The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-13 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

THE LONDON AND YORK RAILWAY.

PETITION OF HENRY BUTCH, OF MINCING-

LANE.
TO THE EDl7'Ol? OF THA' SUN.

Sta,—The distance I am from London aid not allow
me sufficient time to be there to offer evidence before the
Committee of the house of Commons• to rebut th,-
sertion that I, as a shareholder in the London and York
Railway Company, have given a fictitious address, and I
must, therefore, beg a small space in your next paper
the only opportunity left me of publicly giving the pe
tition of Henry Bruce, as far as it relates to me, a fiat
and indignant denial.
On the first formation of the London and York
Rail-
way Company, I applied for thirty shares, all of which
I still retain, and in that application inserted my addrcs-,
York-buildings, New-road, where I was then actually
residing ; but having, as executor, to arrange some mat-
ters in the north of Ireland, I thought it advisable to get
my adires altered to 106, Crawford-street, Portm,:n-
square, a public library, where I have been accustom, d
for some years to have letters and papers addressed, and
from whence I daily receive newspapers and letters,
I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
CHARLES THOMAS HAMILTON, M.D.
C(agh, Moneymore, Tyrone, Ireland, Aug. 9, 1845.

SOUTHAMPTON AND MANCHESTER.
A numerous meeting took place yesterday at the Town-hall,
Southampton, for the purpose of expressing an opinion as to
the expediency of supporting the project which had been laid
before the public for the establishment of a direct line of rail-
way communication between Southampton and Manchester.
At half-past twelve o'clock the chair was taken by Captain
Griffiths, the Mayor of Southampton.
Mr. LONG, the secretary, having read the requisition calling
the meeting,
His Woasifir, the chairman, said that it afforded him the
most sincere gratification to preside over that meeting, feeli. g
as he did that the prosperity of Southampton must be im-
mensely increased by a direct communication between Man-,
Chester and Southampton. The advantages of such a com-
munication were so evident that he believed the: e was not an
individual in the town of Southampton who did not perceive
them ; and he was delighted to be able to assure the meeting
that he had not the slightest doubt as to the success of the
project —( Hear, hear. ) The position of Southampton was pecu-
liarly favourable as regarded the import of East end West rn-
dian produce, and the export of those manufactured articles
which were required by the markets of the East mid West
Indies.—( Cheer.) It was of the greatest possible advantage
that they should be enabled to supply to the vessel which landed
her cargo of sugar from the West Indies a return cargo of
those articles which were required in those islands, namely.
the manufactured produce of the northern and other districts,
and this could be effected in the most rapid and economical
manner. by opening a communication between the manufac-
turing and mining districts of the country and the port of
Southampton.—(Cheers.) He was most desirous to see this
project carried out. He was confident of its success, and he
hoped that, whoever should be Mayor of Southampton during
the next year, would follow up his views. The project had
received the warmest support from the commercial gentlemen
who had heard of it, and it was but yesterday that he heard
that a commercial gentleman in London, who had merely seen
the prospectus, had stated his desire to become the purchaser
of 300 shares, so palpable were the advantages which must
result from this line of communication.—(Cheers.) There
could be no doubt in the mind of any man of experience as
to the success of the project, and he looked upon it as calcu-
lated to be of service, not merely to Southampton and Man-
chester and the intermediate towns, but to the country gene-
rally.—( Cheers. )
Mr. LAISHLEY moved the first resolution, which was to the
effect that, in the opinion of the meeting, it was of the utmost
importance to the town of Southampton that railway communi-
cation
in the most direct course should be promoted between
the port of Southampton and the manufacturing and mineral
districts of the kingdom. He congratulated the meeting upon
the unanimity which all parties displayed with reference to a
direct communication between the manufacturing districts in
the north of England and the port of Southampton. The
meeting, which might be truly said to represent the opinion of
the whole town, displayed a degree of unanimity which had
not been witnessed before by the oldest inhabitant; and he could
only attribute that to the general appreciation of the great
advantage which such a communication as that which was
novr projected would confer, not only on Southampton, but
on the country generally.—( Hear, hear.) They had wit-
nessed an immense increase in the exports of Southampton
in a few years, since the establishment of the South Western
Railway. Mr. Edwards, the collector of customs, had stated
before a Parliamentary Committee, that in the year 1841 the
exports of Southampton amounted to 700,000/., and that
in the year 1844 they had increased to 3,000,0001., two-
thirds of that export being manufactured produce ; and he
added that if this line were opened, the exports would in the
next year, in his opinion, amount to 10,000,0001. sterling.—
( Hear, hear.) Those were the opinions of the collector of the
port of Southampton; they showed the view which he took of
the probable increase in the exports ; and of course it was
almost unnecessary for him (Mr. Laishley) to say that if their
exports increased their imports would be likely also to in-
crease ; and even now, according to the statement of Mr.
Edwards, the imports to the port of Southampton of raw
material for the manufacturing districts in the north had
greatly increased.—( Hear, hear.) That import of raw material
for the manufacturing districts through the port of Southamp-
ton, showed that others had seen the advantages and facilities
for traffic of Southampton more plainly than its own inhabit-
ants. That, however, was not so much a matter of surprise as
the reflection that the inhabitants of the north and south of
England had net years ago perceived the advantages of com-
munication with foreign countries which Southampton afforded,
and that this line had not been projected at an earlier period.—
( Hear, hear.) Southampton was now a packet station, but
it was not at all a matter of certainty that it would continue
so much longer, and the only way in his opinion to make
such a matter certain was to open this communication with
the north, in which case there could be no doubt that South-
ampton would be retained as a packet station, so that this affsrded
another reason, if such were wanting, why the inhabitants of
Southampton should be desirous to see the direct line between
the port and Manchester established. It ought to be recol-
lected that opening such a means of traffic would greatly increase
the power of tradesmen in Southampton, who now had a com-
paratively limited field of operation to extend their proceedings
and amass princely fortunes, by standing. like the London
tradesmen, between the manufacturers and immense numbers
of consumers. It was that which enabled the London trades-
men to amass such sums of money, and he wished to sec the same
facilities afforded to the tradesmen of Southampton.—( Hear,
hear.) The line which had been proposed by the Manchester
and Southampton Railway Company was one that possessed
great advantages; one of the principal of which was, that
it would pass through a line of country, a great portion of
which was remarkably deficient in railway communication ;
whilst, looking at it in another view, they would find it
opening up in those districts a market for the produce of Spain,
Portugal, the Mediterranean, and the East and West Indies,
and an opportunity of sending off their manufactured produce
in return —(Cheers. ) The benefits which would be conferred
on the towns through which that line of communication would
pass were very numerous, for not only would thu commercial
prosperity of all the districts through which it passed be in-
creased, but the inhabitants of many of the towns through
which it was to pass, who now only read of the scenery and sa-
lubrious air of Southampton, could, when the line was esta-
blished, enjoy the pleasures which such invigorating air and
beautiful scenery afforded. He had shortly alluded to the prin.
cipal and more immediate results which might be expected to
follow from the establishment of a direct communication by
railway between Southampton and Manchester, and he should
without further trespassing on the time of the meeting, propose
the resolution which he held in his hand.
Dr. CLARKE seconded the resolution.
Mr. ANDREWS said that he had heard of auother line of
communication different from that which had been proposed
by the Manchester and Southampton Railway Company, and
if any of those who were at the meeting were favourable to
that line, he hoped they would state the particulars and rea-
sons which induced them to prefer it to that which had been
already approved of by the town council. He knew nothing
of this line himself, which appeared to be an adverse line to
that which had been approved of already by the people of
Southampton, and he only knew of such a line being projected
by having a paper sent to him that morning, marked " private
and confidential"—(A laugh)—and acquainting him that such
an adverse project was in contemplation. That communica-
tion could not have been sent to any one less capable of keeping
the existence of such a project a secret than he.—( Laughter. )
The best way in which to give publicity to such an under-
taking, and to have its merits canvassed properly, was by its
advocates and promoters coming forward and stating what were
its claims on public support in preference to that which had
already been approved by the people of Southampton. lie
(Mr. Andrews) had only one object in view, and that was to
have the best line agreed to.—( Hear, hear. )
'The resolution was then put and agreed to unanimously.
Mr. JOSEPH LANKESTER said that he had the pleasing duty
to discharge of introducing to the meeting a deputation of
gentlemen who represented the opinions of the inhabitants of
Manchester, and who would state to them what the opinions
which prevailed in that important town on the subject of the
proposed railway were. If ever they wished to become as
eminent as the men of Manchester, the inhabitants of South-
ampton ought to associate with them, for association produced
identity of feeling and character ; and he thought that there
was no way in which this association could be so speedily
brought about as by the establishment of a direct railway com-
munication between these towns. He would now introduce to
the meeting the deputation on the part of the inhabitants of
Manchester, namely, Messrs. Walkinshaw, Durham, Tootal, and
Wheeler.—( Hear, hear.) He had received on that day a
communication from one of their representatives, Mr. Mild-
may, in which that gentleman spoke in the highest terms of
the project, and expressed his desire to become one of the
provisional directors of the proposed Manchester and South-
ampton Railway.—( Cheers.
Mr. WAnitrusirAw (one of the deputation from Man-
chester) said he was one of the provisional directors of the
Direct Manchester and Southampton Railway, and he had no
knowledge of any projected line adverse to that. The object of
the line with which he was connected—an object which had
been before the public for a considerable time—was the esta-
blishment of a direct communication by railway between Man-
chester and Southampton. The advantages of such a line were
so very evident, that it was seemly necessary to go at any great
length into a description of them, and he would therefore
shortly describe to them the course of the railway and its various
junctions. Starting from a point in immediate connexion
with the harbour and docks of Southampton, it would
take the most direct communication consistent with the
accommodation of the inhabitants of the towns and
counties through which it would pass—Romsey, Marl-
borough, Swindon, Cirencester, and Cheltenham, thence
to Droitwich, Wolverhampton, by the Grand Junction ; and by
the Manchester and Birmingham Railway to Liverpool ; by
the Manchester and Birmingham, or North Stafford, to Man-
chester ; by the Worcester, Shrewsbury, and Crewe, through
Oswestry, to Chester, Birkenhead, and Holyhead, and thence
to Ireland, and by Liverpool to Scotland; by the Trent Valley
and Midlands Junction to Derby, and the North Midland; by
the Birmingham and Gloucester to Birmingham ; by the North-
ampton, Banbury, and Cheltenham to Northampton ; by the
Worcester and Leominster, and Gloucester and Leominster, to
the Western districts, accommodating immediately the popula-
tionite.—
of Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Worcester,
( Hear, hear.) He would ask them to consider for one
moment the social advantages which must follow from such
a line of railway, opening as it would to speedy mutual
communication such important and populous districts.
Apart from
the commercial and trading facilities
which would be thus afforded,. would it not he of the
greatest possible beuefir, m a social views that the
operatives and mechanics of Manchester and the great northern
towns should enjoy the recreation which a. visit to the Isle of
Wight or Southampton would afford them, and by the aid of
such means of enjoyment and recreation to return to their or-
dinary employments with their mental and physical systems
strengthened and fitted for resuming their employments with
greater advantage to themselves and those who employed their
industry ?—(Cheers.) On the other hand, it would enable the
tradesman
and mechanic of Southampton and its neighbour-
hood to visit the wonders of mechanical skill which were dis-
playedin the great manufacturing towns of the north, and en-
large and improve his mind by such a visit.—( Hear, hear.)
The town of Southampton possessed the greatest natural ad-
vantages of almost any town in the kingdom, and yet it was