The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-11 00:00:00

PROVISIONAL DIRECTORS.

James Gibbs, Esq., Chairman, Director of the Bristol and Exeter,
and the South Devon Railways.
Rickard Ricketts, Esq., Director of the Bristol and Gloucester
' Railway.
William Morgan, Esq., Director of the Bristol and Exeter, South
Devon, and Bristol and Gloucester Railways.
Samuel Lang, Esq.
Francis Fry, Esq. Directors of the Bristol and Gloucester
Robert Leonard, Esq.
,S Railway.
Richard Fry, Esq.
Christopher Shapland, Esq., Director of the Bristol and Gloucester
and South Devon Railways.
William Day Wills, Esq., Director of the Bristol and Exeter and Bir-
mingham and Gloucester Railways.
Charles Bowles Fripp, Esq., Director of the Bristol and Exeter and
South Devon Railways.
ENGINEER.—I. K. Brunel, Esq.
SOLICITORS.
Messrs. Savery, Clark, and Company, Bristol.
Messrs. W. O. and W. Hunt, 10, Whitehall, London.
SECRETARY.—George Shapland, Esq.
On the formation of the Bristol and South Wales Junction Rail-
way Company, in April last, the Directors requested their engineers
to survey the country on the Monmouthshire side of the Severn,
with a view to ascertain the most eligible line for a railway to Mon-
mouth, as that town and district would not be conveniently connected
with Bristol by any of the railways then projected. Various circum-
stances delayed their report, and during the interval a scheme, appa-
rently of a more extensive character, has been brought forward—
via., one for a railway from Bristol to Hereford, with a fixed bridge
across the river Severn, at the Aust Passage.
After the fullest consideration, the Directors consider that the
announcement of this project ought not to alter the course they
had Intended to pursue, of providing the public with a mode of tra-
velling from Bristol to Monmouth suited to the character of the coun-
try, and to the surmountable difficulties incident to a large navigable
river. They can see no reason to expect that the Lords of the Admi-
ralty (whose sanction the recent Land Clauses Consolidation Act has
rendered necessary when a railway is to be carried over a tidal
river), will look on a bridge across the estuary of the Severn, where
it is nearly a mile and a half in width, with greater favour than they
have lately shown with regard to one where the same river is only
six hundred yards wide, and is not navigated by large vessels ; and
from long experience in railway business, the Directors are convinced
that no adequate revenue for an outlay of two millions upon forty-
eight miles of country, possessing no peculiar resources, can justly
be anticipated.
They have carefully examined into all possible sources of traffic ;
and though they are of opinion that a gross income might be pro-
duced, of about two thousand pounds per mile, per annum, which
would yield a fair return on the cost of a railway connecting Chep-
stow and Monmouth, as a link in the general railway scheme for
that district, they believe that no person acquainted with railway
statistics can justly anticipate an additional net revenue of Five per
Cent. upon one million pounds, the smallest sum at which the
bridge can be estimated.
It should be recollected that many years must elapse before such
a stupendous work across so rapid a navigable river of such depth
and width, and with the greatest rise of tide known in the world,
cou:d be completed, even if subscribed capital for such a purpose
could be relied upon, and also that ere long the distance between
Bristol and the north, and north west of England will be so much
lessened by the lines of railway now before Parliament and the
public, that sixteen miles will be the utmost saving in travelling from
tristol to Liverpool via Monmouth, while to Manchester, the rail-
ways via Gloucesti r must still afford the most direct communication.
Whenever two routes of equal facilities are open to the public, the
proprietors of either ought not to anticipate more than half the
travelling, and therefore the Directors believe that any expectation
of monopolising the long traffic between Bristol and Liverpool, or
the adjacent districts, is fallacious. For these reasons the project for
a bridge across the Severn, and for the 48 miles of railway, to be con-
nected with it (requiring a gross revenue of 150,0001. per annum to
pay only live per cent, upon the present estimate of two million
pounds), can never be regarded favourably in a financial view by
any parties who inquire into the average receipts per mile resulting
from railway or bridge traffic.
_ _

The Directors have felt it necessary to make these observations on
the undertaking referred to as an explanation why they t till pro-
ceed with their own plans precisely as they would have done had
such a scheme never been announced.

They have the great satisfaction to state, that the Bristol and
South Wales Junction Railway, together with the improvements at
the New Passage Ferry, and the proposed extension line to Mon-
mouth, will be constructed under the superintendence of Mr. Brunel,
and they are confident that the inconveniences of a ferry will be mo-
dified far beyond public expectations.
When the Severn is reached by the Railway from Bristol and
crossed at the New Passage, the traveller will be in the direct route to
Newport, Cardiff, and South Wales on the one side, and on the other
to Chepstow and Monmouth, from which latter town various lines
are about to be constructed to Hereford, Shrewsbury, North Wales,
Chester, Liverpool, &c.
The Bristol and South Wales Junction Railway was promoted to
maintain the very ancient connexion between Brist and the Prin-
cipality, and the proposed extension of it to 3onmouth will have a
similar tendency in reference to the towns of Chepstow and Mon-
mouth, and the districts in which they are situated.

The Directors therefore believe that it will receive the strong sup-
port both of the Shareholders in the Bristol and South Wales Junc-
tion Railway, as a protection of :heir interests, and of theinhabitants
of So,:th Wales and Monmouthshire, as a certain and early means of
securing railway communication with Bristol and the districts to be
reached by the various railways connected with that city.
It has been considered more judicious to form a separate Company
for the extension line to Monmouth than to alter the Bristol and
South Wales Junction Railway Company at present, but powers are
proposed to b, taken for uniting the two Companies hereafter with
the assent of their respective Proprietors.
__... . _ _

The an.u-cboiaci. ante Bristol and South WalesJunctlon Railway
Company will be entitled to an interest in this Company, and there-
fore such of them as may be applicmnts are requested to state the
number of Shares they already bold in the former.

Prospectuses and Forms of Application may be obtained, on ap-
plying personally, or by letter, to the Solicitors and Secretary,
and also,

At Exeter—To Mark Kinnaway, Esq., Solicitor.
At Liverpool—To Messrs. Littledale and Bardswell, Solicitors.
At Manchester—To Messrs. Slater and Heelis.
At Chepstow—To J. L. Baldwin, Esq., Solicitor.
At Newport—To Messrs.Protheroe and Towgood, Solicitors.

At Cardiff—To Thomas Dalton, Esq., Solicitor.
At Swansea—To I. J. Price, Esq , Solicitor.
FORM OF APPLICATION..

To the Provisional Directors of the Bristol and South Wales Junc-
tion Railway Extension Line to Monmouth,
Gentlemen,—l request that you will allot to me Shares of 251.
each, in the proposed Bristol and South Wales Junction Railway
Extension Line to Monmouth, on the terms and conditions of the
_ _

Prospectus; and I undertake to pay the deposit and sign the neces-
sary Deeds, when required
Dated the day of

1845.
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