The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-02 00:00:00

E&AILWAy COMMITTEES

(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.
CALEDONIAN RAILWAY.

The Committee met to.day at eleven o'clock, Lord Radnor in
the chair, when the case of the Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle
Railway, which is now brought forward in opposition to the Cale.
donian Railway as a competing project, was gone into.
Mr. ANDREWS addressed the Committee at considerable length
n reply to the case in favour of the Caledonian, closed yesterday,
and In favour of the competing scheme. After stating the routes
which the two lines of railway took, he entered into a comparison
of their engineering difficulties, which lie maintained were much
greater in the Caledonian line than in the Glasgow, Dumfries, and
Carlisle. ln the former the gradients were much snore severe, and
the tunnels, cuttings, and embankments, much greater, and mcre
difficult of construction than in the latter. The expenses also in
proportion to distance was much higher. The engineering pecu.
R
Rarities of the Caledonian were such, that he was persuaded that it
could not be travelled without considerable danger, besides offer-
ing many impedimenta to speed and regularity. The difference of
length between this line of railway and the Glasgow, Dumfries,
and Carlisle, he was certain ws.uld be more than compensated by
the superior speed and safety of the latter. If there was difference
in distance, it ought also to be recollected there was a great difference
in the amount of population along the respective lines. The Cale.
donian to a very great extent traversed a country destitute of culti-
vation, and with scarcely any inhabitants ; the other
passed on all points through a comparatively thickly populated and
well cultivated country. With respect to Glasgow and Lanark.
shire the two lines were about equal. It was, therefore, said as a
reason why the Caledonian should be preferred to the Glasgow,
Dumfries, and Carlisle, that it accommodated the north of Scotland,
which the other did not. True, it was proposed to connect this line
With the Scottish Central, but it was altogether erroneous to suppose
that thereby the whole north of Scotl end would be benefited. All
Scotland north of the river Forth contained 1,200,000 inhabitants.
At present the only lines that traversed any portion of this tract of
country were those to Perth, Dundee, and Aberdeen. Now, of the
1,200,000, a vast proportion would receive no benefit from this
line of railway. Argyleshire, with 100,000 inhabitants ; Fifeshire,
with 150,000; and Forfarsbire, with nearly as many more; bc-
sides all the west parts of Ross-shire. Caithness.shire, and Sut her.
landshire, Dundee, and the surrounding country and Fifeshire,
would be supplied with a line of railway from Burntisland, in con-
nexion with Edinburgh, by which the southern traffic to those
places would proceed, the great mass of which would come by the
North British Railway and the Hawick line. Deducting, there-
fore these important items of population from the north of
Scotland, there only remained Perth and trade, Aberdeen and
trade, with the intermediate places on the lines of railway to be
accommodated ; all of which places would still con-
tinue to use to a considerable extent their former
means of conveyance. Against these were to be placed the
Mineral, manufacturing, and agricultural counties of Renfrew and
Ayr, as also the important towns of Dumfries, Kirkudbrightshire,
Vigtonshire ; and there the balance should be struck—a balance
that would tell greatly in favour of the line of railway for which
he had the honour to appear. As a proof of the decided feeling in
the latter named places in favour of this project he need only inform
the Committee that eighty-six petitions had been presented in its
favour, from Kirkcudbright, Dumfries, Wigton, Ayr, Kilmer-
Marnocii, Pore Glasgow, and other places ; as also from Belfast,
Londonderry, and other towns in the north of Ireland. The
Learned Gentleman having intimated that he was fully prepared
to prove all his allegations by the amplest evidence, concluded his
address, and the examination of witnesses was proceeded with.
(LEFT SITTING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP L.
LONDON AND PORTSMOUTH DIRECT,
AND GUILDFORD AND CHICHESTER
LINES.
ibis Committee re-assembled to-day to define and pass the
clauses of the remaining Bills before them.
That of the Guildford Junction was first proceeded with, and no-
thing but mere technical arrangements or alterations made—each
point, however trivial, met with the strenuous opposition of the
rival Companies, and thus occupied the Committee with a most
prolonged, but most uninteresting discussion.