The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-22 00:00:00

miesugson••••-em---
It AILWAY INTELLIGENCE,
WELSH MIDLAND.
uroßczsTsvt, SATURDAY ND:MT.—To-day the Provisional
TAreetors and officers of the Welsh Midland Company at-
ts tided at the Star and Garter Hotel, in this city, for the pur-
pose of affording to the inhabitants and landowners whose
lieterests may be affected by the proposed line, an opportunity
% Inspecting the plans, and also for the purpose of hearing
, ly suggestions relative to the line, the objects of which are
-ft connect the manufacturing districts, and the seaports of
• *tad' Wales in the Bristol Channel, with Birmingham and
great manufacturing districts of Staffordshire, thus form-
-e:ag a. perfect communication between the great mineral dis-
tric'es of Staffordshire, the salt districts of Worcestershire, the
` etanufacturing district; of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Worces-
tershire, Warwickshire, and Nottinghamshire, and the sea-
poll of Liverpool, with South Wales and the numerous
-works in its mineral field. Since the original plan was pub-
Tubed, several modifications have been made. Originally the
line from this city proceeded rid Bromyard to Leominster and
Jlereford ;but this route has since been changed, so as to take
3la the fashionable watering-place of Great Malvern, tunnel-
law throin‘h the hill, and approaching within three miles of
Xedbury, and proceeding to Hereford.
A preliminary meeting was held at one o'clock, for the
litirpese of pointing out the line upon the Ordnance maps.
this a large number of landowners on the route between
ercester,and Malvern attended, and to whom the engineer,
fie 'Gibbs, end Mr. Sidney Hall, pointed out and explained
the line as now intended to be taken. They appeared to be
ittitisfectory.
At three o'clock the deputation again attended at the
flair and Garter, for Ste purpose of laying before those ire
teiested the general features of the undertaking. The de-
itation consisted of Mr. Bulkeley Hughes, M.P., and
. J. Palmer Budd, deputy-chairman of the Welsh Mid-
it
d Company ; Mr. Acker, M.P., J. Regan, Elq., a Di-
, Aaetter of the Mancbter and Leeds Railway ; J. l'arry de
"e tend Esq., A. S. M. Maskelyne, Esq., S. Beak, Esq.,
itrector of the Midland Railway; and J. N. Foster, Esq.,
yho were attended by Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Hall, engineers;
• Nem% Parker, Rose, and Norton, the solicitors ; Mr.
- Tritethard, secretary, and the following local solicitors :
e. Hug hen, Worcester; Mr. Milnes, Leominster ; Mr.
(learn, Hereford; and Mr. Collie, Stourbridge. Amongst
ta landowners and others present were Sir A. Lechmere,
eem, anti T. C. Hornyhold, J. E. Williams, 0. Mason, IL
Lakin (Lord Beauchamp's agent), J. Dowding, C. (fiffiths,
e-e Vernon, Stiawley ; J. H. Allen, T. Jones, Sherridge ;
James Best (agent for Earl Somers), G. Farley, J. Herbert,
J. Onley, E. Gorlee, T. Waters, J. W. Lea, Vice-Chair-
vein of the Severn Improvement Commission; J. M. Gutch,
le Pidenck, J. Hill, town clerk ; a"id M. Pierpoint, Esqrs. ;
Revs. G. Williams, and Griffitts, besides numerous trades-
. VIM end merchants.
Itir. J. Paeenitt BUDD, 11 proprietor, of the Ystalyfera
touworke, in Glamorganenire, rose, and on behalf of the
Dives ors of the Wele'a Midland, directed attention to
the objects of the line as detailed above. The line, he
oNrred, 'had beer, on
lawyers and engineers, but was a
traa.lide schema, set on foot in the South Wales district,
Wel cordiallitee supported all along the route.—(;Hear,
tau), It proceeded from Birmingham to Kidderminster,
- uewaleY, Leominster, and Hay, direct to Swansea. Then a
line trom• Worcester proceeded to Malvern and Hereford,
_ enather r-ine deviating' to Gloucester. At Birkenhead they
you'd bevel communication with the Irish Sea, and access
to tide who system of English railways. They had no
3,...d to advertise for capital, for plenty had already been fur-
e•ished to them ; and, in allotting the shares, if they had
t eelected any application, it teas on account of the impos-
t ability of granting it. At Hay there would be a great fork,
Aye prong of which would proceed to Hereford and Worcester,
,i7laid the other to Kidderminster and Birmingham. The line
proceeded on to Carmarthen, uniting with the sea coast, and
giving access to Cardigan and Newport. By it the present
distrAnce between Ireland and London and Ireland and Bir-
mingham would be lessened by many miles. The line would
have every element of traffic, seeing that it embraced the
agricqjtural district of Breconshire, Herefordshire, Shrop-
shire, And Worcestershire,. the copper, iron, and tin works of
Glareerganshire and Monmouthshire, and the iron and coal
• tiOds of those counties and of Staffordshire. It would also
. 'supply a quick transit for coal and lime. At Brecon the
main line Joined with the Carmarthen and other lines, and
*to wilted with lines now existing in those mineral dis-
trees. At Llandillo it connected the Llanelly district by
means of the Llanelly Railway, and it joined the Taaf Vale
lMilway at two points, one at Merthyr, and the other at
the terminus in the Aberdare Valley, thus opening a free and
entire channel of intercourse to the central parts of England.
With regard to Newport, there was a scheme for a line of
railway from that port to Pontypool and Abergavenny. The
Newport, Abergavenny, and Hereford Company, had pur-
chaeed the tram-road from Abergavenny to Hereford, at
which latter city they would join the Welsh Midland, and so
bring up the produce of the Monmouthshire mineral fields to
Hereford. He could not conceive under what paucity of
.in •
fniumt!on any one could have dared to say that the Welsh
Mland line did not accommodate the iron trade of the South
Wales district, for it did accommodate it in a way which no
ether scheme could possibly pretend to do.—(Hear and
timers.) It had been said, that by means of a line running
twat and west, they would be able td accommodate all the
iron-works; but their engineer declared the impracticability
of such a line. Their (the Welsh Midland) junction with the
Newport and Abergavenny line would afford all the accom-
aodation required. After some further remarks, on the
kepreeticability of the Eastern and Western line, Mr. Budd
.said it was their wish to conciliate all parties, consistent
with the success of the measure, and the general interests
of the Khareholders. The plans as regarded Worcester,
yould be so devised as to make a junction with all the
tfteretst railways brought to this city-4 Hear, hear)—and
tile Oxfoce, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway
among the rest. Looking to the South Wales line, they
found gradients in it worse than 1 in 60 ; on their own,
lin 100 was the greatest They would therefore, be ena-
bled to work with the most rapid speed of railway tra-
velling. They had also made beneficial arrangements with
iiwany canal interests at Hay and Brecon, which would
ettlerd them advantages not possessed by others. The
Welsh. Midland would, doubtless, in the next session of
Parliament, be the great line of the session ; and,
ipoking at the various features of their case, which
would hare the advocacy of the same solicitors, who
in an arduous campaign of 76 days, had triumphantly car-
ried the London and York scheme through Parliament.
Me had no doubt that the fullest success; would attend. them.
_Unknown to him as were the deputation who now attended
to lay before that meeting the plans of the Welsh Midland
lway, they would no: call upon the meeting at once to
'ileke in their favour, but would leave them to digest the
futuuree of the undertaking; and he doubted not that they
would ultimately give the Company their full support. The
pion which they had adopted of attending meetings of the
snhalallsnts of the several districts to endeavour to conci-
liate, In preference to asking them at once for their sa-
lt:WA, bad hitherto been attended with the most satisfactory
Minks.
Mr. STALL-inn. wine-merchant, then put a number of
Questions to Mr. Budd, with the view of ascertaining whe-
eler or not the mileage of the plan had not been increased
glace till) first prospectus had been issued; and whether,
atierefore, the amount of capital proposed to be raised, would
Dot require to be increased.
Mr. BUDD and Mr. ACKER.% in reply, stated that the Bre-
oeu and Merthyr Junction Company, which would join them,
would bring in a capital which would be at their service. The
original plans had been altered, and would perhaps continue
to be varied further. If these called for an increase of capi-
tal, they had not the slightest doubt that every farthing
which they might want would be easily raised.
fir. STALLARD then asked upon what gauge the line would
be constructed?
Ur. Bunn replied that they were in the hands of the royal
commission, which commission, he hoped, would effectually
stop the plague of gauges. If the commission decided that
Worcester should be the determining point, he could not con-
ceive how that could injure the interests of the city.
Mr. SrALLARD then put the question to Nlr. Budd,
whether the Welsh Midland had not been originally brought
out in support of the South Staffordshire (or liugby and
Trio g scheme).
Air. Bunn—Most decidedly not.
Mr. SleALLattr —Did you not say, when you were examined
before the committee of the House of Commons, that the
Mouth Staffordshire line was to join the Welsh Midland?
Mr. BuDD—Deeidly not. I said it would form a junction
tea Worcester.—(Hear, hear, and cries of "Oh.")
After some further conversation,
Mr WATERS (Clerk of the Peace for Worcester) inquired
at vi hat point it was intended to cross the Severn at IVor-
ces er ; whether above or below the present bridge?
Mr. Gums, the engineer, said that was a point on which
they wished to hear the suggestions of the meeting.
Mr. WAvEns then asked whether the bridge would be an
Open or solid bridge?
" Mr. Grans said lie hardly saw the necessity for an open
bridge ; on which
Mr. WArmns sail, that as connected with the Severn Im-
provement, he would at once give him notice that a solid
bridge would be strongly opposed, both by that commission
and the citizens of 'Worcester.
Some further discusion ensued, which was at length put
Ina end to by
Mr. (iewit, banker, who proposed a vote of thanks to the
'',Atiputatiou. He was glad they had followed the precedent of
the Great Western and Eastern deputation, in not asking of
the meeting a resolution in favour of them.
Mr. STALLARD seconded the vote, and Mr. B. HUGHES'
acknowledged it.

6OUTILAINIP TON, MANCHESTER, AND OXFORD
JUNCTION (PARSON'S LINE.)
. Ssvornox, SATURDAY.—This afternoon a meeting of
the landowners and inhabitants of Swindon and its vicinity
sOns held at the Goddard Arms Tavern, in pursuance of a
requisition signed by fifty-two residents. The meeting
etatited of nearly every gentleman and tradesman in the
town.. Mr. Ambrose Goddard, the largest landowner in
the district, presided. The meeting was also attended by a
.. erotis deputation from the Committee of management.
I , .t. prising Lieutenant-Colonel Elrington, Major Croft, Major
.
orals Cooper, C. E. Bice, Esq., J. M'Millan, Esq., J. B.
-Payne, Zsg., L. Pocock, Esq., W. Parsons, Esq. (projector of
tbe line), and FL Renton, C.E.
Mr. WIIIALER opened the business. The proposed line
cared groat accommodation to the town, would be highly
beneficial to its markets, and conducive to the interests of
the neighbourhood —(Hear, hear.) Swindon, in every
Pont of-view, would reap vast advantages from its forma-
Uni.,—( Hear, hear.)
rl"tsg mla Coo said, so satisfied was he of the
it
benefits which Swindon would derive from the facility
hay eenunitut
werelic ),e
ationwhich this line presented, that it
- almost, as, come a necessity that they should
Iriasolit constructed as quickly as possible.—( Hear, hear.)
rey had every prospect of being successful ; for they had
arlraget the members of their Committee first-rate men—
tiaeli of title and fortune, and plenty of money to work
itohlt,—(Hear, hear.)
lir. PARSONS, after alluding tothe powerful support his
Thin had received, said, with respect to the line itself, if the
meeting would refer to the they would see that it was
In the first place proposed as a
mapeal object, to afford increased
facilities of transit to the rich i and thickly populated district
of" North Wilts, Hants,acnono
dmlliertst,io hitherto
and that the accoin-
therto but imperfectly
,
supplied with railway ac
would reluire only
plishment of so comprehensive a scheme
thetT Andover.
station ebont sixty miles of railway to be constructed.
proposeil to be taken was to commencerunetee;
ice, point at
•Tmd station of the South Western Itailwa
and
which that line commenced its direct soutlie;n
direction,
then passing near Whitchurch, in a northerly
diverge into two branches, about four miles south of 1(1%1"
dere. One branch would go direct to Ilungerford, inearl
liamsbury, by Aldbourne to Swindon, when it would proceed
-to a termination at the Swindon station of the Great
Western Railway, thus falling in with the existing rail-
vs to Gloucester, Cheltenham, Birmingham, Man-
aiet' er, and thence on to Liverpool, and the projected
lir, s through Wales. The other branch would take a
direct northern course, by Newbury and Ilsley, to the
Pideot station of the. Great Western Railway, at which place
ikyould join the Oxford and Rugby Line, which was in di-
:
' rect communication with all the northern lines ; and thus
tie two great arterial lines of railway in the north-west and
•/
flokerunning north and south, and communicating with the
I- ' rabic ramifications in the Potteries, the manufactu-
ng kit coal districts, and; Scotland, would be led to, and
i*
i
' ited in one cquimon trunk line leading &ed to Ports-
sold and gouthanipto.—(Hear, bear.) T1r,13 being the