The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-10 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMPANIES DISSOLUTION BILL.

Sir GEORGE CLERK moved the second reading of this
Bill, which he said was one which would be found of great
utility, and which might in fact be called the winding up
Act, in 9:13r to give to cslri-a'n clmpanies in an inchoate
state the power of di3olving, if they should deem such a
course necessary.
Mr. HUDSON said, he felt that he was taken a good deal
by surprise, by the manner in which this Bill had been
brought forward, as he had certain clauses to propose to be
inserted in it, which he looked upon of so much importance,
that he would take the sense of the House upon them. He
had submitted those clauses to the Solicitor-General, and he
had expressed his approval of them, and therefore he could
not see why they should not be inserted. He then handed in
the proposed amendments.
Mr. HUME wished to know how they were to avoid liti-
gation in the cases provided for in the Bill. He thought
that the Government should introduce a clause appointing an
auditor.

Sir GEORGE CLARK said, it had been considered, and
the only provision they could make was to have a fiat in
bankruptcy.
Sir G. CLERK moved that the clauses be brought up to-
morrow (Thursday), and that the Bill be then read a third
time.

Mr. HUDSON hoped that the third reading would be
postponed to Friday, as he had to leave town to-morrow to
open a railway. _

The third reading was then postponed to Friday.
POOR REMOVAL BILL.

Sir JAMES GRAHAM, at five minutes to six o'clock,
moved that the House should go into Committee pro forma
on the Poor Removal Bill.

The House then went into Committee, and immediately
after resumed, when the remaining private business was gone
through, and the House adjourned at six o'clock.

RAILWAY COMMIT FEES.
(THIS DAY )

HOUSE OCUoIitiAIONS.
GROUP
CORNWALL lULTIVTAY.

The Committee met at the usual hour ; Vi*cuuntl Morpeth in the
chair.

Several witnesses were examined, who gave evidence in favour
of the central line ; among the rest

Lieutenant Dunstan, R.N. During his cross-examination, however,
by Mr. MERIVALE, on the feeling of the inhabitants of Coik in favour
of a communication with Padstow, he stated that he attended
there as a deputation to point out the superiority of
a line communicating between Exeter and Padstow, and moved
a resolution to that effect; Major Beamish, however, moved the
following amendment, which was carried unanimously (we give it
verbatim, and we need not say that the reading of it in the Com-
mittee caused roars of laughter) :—Resolved, "That the people of
Ireland have long and painfully experienced the evils of strange in-
terfereoce in our internal concerns, proceeding as well from
the ignorance as the arrogance or those who have unjustly
and fraudulently usurped the power of making laws
for our Government, and irrespective of our laws.
That our melancholy experience of the calamities inflicted on our
country by such interference plainly suggests to us the in-money of
any attempt on our parts to interfere in the conflicting local concerns
of England, and that it does not become us as Irishmen to approach
the Board of Trade wills any expression of preference for
either line of railway professing to connect Exeter
with Padstow, such connexion being exclusively art English
interest, and therefore to be determined by English opinion.
That in thus practising towards England a spirit of forbearance with
regard to her separate interests, we hope to receive at her hands a
reciprocal observance, and we respectfully solicit Lieut. Dunstan,
that on his return to his native land he will impress on his own
countrymen the justice of that principle for which we contend
namely, the rights of her people to manage their own affairs.
Several other witnesses were called, who gave general evidence in
favour of the line.

The CHAIRMAN stated that he hoped the parties would bear in
mind that they had already heard a considerable quantity of evi-
dence of that nature. He also stated that he had received a letter
from the Lords of the Admiralty, stating that they had no objection
to the construction of a bridge over the river Tamar of four arches, of
the same size, and of the greatest possible height consistent with the
standing orders, provided that the Cornwall Railway Company would
provide a steam-tug at their own expense for the purpose of towing
vessels through tho arches.

The Committee, after having heard the evidence of Mr. Bampton,
engineer, of Plymouth, with reference to the expense of constructing
a larger ferry to accommodate the railway traffic, and also to build
the bridge at Saltash, adjourned till Friday next, at twelve o'clock.

GROUP XIII.
AYR,SIMLIO AND GALLOWAY.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
11Ir. Knight, on his cross-examination, said this was the rirst line
he ever estimated for. His estimate of severance damage, for 56
miles, was 8,6001. The land to be taken for the line was 374 acres,
which he set down at 19,1741.
Several other witnesses were examined on similar points to those
referred to by the preceding witnesses. . .

Mr. M'Callum, civil engineer, was then examined at length en
the engineering character of the line. It was proposed to be a
single line, with passings and sidings, and with bridges and
land for a double line. The severest ascending gradient
to the Dalmellington coal field was 1 in 75. There was another
ascending gradient beyond the coal field of 1 in 55, about four miles
long. The heaviest descending gradient was lin 75. There was no
tunnel on the line. The sharpest curve on the line was one in
twenty-two chains. None of the works throughout were of
an extraordinary chatacter. His estimate of the whole was
520,000/., which he thought quite sufficient. The whole value
for land and residential damage was 35,000/. The permanent
way was 2,6741. per mile, or In all 163,1641. The earthwork was
201,701/. ; masonry, bridges, &c., 44,715/. ; stock engines, 41,3501.
stations, 15,3151. ; contingencies, 18,715/. The working expenses he
estimated at 16,0321. The maintenance of the way was 4,095/. addi-
tional. His estimate of the gross receipts was 48,857 i.
Mr. Sergeant BELLASIS asked the witness if he could produce by
to-morrow morning the particulars of the cuttings, value of
Icc., up to Dalmellington, by themselves ; and also the same parti-
culars with regard to the portion of the line Irom Dahnellingten to
Balcory Bay. He asked for this, as the two parts of the case were
essentially different.
Mr. PAT TEN objected to that course as unusual.
The witness did lot think he would be able to give a detailed
account by that time.
Mr. Sergeant BELLASIB said he might as well ber easy with the
details in writing, as he should certainly ask him for all these par-
ticulars, and he ought to be prepared.
Witness was then cross-examined, with the object of showing that
he had but little experience in constructing rabways.
The Conunittee adjourned at four o'clock till one o'clock to-morrow.

GROUP aay.
MID KENT MrSTSUCT.

The Committee met at eleven o'clock. Present, Mr. Protheroe
(chairman), Lord Emlyn, Mr. John O'Connell, and Mr. Grogan.
Mr. Sergeant TALFOURD replied Ou behalf of the Kent Atmo-
spheric Railway. He said that the line he represented laboured
Under considerable disadvanteges in coming before the Committee as
a line competing with the lines for which the South-Eastern Company
had obtained Acts Of Parliament. The object of each company, he must
confess, was to shorten the distance between London and Tunbridge,
London and Maidstone, London and Dover, and London and Has-
tings. Direct lines had attracted public attention, and the Legisla-
ture seemed determined at no very distant period of time to insist
upon those advantages which the Kent Atmospheric now held out to
the public under the most favourable and economical circumstances.
The distance to Dover through Maidstone, by their proposed atmos-
pheric line, would be 24% miles, whereas the distance by the South-
Eastern line is 32 miles. In addition their line would accommodate
the town of Sevenoaks, a most important neighbourhood, which the
South-Eastern had neglected, except by casting out a
branch a mile and a half in length, with a gradient of 1
in 69. The South-Eastern making that effort, bad as it was,
showed the importance of affording a traffic and a communication ac-
commodation to the town of Sevenoaks. The Earl of Stanhope, in his
usual straightforward and intelligent manner, had given evidence
of the value of the proposed atmospheric line as regards Sevenoaks
and the district around it, and had told the Committee that the general
feeling of the jinhabitants was decidedly in favour of that project .
The line to Dover was shorter than the South-Eastern line to that
place by four miles. The Kent Atmospheric proposed to use three
in England, the Croydon, and
the construction traction of the most expensive
t crossing the streets and over
of the houses of London. The
South-Eastern proposed to avoid the Croydon altogether,
and thus do that important railway the most serious injury,
andpwm Ia
part
u le
d thustaoh fird o uatgsilealv save
t
by diverting its traffic. The Learned Sergeant then reviewed the
thouhfene in set h_ee
masses lvt best
e sa
evidence on both sides, and entered into the details of the advan-
tages the Kent Atmospheric possessed over the lines of the
South-Eastern Company, and contended at some length, and with
considerable animation, that the Kent Atmospheric Railway
was entitled to a preference over the schemes of the
South-Eastern Company, as affording better accommodation
to the public at a less amount of capital, and over a shorter length
of road of lesser gradients and better levels. He concluded his ad-
dress by insisting upon the superiority of the atmospheric principle
as laid down by Mr. Cubitt, who sanguinely anticipated its ultimate
success, and even if the atmospheric traction should be laid
aside, the line they projected was the best locomotive line, and
for that reason, setting aside all others, they were, according to:the
general conduct of committees similarly circumstanced entitled, to a
preference over the South-Eastern schemes. But as respected the
atmospheric traction, he firmly believed it would supersede the icco-
motive principle. Sir Robert Peel, no mean prophet, some years
ago told the locomotive advocates to pause, for it was his opinion
that it would in course of time be superseded by the atmospheric. He
(the Learned Sergeant) thought that the time had now arrived,
or„if it bad not it was not fair distant; therefore it behoved the
Legislature to pause before they sanctioned an outlay of money upon
which would eventually be
public works, useless. The atmospheric
system might be beset and crowded with minor and insignificant
difficulties now, but science could overcome all obstacles, nothing
was impossible to genius : that great man Coleridge had in that
brilliant and beautiful poem, the " Ancient Mariner," anticipated
the atmospheric traction it had dawned upon him in an happy hour
of inspiration:—
" 0 wherefore delves that ship so fast,
Without a tide or wind ?
The air is cut away before,
And closes in behind."
The principle, then, of the atmospheric was true and practicable. It
had been successfully tried, and he sincerely believed its adoption
would be a boon to the nation.

Mr. CocaßuaN, for the South-Eastern, then proceeded to address
his
seir clients,o opponents were divided into two or threebecause they were a strong united
the Committee. He contended that the line from London to Maidstone
ashamoulpdanybe;
whereasmadeby
managements, and the Committee well knew that union was an
essential ingredient in the success of any undertaking, both as
respected the public and the undertakers. The Kent Atmospheric
had not that element, and, therefore, their chance, compared
with that of the South Eastern, was proportionably 'decreased.
It was quite evident that the accommodation to Maidstone should
be supplied by an established company whose expences had hitherto
been enormously great and their profits nothing. The superiority of
the South-Eastern was evidenced from the fact that their rivals
where last year Lefore Parliament, with a project similar to their
present one, had been obliged to abandon apart of their scheme through
a want of funds, and the difficulties inseparable from the atmospheric
system. Mr. Cubitt, no doubt, was influenced by a fear that he
could not venture to propose au atmospheric line on a locomotive
one, with a gradient of 1 in 80, between London and Ashford ;
therefore he would make the Tonbridge branch their main line,
and take advantage of the excellent levels and direct road of
the South-Eastern Railway. It was but Justice that now
the angle by Red-hill had been cut off (and the ad-
vantage of the opening of the continental lines about to
be derived), that the South-Eastern Company should be allowed to
remedy the defect, and provide the required accommodation. It had
been stated that there was a superiority, as respected gradients,
distance, and expenses, over the South-Eastern Railway—that
a saving of 4}6 miles between London and Dover would be effected
by the proposed Kent Atmospheric. He contended that the advan-
tages thus trumpeted were all superficial—they had no foundatioa,
and that the only advantages offered to the public by the
two companies worth accepting were those the South-Eastern,
and the South-Eastern only, had the power of offering.
Thu gradients of the atmospheric were bad. Some of them
were as low as I in SO ; while the very worst gradient in the
South-Eastern was lin 105. The works on the atmospheric were
heavy, and would cost enormous sums of money. There were two
tunnels, one 3,343 yards long, the other above 2,000 yards long. As
to
,going to Seven Oaks, they would never be able to get
there ; and they did sot intend, the Committee would
observe, to have any station there, in fact, the going
to Seven Oaks was a lure thrown out to deceive, because the popula-
tion and the district around Seven Oaks did not demand any railway
such as that the atmospheric said they were about to make. The
mile and a half branch of the South-Eastern would be quite suf-
ficient, and quite as acceptable to the neighbourhood of Seven
loul d
submitted
command
a t
Oaks. Instead of a line running near the Seven Oaks
the South-Eastern proposed to go through the Valley of
Eapford, and open up a communication by a branch with Wester-
ham, and other populous localities. The line through the Valley
would
ie largeie oamninoLuitnttee, of
thativa i water power,n
pvi
nt or which
gradients,Would
andbe
to
used to a still further extent—indeed to nn incalculable extent. He
then
other engineering capabilities, the South-Eastern line to Maidstone
was the one that should be preferred. The Learned
Counsel,
then
went very minutely through the evidence, and concluded by urging
the superior claims of the South-Eastern sche
of the Committee. me upon the attention

The room was then cleared, and on our re-admission,
The CHAIRMAN intimated, that the preamble of the Bill of the
South Eastern Company was proved ; and that the preamble of the
Bill of the Kent Atmospheric was not proved.
The Committee then adjourned until twelve o'clock on Friday next.

XVII.
mancumsmen AND P SOUTHAMPTON, AND
SOUTH-LASESTMV.N (.7.loMarlt AND EEI2-
BRID(*E BP-ANCH).
The Committee met this morning at the usual hour.
MANCHESTER, AND socTIMIYIPT°I7. The promoters continued to call evidence in support of their line.
The first witness called was Mr. W Dennison, William Denson, Governmen
contractor, Portsmouth who stated that for the last
' t
thirty years he
had sup lied the regiments stationed
at Portsmouth, In Lancashire Ilampshire, Kent, and other
counties, with meat, bread, flour,' and forage. Killed about 160
beasts a-week, many of whietthe purchased at Salisbury and other
fain /11 svraervitshire and DorsiMhlrc, PAO% injured the peseta

about 4/. per cent. Supposing the railway were madet he would get
them direct from the dealers, which would effect a great saving of
time and expense. He sent great quantities of meat, bread, and
forage to Birmingham and Coventay, for the transit of which this
line would be most advantageous. Frequently it is necessary to
supply the ships with these articles at twelve hours' notice, so that
he was obliged t olkeep a large stock on hand, hi the event of a supply
being required, which of co,-arse entailed considerable expense upon
him. The railway would go a great way to effect a saving.
By the CHAIRMAN—TtIe increased facilities which the line will
afford, would enable him to fulfil the Government contracts without
difficulty. The Government would likewise be benefited by it.
Mr. Gue, a builder a4z. Andover, deposed as to the delays which
occurred in transmission of goods by the canal from Redbridge to
Andover. The charge for conveying goods per ton by the !South-
Western to Andover was 1/. 10s. 6d. By the proposed line a saving
would be effected of 12s. per ton. It would be of great benefit to the
town of Andov,ar. Meetings had been held in that town, at which
strong feelings were expressed in favour of this undertaking. The
same feelings were entertained by every person in Romsey. This
witness was subjected to a cross-examination, but only confirmatory
of the evidence which has been already given.
Mr. Thomas Hill, shipping agent of the Oriental Steam Naviga-
tion Company, Southampton, was examined respecting the traffic
carried by these vessels. They conveyed a great number of passen -
ter, and also large quantities of packages from the manufacturing
districts.

Mr. Wm. Faulted, cattle dealer, at Cricklade, near Cirencester,
deposed that the line would open up a communication to the north
for the conveyance of agricultural produce. This witness was
examined at some length with regard to the advantages which this
railway possessed for the conveyance of cattle and sheep to and from
the different cattle markets.
_ _

Mr. P. Matthews, a farmer at Hicken, near Cirencester, said that
the district between Cheltenham and Cirencester was much in want
of a direct communication to Birmingham. The whole of tee agri-
culturists in the district supported the undertaking, because they
knew that it would open up a more ready market for their produce.
The Committee adjourned till twelve o'clock to-morrow.

GROUP X.Y.
LONDON. HOUNSLOW, AND WESTEEN.

(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
The cave of the Duke of Northumberland having been concluded,
the Committee adjourned at four o'clock to twelve on Friday.

GROUP XXIV.
NOT/MICH AND SURLY.

The Committee assembled this morning shortly after twelve
o'clock ; Mr. Granville Vernon in the chair, when a long conversa-
tion ensued as to the necessity for further evidence of the traffic,
which was followed by the testimony of
Mr. Bruff, the engineer, who stated the general features of
the line, which is easy in its character, and light in its
earthworks. The object in making this line was not so much
to accommodate the two towns of Cambridge and Bury, as to form
a communication with' distant parts of the country, Cambridge being
thefocus of a series of ramifications to Lincoln, Weedon, and all those
and other places which the great trunk lines accommodated.
The people of Bury had always been very desirous of
a direct connexion wi.h London, and this line in conse-
quence of the throwing out of the Direct Norwich, the
East Suffolk, and other lines, would be the nearest. He had
surveyed the line of the Ely and Bury Company about fifteen months
ago, but had abandoned it for several reacens, but principally on ac-
count of the great expense of repair to the subsoil. He had sent his
assistants to try the soil on both sides. It ran through the valley of
the Lark, where, of course, there was the greatest deposit of vege-
table matter. This would occasion a much greater outlay than
could be met by the estimates of the engineer of that line.
By the reports of his assistants, as well as by his
own observations, he found that the subsoil was loose and the surface
shakey. The generality of the line was flooded in wet seasons. By
the report of one of his assistants, he learned that the boring-bit had
sunk, at the distance of 12 miles 7 furlongs, by a pressure of
5 pounds, 12 feet ; at 13 miles 3 furlongs, it sunk 23 feet by Its own
weight; at 16 miles it sunk 18 feet by its own weight also, and in wet sea-
sons the land was all flooded. He had b imself made an embankment in
similar land, and lie found that as fast as the stuff was put in it
pushed out at the side, and he believed that some such accident had
occurred to the opposing Company, and that it took them weeks, if
not months, to repair it. The ruling gradient on this line was, as on
the Norwich, Ely, and other lines, 1 in 132. The estimate for
the whole line is 300,0001. ; for earth-works the sum allowed is
49,729/. 17s. 7d. ; for brickworkand hridges,3o,Bo7l. ; permanent way,
185,7501. ; for stations, 25,9871.; for land, 30,000/. ; for contingencies,
23,700/. ; and for management, 18,400/. ; which, together, allowing
for incidental differences, would make a total of 300,0001.
A long examination then ensued, upon the way in which the line
would affect the property of a gentleman named Webb, the object of
it being to show that this was not the best line which the country
could afford.

On the cross-examination of Mr. Sergeant WitAwassm, it was
shown that the gradients on the Ely and Bury line were so much
superior, that the power which on that line would draw sixteen
carriages, would on this line serve es traction power only for nine.
The access to Bury also appeared to be bad, it requiring great in-
genuity to make a junction with the Eastern Union line. It was
also shown that the subsoil was not of so unstable a character as the
engineer conceived it to be, or at least that the danger and difficulty
which he apprehended in the formation of the embankment would
not or might not arise.

Mr. CALVEET then entered upon a long examination of the mode
in which the line affected the interests of the several landowners on
the line, which had merely reference to private interests.
A discussion then ensued as to the course of practice to be pursued,
after which the Committee adjourned till twelve to-morrow.

GROUP XXXI.

ERISTOL AND EXRIWINGiTAIVI (GLOUCES-
TER AND STONEETOUSE JUNCTION.)

The Committee assembled this morning at twelve o'clock, and
proceeded with the further investigation of the schemes comprised in
the group which had been confided to them.

Mr. HOPE appeared on behalf of the Bristol and Birmingham
(Gloucester and Stonehenge Junction), and opened the case. It ap-
peared from the Learned Gentleman's statements, that the construc-
tion of the proposed branch would be attended with the greatest
benefit to the various localities through which it would pass, and would
also materially advance the interests of the Bristol and Birmingham
Company, and be generally beneficial to the public at large. The
present line was proposed to form a continuous communication on
the narrow gauge principle, between Gloucester and Stonehenge.
The Great Western Company had established a communication from
the junction at Swindon on the broad gauge, and it was intended to
supply the remaining portion of the district with railway accommo-
dation oh the narrow gauge principle. This was the object which
the promoters sought, and which he hoped the Committee would
concede.

Witnesses were about to be called to give evidence as to the pro-
posed junction, when

lir. AUSTIN objected to the evidence being received as to the pro-
posed junction between Gloucester and Stonehouse, as it would
materially affect the interests of the Great Western Company, and
would also be a contravention of the agreement at present subsisting
between that company and the Gloucester and Bristol Company,
with reference to the district between Gloucester and Stonehouse.
The room was ordered to be cleared. On our re-admission
The CHAIRMAN stated that the Committee were of opinion that the
promoters of the proposed junction should be allowed to proceed with
their evidence ; but at the same time they entertained a strong feel-
ing with reference to the agreement of 1840 between the Great
Western and the Bristol and Gloucester Companies, and recommend
that its leading provisions should be made the foundation of an
amicable arrangement between the parties.
The Committee then adjourned.