The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-03 00:00:00

GROUP L.

POR,TSMOUTH ATMOSPHERIC LINE.
_ __

Mr. TALBOT (in continuation from our Aft;;;;;;171itiouof yes.
terday) said—He thought that it was unfair that they, who had
been throughout opposed to the atmospheric principle, should take
the benefit out of the hands of those who had struggled day by day,
and inch by inch, to carry out a new principle. It was ne•
eessary to• make this statement, as the Berwick Atmospheric
Company had lately been placed in a false position, in consequence
Iftheir witnesses, Mr. Brunel included, not having been cross-exa-
mined, while the witnesses against it, including Mr. Stephenson,
Mr. Harrison, and other eminent men in that way, had been kept
under examination for three weeks. He, therefore, claimed the
right of making the examination in chief short, but of recalling
his witnesses for re-examination, so as to elicit as much information
as was necessary to explain or refute the evidence.
The room was cleared for consideration, and on the re-admission
of strangers
The CIAIRMAN stated, that considering that by the report of
the Select Committee, Parliament had allowed the practicability of
the atmospheric principle, and had sanctioned its application,
therefore they thought that it would be unnecessary to adduce
evidence to demonstrate its advantages.
Mr. TALBOT said that this met part of his difficulties, but it did
not altogether relieve him from the difficulty of establishing the
superiority of the atmospheric principle as tested by fare, speed,
and safety. He thought that some declaratioa should be made by
the counsel on the other side as to the course they intended to
pursue with regard to the cross.examinatioa of the witnesses he
might call.
Mr. GURNBT, Q.C., stated the course adopted by Mr. Talbot
was the result of consultation between the gentlemen engaged on
behalf of the promoters, and he thought that as he was alone this
morning he ought to have the same advantages before he gave a
decisive reply.

Mr. TALBOT assented to the reasonableness of the proposition,
and proceeded to say that he should say nothing further respecting
the atmospheric rrinciple, except to state that it was untried—that
the works on the atmospheric line to Epsom were abandoned. The
hne was certainly not laid down, but it had not been unne.
cessarily delayed. The proposed line was intended to
restore to the country the traffic which had hitherto
passed through the district, and to save the ruinous
consequences of a permanent abstraction of the traffic. The line
proposed to pass through Croydon to Epsom by the line now in
formation, thence to Leatherhead, Micklam, Dorking, Gedalming,
Haslemere, Havant, Chichester, and nearly the same route as the
other line. The population had been stated very unfairly by the
other side, it being in reality 132,000 on the atmospheric line
against 119,000 on the other line. The fares proposed by the
atmospheric line for first-class passengers would be 2d. per mile,
for second-class passengers lad. a mile, and for third.class pas..
sengers Id., making the fare for the whole way, for first-class
passengers 11s. 6d. against 215.; second.class 9s. against 14s. ; and
Cs. for third-class against Gs. Gd. The distance was 69 against 53
Wailes; the capital 1,400,0001. against 1,000,0001. The works were
much the same, the tunnelling on the atmospheric line being
4,230 yards, while on the Guildford tine there would be about 4,217
yards. The Atmospheric Company proposed to dispatch 15 trains
every day both ways, and to attach third-class carriages to two.
thirds of the trains, while the South. Western Company only sent
nine trains a day, and only one regular third.class train both ways.
The time which would be occupied in the journey to Portsmouth
by the atmospheric line would be 2i hours, while the
South. Western Company would require hours, being a
saving of nearly one half. The traffic had also been unfairly re.
presented, there baying been an evident attempt to underrate the
traffic from Portsmouth. By the coach travelling there had been
formerly ten coaches a day, making twenty journeys, thus giving
an aggregate of 7,300 journeys in the course of the year, which,
at the usual average of nine passengers each journey, made at
least 65,700, at 10s. each journey, gave a total of 37,8501 a
year ; doubling this, after the usual railway communication,
made 65,7001. Adding to this 20,0001. more for incidental pas.
sengers, and 10,0001. for parcels, gave upwards of 90,000/. a year.
exclusive of a great portion of the intermediate traffic. By the
Guildford line there would be twenty-four public toads crossed at
a level, while there would only be eight crossed at a level by the at-
mospheric line. He had only further to observe that he might,
perhaps, have to trespass on the Committee to some length with the
traffic, because that had been so much dwelt upon by the opposite
party. With these observations Mr. Talbot closed his address,
and called

Mr. Grover, a provision-merchant at Portsea, who testified to
the general convenience of the termini both at London.bridge and
at Portsmouth, especially the latter, where the road where the
railway terminated was the highway entrance to Portsea, and
amply broad enough for the purpose.
Mr. Redwarn, a fishmonger and importer of foreign fruit, stated
that he had a considerable quantity of goods from London, for
which he had to pay ss. a ton for cartage, and the terminus at
London.bridge would be of the utmost convenience, as when ves-
sels arrived too late in the tide, they could be got down the same
evening, while they would of necessity be too late either
for Vauxhall or Hungerford. He now paid 3001. a-year for car-
riage from London, and would, if this railway were made, have
all his London goods by rail, instead of, as now, having a large
quantity coastwise.

To the inquiries of the CitaHim AN, the witness stated that he paid
ss. a ton for carriage to Vauxhall, 20s. thence to Gosport, and ss.
more thence to Portsea. He was not aware that the terminus at
London-bridge had no communication with the water.

que:liiirtlyjahmeeens Wob.lig"e'dhittoe,
d of by rail, in
haayleingeonod:traspbeyr
as
nri
n 1 that
eh
aa hesad fre.
consequence of the delay, ar.ising partly fror,.
the terminus at Vau- the di,tance of
nail from the
City, and front
the early hour a:. which it liccessari for the
goods to be air
_re. The van we-„, however, now taken off
theht road, and -
sreat inconvenienrc Was now felt,
as the wholesale
the
go,
As'
tyowneor were generallyela,,;r,
a
aught idvetlriyusbuasdyay justm.a
tialtottt
the time ewalkahheir:
(Vir,,tott that the feeling in favour of the atm'Apheric line was very
' sir. Marshall, clerk of the Comr
Atssioners of the town of
.4 of the road through the gate
ovoorrt stchae, testifiedunioorn
-ttooitdlgiee, niatr rot; ng
ge
single line of road and was
thetown of Portsea.
To only
access
na t o
r:.on of Mr. M. SMITH, the witness stated
that passengers might,'
oy another route get into the Lion-gate-road
he meanscross.ex of
am i
which was the nridn approach to Portsca. The termini of the
two railways ',ere about a quarter of a mile from each other.
Mr. Jam, Paul, A brewer and ale and porter merchant at
Portsea; Atated that he should make a considerable saving if the
ProPOrred line were formed He had had 53 tons down early in
",ray, the cost of which for freight, wharfage, and insurance was
491. IBs., while, according to the reduced rate of the South.
Western Railway, it would have been '261. 12s. for all the ex-
penses. By the atmospheric line the charge would be only about
two.thirds of the latter turn. All his ale, and most of his
porter went by water, and as much as five or six weeks' delay
frequently occurred. If the terminus were at London-bridge he
should save Is. a barrel in carriage, and he thought that if this
terminus were used that all the goods would go by rail,
and the trade to Gosport would almost entirely cease. The ter-
minus at Portsmouth was also much more convenient than that of
the Guilford Extension lire. He testified also as to the feeling
of the town, and to the signatures to the petition.
The Committee here adjourned till twelve o'clock to-morrow.

GROUP S.
MONDONDZIRRY ANA COMMRAINE
RAILWAY.
(Continuo from our Afternoon 13dition of yesterday.)
The Committee decided that the preamble had been proved, and
adjourned at four o'clock till to.inorrow.

GROUP SS.
The Select Committee on this group re-assembled shortly after
one o'clock this afternoon, and proceeded with the case for the
promoters of the

COVENTRY, ELDWORTII, AND NITIVEZ.TON
RAILWAY.
Mr. CALTERT intimated that since Saturday a negotiation had
been going on between the promoters and opponents of the Bill.
The negotiation had not yet been brought to a close, but, if the
Committee had no objection to adjourn till twelve o'clock to.
morrow, he had no doubt such an arrangement would be come to
as to render it unnecessary for the Committee to waste any further
time on the subject of the railway.
The CHAIRMAN asked whether all the opposing parties were
willing to consent to such an arrangement ?
Mr. DANIEL replied that, on the part of those for whom he
appeared, he was instructed to concur in the application for an
adjournment, upon the specific ground that the traffic tables had
not been delivered till last night, nothwitlistanding that the Com-
mittee had directed that the delivery should be made on Saturday.
Under these circumstances, lie had as yet had no opportunity to
look into the tables, so as to put himself in a position to cross-
examine the witness who had made them.
Mr. HUMPHREYS, for the same reason as that stated by Mr.
Daniel, was willing to consent to an adjournment.
The CHAIRMAN could not help thinking that the traffic
tables ought to have been delivered earlier. It ivoidd
Pot the Committee to great inconvenience to adjourn, hut
as an amicable arrangement was likely to be come to between the
parties, the Committee had no alternative but to put up with the
incireDniAeNnteiel aricidiimarekee,ddetti7attliehealw,palisegatuiiolne fionrtahtes :sull,jaoduernasinteontt.he
negotiation mentioned by his Learned Friend, and added that his
only reason for wishing for an adjournment was to enable him to
"Uallnierneeitlie
AllttNrlaAiliNcsattlkit'. appeared to him to be very like a one-
siallefdr.nC(Tr.tvianttlinv".was surprised that any difficulty t d:Hilatte:en thrown
in
two
othLe
etvaarnytlF:trnieanddjaouarpiiii:4:ael,ietd,
fur
teefogreultteheta(v:lnarable Committee met
ad..