The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-29 00:00:00

AND BIRKENHEAD

WOLVERIIAMPTON, CHESTER,

JUNCTION RAILWAY.

MARKET DRAYTON, MONDAY NIGHT, TEN O'CLOCK.—An im-
portant meeting of the landowners, occupiers of land, and trades-
men of Market Drayton, was held this afternoon at the Phoenix
Hotel, in that town, for the purpose of considering the proposal of
the Wolverhampton, Chester, and Birkenhead Junction Railway
Company, to construct from Wolverhampton to Chester—by way
of Market Drayton, and effecting a junction with the Chester and
Birkenhead Railway—a direct line from London to Birkenhead
and Holyhead.

The chair was taken at two o'clock by Loxdale Warren, Esq.,
and among the gentlemen present were Mr. Sergeant Allen, one of
the Provisional Committee; R. Wrightson, Esq., T. Harris, Esq.,
H. Mayhew, Esq., T. Swinnerton, Esq., Thomas Harris, Esq.,
W. Warren, Esq., W. Goodwin, Esq., J. Bird, Esq , Sand-
well, Esq , and many other of the most respectable inhabitants of
the town and neighbourhood. Mr. J. Smith, solicitor to the Com-
pany, was also in attendance.

The CHAIRMAN, in opening the business of the meeting, said he
was fully aware of the benefits to be derived from railway com-
munication to and from their own town; if he needed an illustra-
tion of that advantage, he had but to mention a fact that came
within his own experience a few days ago. He travelled from Lon.
don to Stafford, a distance of 135 miles, in less than four hours,
for 1/. 125. 6d., but it took him upwards of three hours to get from
Stafford to Market Drayton, and cost him 1/. 175 ficl.—(Hear,
hear.) He thought that was enough to show the necessity of a
more direct communication between Market Drayton and London,
or Liverpool, and other places. After some further observations,
the Chairman concluded by calling upon Mr. Sergeant Allen, as one
of the Directors, to explain to the meeting the objects of the Com-
pany, and the route they intended to pursue.
Mr. Sergeant ALLEN then addressed the meeting at great length.
He said he knew of no more valuable testimony that he could ad-
duce, than the remarks just made by the Chairman, to show the
advantages of railway accommodation, and he was confident that
Market Drayton must at no distant period be allowesi to partici-
pate in the benefits to be thus obtained. After explaining the
route of the proposed line, the Learned Sergeant said that he looked
upon it as forming a direct communication, not only between Mar-
ket Drayton and the rising town of Birkenhead, but also tending
to form a direct line of railway from Holyhead to London, of
which parties travelling to or from Ireland would be sure to avail
themselves, indeed it would effect a considerable saving in the
distance, and, while saving time, would lessen the expense
of the journey. From Holyhead a line was about to
be made to Chester, and parties coating thence would
pass along the line whose claims they were about to lay
before the meeting. In addition tl this, from Market Drayton a
branch line would be thrown out to Stafford, where it would join
the Trent Valley line, so that passengers would be conveyed on
that railway direct to Rugby, and from thence the line to London,
as is well known, was as direct as it could well be made. After
having alluded to a rival project, which, however, would carry
passengers a considerable distance out of their direct course, the
Learned Gentleman adverted to the proposition of the Wolver-
hampton and Ellesmere Canal Company to convert their canal into
a railway, and contended that, as they had no power to effect such
an alteration, so neither would any Act of Parliament sanction it.
That proposition was one of the most immodest he (Mr. Allen)
ever knew to emanate from a publiccompany. It must be recollected
that at the time the Canal Company obtained their powers for the
purchase of the neeessary land, with or without the owners' consent,
for the construction of the canal, it was obligatory on their part to
keep up a water communication, and indeed that provision had
induced other parties to cut intersecting and branch canals to a very
large extent; and he (Mr. Allen) should like to know how they
were to be disposed of if the main canal was done away with. Were
this to be allowed, the branch would be of no further service than
to remain as peels for the feeding of pike and perch. Another
reason why the canal scheme could not be supposed to answer the
ends of the projects was, the great addition which it would make in
the distance between Wolverhampton and Chester, and con.
sequently in the fares of the passengers. The expense of tra-
velling was not all, for, as the meeting were aware, the charge by
railway was so much per ton per mile upon merchandise; and if
the Wolverhampton, Chester, and Birkenhead Junction would
effect, as it was intended, a saving of twenty-five miles between
the termini--the usual charge was 2d. per ton per mile on iron
from South Staffordshire or Shropshire—a saving of 41. 2d. per ton
on iron would be effected in the present price at Liverpool. The
ironmasters of the district through which the line passed would
thus be enabled to compete with the Scotch markets.—(Hear, hear,
and cheers.) After some other observations, the Learned Sergeant
concluded by moving the first resolution, which was—" That a
direct railway communication between Wolverhampton and Birken-
head, by way of Chester, was essentially requisite."
R. WRICHTsoN, Esq., seconded the resolution in a long and
able speech, after which
The CHAIRMAN submitted the motion to the meeting, and it
was carried unanimously,
SWINNERTON, Esq., of Market Drayton, moved the second
resolution, to the effect that the proposed Birkenhead, Chester,
and Wolverhampton Junction Railway offered the greatest advan-
tages as a direct line between the respective towns, and pledging the
meeting to support it,
W. GoDWIN, Esq., of Market Drayton, having seconded the
resolution, it wasput to the meeting, and carried by acclamation.
SANDWELL, Esq., of Market Drayton, proposed that a local
committee be formed for supporting the views of the projectors of
the line.—( Cheers.)
H. Matenew, Esq., seconded the resolution in an able speech. He
Contended that the policy of the nation was progressive, and that con-
tinued improvements were requisite for the benefit of the population.
of the county. One of those improvements was railway accommo-
dation. With reference to the recent panic in the money mar-
ket, he maintained that it was both groundless and futile, and had
originated with parties who were actuated by interested views.
It had been stated that 40,000,0001. was required for the purpose
cf bringing forward the various railway projects of the present day,
and that it could not be accomplished without bringing the coun-
try to the eve of bankruptcy. At that announcement he was
aware some parties gazed in stupid ignorance, but the fact was,
such people were not acquainted with the vast resources of the
country. In the time of the late war that sum, and more than it,
was raised every year for the carrying on of the conflict, and in
later years it was found that 20,000,0001. could readily be paid for
the emancipation of the poor slaves.—(Loud cheers.) It must be
recollected, too, that the sum now required was not for the purpose
of being sent out of the country, but would be the means of pro-
viding a vast amount of employment, and of conferring a lasting
benefit upon the country. After deprecating the conduct of the
Bank of England in raising the amount of discount. Mr. Mayhew
concluded by seconding the resolution, which was passed unani.
mously.

A vote of thanks to the Chairman having been passed, the meet-
ing soon afterwards separated. The whole of the resolutions were
passed unanimously, and the best feeling pervaded the meeting.

GREAT WESTERN AND BRISTOL AND EXETER

RAILWAYS,

It will be seen from the following notice, which was issued
on Friday evening, that the Great Western Board have re-
solved upon seeking Parliamentary powers for completing a
direct line of railway from Hungerford to Yeovil, and then
to Exeter. Our readers will recollect that the Great Western
have an Act empowering them to 'carry a line to Hunger-
ford : "Great Western Railway.

"The Directors give notice, that they have entered into
the arrangement (recently published) for the permanent
possession of the Bristol and Exeter Railway, subject to a
fixed rent-charge, for the express purpose of promoting, with
perfect fairness to that Company and a dne regard to the in-
terests of all parties, the very best direct line of railway, on
a continuous broad gauge, from the south-western ports of
Cornwall and Devonshire, through the city of Exeter, to the
metropolis, thereby affordit g also a comprehensive scheme
of railway communication in the district between Yeovil,
Bridport, arid Exeter.
" 'the public importance and even necessity of such a line
has been recognised by Parliament.
" The Directors will, therefore, recommend to the pro-
prietors, at a special general meeting, to be held on the 7th
of November, to undertake the extension of their own line
from Hungerford, through the Pewsey Valley, to Westbury,
with a branch to Marlborough.
By a short change in the direction of the Wilts, Somerset,
and Weymouth line, between Westbury and Frome, the
main western traffic, direct from London, will reach Yeovil
within a distance of 126 miles, of which 91 miles of rail-
way have been either constructed or already sanctioned by
Parliament.

"Authority will be sought by the Directors at the same
time to form a new Company, for making a railway in the
district through Yeovil, Bridport, and Exeter, upon the same
principle as adopted in the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth
Company, of associating the landowners and influential resi-
dents of the country with some of the Directors in the ad-
ministration of the affairs, upon similiar conditions, of gua-
rantee and prospective increase of dividend, for a permanent
lease of the railway, to be worked in continuity with the
other Great Western lines.
" The surveys and plans are already in great forwardness,
and notices will be given in order that application may be
made to Parliament in the approaching session.
By order of the Direc
"CHAS. A. SAUNDERS, Sec.

"Paddington Station, Oct. 24, 1845."
We understand that a length of railway, which it will be
necessary to construct to complete the direct course west-
ward, from Hungerford to Yeovil, will be thirty-three miles
only, and that it will bring the latter place some half mile
or so nearer London than any of the projected lines via
Salisbury.
This determination of the Great Western Company must
have an important bearing upon the interests of the various
narrow gauge schemes for supplying portions of the West of
England with railway accommodation; and there cannot be
a doubt that it will have its due weight with the shareholders
of the Bristol and Exeter Company, at their meeting on the
7th of November.
It is not our intention, neither is it our inclination, to touch
upon any mere personal or party matters than may be as-
sociated with the new pending question of leasing the Bris-
tol and Exeter line to the Great Western Company. Such
topics can tend only to embarrass a subject which requires to
be treated with great calmness and discretion. The question
is not one merely between the Great Western and the Bristol
and Exeter Companies ; it is one which involves a considera-
tion of the wants of the public, of the favour shown to direct
lines by the Legislature, and of the movements of opposing
parties; and therefore it is that we regret so much personal
and hostile feeling should have been exhibited at the meeting
of Bristol and Exeter shareholders, held at some solicitors
office in the former city a few days since. We really calm( 11
see that abusing Mr. Saunders, the secretary of the Great
Western, whose only fault, by the way, appears to be a most
able and unwearied devotion to the duties of his office, or
ridiculing a man like Mr. Brunel, can in any way tend to
bring about such a state of feeling as should exist among a
proprietary when they meat to discuss a question seriously
affecting their own pecuniary interests.
We doubt whether the relations between the Great Western
and Bristol, and Exeter are properly undei st iod. When tbeßris-
tol and Exeter people were in ditliculti.s, the Great Western
Company stepped in and efficiently relieved them. The ques-
tion of a direct line between Exeter and London has (we
understand) been the subject of frequent communication be-
Wen the two boards, and it is stated that the Great Western

directors have never hesitated to express their conviction
that the wants of the public and the views of the legislature
would, inevitably, sooner or later induce the construction of
such a railway. Whether such conviction mixed itself up in
the negociations which led to the leasing of the Exeter line
by the Great Western Company, we shall not presume to
discuss; but that the necessity of a direct railway commu
nication between London and Exeter ought to, and, indeed,
must. form a material ingredient in the debate to take place
on the 7th of November next, not even the holders of the
Bristol and Exeter " thirds," with 10 or 12 premium upon
V. paid up will, we are sure, attempt to dispute. If a direct
line be carried between Exeter and London, the through
traffic will necessarily be lost to the Bristol and Exeter line.
IVhat proportion that traffic bears to the whole traffic upon
the railway we know not; it is, however, considerable, and
its abstraction would, we hesitate not to say, leave the
Bristol and Exeter Proprietors a dividend by several per
cent., less than that which the speakers at the meeting held
in the solicitor's residence, at Bristol, seemed to think might
be realised by repudiating the bargain made between the two
companies, and handing the concern over to Mr. Hudson,
whose purchase of lines are not, if we are to credit the
writer of a clever letter in yesterday's Times, likely to pro-
dnce the great results it was promised would flow from them.
That such a view of the question has been taken by the Di-
rectors of the Bristol and Exeter line is evident from the fol-
lowing circular addressed by them to their shareholders:—

" BRISTOL AND EXETER RAILWAY.

"Bristol, 30, Broad-street, Oct. 15, 1845.
" Sir,—l am desired by the Directors of this Company to
transmit to you the inclosed copy of the additional agree-
ment entered into with the Great Western Company, for the
sale to that Company of the Bristol,and Exeter Railway, and
to inform you that a special general meeting of the Pro-
prietors will be held on Friday, the 7th of November, at the
White Lion Hotel, in this city, at one o'clock precisely, when
the agreement will be submitted for their consideration,

" In concluding this provisional agreement with the Great
'Western Company, the Directors have endeavoured to take a
comprehensive view of the position of the undertaking com-
mitted to their management, and they cordially recommend
to the shareholders to confirm the agreement, as placing their
property on a permanently advantageous footing.
" Feeling the responsibility that attaches to them in con-
ducting a negotiation of this nature, the Direction have taken
the earliest possible moment, after the confirmation of the
agreement by the respec ive boards, to lay it before you.
"I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
" J. B. BADHAM, Secretary."

We perceive that, at the solicitor? meeting already re-
ferred to, the voluntary increase by the Great Western Di-
rectors, of from four to five per cent. to the Bristol and Exeter
Company, for the remainder of the lease—namely, till 1849
and a further increase to six per cent. at the expiration of
the lease, is treated with derision. The increase will give
the Bristol and Exeter Proprietors an additional 20,000/.
per annum ; and we are inclined to believe that, with a com-
peting direct line from Exeter to the metropolis, the Bristol
and Exeter Company would not find this an insignificant
portion of their gross annual traffic.
With respect to the line now projected by the Great
Western Company, between Hungerford and Yeovil,
no one can doubt that it will meet with the most
favourable consideration from the Legislature. The
Company already have Parliamentary powers for con-
structing lines which will complete the system of railway
communication between the manufacturing districts of the
north and the south-west of England. This, in connexion
with the other branches 'already thrown out or promoted by
them, for accommodating various of the populous districts
not served by the present trunk line between London and
Exeter, and with the lines now projected, leave unqccommo-
dated, between London and Exeter, but a small amount of
population indeed. A glance at the map of country will
show that the purposed line from Hungeiford through
the valley of the Pewsey, and by a deviation of the Wilts
and Somerset line to Yeovil, will accommodate several
densely populated districts. True it is that its construc-
tion may endanger the success of a direct line be-
tween London and Exeter, by Salisbury, and thence
through a comparatively barren and thinly populated
country, to Yeovil. Whether a railway be made through
such a line of country, and whether it would, in competition
with that projected by the Great Western Company, pay its
working expenses, are questions which we leave to the wisdom
of the Legislature to decide.— Railway Standard.