The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-04 00:00:00

IMPORTANT DECISION.

The Committee.room was then cleared, and, after remaining in
deliberation for nearly an hour, strangers were admitted, when

The CHAIRMAN said it was no doubt known that the Committee
could do nothing that evening, as there was no House, but
as it would save much anxiety he would state what the
Committee would do when they met to-morrow :—THE COM-
MITTEE WOULD PASS THE PREAMBLE OF THE
CORNWALL BILL, BUT THEY WOULD NOT PASS
THE PREAMBLE OF THE WEST CORNWALL BILL.
He should with to know, to.morrow, whether, after their deci-
sion on the West Cornwall Bill, the St. Ives' Bill would be pro-
ceeded with.
The Committee then adjourned.

GROUP R.

BELFAST JUNCTION RAILWAY.

The Committee met tu.day, Mr. Gibson Craig, Chairman.

The CI: kIRMA.:, referred to an advertisement which appears in
the Morning Chronicle of this day, from the solicitor of the Dublin
and Cavan line, stating that the Committee had yesterday expressed
an opinion in favour of that line. He (the Chairman) begged leave
to say that such was not the case. The Committee had purposely
abstained from the giving of any opinion at all ; and the publishing
of the advcrtscmcnt in question was highly improper.

It was here stated by Counsel that the arrangement suggested
yesterday to be come to between the Belfast Junction and the
Newry and Enniskillen was in progress, but not completed. The
adjournment of the Committee was therefore requested in order to
effect that object.

The Committee, in pursuance with this request, adjourned for an
hour.

On resuming, the result of the negotiation was given in the fol-
lowing important agreement entered into by the competing Com-
panies :—" The Belfast Junction Company agree by their counsel
to withdraw all opposition to the Newry line, upon condition that
the Newry and Enniskillen Company, by their counsel, consent to
the preamble of the Belfast Junction being forthwith reported as
passed, and to the Committee so reporting it.
" The Newry Company to be at liberty to proceed with their
Bill, and to take their line from Newry by Armagh and Clones, and
the Dundalk Company to be at liberty to pi oectd with
their Bill, and take their line as far as Clones, all
without opposition from the one Company to the othet ;
the best line from Clones to Enniskillen to be forthwith
selected by Sir John Rennie and Sir John M`Neil, and both Com-
panies to cembine in constructing, and afterwards in working the
line from Enniskillen to Clones, on such terms as they may mu•
tuslly agree upon, or the Board of Trade may settle if the parties
differ. The counsel for the three Companies to concur in re.
questing the approbation cf the Committee on these Bills."
This agreement having been completed, the Committee pro-
ceeded to hear evidence in support of the
EUNDAZIE AND MNNISIC.XLLEN.

Several witnesses were then examined respecting the traffic on
the line, the points of whose evidence presented no material feature
worth recording ; at the close of which the Committee adjourned
till tamorrew at twelve o'clock, when the evidence will be resumed.

GROUP SS.
COVENT/2;Z, EEDIWOUTII,ATTID WUNEATON

Itil.XX:ViTillf.

The Select Committee on this group re-assembled at the usual
hour this morning, when
Mr. Calvert renewed his application for an adjournment. All
parties, he said, now concurred in the propriety of an adjourn.
ment, and if the Committee agreed to it he bad no doubt sofa saving
of the time of the Committee, and a settlement of the differences
subsisting between the parties. He therefore prayed the Com.
mittee to put off the further consideration of this Bill till Mon.
day next.

The CHAIRMAN WiShed to know if all parties concurred in this
application ? _

..
Mr. SPARKLE, on behalf of the London and Birmingham Com-
pany, was prepared to acquiesce in the application for an adjourn-
ment, but he was not in a condition to say that the result of this
adjournment would relieve the Committee from further entering
into this case, _ _ _

Mr. HUAIPIIREY, on the part of petitioners for whom he ap-
peared, would be extremely unwilling to throw any obstacle in the
way of a satisfactory adjustment of the differences existing between
the parties, but he must confess that he did not think the result of
the adjournment would prove so satisfactory as his Learned Friend
anticipat ed.
Mr. DANIEL concurred in the adjournment upon the same
grounds, and hoped some satisfactory adjustment of the differences
would be made.

The CHAIRMAN said the Committee were willing to assent to the
adjournment, but they wished to proceed at once with the
EILEWASH 'VALLEY MINE.

Mr. CALVERT said he was not aware, until he entered the room,
that an adjournment would be required in the other case, and he
was therefore quite unprepared to proceed with the Erewash line.
In fact, he thought mast of his witnesses were engaged in another
Committee. Under these circumstances he trusted the Committee
would not press him to proceed at once, or at all events until he
had had an hour or so to glance over his brief, and get his witnesses
and clients together.

Eventually the Committee decided upon adjourning till twelve
o'clock, when it was understood all parties would be prepared to go
fully into the case for the Erewash Valley Railway.

(LEFT SITTING.)

C,RCIITP V

maNcrizsTEß, SHEFFIELD, AND DIED-

LAND JUNCTION RAILIVAY.

The Committee, consisting of the O'Conor Don, chairman,
Mr. I. A. S. Davies, Mr. Hope Johnstone, Sir John Rae Reid, and
Sir Denham Norreys, met this morning at half-past eleven, and
Mr. JOHNSTONE proceeded to cross•examine Mr. Paul Bright,
who had estimated the value of land required for spoil banks, eta.
tions, and other purposes on part of the line. The witness stated
that he had received the quantities of land required from Mr.
Fairbank, and had estimated it at the rate at which he really
thought it worth.

Mr. William Flockton—Was an architect and surveyor in the
town of Sheffield, and he was also proprietor of sonic 150 houses in
that town. He knew the value of land upon the line, and had
carefully examined it lately, with a view to valuation. On the two
miles Teaching from the town of Sheffield he placed the value of
23,729/. That value was accepted in every case, with but one
exception. He had been instructed to be very liberal in his valua-
tions, and he had followed out his instructions. He toad also
valued the ground which would be required in the hay and cattle
markets of Sheffield ; and the ground required for piers lie had esti.
mated at 1,4821. The estimates, he was sure, were not taken be-
neath the real value of the property required.

Mr. Fall, on the part of the Duke of Norfolk, was called to prove
that the amount of toll paid on the Dumfries-toad was only 181.
per annum ; and that, therefore, the statement of 1,200 tons of
coal passing along it was preposterous, because, averaging 9d. per
mile for toll, that would be 2251. a year. He was certain,
therefore, that the statements already given in were founded in
error.

Mr. L. R. Reed had gone over the line, and he was certain that
the estimates for the construction of the project were greatly
underrated.

Mr. John Barlow, a farmer, near Sheffield—Was in the habit
of using the hay and cattle market of Sheffield, and he knew that
the space now was much too limited for the purposes of the mar.
kets, and any partition of it, or contraction of the space, would com.
pletely destroy it.
The Committee then adjourned at four till to-morrow.

GROUP W.
BRAYTON AND GOOLM RAILWAY.

The Committee on this line met at twelve o'clock, Mr. raking.
ton in the Chair ; Mr. Bouverie, Mr. Maxwell, Mr. Whitmore,
and Lord Seymour present.
Mr. Sheriff, whose evidence was partly heard yesterday, was
cress-examined by Messrs. Bliss and Wilkins. He could give no
evidence on the passenger traffic, being only engaged on the goods
traffic on the Selby and Leeds line.

Mr. Singleton, land valuer, had valued the land between Bray.
ton and Goole. A great deal of it was poor land, chiefly a sandy
soil. The length of the line was twelve miles, and he valued the
cost, allowing 10 acres to the mile, at 11,4001. He consi-
dered the line would confer great benefit on the trade of that
district.

By Mr. WILKINS—It would be an advantage in affording facili.
ties for the trade in lime and coals, and also for the conveyance
of agricultural produce.
Mr. Birkenshaw, engineer of the line, was examined by Mr.
KNowLea—He had considerable experience In the working and
construction of railways—laid out the Brayton and Goole. The
line was nearly level, except that part near the River Aire and the
Selby canal: The length of the line was 12} miles. There were
not many Cutter), and those Were not objectionable. The greatest
curve was only three-quartets of a itiile ih radius, The worst
gradients were 1 in 130. The line did not interfere with any ho ice
or park; &c. The line would afford a good communication with Leeds
and Bribiffird, and even Wakefield, and Would also open a communi.
cation with the North of England. Comparing it With the Wake.
field and Goole line he did not hesitate to give the preference
eefi at a 6ortikithictitioti with Wakefield itself.
By Lord SEYDIOUR—The reattiii he thosiht so was the more
favourable gradients it afforded. The difference in distance Wee
very little.
By., Mr. KNOWLES—The engines on the Brayton and Goole
line would carry out a load 50 per cent, greater than engines of the
same power weind do by the Wakefield and Goole line. The
ruling gradient on the Wakefield; Pontefract; and Goole line, Was
1 in 150. That continued for 11 miles: The populatiun on the
Brayton and Goole line was about 31,000, and oh the Other line
about 21,000. The witness then gave evidence on the gratliefits an
the line of country between Goole, Leeds, Bradford, and the west, and
to sho* how hitch greater facilities, both in gradients, economy of
construction, and in zecatinnodation of goods and passenger traffic,
the titolidstid line would afford sr) Compared with the Wakefield,
Pontefract, and Goole line.

Cross-examined by Messrs. Wflaurra and BLISS—Got his popuia.
tion returns frora the census of 1841 that had been officially pub-
lished: Hid not (unit any town he found in the official returns.
The reason he oftitted Rockliffe was betattse, in his opinion, it
haturaily belonged to the Goole line.—(A laugh.)
Mr. Good, engineer, examined by Mr. Pii:kEeiNis—Had Conti.
dcrable experience in railways. Lived in London. The station at
Bradford of the Leeds and Bradford line was very near the town,
ttnil was as faioerable as timid be selected for the public accommo.
dation. The Leeds and De*abtiti line Was 4CI feet aboye the level of
the town. He considered that the favourable griscliefitA dii 6.e!
Brayton and Goole line more than counterbalanced the shortness
of the distance by the other. Besides affording greater facilities
for; the accommodation of traffic to the towns in the west, it was
also a less expensive line.
By the CHAlRMAN—Assuming the atiperiOrlty of the gradients
on the Brayton and Goole line, and the shorter distance of three
miles by the Wakefield, Pontefract, and Goole line, there would,
in his opinion, be very little difference in point cf time in going
by either line from Goole to Bradfordi
(tem airriNti.)

GROUP X.
LONDON AND YOWL LIVE.

---
The Committee, to whose investigation the Merits of the sere.
rill lines comprehended in what is called " Group X," and which
enumerates no fewer than seven distinct lines of railway, assem.
bled this day, in Committee.room No. 8, at about half-past twelve
o'clock, and resumed the heating of evidence as to the merits of
the London and York projection; but although this is nOt the
middle of the fifth week that the Committee have been sitting, for
six days in each week, and !bur hours and a half each
day, the case appears to be about as distant from its doge as it
was four weeks ago. The position in- which it now stands is
shortly this ;—The traffic evidence was put a stop to on Friday
last, at the request of the various counsel for the competing lines,
upon the ground that the traffic tables were so numerous, so long,
so mipute, and so difficult to he understood, that the time allowed
the Learned Qentlernen for the stud, of them was so short
as to render 'it` Impossible that they could make them-

selves sufficiently familiar with their contents as to proceed
with the cross.examination of them to their own satisfaction or
with justice to their clients.
The Committee then entered upon the engineering evidence;
but even, in this toe, there is a species of hiatus, inasmuch as the
opposing Counsel called for certain tabular statements, setting forth
the length, width, depth, and expense of certain cuttings, which
the witness, Mr. Cubitt, was unable to furnish until
yesterday. What remained then of that class of evidence was
proceeded with, and closed yesterday; then came on the testi-
mony of the valuate's, and it is now proceeding; and when
that has closed then the competing Company's Coun-
sel resume their cross-examination on the traffic tables,
and, if an idea of the length of that cross-examination may be
formed from the vastness of the material that is to furnish it,
it rs impossible to say to what period it may not be
protracted; and when that has closed, then comes on the
speeches of Counsel in summing up the case they conceived
they have made out, to warrant the Committee in de-
claring that the preamble of their Bill has been proved; then,
after that comes the speech of the Counsel in laying before the
tribunal the molts of the case of a competing line; then follows
the evidence in support of tha statement, the cress-examination
of the witnesses, the summing up, and the reply ; and then the
same round of speeches, witnesses, cross-examinations,
and replies of the various other competing lines, the
claims for compensation &c. &c., Sod so it will go on, ad iNfinitum.
before the Committee can bring their minds to bear on the vast
mass of testimony they have heard, pour et contre, with a view of
declaring whether or not the preamble of the Bill for the
London and York scheme has been proved; and all this must be
gone through and disposed of before the Committee can take into
consideration any one of the other lines attached to Group X.
The first witness called to.day was

Mr. William Simpson, land-valuer. He was called to prove
the value of the laud on that portion of the line from
Hawtry to Doncaster, and Doncaster to Wakefield. The quantity
of land proposed to be taken in was 355 acres and he had esti-
mated the value at 53,5551. 18s Bd.
Mr. Paver valued the land_betw een Doncaster and York.' The
quantity of land to be taken up was 347 acres, and he had esti-
mated the value at 84,5311.
Mr. Key worth handed in tables of the tolls received on the
Fordyke and Witham Navigations.
The Rev. Mr. Sibthorp was called to prove the advantages that
would result to both parties by the arrangements made between the
two Navigation Companies and the Lcnden and York Company.
At the close of the examination of the last witness, the cross-
examination of the goods' traffic witnesses was resumed, and occu-
pied the Committee to its rising. The object of it was to
show that the tables had not been: termed on correct data, and that
the assumed traffic between the places stated, such as Lincoln and
Boston, Sheffield and Hull, Gainsbatough and Hull, &c., as exist-
ing at present, and which it was alleged would be transferred to the
London and Yorkshire, had been exaggerated.