The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-27 00:00:00

Miaa Walker, the present posseasor of ShHden Hall, near to Hal

• fax, whose estate would be interfered with and disfigured by the
course of the proposed line, and called upon the Committee to post-
pone the line for twelve months.
flr. Winslow, of Hammersmith, was caged to prove the insanity
. of Miss Walker, and that her present evidence was peculiarly
adapted to a person in her state of mind.

_ Mr. Ycung, engineer to the Leeds and Bradford Railway, ai.d
.7 other witnesses, proved the dibfigurement the line would be to the
estate.

Pie Committee adjourned at half-pact five till eleven o'clock
to•murrow,

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP A.

The Committee met as usual this morning at twelve, and pro,
seeded with the consideration of the

ioNnow, CROYDON, CHATHAM, AND on,
PINGTON LIN E.

The first.witness called was Mr. Cubitt, who stated that he was
the consulting engineer to the Loudon and Croydon Railway
Company. the proposed line was originally projected by
another ciimp.iny. Mr. Brute' was then the engineer of the
line, and it was his ino ntion to work the line by atmo-
spheric traction. The line afterwards fell into the hands-
of the C roydon Company, who gave him instructions to lay
• down the line. Mr. Sherrard (wko was examined last evening)
then surveyed the line under his direction. Mr. Sierrard had not
had much o xperence as an ergineer, but was a very experie(ced
surveyor. He had given Mr. Sherrard instructions to lay out a
line with gradients of I in 50, and was willing to take on himself
the respoesibility of any cons, quetice of the use of such gra-
. mews. The original ompeny had intended to call the line
" The Lontion, Chatham, and Portsmouth Junction Line,"
its principal object being to join Lemon, Chatham, and
Portsmouth. If the atmospheric principle were to fail, the whole
line could lie used as a locomotive line. The expense of the extra
pow, r treceesary to surmoun gradients of I in 50 would not be
equal to I he exr ense of r. clueing the gradient in the beeirining.
Mr. Cubit was then cress-examined by Mr. MLRREWETHER on
the part of the sour h-Easiern lire ; and by Mr. WHArELLT no the
par of Lade y, a pi trtioner against the line ; and [sir
WALTER RIDDEI, (Toss examined the wittie's on the part of the
Comnriorwiners of Navieation of the River Medway.
Mr. WILMORE then put in in evidence several papers, ands id
that a cammunication had b eir made with the Admiralty, and
that the cons, nt of teat Board to the r rection of the bridge over
the river Medway was expected to be glut n and communicated to
him 'his (Notting
The case on the part of the Croydon line being now eons uded,
Mr. COCK/it:ea ri fi rree to a paper put in in evio ence by Mr. Ser-
geant Wiaegriain last evening, and purporting to be the consent of
the Bar I of Ordnance to the !node of passing Woolwich-coarmon
propo-ii dby the North Ker t Company- Ili s letter was signed by
• Mr. Hunet, the solicitor to the Boare; but he (Mr. Cock-
burn) had evidence which lie thought would convince the
Committee that no reliatice could be placed on this pater. He
Lad a very serious charge to make against Mr. Hignet—a charge of
corruption. He held in his hand a letter from Mr.. Hignet dated
May 3, 1t545, in which he not only offered to sell the ihtluence he
had over the Board of Ordnance for a certain number of
shares in the Sr uth Eastern Company ; but he could prove from
evidence urn el the hand of Mr. Hignet, that fining his olfet
refused by the Smith. Eastern line, he had made a similar applica-
tion to the North Kent Company, who had accepted it. Now
after reading this letter it would be impossible for the Com-
mittee to ul.ice any reliance on his signature to the letter put in
by the North Kent Company.
Mr. Sergeant WRANtiHAM objected to the reading of the letter
on the ground that the paper put in by him was not a com-
munication from Mr. Hignet, but from the Board of Ordnance, and
that no letter from Mr. Hignet, in his private capacity, to any
parson connected with the South-Eastern Company could in any
way affect a etter from the Board wha employed him. And if the
Committee had any doubt of the authenticity of the letter, the
readiest way to support themselves would he by a communication
with the Board of Ordnance on the subject.
Mr. Coceautax insisted that a letter containing a proof of cor-
ruption, or of the inclination to corruption, on the part of Mr.
Hignet, was sufficient to cast a doubt on the authenticity of a do-
cument which had only his signature to support it.
• After a few words frog Mr. Sergeant WHANGHAU, the Chairman
desired the room to be cleared.
'the Committee consulted for two hours, and on our return to the
Comrnistee_room,
The CHAIRMAN said that the Committee were of opinion
that it was not their province to con3ider whether or no
Mr. Hignet was guilty of the charge made against him, and there-
fore that they could not receive the let er in evidence.' but that as
the authenticity of the letter from the Board of Ordnance had
been impugned by Counsel, they thought it nee esary for the North
Kent Company to bring forward evidence to prove it.
Sir WALTER RIDDEL on the
priupcar,dt otf)utthneotNo. rh Kent line, said
that the evidence could be
Mr. MERREWETHER said that the letter Cockburnwhiehtm'amtre.diately. had
wished to put would be forwarded to the Master of the Board
Of Ordnance.
Sir WALTER Bunn. could have no objection to Mr. Merrewether
correspondence.t,
• taking any coor.e he pleased as to hie own
Sir W. RIDDEL then acdresed the Comamieree,z, the part of the
Comrnissioners of the Navigation of the
After some discussion on no potnts of public intewr'esYi. the Com-
mittee adjourned at four o'clock.

UhOUY F.
Dipt)RTANT DECISION.
BIRMINGHAM AND GLOUCESTER nary_
WAY (WORCZSTEN. BRANCH).
The Committee met this morning at one o'clock, the Right
Honourable F. Shaw in the chair, to consider the case of the
Worcester Branch of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway.
Mr. DANIEL stated that this Bill wa, proposed in consequence
the
of a bargain between the Birmingham Company, and he hoped
Committee would decide in favour of the Bid SO as to enable
• Ithem to send the Bill to the House of Lords at the s.rne time as
AA pet th granted to the Great Western Company.
Trirlggrft4is then c!earctl, and after a shett discussion the
publicivisere-admitted, and
The CIIAIRMAN declared that the preamble was not pt °Ted.
Mr. DANIEL—Thai refers merely to the Worcester branch, tiQt
to the Ch./J(lll.am branch. There is another branch entitled the
Cheltenham Extension.
The cuAtesteX—.What do sou propose to do now ?