The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-30 00:00:00

paper on which was written the signed return and statemen
of gross amount and the net income of the trade and
profession of a gentleman residing in his own district—a
paper which ought to have been sacred from every eye except
those of the Commissioners for levying the tax. He (Lord
Brougham) conceived this to be an act of such gross careless-
ness, as to amount to malversation of trust—a degree of care-
lessness, which, unless he had seen it, he could not have con-
ceived. With these observations he should hand this paper to
the members of the Government.—Here the Noble Lord
walked up towards the Lord Chancellor and returned to his
place with a paper in his hand, and then, addressing the Noble
Lord opposite, sa►d he hoped his Noble Friend would never be
guilty of a greater irregularity than handing a paper to the
Lord Chancellor, who was the Chairman of the House of
Lords, and if he should, he would be visited accordingly.—
(Laughter.) But with regard to the question now before
their Lordships, he had known an instance of a person who was
about to purchase a villa ; but he was told that the owner had
returned as nothing to the Income-tax Commissioners, and was
about to become bankrupt, and therefore he had better have
nothing to do with it. He knew another instance of a friend
of his, who had lost many thousands a year of his property by
the effects of the war ; but he durst not disclose that, lest he
might be ruined by it. Those were facts which he thought it
would be well to bear in mind, in the event of the renewal of
the income-tax after the expiration of the present period.
Lord STANLEY concurred in much that had fallen from
his Noble Friend opposite; but the observations of his Noble
Friend applied only to one or two particulars of the Bill, and
not to its principle. His Noble and Learned Friend thought
that it would have a tendency to lower the character of the
auctioneer. But that could scarcely be the effect when it
raised the licences of the lower class of auctioneers to 101.
Certainly, if the amount of licence had anything to do with
raising or lowering the character of the auctioneer, the Bill
would have the effect of raising the character. His Noble and
Learned Friend objected also to the clause requiring the auc-
tioneer to produce his licence at any auction, if required, or to
deposit 10/.
Lord BROUGHAM said that he objected to the enforce-
ment.

Lord STANLEY said it could be no more hardship to an
auctioneer than to the sportsman to produce his licence. But
these were details that could be considered in Committee.

The Bill was then read a second time.
On the motion of Lord STANLEY the Colonial Passengers
Bill was also read a second time.

The House then adjourned to Friday.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, April 29.
There being but twenty nine Members present at
Four o'clock, the House adjourned, being the first time
this session that there has been " no House."

RAILWAY COMMITTEES
(YESTERDAY.)

Group X.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
LONDON AND YORK RAILWAY.

Mr. Sergeant WRANQMAhI opened the case for the promoters of
this line. He entered,into a detail of the course that the line is
intended to take. The whole length of the line with branches was
between 327 miles and 32.5 miles. The main line from London to
York was 155 miles, and the line which was called the loop, from
Peterborough to Bawtry, was 86 miles. The Wakefield branch
was it), the Sheffield Branch 21 miles, the Stamford Branch 4%
miles, and the branch to Bedford, from a place called Potten, north
of Biggleswade, 71/8 miles. The space that the proposed railway
would accommodate was nearly 4,500 square miles, con-
taining 2,840,000 acres of the most productive part
of the kingdom. The annual amount of produce of
this portion of the country was six millions and a half.
This was the amount exported, and the amount imported
was 4,300,000/. a year, thus making the traffic on both 10,800,000/.
The present cost of conveyance was, for exports 440,0001, a year,
and imports 720,000/., making together 160,000/. This line
would be the means of reducing the 444,0001. to 180,000/., and
720,000/. to 350,000/. This was for goods traffic alone. The amount
for passengers paid now was about 435,0001. a year, ani this sum
would be reduced by the construction of the present line to
183,0001., being a saving of 250,000/., or a total saving of
880,000/., or equal to a saving of 245, for every man, woman,
and child, rich and poor, young and old, residing in the districts.
The Learned Counsel was proceeding with his speech when
the Speaker was announced to be at prayers, and the Committee
adjourned till to-morrow.

Group B.
LEEDS AND WEST RIDING JUNCTION.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
Mr. Pawson a cloth manufacturer of Farnley, about four miles
from Leeds, gave corroborative testimony.
Mr. William Watson Greenwood, a millosvner, at Bank-top, id
the township of North Bireley, near to Bradford, stated, that the
West Riding line would be a great accommodation to the mill.
owners of that district.

Mr. W. Cheesebow, a woolstapler, at Bradford, consumed
10,080 sacks of wool annually. The West Riding line would in
his opinion facilitate the trade and traffic of the district. Bradford
had a population of 80,000, which was rapidly increasing. It was
the emporium of worsted, and midit he looked upon as the Man-
chester of Yorkshire.

Mr. W. Walker, another wooldealer of Bradford, gave similar
testimony, and said the line would be a saving to Bradford of
20,000/. in coals alone.

Mr. C. Kaye gave corroborative testimony,
Mr. J. R. Ralph, a magistrate of the West Riding, proved that
the proposed station of the Wrst Riding Company in Halifax was
infinitely superior and better situated than the one which the West
Yorkshire Company intended to erect.
Mr. John Waterhouse, and Mr. 'P. Danson, both of Halifax,
concurred in the opinion of Mr. Ralph.
Mr. Ashton Haben, a mill-owner of Sowerby-bridge, said the
West Yorkshire line would not benefit that place ia the least.
He was induced to entertain this opinin by the fact that the popu-
lation already had the advantage of a railway, turnpike-road, and
a canal.

Mr. S. H. Walker, of Stainland, said the population in the
neighbourhood of Copley Bridge amounted to upwards of 15,000,
who preferred the West Riding line to the West Yorkshire.
Mr. Walter Smith, of Chant, gave corroborative testimony.
Mr. Anderton, a worsted-spinner, of Cleckheaton, said the West
Riding line would be a great convenience to the district with which
he was connected.—The Committee then adjourned.

Group 0.
TRENT VA RAILWAY.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
Mr. COCKBWIN opened the case for the promoters of the Bill.
The proposed line was intended to run hum Stoke, the centre r.K
the Potteries, to Basstord, a distance of twelve miles and three
furlongs. The expense of the line would be 260,000/., and tables
of the estimated traffic would be laid before the Committee. It
would be proved that the cost of conveying the staple goods of the
Potteries to Liverpool would be diminished by thirty-three
per cent. There was only one tunnel along the line,
and that only of six hundred yards long. The steepest
gradient was only 1 in 100, which was not one of a formidable
character. The Trent Valley Company had entered into conditions
to extend the proposed line by making a line from Stoke to Staf-
ford. He had no doubt but the Trent Valley Company would per-
form the conditions they entered into, and when the whole line was
constructed it would afford the greatest advantages to the Pottery
districts. There would be a traffic on the line which would afford
a good remunerative profit to the promoters of it.
Evidence wad then adduced confirmatory of the statement made
by counsel, after which the Committee adjourned.

Group V.
HULL AND GAINSBOROUGH, AND GRIMSBY 'AND

SHEFFIELD JUNCTION LINES.

The Committee on this group sat this day at twelve o'clock, and
some preliminary objections having been disposed of,
Mr. HOPE said he would now proceed with the statement,
for he believed that his having varied preliminary objections
was no waiving of his right to state what the merits
of his case would be. In laying this statement before the Com-
mittee he would take care to make as few observations as possible,
and to confine himself entirely to facts, and to a description of
the evidence he would adduce in support of this project, and
then it would be for the opposing parties to refute the evi.
dence by evidence to contradict his facts. He begged to
observe that if ever there was a case in which counsel need do no
more than confine himself to a statement of facts, it was this, for
the project proposed to run a line of railways through what he
would call a virgin county, and therefore if the Committee should
be of opinion that a railway was necessary in that county, he
hoped to show that the proposed line would be the most
convenient and useful ; but at present there was not one at all in
it. The map presented a number of beautiful meanderings of
railways which did not exist, for the only line now existing in the
north of Lincolnshire was the Hull and Selby line. But so great
was the want of the projected line felt by the people in that county
that they had often to traverse a distance of from fifteen to thirty
miles to get on the Hull line, and after having traversed a
circuit of nearly 100 miles, they often found themselves in the
same latitude as when they left home; and they had no mode of
communication by water. The county was bounded by four
rivers; but the interior had no water mode of transit except by
one river, which traversed a great circuit, until it eventually got
into the Eyre and Caldon Canal, and even that was often
interrupted. On these grounds then, he was warranted in
saying that this county was at present a virgin county. The diz-
trict was essentially an agricultural one, and had not only an ahem.
dant population, but it provided food for the dense population of '
Sheffield and Wakefield, and therefore Lincolnshire found its
markets for its produce of the first necessaries of life in these
two great towns. Then, in the north of Lincolnshire there was
no coal ; and at the other places touched by the line,
namely Brigg and Castor, the present cost of coal was from 16s. to
17s. per ton ; but if the proposed lines be made, that article could
be laid down for 98. 7d. per ton at the two parts of the line. He
would not go into further details as to the amount of traffic, as they
would have it from the witnesses; but he would just say this, that
in the month of March last 73,000 quarters of corn had been sold at
Brigg. Upon the roads at present in existence the quantity of cattle
driven along was enormous, and the beasts were often very much
deteriorated by the journey, and thus the Yorkshire feeder would
be able to undersell the Lincolnshire. He would now direct at-
tendon to the line of coast along the Humber, and the east of the
county. The vast quantity of fish taken at that coast was sent to
the West and to London, and would therefore be of great
importance if there was a rapid mode of transit
afforded for this articleof food. Then, as to affording facilities for
sea-bathing, it would be of great benefit and convenience to a num.
ber of persons in the middle classes to have a facility by railroad of
getting at a place near Great Grimsby called Claythorp, to which
there was no ixode of conveyance now but by coach, which
was very expensive. The Humber had a very fine har-
bour, which was well sheltered, and in which a very
large trade was carried on, and, therefore, it would be very
important that foreign ships coming into that harbour on the south
side should have some quick mode of transit for their cargo into the
interior of the country ; and that woull be given by the proposed
line. This want was particularly felt at Great Grimsby; but thes.e
was now a Bill before Parliament for the improvement of the bar..
hour, and if that Bill should pass, then this project would become
the more necessary. If the Committee looked at the map they
would see that a place called Gainsboreugh was in the centre of
several railways, some of which had been completed, and others
were projected. To the south there was a line from Sheffield to
Gainsborough ; and to the north there was another,
which also terminated at the same place; and the line
from Tiverton to Gai.shorough was a projected line. The
Learned Counsel then read a passage from the report of the Board
of Trade, in which approval was expressed of the line from Swinton
to Gainsborough. He then went on to say, that from Gains-
borough the line would go through the populous village of Caistor,
a place in which there were markets and quarter sessions
held. Then the line went on to Brigg, a great coal depot, thence
to the south, near Castor, and ended at Market Raisin, which was
also a market town. The line then took s northern route by New
Holland to Hull, by which mute the mails were now sent. Re-
turning thence from New Hollarhi, it went on to Great Grimsby,
thus effecting two great objects, .lamely, a certain junction of
line from west to east, and the connexion of the manufacturing
with the agricultural districts; and a vast .amount of ace.ommoda-
tion to five out of six market towns. Thus the Committee would
see that this project brought into connexion the east and west and
north and south districtsofcountry now without any line of railroad,
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