The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-04-02 00:00:00

CLERICAL NETIT,s.

The Rev. Miles Atkinson, head master of St. Bees
School, in a letter addressed to the governors, hgs offered
to present them with £6OO for the purpose of building a
chapel to be attached to the school, which most liberal
offer the governors have thought proper to decline, deem-
ing it preferable that the boys should attend the parish
church.— Carlisle Patriot.
MELANCHOLY DEATH OF A CLERGYMAN.—It is with
sincere regret we announce the death of the Rev. Christo-
pher Bush, incumbent of Weston Point Church, erected
by the trustees of the Werver Navigation. It appears the
rev. gentleman performed duty, at Warrington, on Sun-
day week, and being too late for the boat, he over-exerted
himself in walking; and being very warm when he entered
the church, was soon taken with a cold shivering. He
treated his complaint as a cold, until Friday last, whcn the
worst symptoms appeared in erysipelas, and he died on
Sunday night week delirious. What makes the event
more melancholy, Mrs. Bush was confined on Monday
with her fifth child, and is at present in a dangerous state.

REBECCA AGAIN.—CARDIGAN, MARCH 27.—About
four o'clock this morning Rebecca and her daughters paid
us another visit, and entirely demolished the turnpike
-gate
in the upper part of the town on the Aberystwith-road.
The gate and posts were sawn off, taken away, and are no-
where to be found, though an active search is making for
them by the police. This gate was destroyed on the night
of the 23d of June last, and it was lately replaced in a very
firm and substantial manner, notwithstanding which it was
again, this morning, removed without the least noise.
Even the persons in the toll-house adjoining were not
aware of the work of destruction going on. This gate
is
situated within 200 yards of the barracks of the Royal
Marines. The detachment of Royal Marines, under the
command of Captain Griffon, are removed from here to
Ah era) ron, and are relieved by that of the Plymouth di-
vision, under Captain Dawes. Correspondent of the
Shipping Gazette.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

GLASGOWT, DUMFRIES, AND CARLISLE

RAILWAY.

On Saturday week, a very important meeting was held
in the Clarendon-rooms, South John-street, in compli-
ance with the following circular:—

" 7, India-buildings, Liverpool.
21st March, 1841.
" Sir,—l beg leave respectfully to request your attend-
ance as a shareholder in the Edinburgh and Glasgow, or
Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway Company, at a meeting to
be held at the Clarendon-rooms, on -Saturday, next, at
twelve o'clock, of parties friendly to the proposed rail-
way from Glasgow to Carlisle, by Dumfries, to meet the
chairman and a deputation from Glasgow of the promo-
ters of the proposed line.
" I am, sir, your most obedient servant,
" M. WOTHERSPOON."
The attendance was numerous and highly influential.
JOHN CROSSFIELD, Esq., was requested to take the
chair.
The CHAIRMAN opened the proceedings by observing,
that any person who had travelled by the old coach route
from Dumfries, by Sanquhar up to Kilmarnock, must
have observed how nicely it went by the river Nith, and
how admirably nature seemed to have adapted it for the
construction of a railway. If the engineers could make
the line according to the plan laid down, it would be an
admirable line; and he understood it was open whether
to make the branch which went on to Monkton. The
chairman concluded by requesting Mr. Leadbetter to lay
the details of the projected line before the meeting.
Mr. LEADBETTER said he attended the present meet-
ing as chairman of the provisional committee appointed
by the company now forming for carrying a line of rail-
way from Glasgow to Carlisle rid Dumfries; and as that
undertaking was very much identified with the interests,
both positive and negative, of the Ayrshire Company and
the Edinburgh and Glasgow Company, it had been thought
desirable that the friends of those companies should be
called together, along with some gentlemen not interested
in any of them, but who, at the same time, might be de-
sirous of promoting this line of railway communication
between Glasgow and Carlisle. Perhaps he should be
able to make the subject better understood if he addressed
himself, in the first instance, to the gentlemen interested
in those two companies, and afterwards to the gentlemen
who only felt an interest in the present proposed line.
First, with regard to the Ayrshire company, of whom he
was happy to see so many present. To them he would
take the liberty of saying, that in his opinion it would
admit of very little doubt that the proposed line must be
a very beneficial undertaking in respect of their company.
It was proposed that the line from Carlisle should termi-
nate either at Kilmarnock or Monk ton ; and by so termi-
nating, the whole of the English traffic, before reaching
Glasgow, would have to pass over from 33 to 36 miles of
their railway. (Hear, hear.) The plans had been laid
down alternately—for the terminus to be either at Kil-
marnock or Monkton ; because it was a question of con-
siderable interest to the company that the line should
reach the seaports as early as possible, for a considerable
revenue was expected to be derived from the large mine-
ral district round Cumnock, in the conveyance of its coal
and ironstone, which were of the most valuable kinds,
but which had never been wrought, owing to the want of
proper means of transit to a profitable market. (Cries of
" Hear, hear.") The gentlemen in that district of coun-
try were therefore most desirous that the railway should
be the means of reaching the seaports as soon as possible.
(Hear.) The engineer had suggested, and indeed it had
been under the consideration of the parliamentary com-
missioners, that the line might go down from Cumnock
to Monkton, or that it might go straight on to Kilmar-
nock ; but he (Mr. Leadbetter) thought the probabilities
were that there would be a main line to Kilmarnock with
a branch to Monkton, because it was a very important
element in the question, that the main line to Kilmarnock
shortened the distance to Glasgow two miles and a half—
(hear, hear, hear)—a point not to be lost sight of when
the advantages of this line came to be considered in rela-
tion to the Caledonian line, of which he should speak
hereafter. Under all the circumstances, therefore, he

thought there could be no doubt. as regarded the Ayrshire
interest, that this was an undertaking which deserved their
most strenuous support. (Hear.) The directors of the
Glasgow and Ayr Company, indeed, feeling the impor-
tance of the undertaking to their company, called a meet-
ing of their shareholders last Wednesday (March 20),
who approved of a resolution, recommended by them, to
subscribe the sum of £200,000 towards this undertaking.
(Applause.) He had also the pleasure of stating that the
public of Glasgow had come forward independently, and
subscribed towards it a sum of no less than £120,000
more, in the course of two or three days; therefore so far
as the Ayrshire Company and the public generally of
Glasgow were concerned, the undertaking received their
support. Then, with regard to the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow Company, upon whose account their shareholders in
Liverpool had been invited to the meeting. It was per-
haps known to nearly the whole of the meeting, that the
Caledonian line proposed to go through rather a moun-
tainous country to reach Lanark, and there diverge by
branches, one to Glasgow and another to Edinburgh. It
happened, by that divergence, and by taking the line fur-
ther than the parliamentary commissioners report, that
they were enabled to shorten the distance between Edin-
burgh and Glasgow, and to form thereby a competing line
between those two cities. Perhaps some of the gentlemen
the blab of the caledonian line
would wish to look at it. (The plan was here submitted.)
The distance by the Edinburgh line was 46 miles, at pre-
sent, and with a mile more arising out of its extension
into the heart of the city, it would be 47 miles in length.
Now this line, forming the two branches of the fork,
would, he was satisfied, be under 60 miles; consequently,
it would afford, with a little reduction of fares, the great-
est facilities for carrying on the trade between the two
cities, anti therefore the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway
interest would be very materially affected. (Hear.) He
should mention that there was a part of the Caledonian
plan to push the line so as to intersect the Edinburgh and
Glasgow line, for the purpose of carrying it to Stirling
and Perth, thus making a great line to the North. Ac-
cording to the views of the Edinburgh and Glasgow board,
it would appear that they had had it in contemplation to
carry their line to Stirling, thereby giving them the ad-
vantage of the traffic from Edinburgh and Glasgow going
on their line before it diverged to Stirling. By this pro-
posed plan of the Glasgow and Carlisle line. and the last
line, all the traffic going to the north of Scotland must
necessarily, according to their views and wishes,—and
they were now about to realise them,—go along the Edin-
burgh and Glasgow railway from each of these lines. By
the Caledonian plan all this interest was cut off, so that,
as regarded the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway interest,
it was obvious that the Caledonian scheme, if carried into
effect, would very materially injure their undertaking. It
was upon that account that the board of directors of the
Edinburgh and Glasgow line had taken it upon themselves
to pass the resolutions, which he presumed were in the
possession of every gentleman present, expressing the
views which he (Mr. Leadbetter) had now been unfolding
in a summary manner, and calling upon the shareholders
to support the west line via Dumfries. (Hear.) With
regard to the undertaking as affecting the interests of
Scotland, and those of gentlemen who took an interest in
it, he begged to say that the parliamentary commissioners
appointed by government to examine the various lines
projected into Scotland four years ago had reported upon
the best line of railway communication with Edinburgh
and Glasgow ; they were not directed to inquire whether
the east line, or the west line, or the central line, or the
Caledonian line, was the best relatively to each other ;
but their instructions were specifically to report which
was the best line of railway communication with Edin-
burgh and Glasgow. To that duty they were tied down,
and consequently, as to the evidence that came before
them, there might be three lines in motion—the east line,
the central line, and line by Dumfries, which he (Mr.
Leadbetter) advocated. These three lines were submitted
to the engineers and to Sir Frederick Smith, but the com-
missioners could not make their report otherwise than
they bad, which was for the central line proposing to
unite Edinburgh and Glasgow with Carlisle ; and presu-
ming that only one line would be carried into Scotland,
the commissioners came, necessarily, to that conclusion,
because their instructions were only to point out the best
communication with those towns. (Hear, bear.) But
since that period very considerable advances had been
made in the railway system throughout the country, and
the opinion had been growing in Scotland, and among the
railway public generally, that the interests of Scotland
required two lines of communication with England, which
were naturally pointed out by the great trunk lines pass-
ing through England, one upon the east coast and the
other upon the west coast. (Hear, hear.) The meeting
knew that an act was being carried through parliament
for a line to Carlisle upon the west coast, and they knew
also that a line would be opened to Newcastle upon the
east coast in May or June next, so that the east coast line
into Scotland, and the west coast line, would be elonga-
tions of those two great trunks down to Edinburgh and
Glasgow. (Hear, hear.) With regard to the character
and nature of the country through which the two lines
passed, he need hardly say that they run through the
very finest parts of the south of Scotland. (Hear.) The
present line passed through Dumfries-shire, up the Nith,
a fine fertile district, and through Ayrshire, one of the
finest counties in Scotland ; and upon both lines the po-
pulation was very considerable. Upon the line through
Dumfries the population was dense, and the county
abounded in agricultural and mineral wealth, thereby
offering a considerable revenue from intermediate or local
traffic. Those who had travelled by the mail coach along
the Caledonian line must well remember the character of
the country through which they passed : it was sterile,
thinly populated, and offered great engineering difficulties.
(Hear, hear.) The expense of making the Caledonian
line, too, would greatly exceed that of making the line by
Dumfries ; and so much was this point apparent to the
parliamentary commissioners, that they stated that the
line by the Nith and Ayrshire was superior in this respect
to the central. The only advantage, indeed, which the
central line held out was that it shortened the distance to
Glasgow, according to the commissioners' report, twenty-
four miles; but the west line by Dumfries had much more
favourable gradients, and the engineer stated that the
journey could he accomplished in the same time as by the
central line without additional expense, so that, as re-
garded public convenience, the one was equally as favour-
ably placed as the other; whilst• the line by Dumfries
promised those who took an interest in it a much greater
beneficial result. (Hear, hear.) It had happened, un-
fortunately for this undertaking, that it was late in being
brought forward. The Caledonian line, on the other
hand, had been in the field for two or three years, and in
communication with the Grand Junction, the North
Union, and other lines going northward, whose support
it had obtained, in the hope of getting their share of the
Edinburgh traffic. By means of the proposed branch to
Ed nburgh, these companies expected a great portion of
the traffic which would otherwise go along the east line ;
and in that hope gentlemen connected with them had
been in London doing all they could to get the North

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.