The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-11 00:00:00

THE BANKRUPTCY DECLARATION BILL.

The House then resumed, and the Speaker reported
progress.
The House then resolved itself into Committee on the
MERCHANT SEAMEN'S BILL.

Mr. HENLEY objected to the first clause, con-idering the
principle of granting licences to boarding-houses fur the recep-
tion of seamen, as undefined. afoot pernicious; and he thought
that before the House acceded to it, it should learn from the
Government what was the definition of an " honest crimp."
After an explanation from Sir George Clerk, and a short
conver.ati,in between Sir George Cockburn, Mr. Wawn,
Captain Corry, and Mr. Lambton, that and the other clauses
were age: el to, anti the Bill was ordered to be printed and re-
ported to-morrow (this day).
The House having resumed,
Sir THOMAS FREMANTLE obtained leave to bring in
a Bill to continue expiring Turnpike Road Acts in Ireland.
Mr. MANNERS SUTTON obtained leave to bring in a
Bill to continue certain Turnpike Acts; a Biil to continue
an Act for authorising the application of higlawri rates to
turnpikeeroads ; another, to continue the Act to amend the
law relating to loan societies ; another, to suspend the making
•f lists and the ballots and enrolments for the militia of the
nhited kingdom; ani another, to continue the exemptiopf
inhabitants of parishes, townships, and villages from liablity
to be rated as such, in respect of stock in trade or other pro-
perty, to the relief of the poor.
Mr. M. SUTTON then asked leave to introluee a Bill to
continue two Acts, relating to the removal of poor persons
born in Scotland and Ireland, and chargeable to parishes in
England.
Mr. W. S. O'BRIEN intimated his intention of opposing
the introduction of so pernicious a Bill. The Acts who,e con-
tinuance was now sought for, had been found to work most
prejudicially to Ireland; the power of removing paupers,
even after long industrial residence had entitled them
to a settlement, was a hardship alike weighing
heavily on the pauper and the country to which he
vas removed. He therefore should strenuously resist the in-
troduction of the Bill.
After a few words from Mr. Robert Palmer, Sir James
Graham, and the Attorney-General for Ireland in support of,
and from Colonel Rawdon, and Mr. Morgan J. O'Connell, in
opposition to the Bill, it was eventually postponed.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the
(louse adjourned at Two o'clock.

RAILAIAY COMMITTEES

ESTERDAY.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.
CORNWALL RAILWAY.

The Committee met at eleven o'clock in the Lord Chancellor's
Court, the Earl of Ellenborough in the chair.
Sir Charles Lemon, M.P., was the first witness examined this
morning—Knew the county of Cornwall generally, and thought
the projected line the beet practicable one. Several other lines had
been projected, but this he considersd the most feasible, and, under
all the circumstances, a useful and a good one.
Cross.exa►nined—Had heard the line would cross several creeks,
some of which were navigable.
Mr. Tremain, formerly representative for Cornwall, was adverse
to the Bill under the consideration of the Committee, and rather
in favour of the central line.

To the CHAIRMAN— Thought the line would answer all the pur-
poses of the peat le of Cornwall.
Mr. Praed, M P. for St Ives, thought the principal population
of Cornwal would be much benefited by the proposed line. The
people of St Ives were in f.ivour of it.
Cross-examined—Petitions had been presented to Parliament
in favour of the Bill, and one against it, from the inhabitants of St.
Ives. Thought the line the best practicable one, but had not gone
much into investigation.
Mr. Whiteworth, towu.clerk of Plymouth, was next examined.
Mr. Praed was examined as to the feeling of the district it passed
through, which he represented to be favourable to the line.
Captain Moorsom, the engineer of the line, entered into a
statement of the engineering peculiarities of the line, gradients,
tunnels, cuttings, and embankments, which he represented to be
favourable. He put in the plans and sections, and explained them
in detail, the particulars of which have already been given in the
report of the Commons' Committee.
Mr. Miller, civil engineer, was examined generally respecting
the line, which he represented to be well laid out. His evidence
was adduced principally in corroboration of Captain Moorsom's
evidence.

The Committee then adjourned till to-morrow at eleven o'clock.

THE °xi:4mm, WORCESTER, AND VTOL.

VE3HAIVXPTON aa.3XLWAY.

This Committee resumed its sitting to-day at eleven o'clock,
Lord Radnor in the chair,' when the examination of witnesses was
proceeded with.

Mr. England and Mr. George Hickman Bond, of Kingswln-
ford, were examined in corroboration of the evidence of tr.-4U and
railway accommodation adduced by the witnesses yesterday.
The evidence of the latter was principally confined to the coal
trade, in which he Is engaged, and stated that the railway on the
broad gauge would accommodate them to the south much better
than the other proposed, and open up, at London especially, an
important market for the disposal of coals, that might be taken to
London at Id per ton per mile.
The witness was subjected to a very rigid cross-examination
by Mr. AVsTIN, with the object of showing that the estimate the
witness had formed of the expense of carrying coals was incor-
rect. He admitted that he did not know whether it was possible
to carry coals at the price stated, as be had never made the neces-
sary calculation. The coals of Staffordshire he considered superior
for household purposes to either those of Leicestershire or Derby.
shire. There was a quantity of coal sent at present by
canal to Oxford, which sold at Kingswinford, for from ss.
to Hi. the ton. The best W 35 sold for 12s. the ton.
He could not say what its price was at Oxford. What he wanted
was a competing line for the purpose of coal traffic. That was
the ground of his supporting the present Bill.
Re-examined—lt was not true that Derbyshire or Leicester-
Shire coals were superior to the Staffordshire coals. The price of
Derbyshire coals was ss. 6d. or 6s. per ton ; and hence it was ne-
cessary to reduce the carriage on the Staffordshire coal, in order to
enable them to compete in the south with the former coal. They
could not do so if they had to pay ls. 7d. per ton for carriage. On the
grounds of gauge, of the route of country, of the places it touched
at, of expense, and of entrance into London, he preferred the
Great Western scheme.

Mr. Leigh, High Sheriff of Worcestershire, and carpet manu-
facturer in Kidderminster, was next examined. He employed
350 looms at Kidderminster, or nearly one sixth of the whole trade.
He knew both schemes of railway. He had examined them on the
map, and also gone through the country for the purpose. Taking
the schemes as a whole, he was decidedly in favour of the Great
Western scheme, though there were many considerations
that went in favour of the other. As far as Kidder-
minster was concerned, the approach as well as the
station of the Great Western scheme were much superior to
those of the London and Birmingham. The latter line crossed
several turnpike roads in its approach, and the station was in a low
and disadvantageous situation. The other only crossed one turn.
pike road, and approached as near !de town as possible without
doing any mischief to property. The witness then explained, by
the map before the Committee, the relative po..ition of the two
stations, and their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Cross-examined by Mr. Hors—He had not been examised
before the House of Commons. A line through Birmingham to
London was very desirable, yet he considered then_ ought to be
another entrance into Lonlon than by the Lotelon and B►rming-
ham tine, as then the public would be much better provided for by
the Competition. tie considered, as far as Lindon was concerned,
two lines—one through Birmingham, and another by Oxford—
would be about equal in advantage to Kidderminster. He sent
out annually in goods from 400 to 500 tons, and received in return
from 700 to 800 tons, exclusive of coals. The goods he sent out were
about 60,0001. in value. tie used a boat of coals weekly, or 1,000
tons a year He understood that the low land on which the
London and Birmingham station was to be placed was to be em-
banked ; that would cause flooding. If the railway was carried
upon arches a good deal of his objection on that score would be re-
moved, though then he apprehended there would still be danger of
water accumulating. He attended a meeting in Kidderminster, on
the Sd of April last. He proposed the first resolution. An
amendment was proposed in favour of the other line, but
It was negatived, and the resolutions of the Great Western
scheme were carried. Mr. Aidia at the meeting, he (Mr. Leigh)
believed, represented the advantages of the London and Burning.
ham line, iss bringing the Banbury wool market in connexion with
Kidderminster. He did not himself think there was much advan.
tag, in such a connexion

Mr. Paul Matthews said he was manager of fire-clay works near
Stourbridge. They produced about 7,000 tons of manufactured
articles yearly, principally fire• bricks Dud crucibles. They sent a
considerable quantity of these to the south. The Great Western
scheme, as far as the town and suburbs were concerned, would
afford the greatest amount of accommodation.

The cross-examination of this witness did not elicit any point of
material importance.

Mr. Hill, town clerk of the city of Worcester, deposed as to
the feeling of the people of that place in respect to the proposed
tine. He recollected being present at a public meeting of the
borough in the City-hall last year, when resolutions were carried
by a large majority in favour of the Great Western scheme.
The schemes were fully explained on both sides before
the vote was taken. The vote was almost unanimous in
favour of the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton.
The scheme of the London and Birmingham then pro-
posed was from Weeilon to Worcester. That was afterwards
abandoned, and a new one brought forward. A meeting of
the Town Council took place on the 3d of September, at which
the sckemes were again submitted, and the Council decided
by a majority of twenty to three in favour of the London, Oxford,
and Wolverhampton. A meeting of the Chamber of Commerce
was held the same day, and a similar resolution passed. In
November another public meeting of the inhabitants was held, at
which the Tring line was submitted, with the other parts of the
London and Birmingham scheme, along with that of the Great
Western, when a great majority, in fact nearly all, voted for reso.
lutions in favour of the latter scheme.

Mr. Samuel Price Edwards, collector of customs at Southampton,
deposed to the great increase in the trale of Southampton, and
thought the present line from Staffordshire and Worcester would
enable them to be supplied with the produce of Manchester, the
north, and the midland counties.
Mr. Thomas Lister Foster, of Evesham, gave evidence as to the
convenience the line would afford to that town and neighbourhood.
The feeling of the people was generally in favour of it.
Mr. Miller, civil engineer, was examined as to the comparative
engineering peculiarities of the competing lines. The expense of
working the inferior gradients on the London and Birmingham
scheme would, in his opinion, counterbalance the expense conse.
quent on the break of gauge by the transhipment to the other line.
The witness was cross-examined at some length respecting the
construction of the Scotch railways, but it did not seem to bear
much on the subject.matter of the examination in chief.

The Committee then adjourned till to morrow at eleven o'clock.

THE SCOTTISH MIDLAND RAILWAY.
The Committee on this scheme, consisting of the Earl of Devon,
Chairman, the Bishop of Landaff, the Duke of Grafton, Lord
Camoys, and Lord Charleville, assembled this morning at eleven.
Mr. COCKlitlitT4 briefly opened the case for the promoters, and
stated that the line proceeded from Perth, through Strathm.,re, to
the town of Forfar, pabsing by Cupar Angus to Glamis. The
length of the line would be twenty miles, which was all new rail-
way, and ten milts railway already existing would be added to it.
(here were ho particular engineering difficulties on the line, and the
benefit to the district which It traversed would be very con.
siderable.

Mr. Blackener was the first witness examined. He deposed ge.
nerally as to the traffic in coals, cattle, slate, lime, and potat( es,
and stated it to be his firm conviction that the proposed line wculd
be of great advantage to the country.
Tt e exemindtion of the witness was continued at coneider~ble
length, but the entire of his evidence has already appeared in the
reports which were published in the proceedings of the Cornmwte
in the House of Commons.

Lord Wharncliffe was then examined by Ur. Fortairrn.—His
Lordship stated generally the traffic which might be expatai