The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-18 00:00:00

THE SCOTTISH MIDLAND RAILWAY.

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The Committee re-assembled at eleven o'clock this morning,
and proceeded to hear the examination of witnesses in support of
the Bill.
Mr. Baird, M.P. , was the first witness examined, and spoke gene-
rally as to the advantages which would accrue to the iron trade
from the construction of the proposed railway.
Mr. Smith, of Deanstown, said that the laying down of the rails
along the quay at Glasgow would greatly facilitate the traffic.
He spoke also as to the stone about Glasgow, which he described as
being very good and of fine quality. The trade of Glasgow had
been for several years on the increase, and was likely to increase
still further.
Mr. Aikman, of Glasgow, was of opinion that the rails ought to
be laid down on a level with the quay, and the traffic to and from
the harbour would not be obstructed by them. One horse, with
two waggons on the rails, would do more work than six horses with
the ordinary carriages. He spoke also as to the coal trade and
exports.
Mr. Gibbs, who was connected with the shipping trade of Glas-
gow, corroborated the testimony of a previous witness.
Mr. M'Murray, provision merchant of Glasgow, gave a statis-
tic3l account of the quantities of bacon, hams, eggs, and poultry,
imported from the north of Ireland into Glasgow, and considered
the proposed junction would greatly facilitate their transmission
from the ships to their ultimate destination.
Mr. Muldgreen, bookseller and magistrate of Glasgow, spoke as
to the house property in Buchanan-street, the rents of which ave-
raged from 1201. to 3001. per annum. He considered that the
general feeling of the ii.liabitants was in favour of the measure.
Mr. Lindsay, a builder, and chairman of the board for keeping
the houses in repair, tendered general evidence as to the value of
property in Glasgow and the traffic through the streets.
Mr. Thorland, surveyor, described to the Committee the manner
in which the Junction Railways in Manchester were constructed,
and stated he saw no difficulty in making the Glasgow Junction in
the way proposed.
Their Lordships then adjourned till eleven to-morrow.

WAREFIEMI3, PONTEFRACT, AND GOOLE

RAILWAY.

The Committee on this Bill, consisting of Lord Monteagle
(chairman), Lords Polwarth, Tenterden, Sudeley, and Falmouth,
met this morning.
Mr. George Hudson was called and examined by Mr. HILDYARD,
He was connected with the York and North Midland, and the Leeds
and Selby lines, and he knew the station at Nermanton well, which
was used by three companies without the slightest inconvenience
being felt. He thought central stations of great importance, as
giving an opportunity to passengers to diverge to any part of Eng.
land. The witness proceeded at great length to explain the dif-
ference of rates charged by the North Midland Company and of
their rivals of the Manchester and Leeds line. He would cer.
tainly undertake to supply the districts between Wakefield as effi-
ciently as the present Company, and at lower rates, because his ex-
penditure in the first instance would be so much less.
The witness was cross-examined at great length by Mr. WILKINS,
but he adhered pertinaceously to the opinions expressed in his exa-
mination in chief.
Lord Wharncliffe spoke to the residential injury done to Mr.
Smith by the proposed railway.
Mr. Edmund Wand, merchant, Leeds, Mr. Atkinson, flax-
dresser, and Mr. Tarbolton, foreign agent, all gave evidence that
the trades of Leeds and Bradford were infinitely superior to Wake-
field and Pontefract, and therefore they preferred the rival branch
by Brayton, promoted by the York and North Midland Company,
to the Direct Wakefield, Pontefract, and Goole Railway.
Several other witnesses were examined on the same point, and
gave evactly similar evidence.
Their Lordships then adjourned till to-morrow.

oxronn, WORCESTER, AND WOLVES
HAMPTON RAILWAY.
The Committee resumed its sitting to-day at eleven o'clock, Lord
Auckland in the chair, when the examination of evidence fur the
opposition was continued.
Mr. Thos. Webb, glass manufacturer, of Stourbridge, was first
examined. In comparing the Tring line with the Oxford, he gave
his decided preference to the former, as it was best calculated to
serve the trade of the town and neighbourhood, and had the greatest
amount of population on it.
Mr. Timms, of Worcester, deposed that he was a Director of
the Tring line, which, in his opinion, would give more accommoda-
tion to that city than the section proposed by the Great Western
Company.
Mr. Wooley, ironmonger, of Ringby, Mr. Paxton, .land agent
and farmer, of Bicester, Mr. John Gazey, Mayor of Banbury, and
Mr. Jakeman, carrier, of the same place, severally gave evidence as
to the superior accommodation the Tring line would give to their
respective localities over the rival line.
Mr. Joseph Steele, of Oxford, said that the narrow gauge
scheme was in much greater favour at Oxford than the other.
There was a large corn trade in Oxford ; the amount which went
north, principally to Birmingham, was about 50,000 quarters, or
10,000 tons. There was likewise a considerable trade in wool. Besides
the trade in the north they had considerable trade in the south. He
considered the break of gauge at. Rugby would be of great inconve.
nience to the Oxford coal and corn trade. The consumption of
coal alone in Oxford was 50,000 tons annually.
The remainder of the witnesses examined gave evidence to the
same effect, being principally on the inconvenience, expense, and
delay that would arise from the transhipment of goods on the Great
Western scheme. The witnesses examined on the subject were
Mr. Hardy, formerly manager of the Birmingham and Gloucester
Railway, who gave a table of the amount of miles already made, and
those proposed to be constructed, on the broad and narrow gauges,
somewhat different from that he gave before the Commons'
Committee; Mr. Macconnell, superintendent of the locomotive de-
partment, on the same line of railway ; Mr. Allport, manager of
the Darlington: and Newcastle line; and Mr. Houson, the agent
of the Messes. Pickford, at Birmingham.
The following is Mr. Houson's table :
RAILWAYS CONSTRUCTED AND PROJECTED ON THE BROAD AND
NARROW GAUGER.
Broad. Narrow.
Made
In progress 52
Projected

Total 1,641
This table includes all projects up till now, taking only one in a
aistrict where there are competing lines.
The Committee then adjourned till to-morrow, at eleven o'clock

STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE.
The Committee on Standing Orders met today, and the follow.
ing Bills were passed, and ordered to be reported :
IVIONDSOUTH railD HEREFORD (SOUTH
WALES),

SOUTH-WESTLRN (TUNBRIDGE AND
TUNBRIDGE WELLS),

BEENZZIIGILELIVI /IND GLOUCZSTER (STOIEZ
BRANCII).

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP X.

DIRECT NORTHERN LINE—rAnniNGD ON-
STREET EXTial
This Committee resumed to.day at the usual hour, Viscount
Courtenay in the chair.
Mr. Paine, C.E., who was examined yesterday by Mr. Nias,
the owner of property in Shepperton-street, corrected an inaccuracy
which he had mode in stating that the error in the sec-
tions of the Farringdon-street Extension was outside the centre
line. The witness attributed his mistake to the erroneous repre-
sentation of Mr. Webster's plan, and now positively declared that
the deviation of eight feet two, as mentioned yesterday, existed
within the limits.
Mr. Wak cling, the vestry clerk of Clerkena ell, stated that he now
wished to call witnesses to prove the injury which the construction
of the lino would entail on the rates and trade of the district he re-
presented. The promoters of the Company had scheduled 468 houses
to be taken down, the average annual rent of which was 201. a