The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-21 00:00:00

LEEDS AND WEST MCDING E,AILVT.PA.Y.

The Committee on this Bill met to-day, at two o'clock, the Duke
of Cievelano in the chair.

Mr. TA Luf.r opened the case for the promoters.

The Bill is opposed by the West Yorkshire Company. competing
project The opponents were representei by Mr. Sergeant Talfeurd,
Mr. Baines, and Mr Hope.
Mr. Holdsworth. Chairman of the Manchester and Leeds Com-
pany, was the first witness examined The evidenCe of this gen_
titular) was strongly in tctvour of the proposed line.

Mr. Scrvant TALFOURD oro.4s.examiti,-d the wi,ness, and the
Committee, at four o'clock, adjourned till Monday, at eleven.

SOUTHAMPTON AND DORCHESTER
MA.ILNITAY.

Upon Mr. RowE, counsel for the opponents, proposing to cross-
examine the witnesses, with a view to a projected line for the
next session, the Committee interposed. and the room was ordered
to be cleared.

After a short deliberation the parties were called in, and informed
by the Noble Chairman that the Committee would not hear evi-
dence in favour of a line of railway not before them as a Bill or
project. The opponents should confine themselves to a case for
the landowners as affected by the proposed line.
Mr. Rowu then cross.examined the witnesses with respect to
the injury which would accrue to the opponents by the line of
railway cutting up some very valuable property.
At four o'clock the Committee adjourned till Monday, at eleven.

ORDERS COTt*TIKITTEE.
The following Bills came before the Standing Orders' Committee
this day, Lord Shaftesbury in the chair : The Leeds and Thirk
Railway, the Newcastle ansi Darlington Railway, the Waterford
and Kilkenny Railway.

MEMOIRS OF LADY II ESTER STANHOPE ; COMPRIS-
ING HER OPINIONS, AND ANECDOTES OF THE MOST RE-
MAKABLE PERSONS OF HER TuirEs.—These memoirs can-
not fail to interest all classes of readers. It is justh observed
in the prospeett4s of the work :—" Throughout the whole of
the brilliant period of the life of her uncle, Mr. Pitt.
Lady Hester Stanhope (who was the partner of his secret
counsels) was dr..wn into daily intercourse with the most ro-
markable people of the age—statesmen, wits, diplomatists, men
of letters and science, women of fashion and celebrity, and all
the members of the royal family, with whom she was on terms
of familiar intimacy. Her great knowledge of human charac-
ter enabled her to form the most accurate opinions concerning
these distinguished persons, and her prodigious memory, unim-
paired to the last, laid up a store of personal recollections and
illustrative anecdotes, such as no other individual ever possessed
the means of accumulating. Her e. nvenations preserved in
these memoirs are n• less admirable for freshness and raciness
style, than for the singular and striking interest of the
matter. The private life of Mr. Pitt—his domestic character
and habits—hitherto altogether unknown. are here brought to
light by th•- only individual who was admitted to his unre-
served conFtience. and who alone understood the true elements
of his nature. When Lady Hester Stanhope abandoned her
own country for ever, and buried herself in the solitudes of
:Mount Li banon, the novelty of her position, the marvellous
authority she obtained, and the masculine vigour she displayed
attracted to a remote and solitary retreat in Syria, the curio-
sity of Europe, and rendered her an object of universal in-
terest."

iM PERI AL PA lILIA.M.ENT.
/risk: COM,IYONS. June 20.
The SPKAK ER took the chair at Four o'clock.
LONDONDERRY AND COLERAINE RAILWAY.
"; he Londonderry and 'Coleraine Railway Bill was read a
third time. Certain agreements were agreed to, and the Bill
was pafse,l.
CORK AND BANDON RAILWAY.

The report on the Cork and Bandon Railway was brought up.
GREAT SOUTHERN AND WESTERN (IRELAND)
RAILWAY.
The report on the Great Southern and Western (Ireland)
Railway Bill was brought np, and the amendmeuts were
agreed to.
130 LION, LIVERPOOL, lIANCHESTER,AND GRAND
JUNCTION R AMWAY AMALGAMATION.
The Bolton arid Leigh, Kenyon and Leigh Junction, North
Union, Liverpool and Manchester, and Gra.id Junction Rail-
way Companies Amalgamation Bill was read a second time.
EASTERN COUNTIES UNION ACT AMENDMENT

BILL.
The Eastern Counties Union Act Amendment Bill was read
a third time and passed.
NORTH WALES MINERAL RAILWAY.
The North Wales Mineral Railway Bill was read a third
time and passed.
MANCHESTER, BURY, AND ROSSENDALE
RAILWAY.
The report on the Manchester, Bury, and Rossendale Rail-
way Bill was brought up.
BROAD AND NARROW GAUGES.
Mr. HENI.EY presented a petition from Chirping Norton
in favour of the Oxford, Wercester, and Wolverhampton Rail-
way Bill,
Mr. SPOONER presented a petition, signed by the mer-
chants, bankers, and manufacturers of Birmingham, on the
subject of the bread and narrow gauges. The petitioners were,
the greater number of them, not interested at all in railways
as shareholders, and they prayed the House not to pass either of
the rival Bills until a full inquiry had been instituted into the
relative merits of the broad and narrow gauges.
Sir C. DOUGLAS presented petitions from Warwick, Strat-
ford-upon-Avon, and some other places, with a similar prayer.
Mr. ScOTT presented petitions from Oxford, Bewdley, and
various other places, with a similar prayer.
Mr. MUN TZ presented petitions from Stourbridge and
Kidderminster with a similar prayer.
Lord INGESTRE then moved that the report on the
Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Rail way Bill he
braught up. He had looked through the evidence which had
been taken on this subject, and had considered it with very
great care, and the great bulk of the evidence seemed
to him to be in favour of the broad gauge.—( Hear, hear,
and cheers.) The matter was one of national interest
to the country at large, and also of local interest
to the county which he represented, and on both accounts he
considered the broad gauge was the preferable one of the two.
—( Cheers.) The House also should be cautious how they
upset the verdict of a Committee of that House.—( Hear,
hear.) Ile would not detain the House longer, but move at
once that the report of the Committee on the Oxford, Worces-
ter, and Wolverhampton Railway Bill be brought up.
Mr. PA KIN GTON seconded the motion.
Mr. COBDEN then moved as an amendment " That a
Select Committee be appointed to inquire whether, in all
future Acts for the construction of Railways, provision ought
to be made for securing one uniform gauge, and whether it
would be practicable and expedient to bring existing lines of
railway in England and lines now in course of construction,
into uniformity of gauge, and if so, to report upon the best
mode cf carrying these ebjects into effect in the
present session of Parliament." He said this was
a question of a particular line. It involved an im-
portant principle. They could not disguise the fact, that out
of the House the proceedings of that night were looked to with
great anxiety. It was a most important question, and ought
not to be decided rashly, or without due deliberation.
This was, perhaps, the most important question that
had vet arisen in the course of railway legislation, and
of the greatest national importance. They had fallen into a
great error in railway legislation in not laving down a proper
system for the regulation of railways. It was, however, a
remarkable fact, that in the early stage of railways they took
steps to secure an uniformity of gauge. In the London and
Birmingham and in the Grand Junction Railway Bills
clauses were introduced providing that the gauges should be
uniform. But when railway communication was extended into
the south of England this principle was departed from, and a
different gauge adopted. There were two questions involved in
this subject. First, the prevention of evil to the subject from
the vs int of uniformity in the gauge; and second, the
possibility of bringing the existing lines of railway
into one uniform system. They were all he was sure agreed on
the necessity of having only one gauge. There coul Ibe none
but what admitted that two gauges were a great evil. They
prof-Weed the greatest inconvenience to passengers and traffic.
and would interfere with the traffic going forward in all
parts of the country, unless steps were taken to avert
the evil. In the 'Midland counties, in Oxfordshire,
Worcester, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire th. re was a
war on the subject at present raging. Now, in those coun-
ties there was yet a vast area not supplied by railways,
and it was here that the battle was going forward, the
London and Birmingham and the Great Western Com-
panies contending which should occupy the vacant
space. The war would go forward, gathering strength, unless
they stepped in and settled the question. Not only in the
Midland Counties was the contest going forward, but it was
extending itself to Somersetshire, Wiltshire, and Dors
setshire, where as yet railways had made but slight progress.
Well, now they had projects for new lines in connexion with
the Great We-tern. There was a line from Southampton to
Salisbury, which had beers nearly completed, and there
was another from Bath to Bristol. But if these lines
should be completed according to the present plan, the
inconvenience would arise of transhipment from the Salisbury
line to get on to the Bath line, and that was a monstrous ab-
surdity. In Dorseishire it was the same way ; and he under-
stood that a line now about to be made in Wales would cause a
like inconvenience by reason of the narrow and broad gauges
coming in contact. This was a question which, if nut disposed
of now, would be attended with a great deal of labour and
trouble hereafter, and rivalry, and dispute, and discord, would
continually be the result. For this reason alone, he did think
there could not be a second opinion as to the necessity of having a
uniform gauge.—( Hear, hear.) He knew there were some Hon.
Members in that House who would go so far as to argue that
it was no inconvenience to tranship goods from one line of
carriages to another ; but surely it would not for a moment be
argued that it was no inconvenience to remove loads
of coals, or droves of cattle, from one train of carriages to
another.—( Hear, hear.) He believed that a greater annoy-
ance or inconvenience could not be conceived.—( Hear, hear. )
Well then, that fact being admitted, now let him call attention
to the fact that the narrow gauge was the first one
on which railways were constructed; and at the pre-
sent moment there were more kinds of railways
constructed upon the narrow than on the broad gauge, while
the projected lines were ten to one in favour of the narrow
gauge. On those grounds alone he did think the narrow
gauge should have the first consideration.—( Hear, hear. )
What were the objections to the narrow gauge ? They were
not in a position now to delay the question between them ; and
even if there were a preponderance of utility of the broad over
the narrow gauge, they were not, he repeated, in a position to
defer the settlement of this question. But what was the ob-
jection to the narrow gauge? It had existed in this country
for fifteen years. It was general throughout America, and
there the width of the rails, instead of being as in this country,
4 feet Si inches, was but 4 feet 6 inches. It was com-
mon in France, in Belgium, and he might say over
the Continent, with the single exception of Russia. Well
then, they had ample experience on the subject. There had
been no accident, he believed, that could be really attributed
to the narrowness of the gauges. They had had experience
of its use, and its spread was so extensive that they were not
now in a position to interfere with it. If, at this time, they
were attempting to conform their narrow to their broad
gauges, they would require to alter their tunnels,
their viaducts, their embankments, and, perhaps, most
difficult of all, their bridges, and that in some
Cases would be altogether impossible. They might
come to this House for power to do so. But if the broad
gauge were conformatory to the narrow gauge, it
would be most expedient. This would require no
alteration of tunnels, of viaducts, of embankments,
or of bridges ; nothing would be required but an alteration of the
rails and plans. Well this, he said, was the proper time to
legislate upon the subject. He was aware that it would be a
hard matter to interfere by a legislative enact-
ment to compel the Great Western Railway to
conform to the narrow gauge. But he contended
that the evil would be less felt at that time than
at any future period. They were now going on con-
structing railways. and they would in all probability
live to see railways wherever turnpike-roads at pre-
sent existed. The railway combined the advantaees
of turnpike roads and canals ; the expense of transit was less,
an they were still going on improving the construction of
them. They did now experience the difficulties which
had attended the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester
Railway. Could there be any doubt, then, that soon they
would have railways over ail parts of the country, and were
they to risk the inconvenience of these rival gauges, without
endeavouring to End some means of remedying this crying evil?
—( Hear.) He was sure that looking at the subject the House
woul say. and he agreed in the opinion, that the report of the
Committee should not be lightly set aside ; and it would
only be on a subject of such paramount importance that
he should ask the House to reverse the decision of the Corn-
miitee This was a question which must be met soon, and he
was anxious that the House should do so on the present occa-
sion. He was sure that no Hon. Member there would reproach
the Committee for the decision to which they had come, and
he would say that. the Committees as now constituted (and he
knew, for he sat on cue for a month past), approached as nearly
as regarded probity, to perfection as they possibly could do.
He did not mean to impugn the decision of the Committee. His
object was not to inquire into the reason which had moved them
to that decision, but still on the grounds of an impartial consi-
deration of the public interests, he thought that the decision
might he reviewed by the House, and their resolution
altered, without an infringement of the respect that
was due to the Committee. He was ready to
allow that their decision was, whether the House were to
blindly follow their decision, or take the evidence which had
enabled the Committee to come at their conclusions for the
guidance of the House. This was a matter of importance,
for the question was, not whether a present convenience er
inconvenience was to be satisfied, but how they were to provide
for the welfare of future generations?
Colonel WOOD said that this was a question on which all par-
ties might amicably meet. It was neutral ground, on which they
were prepared to state their opinions; but having taken the
elements on which the Committee had founded their report, he
hoped that he was not transgressing his usual principle in
adopting a plan opposed to the decision which had been
laid before the House. In doing this he would impress
en the Committee, that he was guilty of no direspect in second-
ing the motion of the Hon. Member opposite. But there
were other reasons why he should ask for a consideration, or,
rather, a reconsideration of this motion. The five gentlemen
on this Committee had refused their adherence to the recom-
mendation of the Board of Trade, which was in conformity
with the side of the question he had taken. The five gentlemen
of that Committee had stated their reasons for preferring the
narrow gaugetitneiisttihueesbtrioonadwgha
juegh:vt.RiThhigehClyorremdiitttaehelehatod taken
an interest them,
in
but they had not calculated on the interest which it was likely
to excite in others who were Members of that House. It was
true that they had considered the inconvenience of the narrow
gauge, and an immense amount of time and money had been
expended in endeavouring to ascertain the respective merits
of the two gauges, but it appeared to him that the
Committee had come to their decision, anti determined
between the two gauges from strong ex parte reasons,
The future was, however, so full of importance that he thought
they might well review their decision, and the consideration of
the Board of Trade was so important that it ought riot to be
cast aside without sufficient consideration. Ile thought
therefore that the House were interested in the fact
that that report had been made and that it ought
in some degree at least to be relied on. The
Honourable Committee bad reported that the broad gauge
was preferable to the narrow gauge. The Board of Trade was
in favour of the narrow gauge. There were many reasons
which perhaps might be urged in favour of both lines. Ile was
quite sati •fied , as far as speed and the saving of
time was concerned, the broad gauge was prefer-
able. In the conveyance of some kinds of traffic
however, speed was not :he principal object to be pletaiped- For