The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-14 00:00:00

THE SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY

AND THE BOARD OF ORDNANCE.

The following letters, some of which were embodied in the
petition of the Southern Eastern Counties Company's pe-
tition, and others in the report, with the examination of other
parties implicated, will eaable the reader to judge more cor-
rectly of the whole bearings of the charge :
The humble petition of the south-Eastern Railway Company,
under their common seal,

Humbly showeth,
That your petitioners were incorporated by Act of Parlia-
ment for the formation and maintenance of a line of railway
between the metropolis and Dover, and that branches there-
from to various towns within the counts of Kent have since
been constructed ; and that the said public undertaking, with
the works in progress, and those to which the proceedings now
before Parliament on behalf of the said company relate, in-
volves a capital of six millions sterling.
That your petitioners introduced various Bills into your
Honourable House in the present session for certain extensions
of the said railway, one of which said proposed extensions
from Hungerford-bridge to Childham, reported for non-com-
plir-ice of standing orders, is now a project in Group A of your
Honourable House.
That an opposing company, called " the London, Chatham,
and North Kent Railway Company," has now a Bill before the
said Committee, Group A, intituled," a Bill for making a Rail-
way from London to Canterbury, with Branches therefrom."
That your petitioners have been opposing the said London,
Chatham, and North Kent Railway Bill in the said Committee
22 days to the present day inclusive; and by counsel, agents,
and witnesses, at great cost, have been promoting their own
competing line, in opposition to the said other projected
railway.
That in the course of the evidence of your petitioners be-
fore the said Committee, difficulties were proved to exist'in the
London, Chatham, and North Kent Railway scheme, by' rea-
son of certain objections to the levels and stations in the
vicinity of Woolwich.

That those facts were supported, on behalf of your peti-
tioners, by the evidence of the Right Hon. Lord Bloomfield,
commandant of the artillery at Woolwich, and other artillery
and engineer officers, who stated that the passing of the said
North Kent line, as proposed, could not be carried out con-
sistently with the public safety and the maintenance of that
branch of the public service.

That the said difficulty raised against the North Kent by
this evidence was met by the production of a letter, signed by
Mr. Hignett, the solicitor to the said Board of Ordnance,
stating the assent to the said railway plan by the said Board of
Ordnance.

That the following documents in relation thereto are ex
traats from the minutes of evidence before the said Committee,
Group A :

" Office of Ordnance. Jan. 20, 1845,
" Sir,—The Master-General and Board of Ordnance having
had under consideration your notice No. as to the Ord-
nance property at Woolwich, Chatham, and Sheerness,
affected by the proposed London, Chatham, and North Kent
Railway, I am directed to communicate to you thereon as
follows :

(Woolwich. )—lf the line of railway be adopted, the Mas-
ter-General and Board consider it to be quite indispensable
that it shall be tunnelled throughout the whole extent of its
course through the Ordnance property at this place; and fur-
ther, that no station be placed so near to the Ordnance boun-
dary at either end so as to afford a pretext, or create a tempta-
tion, to persons going to or coming from the station to cross or
trespass in any manner upon the Ordnance property.
" (Chatham. )—ln the proposed Bill a clause should be in-
troduced, requiring the railway to pass through the Ordnance
property on a plan approved by the Master-General and Board,
the details of which should be prepared in this department,
showing the manner in which the work must be executed, so
as to prevent injury to the defences of the place.
( Sheerness. )—The Master-General and Board cannot
sanction the line of railway at this place, an embankment in
the Ordnance property being objectionable. Subject to these
exceptions, the Master-General and Board assent to the under-
taking, so far as this property at the above stations is concerned.
" I am, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
" R. BY HAM.
" Wm. Stephens, Esq. (North Kent Railway),
30, Bedford-row."

" June 9, 1E45,

" Sir,—l am instructed by the Provisional Committee of the
London, Chatham, and North Kent Railway Company to trans-
mit to you, for the purpose of being laid before the Master-
General and Board of Ordnance, and for their approval and
sanction, a map of their proposed line of railway, extending
from Blackheath to the further side of Plusnstead-com-
mon. On the map the line of railway is coloured b'ue, the
proposed stations are also coloured blue, and the boundaries of
the Ordnance property at Woolwich and Charlton (so far as
the same are known to the Company's engineer) are marked
by a red shade. The station for the accommodation of Wool-
wich is proposed to be placed on the west side of Woolwich-
common, and the approach thereto from the town of Woolwich
is proposed to be made along the road called Sandy-hill, and
which is coloured yellow on the plan.
" As the house belonging to the Ordnance, and usually
occupied by the Adjutant-General of the Royal Artillery,
and also the field in the occupation of the officer com-
manding the engineers at Woolwich, must unavoidably be
greatly interfered with, it is proposed, at the Company's ex-
pense, to re-build a suitable mansion in such a situation as
the Master-General and Board of Ordnance may select, and
also so to construct the line of railway as to make the least
possible severance in the commanding, engineer's field,
and, if required, to purchase proper ground, and at the Com-
pany's expense, in any other other convenient situation. It is
most respectfully submitted to the Master-General and Board
of Ordnance that the station for Woolwich will thus be placed
in a position to allow of no excuse for trespassing on the Ord-
nance property, while the situation is as far removed as possible
from the boundary of the Ordnance grounds so as to leave the
Company any chance of profit for their outlay in constructing
the railway. The plan. also shows the nearest station to the
westward of Woolwich-common, which will be situated at
Ki,ibrook-lane, between llorden College, and the inn called
The Suo in the Sands,' which it is hoped may be considered
by the Master-General and Board of Ordnance as a position
which will not at all tend to occasion any trespass on the Ord-
nance property.
" I beg to add that the several portions of the commanding
engineer's field would have aff ,rded a more desirable station for
the public' and the Company ; but, in order to conform to the
views of the Master-General, it has been proposed to place the
eastward station at Sandy-hill.-1 have the honour to be, Sir,
your moat obedient servant,
" J. Hignett, Esq &c."

" WILLIAM STEPHENS,

" Office of Ordnance, Pall-mall, June 10, 1845.
" Sir,-1 beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated
the 9th wi:h its accompanying plan, showing the proposed
l.ne of the North Kent, Railway, from Blackheath to the fur-
ther side of Plumstead- c,mmon, and the sites of two intended
stations. oae to the westward of Woolwich-common, at Ki.l-
- between Morden College and the inn called The
Sun in the Sa:als,' and the other to the eastward, at the west-
end of Plumstead ; and, having submitted your letter and plan
to the Master-General and Board of Ordnance, I am directed
to ieform you that they assent to your proposition. The Mas-
ter-General and the Board consider that those stations will be
sufficiently remote from the outward limits of the Ordnance
property, not to afford a pretext to persons going to, or coming
therefrom, to cross or trespass upon the Ordnance property.
•' It is, of course, to be understood that the tunnelling will
be executed to the satisfaction of this Board, as already agreed
between the department and the Company, and that I am to
prepare clauses for insertion in the Bill, to secure the due exe-
cution of the works assented to by the Master-General of the
Board.

"On this understanding I have, on their behalf, to express
their assent to the have the honour t) be, Sir, your
mast obedient humble servant,
"J. HIGNETT, solicitor, Ordnance.

"Mr. W. Stephens."

" Office of Ordnance, June 13, 1845.
" Sir.—The Master-General and Board of Ordnance, being
of (viol°, that the two stations for the London, Chatham, and
North Kent Railway, marked on the plan furnished by you,
viz., that to the westward at Kiclbrook-lane, between Morten
College and the inn calktd The Sun in tho Sands,' and that to
the eastward at the nest end of Plumstead-common, having the
approach to it from Woolwich along the road called Sandy-
hill, will both be sufficiently remote from the outward limit of
the Ordnance property not to afford a pretext, or occasion, or
temptatiin for persons going to, or coming from, those stations
to cross or trespass in any manner upon the Ordnance pro-
perty, lam commanded to communicate the same to you, for
the information of the London, Chatham, and North Kent
Railway Company,-1 am, Sir, your most obedient humble
perv,nt,
" R. BYHAM.
" Mr. 'V. Stephens, 30, Bedford-row."

" Office of Ordnance, June 24, 1845.
" Sir,—With reference to the correspondence which has
p-ssed between the Board of Ordnance and the North Kent
Railway Company, as to the formation of a tunnel or
covered way across Woolwich-common in the manner
required by the Master-General and Board, I beg to
state that I have prepared, and transmit herewith, a
clause for insertion in the Bill, in the event of its being
adopted by the Committee, providing that the tunnel
and other railway works at that spot are to be executed to
the satisfaction of the Board of Ordnance. lam directed to
add that the company are not to vary the level of the railway
by raising the same ; but that the Master-General and Board
consent to any necessary deviation of the level of the railway
by lowering the same, or any part of the Ordnance property at
Woidwieh-common, to such an extent below the level of the
railway as shown in the deposited section thereof, beyond the
extent allowed by the General Railway Act, as may be neces-
sary to give sufficient headway throughout for ventilation or
otherwise, as may he required, or as may be pointed out by the
Board of Trade or the Inspector-General of Railways.—l am,
Sir, your most obedient servant,
"J. HIGNETT, solicitor, Ordnance.
" W. Stephens, Esq., solicitor,
" London, Chatham, and North Kent Railway."

That your petitioners have reason to apprehend that undue
influence may have been used by the solicitor of the Board of
Ordnance in favour of the said London, Chatham, and North
Kent Railway to the prejudice of your petitioners.
That your petitioners, under these circumstances, felt it in-
stembent upon them to lay before the Committee, Group A, a
letter addressed in February last to a late secretary of their
company from John Hignett, the solicitor of the said Board of
Ordnance, and which letter is as follows :
" Office of Ordnance, February 3,'1845.

"MI dear Sir,—l wifiCank;;uT;iet me have some tickets
of admission to the meeting at the City of London Tavern on
Thursday next.
"I *link you should not overlook Captain Boldero (a
member of this Board) in your allocation of the forthcoming
share!'; you can address them to him at this office and mark it
private.' ,
" I spoke to Mr. Bonham on the same point, but he feels
some difficulty, as there is to be an opposition in .Parliament to
your lines.
" You can send some shares to him or not, as you please,
and mark your letter • private,' and state that you do so at my
suggestion.
Whatever you intend for me you will also please to mark
private.'
" Sir J. Goldsmid is, I hear, still bent on a vigorous opposi.•
tion ; bet, I have little doubt, if you are firm, that will
succeed.you
.4 There is to be a meeting at Greenwich to oppose you; but
Mr. Forman (son of the late Colonel Forman), who is interested
largely in: respect of some houses, the principal ones in the
place, on his own family's account, and also for trustees, will
not concur in their views, -but quite the reverse. He is my
assistant.—Yours, faithfully, "J, HIGNETT."
When you get before the Committee of the Commons, I
will tell you whom to attend to give evidence for you. It will
help you greatly.
"J. Whitehead, Esq."
That, under thelabove circumstances, your petitioners feel
that the interests of their proprietary and the public may
have been compromised by the corrupt influence of the said
John Hignett at the said Board of Ordnance, or that the
documents bearing the signature of the said John Hignett may
not have had the proper or full consideration and sanction of
the said Board of Ordnance.
That such corrupt conduct in a public servant of the Crown
L not only injurious to the interests of your petitioners, but
derogatory to the honour and integrity of public authorities.
Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that your Honour-