The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-06 00:00:00

importance of this Market-street ground to the interests
of the Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton line. The whole
area of ground acquired by the Newhaven Company at
Market-street did not much exceed two acres ; and in this
space the whole works and apparatus necessary for traffic,
passengers station, booking-office, carriages and engine-
sheds, and other requisite accommodations, had to be con-
centrated. The portion of the ground scheduled by the
North British amounted to no less than 4784 square yards,
leaving for the purposes of your line not more than 4831
square yards ; while your reporters, relying upon the ab-
solute possession of the property by the Newhaven Com-
pany, and upon the opinion of their engineer, who consi-
dered it sufficient for the purposes of their terminus, had
not scheduled any of the contiguous property in their bill,
and were consequently without the means of obtaining
ground for the purpose, should the North British Railway
succeed in depriving them of that which had been already.
acquired. The point, therefore, just came to this, that
the North British must either agree to a protecting clause
in their bill, as related to the property of the Newhaven
Company, or your Railway was rendered utterly useless,
—being in the position of a line without a terminus.
There could be no hesitation, therefore, in the co ,rse
to be pursued. But, anxious to avoid the expense of op-
posing the North British Bill in committee, your reporters
made a proposition to the promoters of that bill previous
to the sitting of their committee. This proposal was, that
the rails of the North British should be allowed to come
up as far as the city weigh-home, and no farther, and
that the interests of your line should be protected by a
clause introduced into their bill to that effect. This pro-
posal, which permitted the North British rails to come
through a portion of the ground belonging to the Newha-
ven line, and, as will be immediately seen, as far as there
was the least necessity for their corning, was notwith-
standing uncompromisingly rejected, and your reporters
had no alternative but to appear by counsel and agents in
the North British Committee, for the purpose of suing
your line from annihilation.
The committee on the North British Railway bill lasted
for a period of no fewer than seven days, but your report-
ers had the satisfaction of proving out of the mouths of
the witnesses for the bill, the reasonableness of their de-
mands. A clause protective of your interests was given
by the committee, but although this clause was more strin-
gent than the voluntary proposal at first made by your
reporters to the promoters of the North British line, yet
from other circumstances, which subsequently came to
their knowledge, it was not considered by your advisers as
sufficient; and your reporters had ultimately the satisfac-
tion of getting this clause amended in another place, in
such a way and manner as to be completely satisfactory,
and to have the effect of excluding the North British rails
from the ground of the Newhaven Company altogether.
The next thing which remained for your reporters was,
to come to an arrangement with the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow Railway, in regard to the terminus ground which
they also bad inserted powers in their extension bill, to
take. It must be well known to you, that the termini of
the three lines of the North British, Edinburgh, and Glas-
gow, and Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railways, are to
be united at a point in Market-street, upon or close to
the Newhaven Company's ground. Without crossing that
ground nearly through its centre, the rails of the two first
great railways cannot meet, while the effect of that cross-
ing or disruption of the Newhaven terminus ground is to
injure it most materially, or, in the opinion of some, to
destroy it entirely. It became, therefore, a matter of diffi-
culty with your reporters how to shape their course be-
fore the committee of the house. On the one hand, they
had the advantage of possessing a portion of ground not
more than sufficient for their own purposes, and indis-
pensable for the junction of their opponents,—an argu-
ment much relied upon by some of your own shareholders,
and much pressed upon your reporters by them, as likely
to prevail with the committee of the house. On the other
hand, they had the opinion of the first practical men of
business in every department, whom they consulted, for-
tified by that of their own counsel and agents, that no
committee would ever agree to prevent the junction of
these two great railways, owing to the accidental position
of the Newhaven terminus, or would permit your com-
pany to fix the terms upon which such junction should be
allowed ; and that all your repot ters could reasonably de-
mand or would obtain would be compensation in ground
and otherwise, for the portion of the Newhaven terminus,
required by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway for the
purposes of their new terminus, and their junction with
the North British.
After much consideration, your reporters came to the
resolution of resting their case upon the principle last
mentioned, and being quite as desirous of avoiding the ex-
pense of a contest with the Edinburgh and Glasgow as
they had previously been with the North British Railway,
they made various proposals of settlement. both verbally
and in writing, to the promoters of the Edinburgh and.
Glasgow Extension Bill, foundede junction on the
of
heprintcihe twopleof
greatcom-
com-
pensation, and of conceding the
lines. Not one of these proposals, however, was accepted
by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Company, whose propo-
sals in return were utterly inadmissible, and your report-
ers were therefore again most reluctantly compelled to
watch the progress of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Exten-
sion Bill through committee. The result in this commit-
tee, however, was not less favourable than that which took
place in the struggle with the North British, and you will
find, on reference to the Edinburgh ard Glasgow Exten-
sion Act, that the interests of the Edinburgh, Leith, and
Granton Railway have been most carefully and success-
fully guarded. In exchange for that part of their termi-
nus, which they have ceded to the Edinburgh and Glasgow
for the purpose of their terminus and junction with the
North British, they are to receivs foot for foot to the east-
ward of their terminus from the Edinburgh and Glasgow,
who have scheduled all the conterminous ground, and are
to acquire and convey the same to your company at their
own expense. Provision is also made for the claims which
your company may have for compensation, from the
change which thus occurs in the shape and form of your
depot, and the presumed increase of expense in working
thereby occasioned ; and in the very probable event of
your company requiring an increased area for their depot,
the Edinburgh and Glasgo w Company are farther obliged
to employ the compulsory powers of their act, if required
by you, in acquiring such necessary additions, In short,
your reporters are fortunately enabled to state, that the
patrimonial interests of your line have received no damage
in the late collision with its two powerful neigbbours,—a
collision which, to say the least, was attended with no or-
dinary hazard.

The Edinburgh and Glasgow Extension Bill was taken
up first in order by the committee upon the three lines,
and the consideration of this part of their duties occupied
five days. Your bill wss next, but its details had been
previously so much discussed, and so thoroughly under-
stood, that it passed through the committee in the course
of a very short time. The opposition to it also, which at
one time looked formidable, and had to be prepared for,
ultimately dwindled away. Some opposition and discus-
sion subsequently took place before the Committee in the
House of Lords, which had the effect of delaying its pro-
gress through parliament; but nothing of any material
consequence occurred, and your bill finally received the
Royal assent upon the 19th current.

It is also necessary to mention that, during the course
of these proceedings, your Committee had some important
discussions with his Grace the Duke of Buccleuch, and
those acting for him, as to the terms upon which access to
his Grace's property and pier at Granton was to be given.
They have to state, that every point was arranged in the
most amicable manner, and they are bound to report to
you their strong sense of the handsome and liberal manner
in which their wishes were met by his Grace.
It has always been considered an object of the first im-
portance to complete the Granton branch with the least
possible delay, so as to secure the immediate returns from
the immense passenger traffic to and from that pier, a
traffic which must now be so greatly increased by the com-
pletion of the corresponding low-water pier at Burntis-
land. This traffic, you will observe too, comes into opera-
tion at once, even before the completion and opening of
the tunnel between Scotland-street and Market-street.
And your reporters having fortunately come to an amica-
ble arrangement with the whole of the landed proprietors
on this branch, were enabled, without delay, to advertise
for contracts for the works, which have now been taken
up to their satisfaction, and they state, upon the authority
oso t
eff
nltg,l
hiileeeeri r
apt engineer,grraeoffinp teprs
operty
within
reonpt ltthis
ritoaleicleee proceeding
branch
inenigmt
haobranch, entrtiansemcl
fhyrao,ywnanint be
idi
thistyh openedoedu ar forte
acquisitionpa
reporterss-
state, wtth confidence, that a few weeks hence will see
this part of the business completed, when the works upon
this branch also will be immediately advertised for con-
tract. The completion of the Leith branch, and of the
Scotland-street tunnel, which is essential to its success
from the expected goods traffic to and from Leith, in con-
nection with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, will
be progressing simultaneously with the Edinburgh and
Glasgow extension, and will, they trust, be opened at the
same time.

In conclusion, it only remains for your reporters to con-
gratulate you on the prospects now before you. The whole
of the shares of your undertaking, which the Newhaven
directors were at first obliged to take up to a lerge extent,
hare been subscribed for by parties of the highest respect..
ability ; and on this score, you may challenge comparison
with the share-lists of any other railway company in the
empire. Tills circumstance, and the improved value of
the old stock, are sufficient evidence of the altered state
of public opinion iu regard to your undertaking; while
the traffic, which your reporters were enabled to prove
before the Committee of Parliament, was greater than that
stated in the original prospectus, and affords the best
ground for the confident expectation, that your returns
will shortly be inferior to none.
E. D. SANDFORD, Chairman.