Mr. O'Connell, chairman, Sir R. Price, Captain Hatton,
Mr. llindley, and Mr. Mackinnon.

OIITH-EASTEEN. TUNBRIDGE WELLS
0 HASTINGS AND EYE.

Mr. HILL, for Sir Godfrey Webster, proceeded to cross-examine
the engineer. The line passes close upon Battle Abbey, the property
of Sir Godfrey; but Mr. Barlow exhibited a drawing with a proposed
deviation, sixty-Svc yards more distant from Battle Abbey, by which
the embankment on the line wou'd be hid from the prospect of
the abbey:
The CHAIRMAN said, that the Committee were of opinion that the
Company agreeing to lay down their line according to that deviation,
r Godfrey ought to desist from opposition.
Mr. ALEXANDER called several witnesses on behalf of the Com-
pany, and proved the assents and dissents of proprietors on the line,
whirls were—of owners, assents 70, dissents 29, neuters 24, and 58
who had gi:•en no answer ; of lessees, assents 20, dissents 7, neuters
n, and 25 from whom uo answer had been received; of occupiers,
94 assents.

This closed the ease for the promoters.
Mr. TALBOT, comisel for Lord Liverpool and other landowners on
the Bath branch, addressed the Committee at length a,„ainst the line,
contending that it was expensive; and through an id-populated dis-
trict, where the traffic would not be compensating, and that that
district was already accommodated by the Brighton and Hastings
2tnilwsy ; so that the granting of the proposed line would be prejudi-
cial to both companies, and therefore to the landowners, through
whose property they are to run.
.7.1 r. HILL proposed to put in evidence of the insufficient amount •f
traffic, and the proposed line being the same with that throws out in
1841, in the contest with the Brighton Company.
The Committee decided that it could not be received.
Sir Godfrey Webster, at this point, intimated, through counsel,
that he withdrew his opposition.
The CHAIRMAN announced that the preamble of the Bill was
proved.
331LEGEITON .FIND curcursTEn (STETNING

BRANCH).
Mr. ALEXANDED, counsel for Colonel Wyndham, stated he was in-
structed to withdraw the colonel's opposition.
Mr. LAING called cyidence to prove the preamble of the Bill.
The ClimaxAN announced that the preamble of the Bill was
proved.
The clauses of the Bill were then gone through, and agreed to.
The Committee will enter upon the consideration of the London
and Brighton (East Grinstead Branch) and South-Eastern (Godstone
Station and East Grinstead) to-morrow at twelve o'clock.

Sub• Committee No. 1.
The Committee met again this day at twelve o'clock, Mr. Strait
chairman.

THE LEEDS CENTRAL.

Mr. SHERWOOD appeared for the promoters, and the Bill being un-
opposed, the Committee said that the standing orders had been com-
plied with, with the exception of the promoters not haying given
notice of their intention to amalgamate with existing lines, and a'so
for not having given notice of their intended power in the Bill fer
borrowing a sum of money sufficient for carrying out the intemled
junction with the lines proposed to be joined.

THE 11.21EVZIZEN.
The Committee then gave their decision on a point in this case,
which had been reser red from a former day.
The CHAIRMAN said that the standing orders in this case had been
complied with, excepting that the parties had not givers sufficient
notice to the owners of property In a few of the districts through
which the line was to run.

EDINDURGH AND BATUGATE, WITH

BEII,NCIZES.

The Committee decided that the projectors of this Bill had com-
plied with the standing orders.
Agents, Deans, Dunlop, and P. Forbes, Esq., Edinbnrgh ; Thomas
Grainger, Esq., C.E. •

GLAIS Govr, AXILITILIZ, AND IVIONNLANDS

;UNCTION.
This Bill was, llke.thi former, unopposed, and it also passed the
standing orders.
GLASGOW, EAItRIIEAD, AND WEII.STON
(73EANCIIES_TO DITNIaOP..STILMET,
GLAS-
IGOW).
The length of this branch line was stated to be about a mile and a
half, and the estimated cost 180,0001. Neil Robson, Esq., engineer.
The Bill was unopposed and passed.
SCOTTISX MIDLAND EXTENSION.

Tlii* Bill was for the purpose of constructing a branch from the
parent line near Forfar, to Laurencekirk, in the county of Kincardine.
This Bill passed the standing orders.

BOLTON, STANZTORD, AND BIRMINGHAM
(STAMPOED TO W/SISBACH).
The line 13 intended to go from the Winstone station on the Syston
and Peterborough Railway down to Wisbeach, there to connect with
the Lynn and Ely, thus tilling up the ground left vacant by the Lou-
don and Birmingham and the Midlands Railways, and uniting the
chain of the eastern and western communication. The total length
of line is twenty-two miles, and the estimated cost 252,000/. C. Vig-
m)les, Esq., engineer.
After some formal evidence had been received the room was
cleared.

On our re-admission,
The CLIMUMAN said that the standing orders had not been com-
plied with, Inasmuch as in the notice inserted in the London Gaze.de
and the country newspapers, no intimation was given of the power
taken by the Bill to sailor lease the line to the Lynn and Ely Com-
paay, and also because the fixed point of the datum line was so far
incorrect that the point fixed was on a level with the junction with
the Syston and Peterborough line, whereas the terminus of the
company wag at the distance of three or four miles, in the parish of
Rel pstone.
The Committee then actiourned.

Sub-Committee No. 2.
This Committee met to-day at twelve o'clock ; present, Sir Johß
Yitrdo Buller (chairman), Mr. Bell. Mr. Kcmble, and Mr. Walker.
NEWPORT. AZIERGAVENNY, AND DERE..