The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-17 00:00:00

PROSPECTUS.

This undertaking is designed to supply the wants of an exten-
sive mineral and populous district, the local traffic of which alone
is admitted to be sufficient to support a railway, and amply re-
munerate the shareholders. The line will not only accomplish
so desirable an object, but it alsopossesses the advantage of fizosning
a direct communication, by the shortest possible route (in connexion
with existing and projected railways), between two of the most
important divisions of the kingdom.

It is intended to commence by joining the Grand Junction
Railway at Stafford, and proceed by the Uttoxeter, Rochester,
and Ashbourne, to a junction with the Midland Railway, the Man-
chester, Buxton, Matlock, and Midland Railway, and the Amber-
gate, Nottingham, Bo ton, and Eastern Junction Railway, at the
General Terminus at Amber-gate; a short branch from Wirks
worth will connect the line with that town, and the important
limestone end mint:rat district connected with it. The line will
be .bout forty miles long, and by its connection with the Midland
Railway at Amtiet-gate, and the Derby and Crewe Ra lway at U .
toxeters will be the nearest practicable route from Sheffield, York,
Leeds, Hull, the populous manufacturing districts of Yorkshire and
the north and north eastern part of England, to the salt districts of
Cheshire, the Potteries, Liverpool and North Wales, and by its
junction at Stafford with the Shropshire Union Railway, will be
the nearest route from those important districts to Shrewsbury and
South Wales, and by the Grand Junction Railway, to the densely
populated districts 01 South Staffordshire.
The district is destitute of water communication, and it is
only necessary to advert to a few of the prominent resources se
the country to show the maseitude of the local traffic.
The price of coals on all parts of the line is very high, being
carted a distance or 10 to 15 miles. The cost of this indispensable
article of consumption will be re. uced nearly one half, and this
line will immediately communicate with the Derbyshire and Staf-
fordshire coal-fields.
The line will pass several valuable quarries of Derbyshire marble
which Is extensively used in all parts of the kingdom ; and also
numerous lead-smelting works and rolling mats, producing large
quantities of pig and sheet lead. It will afford an inexhaustible
suppiy of lime for the highly cultivated land on the banks of the
Dove and Southward. It will open the Derbyshire mines to the
Copper and Zinc Smelting Works in the neighbourhood of Cheadle,
and will afford a direct communication with Sheffield for the articles
manulactured at those works, which at present are carted to Derby,
a di tance of more than twenty miles.
Already a- large cattle traffic exists with the north, which will
unquestionably be greatly augmented by the facilities of this rail-
way, large importations of Scotch and Yorkshire cattle will be
brought for fattening on the luxuriant pastures of the Dove, tak-
ing in return to the markets of the manufacturing towns, the corn,
cheese, wool, and other produce of the extensive and fertile agri-
cultural district which surrounds the Staffordshire terminus ca
this railway. It will bring the already large cheese and cattle fairs
of Uttoxeter and Ashbourne into greater importance. .
The iron furnaces of South Staffordshire consume annually nearly •
a million tons of limestone. It is well known that the iron-
masters give a decided preference to the lithestone of the south
Peak, ovet any other that has hitherto been tried; the very,
great fusibility of this stone rendering it peculiarly suitable as a
flux for reducing the stubborn iron ores of South Staftbrdshire, and
were it not for the dilatory and expensive means of transit
it would now be used to the total exclusion of all ether
kinds. The proximity of this railway to the iron district, the fact
of its entering the limestone range at tke most southern extremity,
and the advantage of excavating the stone immediately on the line
of rails, cannot ant ensure to it a very large share of that enormous
traffic, if it do not engross the whole.
The visitors to Dovedale and the Peak are already very nu-
merous. When this line and the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock,
and Midland Junction Railway open this romantic scenery to the
indus riot's artisans who chiefly compose the great hives of popu-
lath n• with which this railway will communicate, and make it
easily accessible to this class of persona at a trifling sacrifice boll.
of tins, and money, the revenue from this source alone during
the summer months will be found to be of no inconsiderable
amount.
The projectors feel convinced that this railway contains the ele-
ments of great prosperity, and that as an investment it offirrs more
than ordinary securiiy.
The landowners on the line are favourable to this undertakings
and the names of many influential proprietors will be found on the
Provisional Committee.
Arrangements have bean made with the Derby and Crewe Rail-
way Company, who take a portion of the capital, and give the line
their support and co-opera, ion.
The Committee of Management are fortunate in having se
Cured the valuable services of Mr. Locke, as consulting engineer,
and of Mr. Meehe, as resident engineer, who have a,,sure the corn.
mittee that the plans and surveys will be ready for application to
Parliament the next session.
Applications for shares to be addressed to the secretary
so orlic solors
id
tors. Plans and prospectuses may be obtained fromE the
Shorter
court, from the following brokers:—Williamle Grand, sq ,
court,, • ff
London • Messrs. Cu and Fox, Derby ; Mr. John Ba•k e-
well, Uttoxeter; Mr. Samuel Grindrod, and Mr. C. P. Altar.,
Manchester; Mr. slater, Brdtbrd ; Mr. Wesley, Burtonaipon.
Trent ; Mr. Dean, Stoke-upon-Trent; Messrs. West and Ter:Hata,
Leeds; Mr. Ererard. Rudder tekl; and Mr. Jones, Ashbourne,
FORM OF APPLICATION FOR SHARES.
To the Provisional Committee of the Stafforslsh.re and North

111.dlaild Junctiun Railway.

Gentlemen,—I request you will allot me shares of
201. each in toil Company, and I undertake to accept the same, anti
to pay the deposit thereon, or upon any less number that may be
allotted to me; and I also undertake to execute the Parliamentary.
Contract and Subscribers' Agreement when required.
Name in full
Residence
••.
Trade or Profession
Reference ....
Address of Referee
Date