The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-14 00:00:00

ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH AND MIDLAND.

A short time ago the Midland Company purchased the
Swannington line, and afterwards the Ashby Canal. The
proprietors of the latter held their half-yearly meeting on
Monday, at the Queen's Head Inn, Ashby, when a dividend
of 2/. per cent. on the half-year was declared, and it was
stated that the receipts for the last half-year were 500/. more
than the corresponding half-year of 1844, and upwards of
7001. more than the corresponding half-year of 1843. The
object of the Midland Company in purchasing the canal is to
extend the Leicester and Swannington Railway by a branch
commencing near Colville, and passing through Ashby-de-
la-Zouch, Moira, &c., and terminating in the Derby and Bir-
mingham Junction, near Burton-on-Trent. A branch will
also be made, commencing near Moira Baths, andiproeeeding
along the present route of the Ashby Canal to join the Trent
Valley line, in the neighbourhood of Nuneaton, or to be ex-
tended to the London and Birmingham Railway at Coventry.
In connexion with the Swannington Railway, it is intended
to commence a branch line a little to the north of Bagworth,
to join the Midland Counties line at the Ullesthorpe station.
It is also intended to connect the Leicester and Swanning-
ton line, at Leicester, with the Midland Counties near
Knighton-bridge. It was expected that some discussion
would arise at the meeting above referred to relative to the
lines to be made in this neighbourhood by the Midland Com-
pany; but in consequence of the absurd exclusion of re-
porters, on the ground that the affairs of the Company had
not been reported for the last seventy years, and that it
would be useless to do so at the eleventh hour, we cannot
notice the proceedings further than to state that Mr. Harris,
of Leicester, surveyor, is engaged in surveying the pro-
posed extensions and branches, which altogether amount to
about forty-five miles. The Midland Company, by their
agreement with the Proprietors of the Ashby Canal, enter
upon it within half a year after obtaining their Act of Parlia-
ment for these lines.

CONVERSION OF THE BRIDGWATER AND TAUNTON CANAL
INTO A RAILWAY.—BRISTOL, WEDNESDAY EVENING.—A
special meeting of the Proprietors of the Bridgwater and
Taunton Canal Navigation was held this afternoon at the
White Lion, Broad-street, in this city, when resolutions
were passed for applying to Parliament in the next session
for powers to convert the canal into a railway.
A deputation from London, in connexion with the Jersey
Railway, arrived in that. island on Sunday last.
PETERBOROUGH AND ST.4.3IFORD.—A contract was .entered
into with the Directors of the Midland Railway, at their
meeting at the Derby Station, on Tuesday last, by Mr.
William Worswick, railway contractor, of Sileby, Leicester,
for the formation of a new branch line from Peterborough to
Stamford, distance of twelve miles, for the sum of 47,000/. ;
the work to be commenced in a few days, and completed in
eight months.
SYSTON AND MELTON.—On the same day, the Directors of
the Midland Railway accepted a second tender from Mr.
Worswick, to form a line from Syston to Melton, a distance
of nine miles and a half, for 48,060/., to be completed in the
same time as the Peterborough and Stamford.
Hanwicit LINE.—We understand that the arrangement
between the Eastern Counties and the Eastern Union Com-
panies is, that the latter shall be allowed, unopposed, to con•
struct the Harwich Railway from Manningtree ; and that it
shall be leased to the Eastern Counties Company. The time
—two years—for which the Eastern Counties Company were
bound to take Braithwaite's Harwich line having expired,
and nothing having been done, they consider themselves re-
leasetd fr in their contract with thit concern.—Bury Post. _

PROJECTED LINES.—The following is a summary i f the
number I f new schemes before the public, and the amount
required for deposits. It will be observed that already there
is more than one scheme, and nearly a million a day for the
entire year, exclusive of foreign projects :--New railway
schemes for session 1846, to the 7th of October, 1845
United Kingdom, 399 schemes; amount of deposits,
28,994,074/. ; amount of capital; 329,290,0001. Foreign
schemes, 70; amount of capital, 197,280,0001; amount of
deposits, 17,689,750/.
The solicitors of the Dover and Bristol have got together
a powerful connexion, as indeed they have done with most
of their lines. They are the parties who brought out the
South Staffordshire Junction, now at 4 premium; the Lei.•es-
ter and Tamwurth, 6 premium ; the Shrewsbury and Here-
ford, premium; and the Staffordshire and Shropshire, 2
premium. —Railway Herald.
BEDFORDSHIRE, HERTFORDSHIRE, AND ESSEX JUNCTION.
—The above projected line of railway is somewhat novel in
its character, inasmuch as amongst its other purposes, is that
of the port of Maldon, in Essex, probably suggested by the
success which has attended a similar course, pursued by the
directors of the Sheffield and Great Grimsby Junction. It
is urged that the port of Maldon can be rendered available,
at a comparatively small outlay, for vessels of 500 tons, and
that their owners would thus save the time and expense of
discharge they are subject to in London, besides giving them
the opportunity of leaving their cargoes nearer by so many
miles to the eastern and adjacent counties. The line itself
is to commence by a junction with the London, Birming-
ham, and Dunstable Railway at Dunstable, to have a branch
from thence to Tring, likewise accommodating the towns of
Dunstable, Luton, Wheatbampstead, Hertford, Ware, Har-
low, Chelmsford, &c., and terminating at the port for which
it is partly designed. The whole of the country through
which it passes is very level, and has already been surveyed
and favourably reported upon by Mr. Fulton, the engineer.
DIRECT SHEFFIELD AND .SIANCHESTER RAILWAY.—It
would appear that the chain of railway communication will
be completed between the River Humber, the towns of Shef-
field and Macclesfield, the Potteries of Staffordshire, the Salt
Wiches of Cheshire, the city of Chester, the Liverpool and
Birkenhead Docks, Bangor Ferry, and the harbour of Holy-
head, by the above line. This is to be done by junctions with
all the important railways, commencing at the Sheffield ter-
minus at Manchester, and proceeding in a direct course
through some thirty miles of manufacturing country. Mr.
Sandiforth, Mr. F. Griffin, and Mr. J. H. Taunton are the
engineers by whom the line has been already surveyed, and
the direction is composed of that class of wealthy, vet
" working men," by whom the first railways were conceived
and established.

NORTR-WESTERN TRUNK RAILWAY.-4. m ongst the new
schemes for supplying railway accommodation to Gloucester,
Worcester, Tewkesbury, and towns adjacent, as well as for
fuming the slizzteg and most desirable communication be-
ween Liverpool, Manchester, and the northern parts of Eng-
land, and Gloucester and the Bristol Channel, is the North-
West Trunk Railway. It is to commence at the junction of
the Manchester and Birmingham, Chester and Crewe, and
proceed from thenca through or near the towns of Market
Drayton, Newport and Shifnel, in Shropshire, thence through
Kidderminster to Worcester and Tewkesbury, and to the
Bristol Railway at Gloucester. By this means it is intended
to prove the most direct route from Manchester, Leeils,
Liverpool, Hull, and Chester, to the ports of Gloucester and
Bristol ; indeed, the most direct one from the north of Eng-
land to the Bristol Channel. It will also, in conjunction with
the proposed Hereford and Worcester, and Swansea, Merthyr
Tydvil, and Hereford Railways, form an advantageous route
from Swansea and the iron district of South Wales to Liver-
pool, Manchester, and Hull. The line will cross the Shrews-
bury and Birmingham Railway at Slufnall, and the Shrop-
pl:nrgt.th. TAh ep
ppl
ircoaptliosteidi linee
nids e
dt o
tobebeeig
Shrop-
shire Mineral Railway and the Trent Valley Union at New-
laidt‘e-±ls
jerveandimreielteslinine
from Southampton to Kidderminster..

IRISH RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.
CORK AND BANDON RAILWA.Y.—The operations on
contractor
two
re hfoopre wthieth completeeeeoed dyisvucFes s.
this line have commenced, and are
his flag on the lands of ca3itshilownh.otef
to be carried
trel
titetn
I,d
Mr.tte
loivinoernwkrisit"hhpstii:i
the side of the mail coach road, yesterday morning, and
set fifty men to work sinking a foundation for the gcentre
pier of the viaduct, which cross4-s the road at this spot.
Great numbers of labourers were offering, and those se-
ltcted seemed highly delighted at the prospect of em-
ployment thus opened to them. The liberality of Mr.
White, J.P., the owner of the land, in thus giving pea_
session of it at once, has enabled the contractors to pro-
ceed with the operations, and we are informed that ar-
rangements are satisfactorily progressing for the com•
mencernent of the works along the whole extent of the
line.—Cork Repo' ter.
IRISH WEST COAST.—We have been given to under-
stand that the Irish West Coast Railway Company have
determined on extending their line to Cork, by means
of a direct line from Limerick, thereby affording the
greatest facility for communication, and the least ex-
pensive mode of intercourse, between those two impor-
tant cities.—Erening Mail.
CLONMEL, KILKENNY, CARLOW, AND WICKLOW
RAILWAY COMPANY.—The above Company, which, we
believe, is generally known as " The Great Western,"
from London to Bristol, have already commenced the
survey of their various lines, particularly the foregoing,
of whose success there is no doubt whatever, as it has
met with the support of nearly all those interested in
the welfare of the counties through which it is to pass.
These enterprising capitalists have appointed William
Elliott, Esq., their solicitor for Carlow, and the entire
branch to Kilkenny.—Carlow Sentinel.
Ross AND KILKENNY, WITH EXTENSION TO CARLIW.
—Mr. Valentine, the engineer for this Company, accom-
panied by Mr. Aher, was in Carlow during the past
week, making surveys in this neighbourhood in con-
nexion with the above line.--Ibid.