NORTHAMPTON AND PETERBOROUGH RAILWAY. (Hansard, 28 February 1843)

Mr. V. Smith
moved the second reading of the Northampton and Peterborough Railway Bill.

§ Mr. H. Fitzroy
said, he had been desired, and felt it his duty to oppose the bill. The line of railway it was proposed to construct, would pass through a country which stood in no need of it, and which would not afford traffic enough to support it; a country, also, presenting great natural difficulties, requiring no less than eleven bridges over one river, and having a main turnpike road which would have to be perpetually crossed on a level by the railway. Moreover, the landowners in thirty-five out of forty miles along the proposed line were against it. Nor was there any necessity for incurring the 14 evils of such a line, for the far more eligible line of the Northern and Eastern Railway presented itself, which was about to be carried on with energy through Ware to Cambridge; and by means of the continuation of which to Lincoln and Peterborough, &c, a connection with the metropolis closer, by nearly forty miles, would be established for the town chiefly concerned in the now projected line, than would by that line be afforded. Under these circumstances he begged to move, that with a view of postponing the consideration of the subject till a time when there would be better opportunities of estimating the merits of the rival lines, the bill be read a second time that day six months.

§ Mr. Astell
seconded the amendment, expressing himself favourable to railways in general, but convinced that for all the public interests concerned, especially for the eastern portion of the country, the line projected by the Northern and Eastern Company, was by far preferable to that now proposed.

§ Sir G. Strickland
concurred in the opposition, reminding the House of the apprehensions originally entertained as to the establishment of railway monopolies, and declaring that these apprehensions had in no case been more strikingly verified than on the Birmingham line, the effect of which was to injure the pubic interests most seriously; as an instance of which he mentioned his having recently, while travelling on the North Midland, found the engines, &c., very much out of order, by reason of a great reduction in the number of the servants engaged on the line; he declared his conviction that nothing but opposition would protect the public interests—opposition which it was just the object of this bill to prevent, by swamping the North Eastern in a most important point.

§ Mr. Christopher
said, if there were any prospect of the North Eastern line being carried on to the eastern part of the country, he would prefer it, as being calculated to afford the most valuable advantages to those districts; but, believing there was no such prospect, he was inclined to adopt the line now offered, which by presenting great facilities for the transmission of agricultural produce would tend to destroy as great a monopoly as that of the Birmingham Railway—he meant that of Smithfield market. Nor would the 15 adoption of this line at all prejudice the future sanctioning of the continuation of the North Eastern when it was ready to proceed toward Lincolnshire.

§ Colonel Sibthorp
said, he would oppose this, as all other railways—public frauds and private robberies. He believed they would eventually be bankruptized. He found, that so soon as there was any slackening in the business of these greedy speculators, they unhesitatingly reduced the number of their servants; and he believed, that the displacement of traffic, disturbance of business, and destruction of employment, which they had produced, had materially increased the distress of the country.

§ Mr. J. E. Denison
was opposed to the bill, because no one could deny the North Eastern line was the best.

§ Sir G. Clerk
opposed the second reading of this bill. He believed, that in a very short time measures would be taken to extend the Northern and Eastern Counties Railway to Cambridge and Peterborough. The proposed line, therefore, would be unnecessary; and would, if agreed to, intercept the traffic on the Cambridge line. If, in fact, it so interfered with the latter as to prevent its completion, it would give to the Birmingham and London Railway the monopoly of communication between the metropolis and the north of England. He would say nothing in disparagement of the London and Birmingham Railway Company, but he would caution the House against confirming such a monopoly. It would also cut almost every line of communication between the metropolis and the north; and it would cut them on a level, contrary to one of the Standing Orders of the House. The petition he had presented, had been agreed to at a very full meeting. Under these circumstances he trusted the House would not give its sanction to a bill so faulty in principle and construction.

Mr. V. Smith
thought the hon. and gallant Member for Lincoln was the only person who acted consistently in opposing this bill, inasmuch as he opposed all railways. What the Birmingham Railway Company said was this, that there was sufficient traffic to pay them, but there was not sufficient for a new company. As to the objection of there being some other line, he saw no reason why the two lines should not be both allowe but he 16 doubted whether any who were present would live to see the completion of the Cambridge Railway.

General Johnson
objected to the principle of the bill.

§ Mr. Ward
said, that with respect to the Cambridge line, it must be observed, that there was less capital locked up in such undertakings at the present time than had been the case for the last six years. The Cambridge Railway had already been constructed to the distance of thirty miles from London. There was a measure now before the House to extend it further, and he had no doubt the line would be completed in a short time.

List of the AYES.
Acland, T. D.	Hodgson, R.
Adare, Visct.	Houldsworth, T.
Ainsworth, P.	Hume, J.
Arkwright, G.	Humphery, Mr. Ald.
Bannerman, A.	Inglis, Sir R. H.
Barnard, E. G.	James, Sir W. C.
Beckett, W.	Kemble, H.
Blewitt, R. J.	Layard, Capt.
Bowring, Dr.	Lockhart, W.
Bradshaw, J.	Mackenzie, W. F.
Broadwood, H.	Mackinnon, W. A.
Brotherton, J.	Majoribanks, S.
Brownrigg, J. S.	Marsland, H.
Buck, L. W.	Marton, G.
Buller, Sir J. Y.	Meynell, Capt.
Cartwright, W. R.	Mitcalfe, H.
Chelsea, Visct.	Norreys, Lord
Collett, W. R.	Norreys, Sir D. J.
Collins, W.	Northland, Visct.
Courtenay, Lord	O'Brien, A. S.
Currie, R.	O'Brien, W. S.
Davies, D. A. S.	O'Conor, Don.
Denison, E. B.	Pechell, Capt.
Dennistoun, J.	Plumridge, Capt.
Dickinson, F. H.	Pollington, Visct.
Douglas, Sir C. E.	Protheroe, E.
Duke, Sir J.	Russell, C.
Duncan, G.	Russell, J. D. W.
Duncombe, T.	Rutherfurd, A.
Ellis, W.	Smith, B,
Elphinstone, H.	Stanley, hon. W. O.
Estcourt, T. G. B.	Stanton, W. H.
Fitzroy, Lord C.	Stuart, Lord J.
Fremantle, Sir T.	Stuart, W. V.
Gaskell, J. M.	Strutt, E.
Gordon, hon. Capt.	Tancred, H. W.
Greene, T.	Thornely, T.
Grey, rt. hon. Sir G.	Trollope, Sir J.
Hardy, J.	Tufnell, H.
Hastie, A.	Turner, E.
Hay, Sir A. L.	Turnor, C.
Hill, Lord M.	Wallace, R.
Hinde, J. H.	Wawn, J. T.

Wilde, Sir T.	Wortley, hon. J.S.
Williams, W.	Yorke, H.R.
Winnington, Sir T. E.	TELLERS.
Wood, B.	Christopher, C.
Wood, G. W.	Smith, V.

List of the NOES.
Aldam, W.	Hughes, W. B.
Alford, Visct.	James, W.
Allix, J. P.	Jermyn, Earl
Arundel and Surrey, Earl of	Johnson, Gen.
	Lennox, Lord A.
Astell, W.	Leslie, C. P.
Baring, rt. hn. F. T.	Lowther, J. H
Barneby, J.	Mahon, Visct.
Bramston, T. w.	Manners, Lord J.
Browne, hon. W.	Marshall, W.
Busfeild, W.	Mordaunt, Sir J.
Byng, rt. hn. G. S.	Murray, A.
Cayley, E. S.	Ogle, S. C. H.
Chapman, A.	Peel, J.
Childers, J. W.	Ponsonby, hn. C.F.A.C
Colborne, hn. W.N.R.	Praed, W. T.
Cowper, hon. W. F.	Pulsford, R.
Craig, W. G.	Repton, G. W. J.
Darby, G.	Ross, D. R.
Denison, J. E.	Rous, hon. Capt.
Dick, Q.	Rushbrooke, Col.
Dodd, G.	Sheppard, T.
Duncan, Visct.	Shirley, E. J.
Duncombe, hon. A.	Shirley, E. P.
Duncombe, hon. O.	Sibthorp, Col.
Ebrington, Visct.	Smith, A.
Ellice, rt. hon. E.	Smythe, hon. G.
Ellice, E.	Sotheron, T. H. S.
Fellowes, E.	Stansfield, W. R. C.
Fitzroy, Capt.	Staunton, Sir G. T.
Fitzwilliam, hn. G. W.	Strickland, Sir G.
Flower, Sir J.	Sutton, hon. H. M.
Forbes, W.	Trotter, J.
Fuller, A. E.	Tyrell, Sir J. T.
Core, W. O.	Waddington, H. S.
Grimsditch, T.	Ward, H. G.
Heathcote, Sir W.	Wood, C.
Hope, G. W.	Wood, Col.
Hornby, J.	Wrightson, W. B.
Horsman, E.	TELLERS.
Howard, hn. C.W.G.	Clerk, Sir G.
Howick, Visct.	Fitzroy, hon. H.