No. 434. Second Week in Quarter. Registered for Transmission Abroad. Price One Penny. WESTMORLAND QUARTER SESSIONS. The Epiphany Sessions for the County of Westmorland were held on Thursday last, when the following magistrates were present:- F. A. ARGLES, Esq., (chairman) REV. DR. SIMPSON REV. T. BELLAS REV. G. F. WESTON REV. W. R. MARKHAM WM. HOPES, Esq. JAS. ATKINSON, Esq. CAPTAIN MARKHAM F. PARKER, Esq. W. H. PARKIN, Esq. W. H. WAKEFIELD, Esq. W. WAKEFIELD, Esq. CAPTAIN GRIMSHAW F. COWPER, Esq. CAPTAIN BRAITHWAITE-WILSON E. B. W. BALME, Esq. A. H. HEYWOOD, Esq. A. D. KEIGHTLEY, Esq. THE GAOLS ALTERATIONS. The Gaol Committee reported that the contracts in relation to Appleby Gaol had been signed ky the several contractors, and recommended that they be now signed by the Clerk of the Peace on behalf of the Prison Authority. The estimates, &c., amount to about £5,500, and application should be made to the Loan Commissioners for power to borrow that sum. In the case of Kendal Gaol, a similar sum was needed. A letter was laid before the Bench in which the Home Secretary recommended a loan of £6,000, and it was understood that as a matter of course, the Loan Commissioners would grant the necessary powers. The report was then adopted and confirmed. FINANCE. The Treasurer's statement of accounts was read and a recommendation of the Finance Committee adopted that rates of 1/2 d. in the pound should be levied for police and county purposes respectively. CONNTY SURVEYOR REPORTS. - THE BRIDGE AT EAMONT. The Surveyor reported that the bridges generally were in a fair state of repair. With regard to the bridge over the Eamont, a communication was read from the Penrith Local Board of Health representing that this bridge was very dangerous to the public, and that accidents of a serious nature were taking place from time to time, several having occurred within the last few months, owing to its being impossible for the driver of a conveyance on one side of the bridge to see a conveyance coming up the other side, and thus the two met on the top of the bridge where it was impossible for two conveyances to pass. All that was required was to widen the bridge in the manner recommended by the Surveyor for the two counties. MR. W. H. WAKEFIELD testified to the correctness of the representation made, having recently inspected the place. DR. SIMPSON, whilst admitting the danger, said the question was where the real responsibility rested, and in what proportion Cumberland and Westmorland should bear the cost of altering the bridge. The danger was not so much from the narrowness of the bridge, but from the extremely steep ascent on the Cumberland side. If this were improved, the narrowness of the bridge was not so great an object. The fault was on the Cumberland side, and they were bound to remedy it. The county might widen a bridge, but it was not compelled to do so. If there had been no bridge, the people themselves would have to put one up, and then the County would have adopted it and kept it in repair. He thought it would be best to have a trustworthy survey, and a report of what would be best to be done. There was another course open to them, which he might suggest, and that was taking of the crown of the bridge, and putting a level iron bridge across. The REV. W. R. MARKHAM said it would look very ugly. MR. ATKINSON and MR. W. H. PARKIN contended that no alterations could be made to meet the case without widening, and that the fault was almost as much on the Westmorland as the Cumberland side. After considerable discussion, it was resolved that a Committee of magistrates should be appointed to confer with the magistrates of Cumberland, and report thereon at the next Quarter Sessions, and that they be empowered to call in the assistance of the County Surveyor, or other competent architect. The following gentlemen form the Committee: DR. SIMPSON, MR. WHITWELL, MR. PARKER, MR. PARKIN, MR. W. H. WAKEFIELD, and CAPTAIN MARKHAM. to be continued....................... ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *there are a couple of spelling errors in this article; I have transcribed it as it was printed*