The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-22 00:00:00

GREAT WELSH CENTRAL RAILWAY.

On Monday a meeting of the Managing Committee of this
Company took place at their offices in Clement's-lane' Mr.
Ens, M.P. for Leicester, in the chair. The principal busi-
ness which came before the meeting was the report of Mr.
Galloway, the engineer. The CHAIRMAN, in opening the
proceedings, said he had every reason to believe that the
report would be most satisfactory to the great body of the
shareholders, as well as to every one interested in the pros-
perity of Wales, or the well-being of the kingdom at large
The reports which they continued daily to receive from the
principality afforded the directors in London a full as-
surance that the inhabitants of the district through which
the railway was intended to pass were most cordial.
in their support of this great undertaking; that many
of them quitted their harvest work in order to
assist the surveyors ; and it appeared to be equally
curtain that the landowners along the line were quite
au favourable as their tenants to this important na-
tional work. It was with much pleasure he perceived that
the names of several gentlemen connected with the prin-
cipality had been added to the provisional committee.
A mongst the most prominent objects of the Company was
that of affording the means of transit for goods and
passengers between Liverpool and Swansea. At present
vessels are often five ur six weeks in passing from the
Bristol Channel to Liverpool—a fortnight was rather a short
passage; whereas by the intended railway ten hours would
suffice for the transmission of any amount of goods from
either of those important ports to the other, and thus a vast
saving would be effected in the expenses of shipping, the
wages of seamen, and the cost of marine insurance.
The DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN observed that there was not one
project of the many now afloat which had so signally
earned for itself the title of " direct" as the " Great Welsh
Central Railway ;" and when the mountainous nature of the
country was considered, it appeared marvellous that a direct
and practicable line could have been traced. Fortunately
that object had been accomplished in a manner which
even exceeded their most sanguine hopes. It was impos-
sible to look at the map, or take into view the statistics of
such places as those between which it would open an inter-
course without feeling that that must be one of the greatest
works in the United Kingdom which facilitated the traffic of
such places as Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham,
Liverpool, the mineral districts of South Wales, and all the
important ports of the principality and of England.
The report of the ergineer was then read. It stated that
the line from Liverpool to Swansea would measure about
150 miles, the branches to Warrington and Neath being
111 miles additional. It would join the Liverpool and
Manchester at Blackbow-hall ; then proceed by Overton,
Oswestry, Welshpool, Newtown, to the Neath line, and i
onward to Swansea, through Rhvader, Llanphangel, Lian-
gammarch, Llandulas, Llywel, Capel delwyn, Ystradggnlais,
and Clybdydfechan. He described the engineering diffi-
culties as being of very limited extent, and the tunnelling
as very unimportant, only three-quarters of a mile in length ;
that the gradients were easy, and the deviations from a
direct course much less than is to be found in the generality
of long lines.
The report was then received, and the meeting broke up.