The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-15 00:00:00

[ADVERTISFMENT.]
RIVAL RAILWAY .PROJECTS.

As the north of England was the arena of expensive con-
flicts last year, so the west of England is to have its turn
this year, and to become the scene of warfare, not to spill
the blood, but to bleed the purses of the willing speculators
who live in the mazes of the railway department of the
Stock Exchange.
Three great schemes are already published, and several
more promised, to improve the communication from London
to Penzance ; and with all the eloquence of literary descrip
tion, far excelling the hitherto unsurpassed powers of the
famed Robins, prospectuses have set forth the not-to-be-esti-
mated value of a •railway through this unoccupied portion of
the kingdom.
The first scheme consists of the North Devon, Cornwall,
and West Cornwall projects, which promise to furnish rail •
way communication direct to all the towns in the counties of
Devon and Cornwall west of Exeter, not yet provided for,
together with a direct line from Exeter to Falmouth and Pen-
zance, and a line from Plymouth to Falmouth.
As a great deal of correspondence has appeared from dis-
contented parties who were left out in the allotment of the
shares in the North Devon project, now at a high premium ;
and as the two latter projects had formed their Companies
before the last session, but were postponed on account of en-
gineering defects alone, and have already spent a considerable
sum in preliminary preparation, it is fair to assume that they
are in a position to insure their going to Parliament with well-
considered lines next session. Brunel has the management
of the whole of these ; they are all supported, with capital
and otherwise, by the Great Western and other powerful
Companies ; are patronised by the great mass of landed pro-
prietors in both counties, who are on their Provisional Com-
mittees; and, therefore, have a good chance of a favourable
consideration when they apply for their Bills.
The next is a project put forth by Mr. Columbine, of Re-
gent-street, which, taking compassion on the waste lands
between London and Penzance, and, considering the great
necessity for additional railway accommodation, purposes
crossing all the intermediate lines already constructed, or in
the course of construction, and forcing its way to the Land's-
end. The Provisional Committee has no great amount of
local patronage, nor does it seem to have obtained the coun-
tenance of the landed proprietors; nevertheless, the Pro-
visional Committee consists of some heavy artillery, and will,
it is to be presumed fight its way into, if not out of Parliament.
The third scheme at present published consists of several
great projects forming a sort of mutual society, requiring
the investment of many millions of money, and is patronised
by the very enterprising firm of solicitors in Moorgate-
street, who so nobly fought but lost the great Direct Northern
in last session. These projects, in order to complete a direct
western line to Salisbury, Yeovil, Exeter, and Penzance,
have revived the Devon and Cornwall Central, which made
such a sad miss of its affairs last year, and appeared in so
questionable and unenviable a form so repeatedly before the
public, and was so decidedly rejected by the Board of Trade.
A few, but very few, of the landowners in North Devon and
Cornwall seem to afford it their countenance, and. consider-
ing the 1 ength of the line, 100 miles, with its numerous
branches, probably 11)0 miles more, with three millions re-
quired for its completion, it argues considerable boldness to
reappear with such a desperate measure.
These rival schemes will not only threaten a serious vexa-
tion to the Great Western in regard to its finances, but will
bring on another tight for the broad guage, inasmuch as they
make an irruption into the very country where that guage is
now predominant, and they will involve the expenditure of a
great amount of capital which the public are called upon to
furnish.

if the originators of them would risk their own property
and furnish funds themselves to try these weighty questions,
there would be no room for complaint ; but knowing that
there is no ascertained traffic which will repay—that there are
no necessities of the country that demand the outlay of so
ninny millions, it is indeed astonishing to witness the cool
manner in which the public are gulled into the support of
schemes, which, after all, can never furnish a profit to any
but the gambler and the lawyer.

OPENING OF HER MAJESTY'S

RAILWAY.

GOSPORT, SATURDAT.—This railway, which consists of a branch, or
an extension line, from the terminus at Gosport in the Royal Clarence
Victualling Establishment, constructed for her Majesty's accmnino-
dation on her visit to Portsmouth or the Isle of Wight, was opened
this day by a special train, which arrived from London at a quarter
before eleven, conveying her Majesty's Cabinet Ministers to a Coun-
cil held at Osborne House this day at one, P.M.
The train consisted of three carriages, the engine, and tender, ac-
companied by Mr. Martin, general superintendent, and Mr. Stovin,
manager of the South-Western Railway. Mr. Naylor drove the
engine (the Arab).
Among the members of the Council we observed the Duke of Wel-
lington, Sir R. Peel, Lord Lyndhurst (Lord Chancellor), the Duke of
Bucctench (Lori Privy Seal), Lord Wharncliffe (Lord President), the
Earl of Ripon (President of the Board of Control), Lord Stanley (Se-
cretary of State for the Colonies), Sir James Graham (Secretary of
tate for the Home Department), the Earl of Lincoln (First Com-
missioner of Woods and Forests), Earl Delawarr (Lord ChamL:erlain),
the Hon. C. C. F. Greville, and the Hon. W. L. Bathurst (Clerks in
Ordinary), and Mr. S. Herbert.
Oa the arrival of the train at the Clarence-yard the noble party
was received by Rear-Admiral nacres, acting Commander-in-Chief;
Captai.i Stanley, Flag Captain ; Captain Carter, Superintendent of
the Royal Clarence Establishment ; Flag Lieutenant Triscott, in
chargelof the Commander-in- Chief's barge ; Flag Lieutenant Belgrave;
and Mr. J. Town, Master-Attendant, and Mr. T. T. Grant, F.R.S.,
Storekeeper of the Royal Clarence-yard.
The Ministers embarked in the barge of the Commander-in-Chief,
and were immediately conducted on board tho Admiralty yacht,
Black Eagle, which had been in waiting in the harbour, steam up
and all ready, and at a few minutes before eleven left the harbour
for Cowes, where she arrived a little before twelve.
The Council was held at one.

.\t half=past ilrreC—O"CloCk the noble party returned in the Black
Eagle and disembarked at the Clarence-yard, where the same dis-
tillgalp* Owl and civil ortiVen aeon MU arriyal were 'Tann* tO