The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-17 00:00:00

The MAYOR suggested that a local committee should be
formed to watch over the interests of the town in the forma-
tion of the harbour.
The resolution regarding the harbour was then pot and
carried unanimously ; and subsequently a local committee
was named to carry out the suggestion of his worship the

Mayor.
Mr. Fry then moved, seconded by Mr. Lloyd, that the
thanks of the meeting be given to the Mayor for his conduct
in the chair, after which the meeting separated.
TONBRIDGE AND RYE HARBOUR DIRECT:

The first meeting of the Provisional Committee of the
above line was held yesterday, at the temporary offices of the
Company, 94, Cheapside.
Mr. MONEYPENNY, upon taking the chair, stated that the
meeting was assembled for the purpose of taking into consi-
deration the expediency or non-expediency of making a rail-
road from the station of the South Eastern Company at
Tontiridge. or Paddock Wood, to Rye Harbour. They had
also to determine whether a deputation should attend from
that Company at the forthcoming meeting of landowners at
Cranbrook. Mr. Giles had been requested to survey and
report upon the best line of country, for the purpose of car-
rying a line from Paddock Wood to Rye, and they would
then hear the result.

Mr. PRESTON stated that they had met for the purpose of
forming a line of railway from Paddock Wood to Rye, the
nearest port to France. It was intended to pass through the
richest part of the Weald of Kent, containing many thou-
sand acres of hops and a considerable population. About
a fortnight ago a meeting of landowners of the dis-
trict was held, at which Lord Beresford, Captain King,
and other influential gentlemen and landed proprietors were
present. There did not exist the slightest difference of
opinion as' to the advisability of making the proposed rail-
way, not merely as regarded the convenience of the
inha-
bitants of the country through which it passed, but also as
a pecuniary investment. The only objection was, that the
line, which had been surveyed by Mr. Giles, passed through
the property of Lord Beresford, who, although favourable to
the line, was not willing that it should intersect his property.
There was no other way of avoiding this difficulty, except
by going through the property of Mr. Roberts, which
immediately adjoined that of his Lordship's; the land-
, owners, however, determined not to support any line which
passed through the grounds of the proprietors contrary to
their wishes. The meeting was therefore adjourned i-ntil
next Monday, with a view of giving Mr. Giles an oppor-
tunity of making a fresh survey in the meantime, in order_
if possible to obviate the difficulty, a purpose which he had
.since completely accomplished, and had now selected a line
which would meet the approbation of all parties. The port
of Rye had long been regarded as a most desirable one, in
many points of view; but in consequence of its out of the
way situation, and want of facility of communication with
the metropolis, it had not advanced as it otherwise would
have done. The inhabitants of Rye and the other places
upon the line were decidedly in favour of the proposed
railway. Rye would be benefited by being brought into
connexion with Maidstone, as well as other places. Hitherto,
they had suffered froth the railways having formed a kind of
barrier against them from north to south, a difficulty which
would be removed by the projected line. The hop-growers
were very desirous of availing themselves of the cheap mode
of transit for their hops by railway, instead of the slow and
difficult mode of carriage by waggons.
W. BAsTow, Esq., then proposed, and J. BENsoN, Esq.,
seconded a resolution to the effect, that it was expedient that
the proposed Company be established to carry out the object
as stated in the prospectus, subject to such alterations as
might from time to time be deemed advisable.
A managing Committee and ofAcers were then appointed,
and also a deputation to the ensuing meeting at Cranbrook;
and thanks having been voted to the chairman, the meeting
separated.

EXPERIMENTS ON THE CROYDON ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY
—Trains of from eight to twelve carriages each have lately
been daily running, sometimes from nine o'clock in the morn-
ing until dusk, upon that portion of the above line already
constructed, that is, from Forest-hill, close by the Dartmouth
Arms' station of the parallel line, as far as Croydon. These
trips are continued more with the view of exercising the men,
and thoroughly instructing them in the duties they will have
to perform when the line comes into full operation, than to
test the merits of the system, for it appears now, from the
results of previous experiments, that this principle of railway
communication will succeed. Within the last few days seve-
ral of the directors, with many scientific. persons, have had
ocular proof of the working of this line, and the imperfections
consequent upon an almost entirely novel undertaking, hav-
ing been removed, all who pronounced an opinion upon the
system were decidedly favourable to this plan, the
question as to the power of ascending inclines, and turn-
ing in- curves, being decided in the affirmative. Our
reporter went by a train of eight carriages, yesterday, from
the Dartmouth 'Arms' station, to Croydon, at the rate of a
mile in eighty seconds; but on this occasion the break was
on for the whole, or a considerable part of the distance.
Some few Jaye previously, however, a train of twelve car-
riages was propelled at the rate of seventy-five miles an
hour. So great is the rapidity sometimes, we are told, that
many birds, attracted to the tube by the composition and
grease, and unable to fly away soon enough on the approach
of a train, are struck and killed by the foremost carriage.
No time is yet positively fixed for the opening of the line,
but, from the advanced state of the works, it cannot be long
hence, probably a fortninght. On Monday next, it is stated,
that Sir Robert IPeel, Bart., with General Pasley, the In-
spector-General of Railways, and a large number of the aris-
tocracy, will take a trip on this line.
HULL AND HOLYHEAD DIRECT.—This important scheme
is certain, to be entertained and supported, as its merits are
not of an'ordinary kind. It will be seen that it is to pass
between the two points that furnish its explicit title, by the
way of Sheffield, Macclesfield, and Chester. A summary of
the course n the line shows that this railway will connect
the North Sea with St. George's Channel, and thus form a
direct route from Holyhead to Hull. Commencing at Chester,
where it will form a junction with the Chester and Holy-
head, and Chester and Birkenhead, it will pass between
Northwich and Middlewich to Macclesfield, Sheffield, Ro-
therham, Doncaster, and Howden, and by a junction with
the Hull and Selby line, it will proceed to Hull. Between
Chester and Macclesfield' 17 miles will be saved ; between
Macclesfield and Sheffield. 23; and between Sheffield and
Hull, 30 miles—an aggregate saving of 60 miles between
Hull and Chester. At Macclesfield. 'the line will be con-
nected with the Manchester and Crewe, with the proposed
Leeds, Wakefield, Barnsley, and Sheffield, and likewise
with the proposed line from Sheffield through Gains-
borough to Great Grimsby. It will form a junction, too,
at Howden with the York and Selby, Leeds and Selby,
and the great northern railways. The desirableness and
the ultimate success of a route like this,cannot but strike the
casual observer with the importance of its construction . He
will perceive that its reach is an extended ono, andthat its ul-
terior termini lie adjacent to countries whose trade would
readily find its way upon such a line. On the one hand, we
have the connexion of Hull with the ports of Europe, and
on the other that of Holyhead with the ports of the Irish
coast, while at the same time more inland, we have the great
manufacturing towns in direct working operation with this
route. The mineral wealth of Wales, too. will find outlets
by this course, so that the project may well be deemed one
of the most important that has yet been presented for public
approval. The surVeYs of this line have been commenced,
and we are happy to know that it is in such hands as will
be able to push it forward with success.