The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-14 00:00:00

THE SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY
AND THE BOARD OF ORDNANCE.
The following letters. some of which IA ere embodied in the
•ition of ill, "zouth.rn Ea<t,rn Co•rgany's pe-
tHcm. i., the :o,,rt. wif%; rt.,n of other

1.1,1:4 more cor-

ole bearings of tt., :
of rho south- Ea3tor,t Ita;;way Company,
under their common seat,

Humbly sboweth,
That your petitioners were incorporated by Act of Parlia-
ment for the formation and maintenance of a line of railway
between the metropolis and Dover, and that branches there-
from to various towns within the county of Kent have since
been constructed ; and that the said public undertaking, with
the works in progress, and those to which the proceedings now
befa-a Parliament on behalf of the said company relate, in-
V,,1704 a capital of six miilion,4
That your petitioners intrnducee various Bills into your
Honourable House in the present session for certain extensions
of the said railway, one of which said proposed extensions
from Hungerford-bridge to Childham, reported for non-com-
pliance of standing orders, is now a proj'ct in Group A of your
Honourable House.
That an opposing company, called "the London, Chatham,
and North Kent Railway Company," has now a Bill before the
said Committee, Group A, intituled," a Bill for making a Rail-
way from London to Canterbury, with Branches therefrom."
That your petitioners have been opposing the said London,
Chatham, and North Kent Railway Bill in the said Committee
211 days to the present day inclusive; and by counsel, agents,
and witnesses, at great cost, have been promoting their own
competing line, in opposition to the said other projected
railway.
That in the course of the evidence of your petitioners be-
fore the said Committee, difficulties were proved to exist. in the
London, Chatham. and North Kent Railway scheme, by rea-
son of certain objections to the levels and stations in the
vicinity of Woolwich.
That those facts were supported, on behalf of your peti-
tioners, by the evidence of the Right Hon. Lord Bloomfield,
commandant of the artillery at Woolwich, and other artillery
and engineer officers, who stated that the passing of the said
North Kent line, as proposed, could not be carried out con-
sistently with the public safety and the maintenance of that
branch of the public service.
'I hat the said difficulty raised against the North Kent by
this evidence was met by the production of a letter, signed by
Mr. Hignett, the solicitor to the said Board of Ordnance,
stating the assent to the said railway plan by the said Board of
Ordnance. _

That the following documents in relation thereto are ex•
tracts from the minutes of evidence before the said Committee
Group A :

" Office of Ordnance, Jan. 20, 1845,

" Sir,—The Master-General and Board of Ordnance baying
had under consideration your notice No. as to the Ord-
nance property at Woolwich, Chatham, and Sheerness,
affected by the proposed London, Chatham, and North Kent
Railway, I am directed to communicate to you thereon as
!Mow.:—
" ( Woolwich. )—lf the line of railway be adopted, the Mas-
ter-General and Board consider it to be quite indispensable
that it shall be tunnelled throughout the whole extent of its
course through the Ordnance property at this place; and fur-
ther, that no station be placed so near to the Ordnance boun-
dary at either end so as to afford a pretext, or create a tempta-
tion, to persons going to or coming from the station to cross or
trespass in any m inner upon the Ordnance property.
• (Chatham )—ln the proposed Bill a clause should be in-
troduced, requiring the railway to pass through the Ordnance
property on a plan approved by the Master-General and Board,
the details of which should be prepared in this department,
showing the manner in which the work must be executed, so
as to prevent injury to the defences of the place.
" ( Sheerness. )—The Master-General and Board cannot
!auction the line of railway at this place, an embankment in
the Ordnance property being objectienable. Subject to these
exceptions, the Master-General and Board assent to the under-
taking, so far as this property at the above stations is concerned.
" I am, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
"R. BY HAM.
" Wm. Stephens, Esq. (North Kent Railway),
30, Bedford-row."

" Sir,—l am instructed by the Provisional Committee of the
London, Chatham, and North Kent Railway Company to trans-
mit to you, for the purpose of being laid before the Master-
General and Board of Ordnance, and for their approval and
sanction, a map of their proposed line of railway, extending
from Blackheath to the further side of Plueistead-com-
mon. On the map the line of railway is coloured bhie, the
proposed stations are also coloured blue, and the boundaries of
the Ordnance property at Woolwich and Charlton (so far as
the same are known to the Company's engineer) are marked
by a red shade. The station for the accommodation of Wool-
wich is proposed to be placed on the west side of Woolwich-
common, and the approach thereto from the town of Woolwich
is proposed to be made along the road called Sandy-hill, and
which is coloured yellow on the plan.
" As the house belonging to the Ordnance, and usually
occupied by the Adjutant-General of the Royal Artillery,
and also the field in the occupation of the officer com-
manding the engineers at Woolwich, must unavoidably be
greatly interfered with, it is proposed, at the Company's ex-
pense, to re-build a suitable mansion in such a situation as
the Master-General and Board of Ordnance may select, and
also so to construct the line of railway as to make the least
possible se►erance in the commanding engineer's field,
and, if required, to purchase proper ground, and at the Com-
pany's expense, in any other other convenient situation. It is
most respectfully submitted to the Master-General and Board
of Ordnance that the station for Woolwich will thus be placed
in a position to allow of no excuse for trespassing on the Ord-
nance property, while the situation is as far removed as possible
from the boundary of the Ordnance grounds so as to leave the
Company any chance of profit for their outlay in constructing
the railway. The plan also shows the nearest station to the
westward of Woolwich-common, which will be situated at
Kidbrook-lane, between Morden College, and the inn called
The Sun in the Sands,' which it is hoped may be considered
by the Master-General and Board of Ordnance as a position
which will not at all tend to occasion any trespass on the Ord-
nance pi opert y.
" I beg to add that the several portions of the commanding
engi►.teer's field would have afforded a more desirable station for
the pui.he and the Company ; but, in order to conform to the
views of the Master-General, it has been proposed to place the
eastward station at Sandy-hill.-1 have the honour to be, Sir,
your most obedient servant,
" J. Ilignett, Esq., &c."

" WILLIAM STEPHENS.

" Office of Ordnance, Pall-mall, June 10, 1845.
" beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated
the 9th inst., with its accompanying plan, showing the proposed
hoe of the North Kent Railway, from Blackheath to the fur-
ther side of Plumstead-common, and the sites of two intended
stations, one to the westward of Woolwich- common, at Kid-
brook-lane, between Alerden College and' the inn called ' The
Sun in the Sands,' and the other to the eastward, at the west-
end of Plumstead ; and, having submitted your letter and plan
to the Master-General and Board of Ordnance, I am directed
to inform you that they assent to your proposition, The Mas-
ter-General and the Board consider that those stations will be
sufficiently remote from the outward limits of the Ordnance
property, not to afford a pretext to persons going to, or coming
therefrom, to cross or trespass upon the Ordnance property.
" It is, of course, to be understood that the tunnelling will
be executed to the satisfaction of this Board, as already agreed
between the department and the Company, and that I am to
prepare clauses for insertion in the Bill, to secure the due exe-
cution of the works assented to by the Master-General of the
Board.

" On this understanding I have, on their behalf, to express
their assent to the Bill.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your
most obedient humble servant,
"J. HIG NETT, solicitor, Ordnance.

"Mr. W. Stephens."

" Office of Ordnance. June Ii), 1845.

Sir,—The Master-General and Board of Ordnance, being
of opinion that the two stations for the London, Chatham, and
North Kent Railway, marked on the plan furnished by you,
viz., that to the westward at Kidbrook-lane, between Morden
College and the inn called ' The Sun in the Sands,' and that to
the eastward at the west end of Plumstead-common, having the
approach to it from Woolwich along the road called Sandy-
hill, will both be sufficiently remote from the outward limit of
the Ordnance property not to afford a pretext, or occasion, or
temptation for persons going to, or coming from, those stations
to cross or trespass in any manner upon the Ordnance pro-
perty, lam commanded to communicate the same to you, for
the information of the Londo,t, Chatham, and North Kent
Railway Company.--I am, Sir, your most obedient humble
serv,nt, " R. BYEIAM.
" Mr. W. Stephens, 30, Bedford-row."

" Office of Ordnance, June 24, 1845.

" Sir,—With reference to the correspondence which has
p,ssed between the Board of Ordnance and the North Kent
Railway Company, as to the formation of a tunnel or
covered way across Woolwich-common in the manner
required by the Master-General and Board, I beg to
state that I have prepared, and transmit herewith, a
clause for insertion in the Bill, in the event of its being
adopted by the Committee, providing that the tunnel
and other railway works at that spot are to be executed to
the satisfaction of the Board of Ordnance. I am directed to
add that the company are not to vary the level of the railway
by rai,ing the same ; but that the :Master-General and Board
consent to any necessary deviation of the level of the railway
by lowering the same, or any part of the Ordnance property at
Woolwich-common, to such an extent below the level of the
railway as sh,wn in the deposited section thereof, beyond the
extent allowed by the General Railway Act, as may be neces-
sary to give sufficient hoadway throughout for ventilation or
otherwise. as may he required, or as may be pointed out b the
Board of Trade or the Inspector-General of Railways.—lam,
Sir, your most obedient servant,
"J. HIGNETT, solicitor, Ordnance.
" W. Stephens, Esq., solicitor,
" Londun, Chatham, and North Kent Railway."

That your petitioners have reason to apprehend that undue
influence may have been used by the solicitor of the Board of
Ordnance in favour of the said London, Chatham, and North
Kent Railway to the prejudice of your petitioners.
That your petitioners, under these circumstances, felt it in-
cumbent upon them to lay before the Committee, Group A, a
letter addressed in February last to a late secretary of their
company from John Hignett, the solicitor of the said Board of
Ordnance, and which letter is as follows :
" Office of Ordnance, February 3, .1845.
"My dear Sir.—l will thank you to let me have some tickets
of admission to the meeting at the City of London Tavern on
Thursday nest.
"I think you should not overlook Captain Boldero (a
ineibber of this Board) in your allocation of the forthcoming
sharers you can address them to him at this office, and mark it
• private.
" I spoke to Mr. Bonham on the same point. but he feels
some difficulty, as there is to be an opposition in Parliament to
your lines.

" You can send some shares to him or not, as you please,
and mark your letter private,' and state that you do so at my
angges!ion.

Whatever you intend fur me you will also please to mark
private.'
" Sir J. Goldsmiti is, I hear, still bent on a vigorous opposi•.
tion ; but, I have little doubt, if you are firm, that you will
succeed.

" There is to be a meeting at Greenwich to oppose you; but
Mr. Forman (son of the late Colonel Forman),rin whys interested
largely in: respect of some houses, the
trustees,
ones in the
place, on his own family's account, and also forc will
not concur in their view:, but quite the reverse. He my
as sis tan t.— Yours. faithfully, "J. HIGNETT."
" When you get before the Committee of the Commons, I
will tell you whom to attend to give evidence for you. It will
help you greatly.
"J. Whitehead, Esq."
That, under therabove circumstances, your petitioners feel
that the interests of their proprietary and the public may
have been compromised by the corrupt influence of the said
John Hignett at the said Board of Ordnance, or that the
documents bearing the signature of the said John Hignett may
mot have had the proper or full consideration and sanction of
the said Beard of Ordnance.
That such corrupt conduct in a public servant of the Crown
is not only injurious to the interests of your petitioners, but
derogatory to the honour and integrity of public authorities.
Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that your Honour-