The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-20 00:00:00

RAILWAYS.

The Committee on these lines met at the usual hour this morn-
ing, when the cross-examination of Mr. Stephenson, C.E., was
resumed by Mr. Cockburn, Q.C., who represented the Great
Western Company. That witness deposed that the district through
which the lines would pass were of great mineral wealth, com-
prising vast coal fields and kale quantities of iron-stone; twelve
furnaces were in.she immediate vicinity of the line, at present
yielding considerable amount of metal for local and distant con-
sumption. South of the country, called the Blue District, the
coal and iron mines were of even greater importance, affording
reciprocal benefits to each other, but he could not say in what pro-
portion they would be mutually assisted. To get to Stour-bridge,
the London and Birmingham line would make a detour of twelve
miles, and a branch of 41 miles in length would be also necessary
to complete the communication to that place. The coal fields in
the district chiefly belonged to Lord Ward; but in surveying and
laying out the line he had not been influenced by any con idera-
tions connected with that nobleman. He had held frequent con-
ferences with Lord Ward and Mr. Smith, his agent, on the sub-
ject of the projected railway, but denied being actuated by either
one or the other, his motive had been to select the most easy and
advantageous route, and that course he had pursued independent
of all private considerations. There were three collieries at or
near the points of the Dudley Junction, besides the Buffery and
other large iron-works. The tunnel at that point, as at present
projected, would be 2,600 yards in length, and thence the line
running along the Dudley Canal would connect these numerous
iron.works with the extensive coal fields located on its course.
Their line would join the Avon at the crossing of the
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway; and in its course
between Worcester and Oxford, the London and Birmingham
was certainly inferior to the Great Western. The distance on the
former would be 63, and on the latter only 59 miles. Between
Evesham and Oxfo'd, passing Morton-in.the-Marsh as the centre,
and describing a circle with a radius of ten miles, a population of
45,625 would be embraced.
(LEFT Ernso.)

Group N.
WEST CORNWALL RAILWAY.

The examination of Captain Moorsom, the engineer to the rail.
way, was resumed by Mr. Rowe, who appeared on behalf of Mr.
Thomas, a petitioner against the Bill. He was about to be exa-
mined with respect to that portion of the Hayle Railway between
Redruth and Trevascus, seven miles in length, which is proposed
to be made an integral part of the line. He stated—when
Mr. AUsTtX renewed the offer he made on the day when the
Committee adjourned for the holidays—to construct the line off the
petitioner's property, and to leave his name nut of the schedule.
Had the Committee no power to stop the opposition of Mr. Thomas
after such a proposition ? By the mode he was adopting the pro-
moters of the Bill were put to great expense.
The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Macaulay) thought that !f Mr. Thomas in-
tended to persevere, they had no power to prevent him.
After some conversation, in which Mr. Rowe stated that it was
the intention of the petitioner to persevere in his opposition to the
Bill, and that he proposed to show that they could not lay down
the broad gauge on the public roads across which the railway ran.
without an Act of Parliament,

Captain Moorsom was again called, and was under examination
when our report left.

Group F F.
The lines comprehended in this group are the Edinburgh and
Northern Railway, the Edinburgh and .Hawick, and the North
British (Edinburgh and Dalkeith) Railway).
The Committee consisted of Lord Ashley, chairman, Mr. Collins,
Mr. Blackstone, Captain Osborne, and Mr. Curteis, and met at half-
past twelve o'clock.
EDINBURGH AND NORTHERN LINE.

Mr. TALBOT, on the part of the promoters of this Bill, said that
there were petitions from Laline and other towns against the pre-
sent project. Not one of those towns was within twenty miles of
the proposed line, and it was altogether out of the usual course for
towns at such a distance to petition against a line which
could not have the least direct interference with them. If they
wished for a line fur themselves they should proceed in the proper
way, and come before Parliament to obtain a Bill for it.
Mr. Sergeant WRANGIIAM, who appeared for the petitioning
towns, replied that those towns had a very great interest in the
proposed project not passing.
The Committee decided that they could not entertain the peti-
tion of the inhabitants of Laline.

NORTH BRITISH (EDINBURGH AND DALKEITH

LINE).

Mr. TALBOT said the object of the present Bill was to authorise
the North British Railway Company, which was Incorporated last
year, to construct a line of railway on the line between Edinburgh
and Dalkeith, which they had purchased ; and also to authorise de.
viations from the present line, and the widening of the gauge of the
line which was not at present available for railway purposes; also
to authorise a branch from the mein line of the North British to
Dalkeith, in order to give Dalkeith a proper communication with
Edinburgh; also to authorise the formation of a branch
from Dalkeith to Musselburgh. There was no objec-
tion to the preamble, but there was an objection in re-
spect to the 49th clause on the part of Sir Robert Dick, for
whom Mr. Wheatley appeared. It appeared that the Edinburgh
and Dalkeith line passed through the property of Sir Robert Dick,
and was paid according to the amount of tonnage. In lieu of this,
the clause proposed a different mode of payment.