Border Union Railway Project - Cumberland and Westmorland Newspaper Transcriptions

Border Union Railway Project

BORDER UNION (NORTH BRITISH)
                                             RAILWAY PROJECT.
                       ______^_____

MEETING OF THE COMMITTEES AT EDINBURGH.

A meeting of the gentlemen representing the districts interested in the
above project was held on Monday, at the Royal Hotel, Edinburgh. W.
MARSHALL, Esq., M.P., presided and the following gentlemen were present:-

Vicst. MELGUND,M . P.
R. HODGSON, Esq., Hawick
JNO. PATERSON, Esq., Chief Magistrate
WALTER WILSON, Esq., manufacturer
WM. LAIDLOW, sen, Esq. do
THOMS LAIDLOW, Esq., do
JOHN WILSON, Esq.
GEORGE WILSON, Esq. do
JOHN LAING, Esq. do.
WM. MIDDLEMAS, Esq. do
ROBERT ANDERSON, Esq. do
WALTER WILSON, Esq.wool merchant
WILLIAM SCOTT, Esq. farmer
PETER WILSON, Esq. merchant
ROBERT MICHIE, Esq. currier
FREDERICK DENIER, Esq. cabinet maker
ROBERT FRASER, Esq. merchant
WALTER ARMSTRONG, Esq. merchant (London)
JOHN NICHOL, Esq. skinner
EPHRAIM SELBY, Esq. factor (Minto)
THOMAS PURDOM, Esq. banker
MR. DAVID STEWART, florist
MR. ARCHIBALD SCOTT
MR. ROBERT EDGAR
MR. JAS. DAYKINS
MR. ALEXANDER MICHIE, skinner
MR. THOS. ALLAN, smith

Carlisle
JOHN HOWE, Esq. ex-Mayor, Carlisle
THOMAS NELSON, Esq. Murrell Hill, Carlisle
J. D. CARR, Esq. Carlisle
JOHN IRVING, Esq. Carlisle
DANIEL McALPIN, Esq. Carlisle
THOMAS DONALD, Esq. Linstock, Carlisle
JOHN BELL, Esq. corn merchant

Longtown
JOHN FORSTER, Esq. Brownknowe, Nicholforest
GEORGE MOUNSEY, Esq. Kingfield House
THOMAS GIBBONS, Esq. Burnfoot, Longtown
MATTHEW BROWN, Esq. Eskbank, Longtown

Liddesdale
JOHN JARDINE, Esq. Riccarton
JAMES JARDINE, Esq. Larriston
THOMAS ELLIOTT, Esq; Redhaugh
ARCHIBALD STEWART, Esq.Saughtree
THOMAS STEVENSON,Esq. Langholm
Jedburgh
JOHN ORD, Esq. Muirhouslaw
JOHN SCOTT, Esq. Sanniston
WALTER RUTHERFORD, Esq., Anerum Craig
MR. WILLIAM RIDDELL, farmer, Hundalee
MR. RIDDELL, farmer, Oxnam Nook
MR. SCOTT, farmer, Broom
MR GEORGE BALFOUR, Jedburgh
MR. GEORGE HILSON, solicitor, do
MR. JAMES BOYD,dyer, do.
MR. WILLIAM DEANS, seedsman, do.

Kelso
DR. MURRAY, Kersknow
MR. WM. ROY, jun., Nenthorne
MR. THOMAS SCOTT, Whitton
MR. WM. MANSON, Over Roxburg
MR. GEORGE BRISKHAM, Kersmains
GEORGE CRAIG, Esq., Jun., magistrate of Kelso
MR JAMES FAIRBAIRN, auctioneer, Kelso
MR. R R. PORTEOUS, merchant, Kelso
MR. ANDREW DUNN, corn merchant, Kelso
Mr. ROBERT RUTHERFORD, merchant, Kelso
JAMES TAIT, Esq. W.S.,Kelso

Selkirk
GEORGE ROBERTS, Esq., provost
WM. MUIRE, Esq. bailie
WM. FORSYTH, Esq. bailie
THOS. WALKER, Esq., manufacturer
MR. THOMAS DALGLISH, baker
MR. HENRY SCOTT, of Overkirkhope

Galashiels
JOHN COCHRANE, Esq. chief magistrate
WM. ROBERTS, Esq., deacon of the incurporation of manufacturers
HENRY MONTEATH, Esq., manufacturer
HENRY BALLANTYNE, Esq., manufacturer
WM. HALJUNE, Esq. brewer
JOHN PRINGLE, Esq., writer
MR. THOMAS AIMER, wheelwright
JOHN COCHRANE, jun., Esq., merchant
MR. ADAM STIRLING, builder
MR. ADAM MANSON, merchant
MR. ROBERT STEWART, writer
H. PATTINSON, Esq., manufacturer
JAMES HOPKIRK, Esq. farmer, Langlee
MR. WM. TOWARD, Abbotsford Arms Hotel
MR. ALEXANDER FISHER, Galashiels
PROVOST TAYLOR, Leith
DAVID MUIR, Esq. Chairman of Leith Dock Commissioners
BAILIE FORESTER, Esq., Musselburgh
THOS. LEE, Esq., Town Clerk, Musselburg
MR. WM. HOPKIRK, corn merchant, Edinburgh
JOHN MEIKLEJOHN, Esq., Dalkeith

The CHAIRMAN said - I very much regret the absence of Sir James GRAHAM, who
was to have presided at this meeting. He has been prevented from doing so,
but he has written to Mr. HODGSON explaining why, and stating his opinion as
to the subject of this railway. I will leave it to Mr. Hodgson to read that
letter and at the same time to address you. I have also received a letter
from Mr. ROY, of Longford.

MR. HODGSON said - I am extremely glad to meet so large a number of
gentlemen interested in railway communications in the district between
Hawick and Carlisle. It is a meeting not of shareholders in the company
over which I preside, nor of gentlemen holding different opinions as to the
mode in which railway communication between Hawick and Carlisle shall be
executed, but it is a meeting of those gentlemen who have hitherto acted
with us, and who, in the last session of Parliament, contended along with
us, for the scheme which we are now about again to present to Parliament.
It will be my duty to-day to explain the alterations which have been made in
that project; and I trust they will receive the unanimous support of those
who supported us before, and go up to Parliament with an enlarged chance of
success. (Hear, hear). I will read to you now the letter from Sir James
GRAHAM. It enters fully into this subject; and it contains views, as the
views of that statesman always are, so complete, so concise, and so much to
the point, that I feel there will be, after I have read that letter, very
little for me to say:

letter to follow................................

Letter:                    Netherby, 13th November, 1858.

"My Dear Sir, - I am unable to attend the meeting in Edinburgh on Monday
next, but I am anxious not to appear indifferent to the success of your
renewed efforts to carry a railroad by way of Liddesdale from Hawick to
Carlisle.

    I had hoped that an arrangement with the Caledonian might have been
effected which would have secured this main object without further contest;
which would have given a branch to the Border Counties' Company consistently
with the consideration due to the present position of the Caledonian.
    I know that negotiations undertaken in this spirit have been tried in
vain; you have not been wanting in your endeavours to render them
effectual, and nothing now remains but a renewal of the appeal to the
judgment of Parliament.
    It appears to me expedient that this appeal should be made. Great
public interests are involved in the decision, and indirectly great general
principles are at stake. All hopes of conciliating this Caledonian having
failed, I understand that you will now seek direct access to Carlisle
without using any portion of the Caledonian line. I consider this an
improvement of your plan. It secures independent action in the future
working of your line; it renders your junction with the Silloth Railway
more easy and complete; and it gives to the Border Counties a better
opening to southern traffic. The local accommodation eastward of your line
will also be thereby extended, and on the whole, since the battle is to be
fought, your ground will be strengthened to the change proposed.

I am glad also that your plan of this year embraces a branch to Langholm. I
adhere to the opinion expressed by me before the committees of last session,
that this alone was wanting to render your scheme of railroad accommodation
for this border district of England and Scotland as good as local
circumstances would admit.
    You will tap every source of traffic; you will open up new supplies of
coal and lime, breaking down existing monopolies; you will afford to
passengers throughout a large tract of country new access to railway
accommodation; and you will bring to Carlisle, as to a common centre,
without deviation from a direct line, the largest amount of passengers and
goods seeking transport whether west or south - to Ireland or to England.
    The combination of these advantages is the strength of your case. It
becomes, indeed, a case of general interest. The Caledonian may plead
against it what has been termed "aggresssion on their through traffic" --
"an invasion of their territory". This same plea might be urged with equal
force against the scheme of a line virtually in their own hands from
Carlisle by way of Langholm to Hawick. It might be termed "an invasion of
North British Territory,"   -- "an aggression on North British through
traffic," going south from the Tweed-side district. But these are large
questions, involving general principles, which I will not here discuss.
    They far exceed the limit of the local interests, which as yet are
placed in front of the battle. They are in reality questions affecting
Aberdeen, Montrose, Arbroath, and Dundee in their intercourse with
Manchester, Liverpool, Dumfires, and Belfast. Surely this important
commercial intercourse ought to be as cheap and as direct as voluntary
enterprise can render it. I am not aware that the opposite principle has
ever yet been sanctioned by the legislature, or that circuitous routes and
high rates of charges are to be upheld by Parliament for the benefit of
"vested interests" in existing railways.

I request you to apologise for my absence to the gentlemen assembled in
Edinburgh, and to assure them that they may rely on my cordial co-operation
in promoting the amended measure which it is your intention to lay before
them.

     I am, my dear Sir, yours sincerely,

               [siigned]                   J. R. G. GRAHAM
Richard Hodgson, Esq., "

....After the letter is read.....

Gentlemen, that letter (the reading of which was interrupted and followed by
loud cheers), as I said before, contains all, or nearly all that can be said
upon the subject, and I should only weaken its effect by making any remarks
upon the main points of which it so ably treats. Besides, I am speaking to
an assemblage of gentlemen - perfectly acquainted with the scheme in
question - perfectly acquainted with the interests it is intended to serve -
and well aware also of all that has taken place before going to parliament,
and in parliament, with regard to this question. My task will, therefore,
be confined to explaining the alterations made in the scheme to render it,
as Sir James GRAHAM says, more perfect, and as perfect as circumstances will
admit, for the accommodation of the district that it is intended to serve.
    I will first advert to the alteration to be made in the rival scheme. I
am aware of but one. It is mentioned in the prospectus of that scheme. The
only alteration is that the line shall come a little nearer Longstown than
in the scheme of last year. Other improvemens are referred to, but is not
stated what they are. The only additional information I have seen given is,
that the Duke of BUCCLEUCH and other large shareholdes have increasd their
subscriptions. (Cheers). the alterations in our scheme are that, in the
first place, beginning at the Hawick end, we leave from the North British
station at Hawick, instead of joining it three-quarters of a mile distant.
    I should here explain that we have secured the services of Mr. HAWKSHAW,
and that eminent engineer along with Mr. JOPP, and Mr. TONE, the engineers
of the company, is responsible for all the plans and estimates adopted. We
have been guided by the opinion of that eminent man in the alterations we
propose. The next alteration is, that we project a branch to Langholm.
(Hear, hear). I do not pretend to say that that branch to Langholm will be
a very remunerative part of the scheme.
    What I have said before of the trade of Langholm, of trade in Langholm,
and of the trade to Langholm, would prevent me from saying that, apart from
the particular circumstances of this case, I should think it my duty to
propose to my shareholders a branch to Langholm.
    But under the circumstances - looking at the great interest the Duke of
BUCCELEUCH takes in the matter - looking at the evidence given by Sir James
GRAHAM, that if the scheme had given a branch to Langholm, nothing could
have been more perfect.

I do not think we should be doing our duty, our duty to ourselves and to
you, if we had omitted to make that alteration. Upon that ground, and far
from admitting that the interests of the district north and east of the line
proposed ought to be postponed to the interest of a town containing, with
the parish only 3,000 inhabitants, - without trying to justify this branch
in itself. - the alteration has been proposed, and I am glad to say that the
branch will be constructed without an increase upon the estimates of last
year.    (Cheers)
    In consequence of the improvements adopted, we are confident that the
£400,000 proposed will prove sufficient. The last improvement we have
devised is, that in place of joining the Caledonian line at Rockliffe, four
miles north of Carlisle, and running on their line, we propose to cross
their line at Kingmoor House, and go direct to the Port Carlisle station.
We shall thereby have a station of our own at Carlisle, which will be one
connected with the Citadel station, the central station in Carlisle. We
have done this partly because we think it a better scheme - partly to avoid
the complaint of the Caledonian that we propose to use a part of their line
for competition with them.
    I trust that we shall thus avoid that rock in our way against which we
struck last year. In consequence of that alteration, our line will take
rather an eastern course from Carlisle, and enable us to serve a more
populous district than by the scheme of last year. I speak in the presence
of a number of gentlemen from Carlisle, and I believe they will agree with
me that this part of the scheme is a great improvement. (Hear)
    Mr. HODGSON then referred to the proceedings at Kelso on Friday last, in
reference to which he had been charged by Mr. SALKELD with insulting the
inhabitants of Kelso and its neighbourhood, by endeavouring to swamp the
expression of their opinion on the question of these rival railways, by
running a special train from Melrose, Hawick, and other places.
    The truth was, he had only heard of the meeting on the previous Tuesday,
and had then written to request permission to attend, that both sides might
be heard.
    He got only an indefinite reply, but resolved to attend. As, however,
there was a meeting of directors of the North British Company that day in
Edinburgh, it was necessary to run a special train for their conveyance to
Kelso. It was true that some members of their Hawick committee were also
conveyed by that train; but the entire number of directors, officials, and
committee men thus conveyed did not exceed 20, while no less than 45 persons
were conveyed by the other party from Hawick - and of those 45, the great
majority were operatives and others, who were very unlikely to have gone
without an invitation or special accommodation of some sort. (Laughter and
cheers).
    When he got to Town Hall, he recognised a number of faces from Hawick
whom he had not the pleasure of counting among his supporters, or they would
no doubt have given him a very cordial cheer when he rose to reply to Mr.
CHISHOLME. Four or five hundred persons adjourned with him to the Corn
Exchange, where there was room for as many more - they unanimously adopted a
resolution in support of the Liddesdale line - and, except that this
adjourned meeting was shorn of the dignity that was given to the packed
meeting in the Town Hall by the presence of the chief magistrate, Mr.
SALKELD, Mr. CHISHOLME, and Mr. Mark TURNBULL - (loud laughter) - nothing
would have been more satisfactory than its termination. To say, therefore,
that he had attempted to swamp the opinion of Kelso was a piece of impudence
(laughter) only to be equalled by some other instances of that description
of conduct to which he could advert if it were worth while to take up their
time.

If the North British Company had chosen to use special trains and free
tickets, and to say to their Hawick committees - bring up our supporters to
Kelso, on such a day - they would not have had ten persons, but a thousand.
(Cheers) He could never get an opportunity of a full and fair discussion
with the advocates of the other line on their respective merits, leaving the
public to judge for themselves; but if they would hold such a meeting at
Kelso, he was quite willing that it should be confined to persons within
five, ten, or fifteen miles. The promoters of the other line refused to
attend the adjourned meeting on Friday, and explain its merits. If they had
done so, they would have had ample opportunity for uninterrupted discussion.
At that meeting he (Mr. Hodgson) explained that the Liddesdale scheme would
do everything which was proposed to be done by the Langholm scheme - that
there was no one single object of the latter which would not be accomplished
by the former equally well - that they propose to made a deviation to
Langholm - that they do not propose to make a main line for the accomodation
of a town with three thousand inhabitants, but do the next best thing for
it, and to open up to it the communication not only with the south and west,
but with the lime and coalfields of the north and east - that in place of
one cornfield, they would open up two - that in place of one limestone
quarry thirty miles off, they would open up one within ten miles of Hawick -
that they would open up the Duke of BUCCLEUCH'S quarries and Sir James
GRAHAM'S quarries - while they also gave direct access to Carlisle and
Silloth, which the other did not.

They also gave them what the other did not, a second route by Bellingham to
Hexham, forty-two miles nearer than by any other route. It was also
explained to the Kelso meeting that by the success of the project to be
brought forward next session, the Wansbeck line would give them access to
Morpeth, and the ports of the Blyth and the Tyne, and that instead of a
single line of rail, they would get a double line nearly the whole way.

In conferences that had taken place with the other party, there were two
obstacles to an agreement. One was, their determination not to give up the
Liddesdale route and Border counties connexion - the other, their
determination to have no block line, but a through line, through booking,
through transit (Hear, hear). He believed, most sincerely, that if the
first principle could have been abandoned by them, the second would not have
stood in the way. (Hear, hear). He had a strong impression that if a block
line had been conceded, Langholm would not have been allowed to stand in the
way of a settlement (Hear, hear, and laughter). It only now remained to
buckle on their armour, and fight again the battle for their own railway and
the public interest. He hoped they would give him their liberal and
energetic assistance. He believed and trusted they would this time be
succesful, and that three years hence they would have a through train
running along Liddesdale from Hawick to Carlisle. (Cheers)

They proposed to go upon the same terms as before - viz., that the £10
shares subscribed by the public should bear a dividend of 5-1/2 per cent.,
and that profit on the working above that amount should be divided between
the shareholders and the North British; the company taking 40 per cent. of
the gross earnings for working the line. A deposit of one pound would have
to be paid according to Parliamentary requirements, but would be returned if
the bill were rejected.      He felt the greatest confidence that, large as
the traffic would be, and small as the working expenditure would be, the
dividend would largely exceed five and a half per cent.

Looking at the boastful way in which the subscriptions on the other side had
been announced, and at the weight those subscriptions have on the mind of
Parliament, he did hope their friends would largely increase their
subscriptions to this project. He had nothing further to state in the way
of explanation, but would be happy to answer any question that might be
asked. (Cheers.)

                         ~~~~~~

DR. MURRAY was sure they would all coincide in the opinion that the
alterations suggested were real improvements. (Hear, hear) He could not
conceive how any man living in the district interested could hesitate as to
which company ought to have the construction of this line. (Cheers) Living
himself in the Kelso district, at the outside of that district, and in the
neighbourhood of two lines, he felt constantly the inconvenience of an
interrupted traffic. He begged to move the first resolution -

"That this meeting highly approve of the project as explained by Mr.
HODGSON, and pledge themselves to promote its success by every means in
their power."

MR. HOWE (of Carlisle) said he regretted that his successor in the chief
magistracy of Carlisle was unable to be present. He was authorised to say
that that gentleman was fully with them; and he could declare from his own
knowledge that the great majority of the inhabitants of Carlisle were of the
same mind. (Cheers)

The resolution was put and carried unanimously.

MR. THOS. DONALD (Linstock) had great pleasure in proposing the second
resolution - "That Local Committees be formed in the following districts
to carry into effect the preceding resolution; and that such Local
Committees, and other committees formed in other districts interested in the
undertaking, constitute a General committee: - Carlisle, Longtown,
Liddesdale, Hawick, Galashiels, Leith, Melrose, Kelso, Jedburgh,
Musselburgh, Dalkeith, Selkirk." He hoped that whoever might be placed on
these committees would exert themselves to the utmost in carrying out the
first resolution. They had been told in long and eloquent speeches at
Hawick and at Langholm that the rival party were actuated only by anxiety
for the public interest. He could not believe that. (Hear, hear.) They
must know that the interest and feeling of those districts were against
them, and that their opposition arose from interested motives. He believed
that the scheme was now as perfect as possible, and that its defeat would be
an irreparable loss.

MR. JAMES JARDINE (of Larriston) seconded the motion, and it was carried
unanimously.

MR. WALTER WILSON (of Hawick) moved the next resolution - "That Sir James
GRAHAM, Bart., M.P. be requested to act as Chairman of the General
Committee, and Wm. MARSHALL, Esq., M.P., and John TEATHER, Esq., of
Alstonby, as Vice-Chairmen; and that the members of Local Committees
appointed last year be requested to act again, with power to add to their
numbers." If they could get the hon. gentlemen named to act in the capacity
mentioned it would be a great advantage. The letter from Sir Jas. GRAHAM
was itself an invaluable service. He should like to know what were the
respective interests of the three companies in the field. They had it on
record that the object of the Caledonian Company was to protect their own
traffic. The independent scheme made no provision for through traffic; and
the use of the word local by that company was in fact limited to Langholm.
But the North British wanted through traffic, through booking, uninterrupted
communication between Aberdeen, Carlisle, Manchester, and London. The
Caledonian vice-chairman himself said they did not want ten thousand people
put into the train and carried right through without stopping. Of course
any such supposition was absurd, but they were obliged to Mr. CHISHOLME for
the suggestion of ten thousand passengers. That was ten thousand pounds of
traffic. (Hear, Hear.) He (Mr. WILSON) constantly met, from members of
Parliament and others, with expressions of satisfaction at the result of the
inquiry before the committee of the House of Lords. (Hear, hear.)

MR. JOHN COCHRANE (of Galashiels) seconded this resolution.

LORD MELGUND said he was very heartily of opinion that this scheme was far
the best. He could not see how any man acquainted with the facts could come
to any other conclusion. (Cheers.) He would, therefore, do his best to
support the North British scheme, but he regretted that he could not accept
the office assigned him by his friend, Mr. WILSON.

THE CHAIRMAN was about to put the motion with the omission of Viscount
MELGUND's name, but it was proposed by Mr. GIBBONS, and seconded by Mr.
FORSTER, that the name of Mr. TEATHER, of Alstonby, be substituted --
which was at once agreed to, and the resolution passed unanimously.

MR. W. RIDDLE (of Jedburgh) moved the fourth resolution - "That Subscription
Lists be opened forthwith in each district." The best mode of serving the
scheme was, by taking an enormous number of shares. (Laughter) But he hoped
that while their noble and wealthier friends did that; the smaller
proprietors of the soil would not forget their own permanent interest in the
scheme.

MR. PROVOST ROBERT, of Selkirk, seconded the resolution; and said he could
not see why the interest of a large and thriving district should be
sacrificed to maintain the monopoly of the Caledonian.

MR. HODGSON rose again and said, experience had proved that he was right in
1846, in telling the North British Cmpany except they were prepared to take
up the stock not subscribed for by the public, the scheme would be a
delusion. The Caledonian had taken the opposite course, and had to creep up
from £50,000 to £180,000 It was no use for Mr.CHISHOLME to speak of the
objection made by the committee of the Lords as a technical objection. It
was a most substantial and strenuous objection. (Hear, hear). Lord PORTMAN
declared most emphatically that while there were other grounds for their
decision, the committee were determined to put down such a strongly
objectionable and delusive arrangement as that disclosed. Mr. CHISHOLME
might talk of fastening the fetters of the North British upon the public,
but was not he himself ready in 1852 to sell the interests of the district
to the North British, and he was now trying to do so with the Caledonian?
But while the NorthBritish were prepared to take up the necessary stock, the
public must also make a large subscription. (Cheers.) He observed that Mr.
GRIEVES, a small shareholder in the North British, and a tenant of the Duke
of BUCCLEUCH, had threatened him (HODGSON) with a day of reckoning with his
shareholders. Well, there would shortly be a meeting of that company, and
he would not forget Mr. GRIEVES. (Laughter and Cheers). He would ask the
shareholders whether they who bought in cheap in the old disastrous times,
had not found it a good investment under the management which Mr. GRIEVES
pretended was leading them to ruin. (Cheers.)

MR. TAYLOR (Deputy-Chairman of the Border Counties Railway) expressed his
entire concurrance with what had been said by Mr. HODGSON, in whose courage
and perseverance they had the fullest confidance. Their friends on the
border would stand to their guns to the very last. (Cheers.) They were now
making works to the extent of their powers, and would go to Parliament next
session with the North British for an extension to Riccarton. Mr. CHISHOLME
might be a great mining engineer as well as a civil engineer - (laughter) -
but he would venture to put his knowledge of the Plashetts field against Mr.
CHISHOLME's.The coal from that field was finding its way to Hawick by a
circuitous route, and was fetching high prices there on account of its
highly bituminous qualities.Mr. CHISHOLME had advised them to choose another
route into Scotland - (laughter) - but they had made up their mind on that
subject. They were sure that the present scheme embraced the greatest
number of objects, and that alone should settle the question with the
public. (Hear, hear) It was too late now to talk about engineering
difficulties. They had explored a variety of routes, and quite made up
their mind as to which to adopt. He concluded by expressing, for himself,
and his friends of the Border counties, their high sense of the services of
the Chairman and Sir James GRAHAM.

MR. GEORGE WILSON referred to Mr. CHISHOLME's statement that the Plashetts
field was an expensive field to work. He added that it would cost more to
make the line from Jedburgh to Riccarton, as urged by Mr. CHISHOLME, than
from Riccarton to Hawick.

MR. TAYLOR rose again and said he stood by his evidence as to the Plashetts
given before the Parliamentary Committee, and the effect of which upon an
impartial committee - (cheers) - was at once seen. The relative cost of
making the two lines was also decidedly in favour of that from Riccarton to
Hawick.

MR. J. D. CARR moved "That this Meeting learn with satisfaction the progress
which is being made with the works of the Border Counties Railway, and
pledges itself to support the Border counties Company in their endeaour to
carry out, in conjunction with the North British Railway Company, the views
of this Meeting regarding the Border Union Railway project." He had great
pleasure in moving this resolution. He thought the importance of the
exportation of coal from the Plashetts by Silloth was scarcely understood.
He had found, in seeking statistics, that 100,000 tons yearly were sent by
ship from the east to Ireland, and sometimes ships were two and three months
in making the voyage. It was of great importance to convey such coal as the
Plashetts as quickly as possible to Ireland; and the adoption of a scheme
that would shut out the produce of such a valuable field would be a reproach
to this great commercial country. (Cheers.)

MR. WAUCHOPE, in seconding the resolution, said the casting vote of public
opinion had been given for the Liddesdale line. (Hear, hear) He had himself
no connection with either company, but he could not help seeing that the
Caledonian scheme was that of grasping monopolists, and what the promoters
of the Langholm line simply bound themselves to the engine wheels of the
Caledonian. What was good for Leith was good for Carlislel - ("Hear, hear"
from Mr. HODGSON) - and yet the Caledonian were promoting a line from that
port to Dundee.

The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.

THE CHAIRMAN then said - I accept most willingly the post of one of the vice
presidents of your committee. (Loud cheers) Mr. HODGSON and other friends
*******   *** assiduously I attended the Parliamentary investigation of the
subject; and I may here *** my great satisfaction, especially with the
evidence of our excellent friend, Mr.TAYLOR. There was a strong feeling on
the part of some of the members of the committee that this project was
somewhat unfairly trenching upon the rights of the Caledonian, not to a
monopoly, but to the just reward of those who have endeavoured to supply,
and not without success, the wants of the public - especially as the
Liddesdale line was to run for some distance along their line to Carlisle.
That objection is now removed(Hear, hear.) You will all read in the reports
to-morrow that excellent letter of Sir James GRAHAM. He has laid before the
public an original view of the question, and retorted upon the Caledonian
one of their own principal arguments. He shows that an argument against one
scheme is valid against the other, *** therefore valid against neither. [The
CHAIRMAN here read the passage referred to.] It is impossible to express
that better will *** James has done.
The result of the change in the plan traffic ** you get that has been so
much talked of -through adopted through booking. If the scheme of last year
had been intervening ** difficulty would have arisen - that the consent of
booking, for **mpanies must have been obtained to through The Caledonian
***, from Liverpool to Dundee, and vice versa. The proposed improvement of
the *** that difficulty. It will be found a material *****, to which I
heartily wish success. (Loud cheers.)

A vote of thanks to ***********************
(Jedburgh), which was ** chair was then moved by Mr. DEANS ****trate of
Hawick, who said ***nded Bailie PATERSON, chief magis- the public that the
Hawick particularly wished it to go forth to Kelso to accompany their **
Committee simply resolved to go to what was going on. There ***man and to
keep their eyes open part to swamp the expression of ** certainly no attempt
on their

MR. THOMPSON (Galashiels) su*** opinion. (Hear, hear.)
adverted to the importance of its be*** known at what rate coal would be
conveyed.

MR. HODGSON said it was stated at the Kelso meeting that the North British
Company had arranged to **** coals at 1-1.2d per ton per mile, whether from
Plashetts or Canob** and that whether by train loads or in single trucks.
(Hear, hear). They owed gratitude to Mr. WAUCHOPE and other coal owners.
******* despite any fear they might naturally have of competition with the
Midlothian coal fields they worked liberally and honourable. ***ported this
scheme: and he could assure them they would as readily carry the Midlothian
coal at 1-1/2d the mile along their thirty miies as any other. Mr. HODGSON
then put the resolution, with a final declaration that while he would never
abandon the two main principles of their scheme, on any subsidiary point he
would gladly conciliate. (Cheers).

The resolution was carried with loud acclamation, and briefly acknowledged.
As long as the old scheme was on foot - Mr. MARSHALL said - Mr. H. HOWARD
and himself were anxious to promote conciliation. That being at an end, and
the new project brought out, he could only wish them all success.

The meeting then separated.

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