The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-23 00:00:00

Fir

&c. ; the description of glass is flint and bottle glass. Travel-
lers visit these places from his house about four times a year; it
would be a very great advantage to have railway communication to
those places from York. _

To Mr. TALBOT—It would be quite a matter of indifference to
him whether the glass went by branches or a direct line.
Here the Committee held a shore consultation, and when it had
concluded

The CHAIRMAN said the Committee had requested him to ex-
press a hope that the remainder of the evidence would be made as
brief as possible, for they had now been engaged 15 or 16 days on
this one line alone ; and as they had several other Bills yet to die.
pose of, the Committee did rely on counsel that no evidence would
be laid before them which would be mere repetition of what they
had already heard, or which would not irr fact be deemed very
material.

Mr. PAGET said be would endeavour to do so, and hoped to
be able to conclude the general traffic evidence to-day.

Mr. Joseph Waters, agent to Mr. Hunt, of Sheffield, merchant
—lhe weekly average tonnage of goods from Sheffield to London
was 80 tons of all sorts of goods, and the expense was 655. per
ton. The annual tonnage of goods from Sheffield to Hull was
13,000 tons, and the cost per ton was 20s. by rail, and 10s. by
canal. The cost per ton from Sheffield to London by
railway and canal by Derby was 45e.. The saving to be
effected by the proposed line would be very considerable.
The mode of conveyance from Sheffield to Lincoln was by land ;
the expense of transit at present was 30s. per ton; the cost by the
proposed London and York line would be I Is. Bd. per ton. From
St.effield to Lincoln, by Boston and Hull, the expense
was at present 405., and by the Fersdyke navigation,
40s. By the proposed line it would be 15s. From
Sheffield to Spalding the route was by Leicester and
across the country, and was very indirect. The cost was 80s. and
50s. per ton, the average was 60s. By the proposed line it
would be 16s. sd. From Sheffield to Cambridge there were
various modes of transit by Leicester the cost was 10s.,
and by London about the same; by Hull it was 605.,
and by Northampton about the same; the average was
about 70s. ; by the proposed line the expense would be 225.
To Repford from Sheffield, the mode of transit was by land only.
The present cost was 20r. ; by the proposed line it would be Bs. Bd.
From Sheffield to Huntingdon the mode of conveyance was by land.
The present cost was 70s. ; by the proposed line it would be 20s.
From Sheffield to Hull by rail the present cost was 20s. ; by the
proposed line it would be 15s. From Sheffield to London the pre-
sent cost was 635. ; by the proposed line it would be 375. Bd.
There was a considerable traffic between Manchester and the
eastern counties, but he had not the particulars.
Mr. John Boys, manager for Messrs. Watson, the largest mer-
chants in Manchester—The proposed London and York line
would afford great facilities for the transit of goods from Man-
chester to Nor-wich, and all the towns In the midland counties ;
the traffic between Manchester and those towns was very extensive.
Mr. John Boys, cross-examined—Did not include any town
south of Huntingdon.
To Mr. COLBWINE—The London and York agents told witness
what towns to select.—(Laughter.) The London and York line
from Manchester to Norwich would oblige passengers to pass
through three different companies.
Mr. Samuel Jackson, of Boston, had been many years in busi.
ness in the manufacture of steel and iron. There was a good deal
of goods sent from Sheffield to the east and north of Lincolnshire.
The proposed London and York line would facilitate that inter-
course, and the expense of carriage would be materially lessened.
Within the last few days the freight of goods from Sheffield to Hull
had been :educed to Os. per ton.
Cross-examined—The converting coal, a quantity of which was
consumed in Sheffield, was brought from rear Elseter.
Mr. Ash, eoro.factor, a Wakefield, deposed that the greater
part of the corn brought to that town came from Lincolnshire and
Norfolk. Is of opinion that all the corn sent from Lincolnshire to
Wakefield would be sent try the Londr n and York line.

A machine was then produced, by which a record was kept of
all persons passing on the railroad between London and Birming-
ham, ald proved that a similar return could be made on the pro-
posed line. _ .

Mr. Becket Denison, M.P. for the West Riding of York-
shire, depo-ed as to the agreement entered into between the pro.
posed Corn any and the Fordyke and Witham Navigation Cora-
panles.

Mr. DARBY, )!ember of the Committee, asked the witness some
questions respecting the nature of the agreement, when he was
interrupted by
Mr. BARING WALL, another Member of the Committee, who
said he objected to the witnesses being interrupted in this way
while in the hands of counsel.

Mr. DARBY said he conceived the evidence to be irregular, and
would take the sense of the Committee as to whether such evidence
should be given.
Mr. PAGET said he would give up the questions.

The room was then cleared, and after an absence of about twenty
minutes the parties were admitted, and
The CHAIRMAN said the Committee had agree I not to
admit irrelevant evidence, though they were very unwilling to
interrupt counsel, or not to afford them any facility. But this
was a very important case, and therefore the evi-
dence should be as direct as possible. On those grounds
the Committee would omit from their minutes whatever
portion of evidence they had taken that had an individual applica-
tion, and would only take that of a general character.
Mr. Denison's: examination wa; then resumed —He said th•
agreement in question between the London and York Company
and the Forsdyke anti Witham Navigation Companies was entered
into with a view to the deduction of the tolls and the accommoda-
tion of the public.
' '

Copies of the agreement were then handed in.
Witness continued to give evidence as to the facilities which the
proposed line would give for the transit of coals, and bringing the
Durham coal into competition with that of Yorkshire.
The Committee adjourned at half-past four o'clock.

Group N.
WEST CORNWALL RAILWAY.

At the sitting of the Committee some conversation ensued re.
spzcting the length of time which the scheme had been before it.
The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Macaulay) said they had already sat eight
days on a line of some 20 or 23 miles in length, and from the
waste of time that had taken place it was not unlikely their time
might be occupied for many days longer. He wished to know
what course the parties now intended to pursue ?
Mr. Rows said he was most desirous to save the time of the
Committee, and with that object in view he had abandoned his
intention of calling witnesses on behalf of Mr. Thomas, and should
then address the Committee in support of that gentleman's case.

After some discussion between the promoters of the Bill, the
Committee, and the counsel for the petitioner, the Committee de-
cided they would hear Mr. Rowe.
The Learned Gentleman then addressed the Committee. He
contended that the promoters had not proved their preamble, and
that there were insuperable obstacles to the construction of the
line. With respect to the Hayle Railway, five miles and a half in
ength, which was to become a portion of the main line,
he held that the laying down of the broad gauge
across public roads, and the various alterations which
would be rendered necessary, would require new Parliamentary
powers, and that the Committee were not empowered to report
favourably on that portion of the line. He cited instances of this
on the Croydon and South Devon. In addition to these objec-
tions, they could not alter or repeal the Hayle Railway Act with
respect to the leasing of the line and the alteration of the tolls,
which would be rendered necessary by including it in the
scheme. Having then no powers at the present moment
to effect these important alteraticns, the first man that
stuck a pick-axe in the ground would be liable to be charged at the
quarter sessions for so doing. An interregnum of the extent of
the Hayle Railway would be the result, and both branches of the
main line (that railway being between them) would be rendered
unavailable for the purposes of a railway, until they could obtain
the necessary powers He referred at great length to the Acts of
Parliament in relation to the subject to substantiate the objections
he had urged.

The Learned Gentleman then went into detail respecting the
estimates of Captain Moorsom, C.E., and of Mr. Whitley, a sur-
veyor, for the construction of the whole of the line, and to
the evidence of Mr. Brunel, and concluded by contending
that those estimates a ere deficient for its proper con-
struction with safety to the public and with economy ; and that
the Committee could not report in favour of the proposition. He
called u.,on them to suspend their judgment until they had gone
into the Cornwall and South Devon Bill.

The CHAIRMAN, after consulting with the other Hon. Membeas,
said it might ht as well to announce that the Committee would de-
fer their decision on the West Cornwall until they had heard the
Cornwall.

,Mr. AusTIN said a petition, bearing the seal of the Hayle Coin.
pang, would be presented to the House to.aight, in the event of
there being a House.
It was then agreed that Mr. Austin should open the Cornwall to-
morrow morn:ng.

Group V.

The Committee re-assembled this morning In room No. 9, and
Mr. WHATELEY proceeded to call evidence on the part of the
opponents of the
NEWARK AND SHEFFIELD LINE.
Mr. Cavendish, M. P. for North Derbyshire, was called to show
that the Doke of Devenshire's opposition did not arise from any
interest he had in ti,e Staveley cclleries, but simply because the
present project would materially injure his seat of Ilardwick.
Mr. Devonport sho-i.z..d that the traffic proved before the Com-
mittee differed very considerably from that given to the Board
of Trade.
Mr. Fowler, civil engineer, was employed on the Sheffield and
Lincolnshire, and also on the Great Grimsby Railway. The wit-
ness was asked whether the Sheffield and Lincolnshire would not
he a better line than the one under consideration, when the answer
as interrupted by
Mr. BaiNra, Q.C., who contended that any evidence as to the
merits of that railway could not be received, it riot being classed
with the other lines to he considered by that Committee.

Mr. \VUATELLY rejoined, and the room was cleared to allow the
Committee to deliberate on the matter.

On the public being admitted, it was stated that the Committee
had decided agAinst receiving evidence on the Sheffield and Lin-
colnshire line.

Mr. Fowler was then re-examined as regarded the actual plan
laid down by the promoters of the Newark and Sheffield Railway.
Ile thought the mode of junction with the Midland Railway at
Chesterfild, as proposed by Mr. Gibbs, was very defective.
Mr. Maclean, C. E , had surveyed the line laid down by the pro-
moters, and he was decidedly of opinion that the line selected by
them was a very 'objectionable one. The curves and gradients
were very objectionalie. He had laid out another line,
which was greatly preferable, and would save in distance
at least one mile and 39 chains. By hisamended line the train on
the Newark and Sheffield line would be seen from the Midland
line at two miles distance. By the promoters' line it could only be
seen at a distance of a quarter of a mile. His curves were better
and his gradients less ojectionable. His' amended line had met
the approbation of the Duke of Devonshire's agent, Mr. Currie,
as it passed the avenue of Hardwick Park by a tunnel, and
could not, therefore, by any possibility, be seen from the mansion-
house or the grounds. His litre would present less engineering
difficulties than the other, it would give greater facility to the coal
traffic, and would be less expensive than the other.
Mr. Walker, civil engineer, had gone over the line of country
which was to be the scene of this railway project, and he decidedly
thought that Mr. Maclean's line was a better 'one. He thought
there could be no question that it was superior, as it was a mile and
a half shorter, and seventy-seven feet lower in' the summit level.
At four the Committee adjourned till to. morrow.

Group L.
GUILDFORD, CHICHESTER, AND PORTSMOUTH
RAILWAY.
The Committee on this group resumeda the inquiry this morning
on the Guildford and Portsmouth R
in the chair. After some evidence respectingwo Railway. Mr.
cDteouFniasren_
ham and Havant, which was precisely the character of that
given yesterday, scme suspicion was throws by the counsel for the
promo era of the line on the several names to the
r tio
.Lord Arthur Lennox, one of the Meaabuernspeeftoiralchester,
y , statedoject e
d
that
for
was called, and to the queries of Mr. c
as he took a great interest in the lines p
connecting Chichester with London, he gave a decidedr preference
to the Guildford extension line. He positively asserted that there
was not the name of one single elector or burgess attached to the
petition which had been presented from Chichester against the
line of the South-Western Company. The population of Chiches-
ter was upwards of 9,000, and in his opinion it ought to be con-
sidered next to Portsmouth.
To the cross-examination of Mr. Rawtisso, his Lordship
stated that the population on the propesed line was far superior
to that on the atmospheric line. The gentlemen's seats were cer.
tainly more numerous. There was Lord Egment's house, Good-
wood, the Midhurst property, and several others immediately
adjoining the proposed railway.
To the cross-examination of Mr. WsnDiNoToN, Lord Arthur
stated that he had approved of the Brighton Extension line; and
Fe the re-examination of Mr. GURNEY, he stated that he had a
belief that several of the noblemen and gentlemen who had signed
the memorial to the Board of Trade were In favour of the Guild.
ford Extension line.

The CHAIRMAN here interrupted the Counsel by saying tt at,