The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, July 9.
The LORD CHANCISLOR took his seat upon the Woolsack
at the usual hour.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.
Messengers from the House of Commons brought up certain
Bills.

THE RICHMOND RAILWAY.
The Duke of CAMBRIDGE said he had been entrusted
with two petitions from the parishes of Kew and Mortlake, to
present to their Lordships against that part of the Richmond
Railway which went to Kew. All the landed proprietors
were against the Bill, and the petitioners prayed for the in-
terference of the House.
Lord BROUGHAM presentedseveral petitions (amongst
others one from a gentleman residing in Cornwall) against
the Cornish Railway ; and one from the Remonstrant Presby-
e
terian Synod of Tyrone (Ireland), praying for th
entire abolition of capital punishment. A Gallant
Friend of his, at present with his regiment in
Ireland, had entrusted him to present a petition against
the Cockermouth Railway, which ran within 500 yards of
his family seat, Cockermouth Castle, wherein his ancestors
had dwelt upwards of 800 years ago. The petition stated
that there was no necessity for the line running so close to
the House, and he ( Lord Brougham) could bear witness to
the truth of that assertion. It would save money to the con-
tractors, but that was all.
INVASION OF IRELAND.

Lord BROUGHAM said that, seeing his Noble Friend the
Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster in his place, he would
ask him was there any truth in the report that an invasion
of Ireland was anticipated.—(Hear, hear.) There was a
report abroad that such was the case which he believed
was founded upon the fact of two cavalry regiments being
sent over to the country yesterday. lie wished to know
was there any truth in the retort?
Lord CAMPBELL—As the report has nothing whatever
to do with the county palatinate of the Duchy of Lan-
caster, I am not aware of such having been the fact.
Lord BROUGHAM—I apprehend that the Chancellor of
the Duchy of Lancaster has something to do with it,
as the embarkation is reported to have taken place at Liver-
pool, which is within the palatinate—(Laughter)—but as
the Noble Lord does not know anything about it, there must
be no truth in the report.
Several other petitions were then presented, and their
Lordships adjourned at half-past Five o'clock till to-morrow.

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.
(YESTERDAY)

HOUSE OF LORDS.
Room A.
7•ZSMABAGOVET, DALSERP, AND COAT..
BRIDGE MINERAL JUNCTION.
(Coatinued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
On the completion of the promoters' case,
Mr. Sergeant MURPHY, on the part of the petitioning land-
owner, Mr. Hohnesworth, addressed the Committee at con-
siderable length, and, on the conclusion of his speech, the
Committee, without calling upon him to give any evidence,
ordered the room to be cleared, and after a consultation of
about a quarter of an hour allowed the parties to be re-
admitted.
The CHAIRMAN then said, I have to annouuce to the
counsel that the Committee have determined to report to the
House that it is not expedient to carry the proceedings in this
case any further.
Having given this decision, the Committee rose at about
ten minutes to four o'clock.

Room B.

CALEDONIAN (GLASGOW TERMINI AND

BRANCIIES).
(continued front our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)

The evidence on the part of the petitioners occupied the
Committee the whole of the remaining part of the day, and
was not concluded at four o'clock, when the Committee rose,
adjourning the further consideration of the case till to-
morrow.

Room C.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
PORTBVRY RAILWAY AND PIER.
Mr. TALBOT opened the case for the promoters, and stated
that this was a short line of eight miles in length, from the
Bristol and Exeter line to Portbury, and was projected to
obviate the inconvenience of the navigation of the river
Avon, which forms the water communication between Bristol
and the Bristol Channel. From being a tidal river, the navi-
gation of it is often interrupted, and when it is recollected that
as many as 2,500 steam-vessels visited the port of Bristol every
year, the saving of the inconvenience to which he had alluded,
would appear of not little importance. In addition to the
railway it was proposed to construct a pier at Portbury, with
a sort of breakwater, consisting of three iron-vessels of 300
feet length each, which would be so placed as to render
their surface longer or shorter as the case may re-
quire. These vessels also, it was proposed, to form so
as to give stowage for water and other necessaries,
for sea-going ships. The vessels frequenting Portbury would
be subject to the port dues of Bristol, and one object to be
served was the reduction of those dues. To this he believed
there was no objection on the part of the proprietary, but
the trustees of the port consisted of twenty-seven members
each, a third of whom were elected by different bodies, and
there was consequently a difficulty in coming to a decision.
There was no opposition to the preamble, but there was to
the clause.

A. gentleman from Bristol, one of the petitioners against
the reduction clause, here requested that the case might be
postponed till to-morrow, -when counsel would appear to speak
upon this clause for reduction of the dues, but it was agreed
that the preamble should be gone into, and that the clause
should be left till to-morrow.
Mr. Brunel was then called, and he proved the facts stated
by Mr. Talbot, adding further, that the Great Britain and
the other transatlantic steamers had been removed to Liver-
pool, in consequence of the difficulty of the navigation of the
Avon. The capital to be raised is 200,0001., with power to
borrow 66,0001.
To the Earl of LIVERPOOL, Mr. Brunel replied that every
one in Bristol would have been too happy to improve the
navigation of the Avon but at low water the river was dry,
and the influx of the tide came with a sixty feet rise, and if
the obviation of this difficulty was not quite impracticable, it
was the next thing to it.
Mr. MOYES then put in the formal proofs, and their Lord-
ships adjourned till to-morrow.

Room D.

FOREST Or DEAN AND GLOUCESTER LINE,

AND SOUTH WALES LINE.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)

On re-examination, Mr. Hall stated that he had under-
stood the quantity of land of this estate was about 540 acres,
and that the money demanded was 40,5001., although he had
been given to understand that when the property was offered
by Mr. George Robins for sale, in 1843, a very much less
sum was bid for it.
Mr. BAKER, Chairman of the Company, deposed generally
as to the merits of the line, and stated that the line
as now proposed was what it originally was, with
the exception of the Bilaton branch, which is now aban-
doned. The reason why this branch was adopted was because
the directors were not aware that they could get any other
access to the Forest of Dean from Gloucester. That branch
had always been objectionable from the severity of its
gradient and the extent and expense of the tunnelling. But
when it was ascertained that they had other means of
access, on the recommendation of Mr. Brunel they had
adopted the longer but the cheaper route, because had they
not done so, they woula have had to impose a greater rate
of toll upon the whole of the route.
Mr. Atkinson, clerk of the Crown for the Forest of Dean,
stated that the forest comprised 48 square miles, and that it
was rich in minerals, especially coals, and that the best seams
lie in the upper series. The annual produce was rated at
300,000 tons. If this line were made it would take the
heads of the two valleys which drained the forest, and thus
provide an outlet for every part. The Woods and Forests
were favourable to the project.
Mr. Sturge, a merchant at Gloucester, stated that much
commerce was kept away from the city by the deficiency of
means of communication.

Mr. Cleagram, clerk of the Gloucester and Swansea Canal,
testified that the commercial business of the place is very
considerable, there having been as many as 1,700 seafaring
vessels in the port during the last year. The exports at
present were only one-third of the imports, but the ex-
ports would be very largely increased, if there were greater
facility of access. This concluded the case for the promoters.
Mr. Coors then addressed their Lordships on behalf of
Mr. Hoskins, the object of his address being to show, not
only that this line was unnecessary, but it was longer than
the other also.
Mr. Brunel was then recalled by the Chairman, and stated
that the line from Newport by Monmouth, by Ross, to
Gloucester was about equal to the coast line, and that the
gradients on the inner line would be most decidedly worse
than on the other. The inland line, although by Hereford
and Gloucester it might have some merits, yet it was absurd
to suppose that all the minerals in that district could be car-
ried by it. Mr. Brunel produced a comparative drawing of
the gradients on both lines.
This closed the case, when the room was clearedteforai the
decision, andon the re-admission of the parties
declared that the Committee had decided that the Bills rAmveare
proved.
Mr. Brunel then put in a statement of the several roads
crossed on a level by the South Wales line. The capital to
be raised for the several deviations is 700,0004 with 200,000/.
for excess. For the Forest of Dean line the money to be
raised is 200,0001., with power to borrow 660,0001.
The formal proofs of the Forest of Dean line were then
put in, The line is to be fifteen miles four furlongs in length,
and the branches are to be two miles, two furlongs, and two
chains, no tunnels, and no highways passed on a level.
The reports were then ordered to be brought up.

Rom 6
A Select Committee appointed .to consider the merits of
the Manchester, Sheffield, and Midland Junction Railway,
and of the Heywood Waterworks, met at eleven o'clock this
morning in Itooni 6 (in Abingdon-street), the Marquis of
Westminster in the chair, and present the Earls of Radnor,
Chichester, &c. Earl Nelson was one of the members, and
attended in the course of the day, but in consequence of
revere indisposition his Lordship was unable to remain and
join in the labours of his Noble Colleagues.
Their Lordships first took the case of the
• HEYWOOD WATEILVTORHS BILL,

which occupied them for a considerable time. The preamble
was declared proved.

MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD, AND MID-
LAND =NOTION.

Mr. Talbot and Mr. Merrewether appeared for the pro-
moters of this Bill ; Mr. Hope, Mr. Paget, Mr. Ellison, and
other counsel, for various petitioners against it.

Mr. Thum.- having opened the case for the promoters, in
in a short speech, called
Mr. Isaac Schofield, table-knife manufacturer at
Sheffield, who gave evidence as to the advantages
to that place which the improved communication
with the districts traversed by the line would effect. He
gave statistical details as to the amount of coal con-
sumed in Sheffield, which are too lengthy for insertion
here. He said that great benefit would accrue to the owners
of factories from the reduction of the price of coal that
might be expected by the communication with the coal
districts.
This gentleman's eidence occupied the Committee up to
four o'clock, when they rose,rptd adjourned till to-morrow
at eleven.

HOUSE 010._,COMMONS, -
GTZOITP - '
MANCHESTER AND SOUTHAMPTON.
The Committee met at twelve o'clock to-day, for the pur-
pose of proceeding with the clauses postponed from yester-
day, which occupied the whale of the day.