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

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 20, 1845.

Group E.
NORTHUMBERLAND (ATMOSPHERIC) LINE.
This Committee proceeded this morning to hear the evi-
dence in favour of the promoters of the Newcastle and Ber-
wick line, and against the Northumberland (Atmospheric) line.
Mr. Bidder's evidence occupied the attention of the Com-
mittee the entire day. He stated that he had made
several experiments from the formula of Mr. Hawkesley, a
large gas manufacturer, and he found that on the atmos
pheric system they could not procure a vacuum of fifteen
inches in less than nine minutes, with two engines of fifty
horse power each, and with twenty-two strokes per minute.
The greatest speed which could be attained would be 33
miles an hour. The resistance would be 14 pounds per ton,
and the train would meet the same resistance in return.
Forty-five tons could be carried at the rate of thirty miles
an hour on a level, with a vacuum of fifteen inches; and
thirty tons would be conveyed at the same rate on a gradient
of 1 in 100.
Mr. Bidder was then cross-examined by Mr. ALEXANDER
—He did not think that the valve in the piston would have
any great effect in stopping the train by admitting atmos-
pheric air. It would not admit it quick enough. He
thought that it would, in certain cases, have the effect
of retarding the train ; but in most cases it would
not be brought into play at all. He never saw a piston
fitted with valves for retarding. The revolving power
was objected to; it wore the engine. They were
obliged to use it passing stations, but they always
avoided it when it was possible. He adopted Mr.
Hawkesley's formula, and it was on that he founded all
his experiments, the application of Mr. Stephenson's for-
mula created what appeared to him to be anomalies,
because Mr. Stephenson did not allow sufficient
for the friction of the air. When he analysed Mr. Samuda's
formula he feund the same. He believed Mr. Hawkesley's
formula to be correct, and to account for the anomalies of the
formulas of Mr. Stephenson and Mr. Samuda. By Mr.
Stephenson's experiments a vacuum of eighteen inches was
obtained in three minutes alf but two seconds. The leak-
age depends on, the length of, -the pipe. The :
experi
ments made with respect to the atmospheric resist-
ance were quoted in Robins's Mechanical Philosophy,
and were- made many years ago by order of Governnient.
The result of these experiments, he believed, was Mr. Brunel's
apprehension that he would not be able to attain a high
velocity on the atmospheric principle.
The Committee then adjourned till Wednesday.

NEWCASTLE AND DARLINGTON RAILWAY.
A general meeting of the proprietors in this Company was
held immediately on the conclusion of the special meeting of
the York and North Midland Company at the Station, York.
Mr. Hudson, Chairman of the Company, presiding at the
request of the chairman, Mr. Close, the secretary of the com-
pany, read the advertisement calling the meeting, who stated
the object to be to lay before the meeting a " Bill for making
a railway from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Berwick-upon-
Tweed, with branches therefrom, to be called the Newcastle
and Berwick Railway, and also the draft of another Bill,
intituled " a Bill for enabling the Newcastle and Darlington
Junction Company to purchase the Brandling Junction
Railway, and to enable the said company to make certain
branch railway stations and works, and for other purposes.
The Chairman then entered into a statement of the com-
parative merits of- the locomotive and atmospheric prin-
ciples. The latter, he thought, would not be sufficient to
carry the traffic on the proposed line between Newcastle and
Berwick. Even Mr. Samudn and Mr. Brunel admitted that
only forty tons could be carried at a time. He submitted to
the meeting a resolution in accordance with these views,
which was unanimously carried. After explaining, in an-
swer to a shareholder, that the Brandling Junction shares
would be placed on the same footing with respect to the
Newcastle and Darlington, as the Leeds and Selby were with
respect to the York and North Midland, the Chairman pro-
ceeded to notice some slight opposition on the part of three
shareholders, who held amongst them some thirty or forty
shares, and then put the resolution approving of the Bill,
which was carried unanimously.
A vote of thanks having been given to the Chairman and
the Directors, the meeting separated.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS.
MONDAY, MAY 19.
The following Bills were read a second time, and committed,
and referred to the Committee of Selection :
Londonderry and Coleraine Railway.
Bristol and Gloucester Railway (No. 2).
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway (Gloucester Extensions,
Stoke Branch, and Midland Railways Junction).

The Taff Vale Railway,—Report from Select Committee on
Standing Orders read; petition for Bill presented; referred
to the Select Committee on Petitions for Private Bills.

NOTICES GIVEN AT THE PRIVATE BILL OFFICE.
Irish Great Western (Dublin to Galway),—Second read-
ing, Friday, May 23.
Whitby and }ickering Railway,— Clause to be proposed to
be added on further consideration of report, Tuesday, May 20.
Select Committee on Group E. adjourned till Wednesday,
Mav 21, at twelve.
Wexford, Carlow, and Dublin Junction Railway,—Com-
mittee on Bill, Tuesday, May 27, at half after twelve.
Taff Vale Railway,—Committee on petition, Friday,
Mi!), 30.

Midland
M Railways (Nottingham to Lincoln),—Report,
Wednesday, May 21.
Midland Railways (Syston to Peterborough),—Amend-
ments proposed to be added, on further consideration of re-
port, Tuesday, May 20.
Guildford J unction Railway,--Report, Wednesday, May 21.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
OLD COURT.
(Before the RECORDER.)
John Downey, 39, was charged with the manslaughter of
William Bates.
Mr. Clarkson prosecuted, and Mr. Ballantine defended the
prisoner.
The case will be fresh in the recollection of our readers.
The prisoner and the deceased met at the Rabbits public-
house at Ilford, both of them being slightly the worse for
liquor, when a dispute took place between them, and the pri-
soner having received a good deal of provocation, struck the
deceased. A fight took place, during which the deceased fell
and broke his leg. The shock to the nervous system pro-
duced delirium tremens, of which he died a few day afterwards.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, but recommended him
to mercy, and he was sentenced to three months imprisonment.

COAL MARKET.
Prices per ton at the close of the market :—Buddle's West
Hartley, 16s 9d ; Chester Main, 155.; Harting's Hartley, 173;
Holywell Main, 16s; Nelson's West Tanfield, 16s 6d ; North
Tanfield, 128; Old Pontop, 13s 6d ; Redheugh, 148 ;
P.avensworth West Hartley, 16s; Taylor's West Hartley,
16s; Tanfield Moor, 17s; West Hartley, 17s; West Wylam,
15s 3d ; Wylam, I4s 9d ; Wall's-end, Gosforth, 1683 d ; Hil la,
15s 6d ; Killingworth, 15s 9d ; Pott, 14s; Walker, 15s 6d ;
Wharncliffe, 16s ;•Braddyll's Hetton, 18s 3d ; Haswell,lBs 9d ;
Hetton, 18s 3d ; Lambton, 188; Pembertan, 16s; Russell's
Hetton, 18s; Richmond, 'l7s; Trimdon Main, 16s 6d;
Caradoc, 18s; Hartlepool, 18s 6d; Heugh Hall, 16s 6d;
Kelloe, 17s 6d ; Thornley, 16s 3d ; Trimdon, 17s 6d ; Ade-
laide, 17s 6d ; Barrett, 16s ; Tees, 17s 6d ; Derwentwater
Hartley, 16s; Elsicar Main, 14s; Hartley, 16s; Powell's
Duffryn Steam, 225.—Ships arrived, 48. .

and who also farmed a good deal of land in the neighbour-
hood, testified to the facility which the formation of this rail-
way would afford to the trade of Godalming and Guildford,
and especially in the conveyance of timber out of Sussex.
Competition would be excited between the Wey and Arran
Canal and the railway, and thus a saving in carriage would
be effected to the public. The cost to London was about 9s.
a ton, and it took three or four days to get goods there by
the present communication. There were several mills about
Godalming and Guildford which ground for the London
market. The country about Chichester was a grazing
country.: and great facility would be afforded by the pro-
posed railway for the conveyance of fat cattle to the great
markets, and in procuring coals, foreign timber, and oil-cake
for feeding cattle, a great advantage would also be obtained.
In all these matters, therefore, the formation of the railway
would be a public benefit, and, for himself, a saving of some
thousands a year would be effected in preventing the neces-
sity of hiring horses for the carriage of his goods.
Mr. Sergeant TAISOURD appeared for a Committee of the
inhabitants ofPortsmouth, and stated that petitions had been
presented to both the Houses of Parliament, signed by 10,000
individuals, and that the very great majority of the inhabit-
ants of that town were opposed to this line Pnd in favour of
the other.

Mr. GURNEY opposed the hearing of counsel of parties
whom he contended had no right to appear on the ground of
its being contrary to the usage of Parliament.
The Committee having •decided that Mr_ Sergeant TAL-
rounD should be heard, he proceeded to cross-examine Mr.
Marshall, who replied that London. bridge would be an im-
practicable place for the deposit of timber, and that Vauxhall
was a much more convenient site.

To the cross-examination of Mr. Rawlinson, Mr. MARSHALL
stated that he was a _Director in the proposed line, and a
shareholder in the South-lVestern line, but that he held
three or four times that amount of property in river and
canal shares.

To the renewed examination of Mr. GURNEY, Mr. Marshall
replied that the distance by the Direct Portsmouth Line from
Godalming to London would be forty miles, while by the
other line the distance would he thirty-three miles. The
number of the inhabitants of Petersfield was about 1,500,
while the population of Chichester was 10,000 or 12,0000,
and the trade between Godalming and Chichester was much
greater than that between the former town and Petersfield.
Mr. Mangles, 31. P., testified to the necessity of communica-
tion between Guildford and Chichester by railway, and stated
that a company had been formed for that purpose last autumn
through whose direction the line was to bo surveyed. The whole
of the district was richly cultivated, and the traffic would be
chiefly derived from the south country, while the atmospheric
line passed from Chichester to Portsmouth through one of
the poorest and most desolate tracts of the country. The
proposed line would be a much greater convenience to Guild-
ford market than the direct Portsmouth. This was of im-
portance, as Guildford market was perhaps the highest
corn market in the south of England. Godalming and
Guildford were opposing places, but the greatest ad-
vantage would be obtained for both places b-, the
Guildtord, Chichester, and Portsmouth Railway. He had not
personally ascertained the population of the district through
which the atmospheric line passed, but repeated his impres-
sion that that part of the country was barren and deficient of
inhabitants. The other line, on the contrary, went through a
country rich and well peopled.
Mr. Edmund Nicholls, a tanner and currier at Guildford,
having a tanyard at Midron, and another in the town of Go-
dalming, said he had a considerable business there, buying
his hides in London and his bark in the neighbourhood of
Godalming. He consumed about 13 tons of bark per week.
The country was hilly, and the tolls heavy; and look-
ing both to purchases and sales, the proposed railway
would be in his estimation a great convenience, both to him-
self and the neighbourhood generally. Godalming contained
about 4,000 inhabitants, and near to it were several large
mansions and demesnes. The line of railway would pass be-
tween Godalming and Westbrook, the seat of Mr. Muskett,
thus cutting off the communication of that house with
Godalming; and as a river flowed on two other sides of the
property there would be only one side open to the country.
But it appeared, from the cross-examination of Mr. Gurney,
that the estate was in Chancery ; the house, which for many
years had been uninhabited, was in a very dilapidated state,
and the communication with the town very bad. The two
lines of railway also passed so as to be equally disadvan-
tageous to the property.
Mr. Chennel, official corn-seller at Guildford, stated that
the quantity of corn brought to that market varied from 400
to 700 quarters a week. The supply came chiefly from the
south, and but little from Petersfield, and his impression was
that the intercourse between different parts of the country
would be greatly increased, though of course that would to
some extent depend on the number of stations.
Mr. George Sayers, a waggon-master at Guildford, stated
that the carriage through Guildford to London was chiefly
for live stock, and the return was for groceries and other
similar necessaries. This witness testified to the traffic from
the several places in the neighbourhood, and he stated that
by far the larger part of it came from Chichester, and but
very little from Petersfield, the business at the latter place
being trifling.
The Committee adjourned till to-morrow, at twelve o'clock