The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-07-22 00:00:00

Robert Stephenson, Esq

STANDING COUNSEL.
R. Malins, Esq.
SOLICITORS.
chell, Kilgour, and Parson, 47, Parliament-

Messrs

street, Westminster.
Messrs. Rawstorne and. Wilson, Preston.
Henry Toogood, Esq., Preston.
LOCAL SOLICITORS.
Messrs. Fielding and Wright, Richmond.
Messrs. Hartley and Heath, Settle.
Dixon Robinson, Esq., Clitheroe Castle, Clitheroe
Messrs. Robinson and Hartley, Blackburn.

BANKERS.
Messrs. Barclay and Co. Lombard-street.
London} London and Westminster Bank, Lothbury,
and its Branches.
Liverpool—The Royal Bank of Liverpool.
Manchester—Union Bank.
Preston—Messrs. Clayton and Co.
Richmond—Messrs. Stapleton and Co.
Settle and Clitheroe—The Craven Bank.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne—lbe Northumberland and Dur-
ham District Bank.

THE object of this Railway is to form a direct line of
communication from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the ports
of Shields, Middlesborough.Tynemouth, and Sunderland,
Seaham Harbour, ihe rising ports of Hartlepool, Stock-
ton-on-Tees, and the other ports on the north-east coast
of Engl-ind, to the important towns of Clitheroe, Preston,
Blackburn, Bolton, Bury, Wigan, Chorley, Manchester,
and Liverpool, and the other great manufacturing and
commercial towns of Lancashite.

Commencing at Preston, it will proceed by the Valley
of the Ribble to Clitheroe, where it meets with the pro-
posed extension of the Blackburn, Darwen, and Bolton
line from Blackburn to Clitheroe ; it will thence proceed
to Settle and Hawes by the most direct course, and by
the Valley of the Ure and the Wensleydale, to the towns
of Askrigg and Richmond, near which latter place it will
forte a junction 'With the Gre-a North of England and
Newcastle and Darlington Railways by means of the
Richmond Branch of the former Railway.

The population of the districts thus placed in direct
communication with each other, independently of the
intermediate population, may be safely considered to
amount to 570,000 on the north-east, and on the south-
west 1,670,000.

This line, forming the most direct route from the north-
ern and eastern districts of England, via Fleetwood, to
Belfast and the North of Ireland, will greatly facilitate
an interchan.ge of commerce between the two countries.
It effects a saving of upwards of 40 miles over the short-
est existing route between Newcastle and Liverpool. The
immense population at its termini is a sufficient guarantee
of the passenger traffic which may be anticipated.
The line will also afford the greatest facility for the
transmission of coals from the mines of Durham and
Lancashire to the towns and districts between the ter-
mini. In this article alone a very large traffic may un-
doubtedly be anticipated, the price of coals at Settle and
its neighbourhood now varying from 20s. to 225. per ton,
while by means of the Railway coals of the best quality
may be supplied to Settle and the northern district of the
West-Riding of Yorkshire and Lancashire in any quan-
tity at from 10s. to 12s. per ton.
The want of direct means of communication between
the ports in the North of England and the towns of Li-
verpool, Preston, Fleetwood, and Manchester, has been
long felt; the importance also of a system of easy railway
communication around Manchester, extended to a much
larger radius than at present is occupied by any lines
towards the North, has been fully explained by the Board
of Trade, as affording a greater choice of sites for the
erection of mills and factories.
The important local elements of traffic in slate, lead,
ironstone, freestone, and lime, which will be derived from
the immediate vicinity of Wensleydale and Swaledale,
and the other great mineral valleys along the line, are
sufficiently obvious to all who are acquainted with the
district, independent of the traffic in cattle and agricul-
tural produce from Durham, Darlington, Richmond.
Settle, and other grazing districts, which is now very
considerable, It is believed that tbese sources of profit,