The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-17 00:00:00

GROUP KK

LivEn,p OL AND RTJILY AND LIVERPOOL
AND MANCHESTER EXTENSION, WITH
THEM RESPECTIVE BRA;, CE ES.
The Committee met at one o'clock, Sir C. Lemon in the chair,
but business was not commenced for nearly an hour after, in con-
sequence of the absence of Mr. Talbot.

SOUTHPOFLT AND ORMS/EMN. BRANCH,
IMt'4;RTANT D-ECISION.

Mr. TALBOT said he appeared on behalf of the Liverpool,
Preston, and Ormskirk Railway. He, in accordance with the re.
commendation of the Board of Trade, wished to suggest the post.
ponement of any railway at present to Southport. The project
which his clients had ::nought forward, had been shipwrecked in the
Standing Orders Committee, but would be brought forward next
session. There could be no doubt but an improved communica-
tion between Liverpool and Preston was required, and that improve.
mi.nt he proposed. The present distance between Liverpool and
Preston, by Parkside, was thirty.eight miles and a half, and the
transit occupied two hours and a half. The present mode of traffic
between Liverpool and Preston was most inconvenient,
and was so spoken of in the report of the Board of Trade. The
insufficiency of the transit was demonstrated by the fact that,
instead of the number of passengers having been increased sixfold
since the opening of the railway between Liverpool and Preston, as
was usually the case between such important towns, there had been
an increase upon the old coach conveyance of only five per cent. He
thought this state of things should not be permitted to continue, but
that they should cut off the angle which Parkside made with Liverpool
and Preston, and supply the hypothenuse which he would
propose in the Liverpool and Ormskirk line. By the new line, a
saving of twelve miles would be effected, and there would be also a
considerable saving in the communication in the route from Pres-
ton to Wigan, and thence to Liverpool by the Liverpool and Bury
Railway, which the Committee had sanctioned. Preston contained
a population of 50,000, and the trade between it and Liverpool,
which was carried on by the river Ribble was, notwithstanding
the exceedingly tedious and expensive communication was very consi-
derable. In fact, 16,000 tons of small craft were at present engaged
between these towns. The project which he advocated had re.
ceived the support of the great spinners at Preston—men whose
capital was more than 2,000,0004 and who last year obtained from
Liverpool more than 20,000 tons of cotton. Not far from Preston
was a most important town, Blackburn, which was the centre of a
district, a radius of five miles, containing a population of 120,000
souls. The project he advocated would greatly abridge the distanc.
between Liverpool and Blackburn, a tra,st desirable step, as almost
all the provisions and raw materials for manufactures used in Black.
burn were obtained from Liverpool. The course between those places
was, at present, a most circuitous one, a distance of 64 miles, whilst
by the railway his clients would propose it should be only 34.
This would be six miles shorter than any other which had been
submitted to the notice of Parliament. The Blackburn and
Preston Rai.way was now in course of construction, so that the
communication between all these important towns would be then
complete. By this means the whole of the northern part of Lan.
cashire would be brought into direct communication with Liver.
pool, and a population of 545,000 would be accommodated by the
line which touched upon the immediate vicinity of their dwellings.
The main line was in length 26i miles; the branch to Southport,
7i ; the branch to Blackburn, 2 miles ; anti the Skelmersdale and
Ormskirk branch, 3 miles. The estimated amount of construction
was 730,0001. The Learned Counsel went on to argue that his
line would, in fact, 'confer greater advantages upon Southport
itself than the other, for it would place it in direct communication
with the important towns he had mentioned. Until the peovle of
Southport heard that the line his clients projected had been thrown
out by the Standing Orders Committee, they were most anxious
for it ; and in fact, the only petition which had emanated from
that town up to a very recent period, was in favour of their pro
ject. The Learned Counsel concluded by requesting the Com.
mince to accede to the recommendation of the Board of Trade,
and postpone the Southport and Euxton project to next year.
After some deliberation the room was cleared of strangers.
Upon our return to the room,

The CHAIRMAN 'aid we are perfectly ready to hear all the wit-
nessess on the other side, but I think it right to tell you what the
opinion of the Committee is. The Committee is of opinion that the
case for the promoters of the Bill is of such a natnre as to dispose
them to agree in the recommendation of the Board of Trade. They
are, therefore, willing that the project should be postponed to next
year, but we are unwilling the expenses which have been incurred
should be wasted, and we will therefore postpone the further con-
sideration of the matter to a late day in July. Such is the unani-
mous wish of the Corrunittee at the present moment. The Corn.

mittee are of opinion that there should be a line of railway corn.
munication with Southport; but the Act which will be passed this
year will enable the Committee to resume their proceedings where
they left them off, so that if any better project be not offered, the
Southport and Euxton one will certainly pass.
Mr. Sergeant KINGSLAKE-Will the Committee declare the
preamble of the Bill proved ?
The CHAIRMAN—Yes, under the condition that I have men.
tioned, that no better line be proposed in the interim, we will re-
port in favour of the Bill, so as not to shut out any rival project.
The case for the supporters of the present project does not appear
to have been well sustained.

The following note was then, with the consent of the leading
Counsel pro. and con., adopted :
" That the passing of the preamble of this Bill does not give any
advantage over any competing Bill which may be brought forward
in the ensuing session."
The CHAIRMAN added, that a communication between South.
port and Euxton was most desirable, but that, as a better project
than that which had been proposed might be proposed, they post-
poned the further consideration of the preamble to the ensuing

The Committee then adjourned to the Bth of July.
Sergeant KINGLAKE said he was afraid such an expression of
opinion would prejudice his case.

The CHAIRMAN said his case was so bad that it could hardly
be prejudiced. They would not proceed with the clauses of the
Bill this session.

The preamble of this Bill was not therefore passed.

GROUP X.
CAMBEIDGE AND LINCOLN MINE.

The Committece sat to• day shortly after 12 o'clock, and re-
fumed the TRAFFIC EVIDENCE.

Mr. VALENTINE LEE handed in certain tables of traffic, and called
Mr. D. Jones, and examined him as to their contents.

Witnesses were examined as to their contents on Saturday on some
items, but the counsel against the project having said that these
tables were so complicated that they could not understand them,
the cross. examination as to the amount of exports of provisions
from the district of Ramsey that they alleged took place annually,
was reserved for this day. The witness deposed that the quantity
of potatoes, oats, and other agricultural produce exported from
the district east of Ramsey, as compared with that of the west,
was immense, owing to the superior facilities for transit which that
district now possessed, and the natural superiority of the soil over
that of the west.

Mr. William Parsons, estate valuator and architectural surveyor,
deposed that he had estimated the value of the lands, houses, build-
ings, ix., along the whole line from Cambridge to Lincoln, pro-
posed to be taken in by that line, and had set it down at 34,0751.
Mr. stiller deposed that he received about 500 tons of groceries
per annum from London to Peterborough, by Wisbeaeh, by water;
the carriage cost him 206. per ton; by railway it would cost about
7s. 4d. The same observation applied to iron, timber, &c ,in the
freight of which the saving would be proportionably great.
The Committee hero retired, for what purpose they did not
stag; but on their return they made no announcement whatever,
and the examination was proceeded with.
Mr. Buckle, spirit dealer at Peterborough, deposed that he got
his wines, spirits, and all the other articles he dealt in from London,
and had not the least doubt but that the Farringdon-street station
would have the preference to either that of King's.cross or Bow-
creek, for the conveyance of all sorts of goods to Peterborough.
Mr. W. I'. Stanley, ironmonger, o; Peterborough, corroborated
the evidence of the dealers in the same article who had preceded
him, as to the saving of time and money to be effected in the transit
of the article, if the proposed line of railway should be made.
At the conclusion of the cross-examination of this witness,
during which no material evidence was elicited,
The Committee adjourned.

GROUP Z.
DIJELIN AT:D GALWAY RAILWAY.
The Committee assembled at twelve o'clock in Room No. 17, the
Hon. R. Clive, chairman.
Mr. Brown was examined at considerable length by Mr. Rows,
on behalf of the Royal Canal Company, with respect to the estimated
traffic on the roads on the site of the proposed line. He stated
that he had estimated all the traffic on the roads, and that his esti-
mate was rather under than above the actual traffic.
Mr. Wimberly said the traffic was taken under his superinten.
Bence in December ►ast—perhaps the most unfavourable period of the
year; that men were employed by him at certain parts of the road
for a fortnight, and that he handed the results to Mr. Brown.
Both these witnesses were cross.examined. Mr. Rows held
that by a document issued by the projectors in February last the
dividend was estimated at eleven per cent., whereas the projectors
had stated before the Committee that it would not be more than
61, and that they had estimated their traffic at 55,393, whereas it
appeared, from the traffic on the roads, that there could not be more
than 30,660. Mr. Brown stated that this difference arose from
there being a great number of private conveyances which they
could not distinguish from public carriages, and which had been
included in the estimate of public conveyances. He said that there
was no discrepancy, and that this estimate was a fair one, when
this circumstance was taken into account. _

Captain Moersom said he was the engineer to the line. Its
entire length would be 115 miles. The country is very favoura-
ble for its construction, and there were no peculiar engineering
difficulties. There would be no tunnelling. The gradients and
curves were of a favourable character. The severest gradient
would be 1 in 150 for a little more than a mile.
The smallest radius of a curve, and which the
engines w0...1d run at the top of their speed, would
be half a mile in length. There would be two smaller radii
at the stations of about one quarter of a mile each. Fifty-three
roads would be crossed on a level. The cost of construction would
be 180,0001.
Cress.examined by Mr. COCKBURN—IDS surveys commenced in
October, about two months before the plans and sections were de-
livered to the Board of Trade. The breadth of the gauge would
be 5 ft. 3 in ; the iron 10/, per ton ;
the chairs arid sleepers 72. 10s
per ton. The lines would rest on longitudinal bearers. There
would be twenty five stations, and three drawbridges. The witness
was then examined on minute details in connexion with the line.
The cost of constructing this line would be nearly 10,0001. a mile.
Mr. MURPHY said he had a great number of witnesses, but as it
was his desire to save as much of the tine of the Committee as he
could, he would not call them unless they thought that he should
de so;