The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-04 00:00:00

T R`E srlq, LONDO RIDAY EVENTN 1243

The enutm►ttee then examined and agreed to the clauses of the
GREENWICH RAILWAY ENLARGEMENT

proJoet: from hying brought forward In a future tesil.n, and on
this ground he objected to the passing of the preamble.

The preambles of these Bills were declared to be proved on
Wednesday, and an account of the evidence as to their nature
was published in our Evening Edition of that day.
The Committee were about to proceed with the consideration
of the Minster and Deal line, when Mr. Austin, who repre3ents
the promoters of that line, was found to be absent.
Mr. TALBOT said that he was prepared to go on with the Ash.
ford and Hastings line
Mr. HILDYARD said that he had evidence to produce
which he thought would have the effect of preventing
either line from being considered at all.—(A laugh.) He (Mr.
Hildyard) was not joking, he seriously thought that a letter which
he held in his hand would have the effect he had hinted at. It was
a letter from the Admiralty, stating their determination to prevent
any railway from passing the harbour of the port of Rye in the
manner pi, postd by both lines.
Mr. TALBOT asked if Mr. Hildyard wished to produce a letter
from the Admiralty to the promoters of the Headcorn a id Rye line ?
Mr. HILDTARD said that he did not appear for any line, but for
the Commissioners of the Rother, and that the letter was directed
to Captain Charles Hicks, a member of that Board. The letter
was to the effect that the Admiralty would not permit any bridge
!o be made across the Rother lower than it was crossed by those now
existing.

The room was then ordered to be cleared. On our re-ad.
mission,

(THIS EVENING.)

The CHAIRMAN said the Committee had agreed that the following
amendment should be inserted in the preamble—namely, that the
making of a railway from Fidiguard and Pembroke to Chepstow,
with a branch to Monmouth, would be of great public advantage.
The preamble, as amended, was then agreed to and passed.
The clauses of the Bill were then proceeded with, and were all
acceded to without opposition.
The Bill was °reared to be reported.
At the close of the proceedings the CHAIR:VAX asked whether
the promoters of the

FOREIGN-OFFICE, JULY 3.

lIIONIVIOUrkI AND lIREMpon D RAILWAY
would be ready to proceed with their project to-morrow morning.
The consideration of that scheme would involve the same dn.
culties as had accrued in the South Wales Railway, as to the
crossing of the Severn. And he would put it to the promoters,
whether, at the present advanced period of the session, it was ad-
visable to proceed with the scheme? Would it not be better to
defer it until the next session ?

Mr. CRIPPS, who appeared on behalf of the Monmouth and
Hereford Company, said the question required some consideration;
tut, at alt events, he should be prepared to state to-morrow morn-
ing what course he intended to adopt
The Committee then adjourned till to-morrow.

Mr. TALBOT said that his clients of the Ashford and Hastings
line had received a communication from the Admiralty, desiring
them to deposit with them plans and sections, showing the pro-
posed mode of crossing the Rother. The plans and sections had
been deposited accordingly.
• Mr. MERREWETHEIL said it had not appeared to the Committee
that it was proposed to cross the Rother below the bridges.
The Committee decided that as it could not be proved under
what circumstances this letter had been written they could nut re-
ceive it in evidence. They could not judge of what statements had
been made to the Admiralty, in order to get from them such a
letter as this.

GRO U P X.
DIRECT NORTHERIT.

At the sitting of the Committee this day, the first witness called
was

The Hon. and Rev. Charles Dundas, rector of Epsworth, in
the island of Axholnie. The part of the country he resides in is
peculiarly rich and fertile, and the district possesses a ptpulation
of a!,nut 14,000 inhabitants. Is of opinion that a railway com-
munication passing through that district would be most beneficial
and useful, for it would afford means of transit for the
agricultural produce of that part of the country to Leeds, and Hull,
and York, and would also have the effect of lowering the price of
coals. Did think that the London and York line would afford very
little accommodation to that part of the country, while the Direct
Northern line would skirt the park of Epworth.
Cross-examined—The means of communication that the people
of Epworth now had witn those parts of the country to which they
wanted to send their produce was by the navigation of the Trent ;
the cost, by water carriage, of corn from Epworth to Doncaster, was
Os. per ton ; that by railway would be much less in his opinion.
Mr. ➢coon. a large occupier at Bedbourne, testified to the large
amount of the agricultural produce of the whole of the country
around Kettering- bridge, and the whole of the country up to Bar-
ton- on.th e- Humber.

The Committee then proceeded to the consideration of the
ASHFORD AND HASTINGS LINE.

On the part of the promoters of which line Mr. MERREWETHER
addressed the Committee. The proposed line commenced at
Hastings, and ended at tt.e works of the South Eastern Company,
at Ashford. Its length was 264 miles. It had only one tunnel in
tLe whole of its length. There was no steeper gradient on the
line than one in one hundred, and when it occurred it lasted
for two-and.a-quarter miles. The only other engineering diffi-
culty on the line was a curve, with a radius of one and a
quarter mile, at the junction with the South Eastern Line, at
Ashford. This would cause no danger, as the engines would run
very slowly at that point. The station at Rye, which was known
to be a very improveable place, would be so placed as to give the
utmost accommodation for the shipment of goods. Rye was a
point of communication with several parts of the continent. It was
nearly opposite to Dieppe, and is nearer tothat place than Brighton.
There would be stations at Woodchurch, Winchelsea, Rye, and
Hastings.
Mr. ALEXANDER then called and examined

Mr. Willeydale, collector of the customs' duties at Gainsborough,
&c., stated that the town had only been mace a port about tour
years, and that during that tame the amount of duties had increased
from 3,4001. in the first year, to upw.irds of 70,000/., and that the
traffic of the district had very largely increased.
To the cross.examination of Mr. Sergeant WRANGUANI, Mr.
Willihgale stated that ha anticipated a great draught of the traffic
from the western districts especially, nor did lie think that the
Midland Counties Railway would in any material degree affect the
traffic on this line.

Mr. Benjamin Thorn, a draper at Ashford, who spoke to the
advantages to the trade of that place, which would be derived from
such a line as the proposed Ashford and Hastings line.

Mr. Wm. Cock corroborated the evidence of Mr. Thorn, and
spoke to the great number of cattle travelling to and from Ashford.
Mr. Henry Reed, book.keeper at Messrs. Pickford and Co.'s es.
tablishment at Hastings, stated the amount of merchandise annually
carried between Staplehurst and Hastings by Messrs. Picford and
Co. and by Messrs. Nome, who are extensive millers at Hastings,
to be on an average 15,062 tans, at least a quarter of which would
be carried by a railway if there were one there.

To Mr. BARKER this witness replied that there was a great corn-
munication between the different places in that district, especially
between Gainsborough and Swinton, and that the inhabitants were
exceedingly anxious to obtain the facility wlich this railway
would seem to afloid.

o Mr. WEBSEER—Mr. Willingale stated that the communi-
cation with Shetheld would be of great advantage to the town, and
would tend very largely to develop the facilities of the country. To
the eastward also there was a great field, especially about the
Norfolk coast, and more particularly Yarmouth.
Mr. Thompson, a grocer at Gainsborough, stated that the com-
munication with London was circuitous and dilatory, the goods
which he received being frequently six weeks on the journey.
From the north the inconvenience was almost as great, for it
frequently required fully five weeks to transport goods from York
to Gainsborough.

The witness was then cross-examined by Mr. Mel:or, who re.
Presented the Hastings and Ashford branch of Brighton and Lewes

ailway,

Mr. Burphy, merchant at Hastings, carrying on business between
Hastings and London, spoke to the extensive trade between those
places, and to the advantage to be derived from the proposed line.
Mr. James Emery. coal proprietor at Hastings, and several
other witnesses corroborated the above evidence, and were cross-
examined by Mr. MELLOR.
His evidence was still unfinished when the Speaker was an-
nounced to be at prayers shortly before four o'clock.
At four precisely the Committee adjourned to Mondayf when
they will meet at Twelve o'clock.

To the cross examination of Mr. Sergeant WRANGUAM the wit.
ness stated that the usual charge for carriage from London by
water was, for tea 41. 10s. a ton, while by railway it would only be
I/. ss. 4d., making a difference of 3/. 4s. Bd. in favour of the con-
sumer ; for coffee the charges respectively were, 1/. 12s. 6d. by
water, and railway 11. ss. 4d., making a difference of 7s. 2d.;
and on hops there would be a saving of 11. 143. SI a ton. The
markets in the north, especially those of York and Newcastle, were
by far the best for soap, but the inconvenience of getting it from
those quarters prevented the advantage which might otherwise have
been enjoyed by the neighbourhood.
Mr. Musson, also a grocer and tallow-chandler during the last
seventeen years at Gainsborough, gave evidence tq the same effect.
Mr. Watson, formerly engaged in the conduct of a bank, but now
a plasterer at Gainsbornugh, stated that the market for his article
was materially injured by the delay which arose from the delay
between the town and London. In the article of potatoes espe-
cially the inconveniencepas very injurious, there having last win-
ter been a dearth of that vegetable in the London market. The
only means of communication with London was by Hull, or the
station at Marbbrough, on the Midland Counties Railway,
making a circuit of one hundred miles. By the railway to
York by the Direct Northern was forty.three miles five furlongs,
while by the London and York the distance w s fifty-two miles,
making a difference of something more than eight miles in favour
of the Dim ect Northern.

GROUP P.
THE SOUTH WALES RAILWAY.

As soon as the Committee re-assembled this morning, the room
was ordered to be cleared, and after the Committee had remained
some time in deliberation, strangers were re-admitted.

Mr. E BULLER, the Chairman, announced that the Committee
were now prepared to proceed with the 21st clause, and requested
the promoters of the Bill to inform the Committee what course
they intended to adopt ?
Mr. COCKBURN wished to understand whether it was the 21st or
the 20th clause that was to be proceeded with.
The CHAIRMAN said that it must be the 21st clause, as that con-
tained the line of the railway. The 29th clause contained the
power to make the railway according to the deposited plans. He
wished to know how the promoters of the Bill intended to act
after the decision of the Standing Orders' Committee, and the non.
consent of the Admiralty.
Mr. AUSTIN said that it was clear they could not proceed with the
clause, which had been rejected by the Standing Orders' Committee
yesterday. The course which he intended to propose to the
Committee to adopt, if they thought fit, was the clause he held in
his hand, and which he would presently read. He was quite
aware that the proposed clause was precisely similar in effect to the
17th clause of the public Act.
Mr. BULLER, M.P.—lt is the Admiralty clause.

Mr. Lansdall, a seed merchant, at Gsinshorough, staled that he
dealt largely with Newcastle as well as with London, and confirmed
the evidence of the previous witnesses as to the delay which oe..
curred in the transmission of goods, and the benefit which he con-
ceived would arise from the formation of the Direct Northern
Railway.

!THE LONDON GAZE'rft4.

FOREIGN-OFFICE, JULY 1, 1845.
The Queen as been pleased to appi nye of Don Pio Ane!res
Garcia, as Vice-Codsul at Gibraltar for her Majesty the Queen
of Spain.

The Queen has been graciously pleased to appoint John
Ficnnes Crampton, Esq., now Secretary to her Majesty's.
Legation in Switzerland, to be Secretary to her Majesty's
Legation in the United States.

The Queen has been most graciously pleased to appoint
Newton Saville Scott, Esq., some time paid attache to her
Majesty's Legation in Spain, to be Secretary to her Majesty's
Legation in Switzerland.