37. Great Northern Railway; powers for using the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.

38. Caledonian Railway; branches in Lanarkshire.

39. Warrington and Altrincham Railway; new junction line.

40. Brighton and South Coast Railway; new dock works, near Havant.

41. Malton and Driffield Junction Railway; deviations and amendments.

42. Maryport and Carlisle Railway; deviations, and increase of capital.

43. Eastern Union Railway; branch to Bungay.

44. East Lancashire Railway; financial arrangements.

45. Shrewsbury and Chester Railway; various arrangements with other Companies.

46. Llynvi, Duffryn, and Porth Cawl Railway; junction branch to South Wales Railway, and amendment of former Act.

47. Great Southern and Western Railway; dock and basin at Cork, and various amendments.

48. Thames Haven Railway and Dock; amendment of former Acts. 49. Leeds and Thirsk Railway; change of name to Leeds Northern, and various amendments.

50. York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway; deviations, extension of time, and increase of powers, in respect to certain branches.

51. Midland Railway; power to purchase Leeds and Bradford Railway.

52. Slamannan and Borrowstowness Railway; deviations.

53. Sheffield and Barnsley Railway; deviations and amendments. 54. Cork and Waterford Railway; financial arrangements. 55. South Wales Railway; arrangements with other Companies. 56. St. Andrew's and Quebec Railway; financial arrangements. 57. Midland Railway; extension of time for certain branches. 58. Great North of Scotland Railway; amendment of Acts. 59. Matlock and Buxton Railway; purchase of Cromford Canal. In looking at the above list, it will be seen that the localities affected are in the following ratios, in respect to the Acts passed :

We find that of the fifty-nine Acts very little more than twenty give powers for the construction of new portions of railway; the rest having reference to minor changes, amendments, leasings, increase of capital, financial arrangements with shareholders and creditors, working arrangements with neighbouring companies, &c. Moreover, such enactments as relate to new lines give but a very small aggregate mileage. The most important new lines are those from Gloucester to Hereford, Caernarvon to Bangor, and Ulverstone to Carnforth; but these are all short. The truth is, that the average rate of dividend accruing from existing lines is too small to induce the construction of others, except under special circumstances.

There were seventy-nine petitions for railway bills deposited in the Private Bill Office of the House of Commons for the session of 1851; from which it would appear that fifty-nine passed successfully through all the parliamentary ordeals, while twenty failed at one or other of the several stages.

RAILWAYS RECENTLY OPENED.

The portions of railway which have been opened within the last twelve months are not very extensive individually; but they are scattered pretty equally over various parts of the kingdom. We will rapidly review the operations of the principal companies in respect to the openings of new lines, and to new arrangements for future traffic.

In the first place, we may remark that on June 30th, 1850, there were 6,308 miles of railway open for traffic in the United Kingdom, having 2,030 stations, and employing 60,325 persons; this gives one station and twenty-eight railway officials and servants to about every three miles of railway. There were on the same day 864 miles of new railway under process of formation, on which 58,884 persons were employed. The railway contracts had, at that period, fallen to rather a low ebb; the railways under construction, and the persons employed thereon, were smaller than for many previous years. The rates between the finished mileage, the stations, and the servants, will probably remain nearly as given above.

*

At the beginning of 1850 the length of railway open was 5,996 miles; 625 miles were opened during that year, making the total length 6,621 miles to begin the year 1851. Of this last-named quantity 5,132 miles were in England and Wales, 951 in Scotland, and 538 in Ireland.

As we have not in any former Companion' thrown into a tabular form the lengths of line opened in successive periods, we will do so for the last few years:

In round numbers we have opened 800 miles a year for the last five or six years. Added to the above, there were 5,382 miles remaining to be constructed or opened, under various Acts down to the session of 1850; viz., 551 miles in course of construction and 4,831 miles not yet commenced (on December 31st, 1850), making a total of 12,003 miles. These numbers occasionally clash with former statements, for there is no uniformity in tabulating "abandoned," or "deviated," or 66 amended" lines. Beginning at the south of England, and working upwards

towards the north, we find that the South Eastern railway still remains the great highway to the Continent, and even in higher relative degree than at any former period. It has been the main channel for foreign visitors to the Great Exhibition; and the "eleven hours' route to Paris" has reduced the sea passage within the limits of a very bearable evil. The great railway hotel at Dover is nearly finished; and this port shares with Folkstone the advantages derived from continental traffic. The submarine telegraph will shortly be placed in connexion with the telegraph line of the railway. The Mid-Kent communication is still a blank, nothing having been done towards the extension of the North Kent line towards Canterbury; but an independent company made attempts in this direction during the session of 1851; and another attempt will probably be made in 1852. A portion of the Tonbridge and Hastings line has been recently opened, from Tonbridge Wells to Robertsbridge; and the remainder of the line will be opened in 1852. The line from Ashford to Rye and Hastings has also been opened since the date of our last publication; it runs through a flat country, with few towns and little traffic. Tonbridge and Hastings railway, however, is of more importance, being virtually the London line. The South Eastern and the Brighton companies, after much contention, have come to an agreement for the ultimate division of the Hastings and London traffic.

The

The Brighton and South Coast company have not opened any new railway during 1851. They have endeavoured to force a continental trade by establishing a steam route from Newhaven to Dieppe ; but the fares were too low to yield anything like a remunerative profit; and it is now doubtful whether anything will shake the preference for the "short sea route" by Folkstone or Dover.

The South Western have never yet yielded the claims to a narrow-gauge holding in Devonshire; the Taw Vale railway having repeatedly been made a bone of contention between the companies; but virtually this company's mileage remains the same as twelve months ago. Southampton continues to be the most important station on this system, owing to the congregation of mail steamers at that point.

The broad gauge has made many advances since November 1850. The Wilts and Somerset railway has been opened to Warminster and Frome. The Bristol and Exeter and the South Devon companies have made many minor advancements for developing traffic, but without any notable mileage of new railway. The Cornwall railway remains still in abeyance; while this continues, Falmouth will be isolated from the great commercial centres of the country. The South Wales railway is advancing very satisfactorily; the portion from the Severn to the Wye has been opened during 1851: this includes a bridge over the Severn near Gloucester, and another over the Wye at Chepstow; the latter is not quite finished, and until finished (in the spring of 1852) goods traffic cannot commence between the South Wales railway and the heart of England. The portion between Swansea and Caermarthen is now in progress, as are several minor branches at the harbours and the principal towns.

A comprehensive leasing and working agreement has been made between this company and the Great Western, which will develop the Welsh traffic as fast as new portions of the line are opened. The Vale of Neath Railway (also on the broad gauge) has been opened from Neath to Aberdare, and will shortly be finished to Merthyr Tydvil. It is expected that Neath will become the port for some of the mineral trade of the Merthyr district, the whole of which has hitherto had Cardiff for its port. The Western Valleys railway, in Monmouthshire, is a narrow gauge coal track, which has lately been improved, and made fitted for passenger carriages. In connexion with the broad gauge system, a gigantic scheme has lately been proposed by Mr. Rogers, of Nant-y-glo. The Great Western and the South Wales have lately been connected (as just noticed) by a railway bridge over the Severn; but as this bridge crosses as high up as Gloucester, it takes the traveller far out of the direct route, and breaks the ordinary connexion between Bristol and the mineral district of South Wales. Mr. Rogers proposes to construct a granite bridge, two miles in length, across the Severn at New Passage; the arches 324 feet span, by 120 feet rise, so as to admit ships beneath them; the width to be 140 feet, with a range of shops and a colonnade in the centre, a double line of rails on one side and a carriage road on the other. Mr. Rogers appeals to some of the writings of Rennie in support of the practicability of the plan; and there can be little question that engineers could master the difficulties, and that capitalists could (if they would) raise the means; but until the world can see some probable source of dividend for the millions which the work would cost, the scheme can afford to sleep in peace.

The Great Western company, besides lending countenance to their broad gauge neighbours above noticed, are now vigorously pushing towards the north. The battle of the gauges has recommenced; and it is not easy to see when or how it will terminate. The Birmingham and Oxford and the Birmingham and Wolverhampton lines, both planned for the broad gauge, and both leased by the Great Western, were neglected for many months; but operations have recommenced, with a view to the early opening of a new route from London to Birmingham and Wo Volverhampton. Then, the last-named town being thus reached, there are three companies which cover the distance thence to Birkenhead, viz., the Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, the Shrewsbury and Chester, and the Chester and Birkenhead; and if the Great Western could obtain leasing powers over these, with a provision for laying down the broad gauge, there would be an entirely new route from London to the Mersey opposite Liverpool. Negotiations to this effect are actually in progress; nay, the broad gauge engineers are discussing various plans for crossing the Mersey at Runcorn or some other point. That the London and North Western, the narrow gauge company, should endeavour to ward off so serious a blow is what might reasonably be expected; and hence has arisen a tangled web of negotiation.

The Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton company have

only opened six miles of their line; they have been alternately courted by both the great companies, but hitherto they have only exemplified the adage "between two stools," &c. The Hereford and Shrewsbury railway has been commenced; it will be a cheap line, and is being pushed on with some vigour. The Hereford and Gloucester railway, sanctioned by Act in 1851, will place Shropshire in connexion with South Wales and the West of England. The Newport and Hereford has been commenced. The Chester and Holyhead company are developing the traffic on their line, but without making anything more than a trifling addition to their mileage. Of the Shropshire Union, nothing has been opened beyond the former short portion from Stafford to Shrewsbury.

Approaching now to the powerful London and North Western company, we find them beset with rivals on all sides; and it is almost inevitable that the arrangements made-either to ward off this rivalry or to take revenge for it-will still further lessen the dividends of the company. They are tampering with the Oxford traffic, the Cheltenham and Bristol traffic, and the South Wales traffic, as a set-off to the approach of the broad gauge towards Liverpool. The Oxford branch from Bletchley has been completed since our last publication. A branch has also been opened from Rugby to Leamington, to shorten the route from London. The Rugby and Stamford branch is finished; twenty-three miles additional having been opened between Market Harborough and Stamford. The new station for this company at Birmingham is not yet finished; it was hoped that it might have served for both gauges; but the renewal of hostilities is again leading to the cutting-up of the Birmingham streets by rival lines. Beyond Birmingham, the operations of this company have not entailed the opening of any new lines, except a few miles of minor connecting branches.

The Midland company share with the London and North Western the severity of the opposition raised by the Great Northern; and, indeed, from their proximity, they feel the opposition still more keenly. The Midland, per se, has added very little to its mileage in 1851; the directors have had enough to do to maintain what they before possessed, The energetic Great Northern have not yet completed their "towns' line" from Peterborough to Bawtry; but during 1851 they have supplied the defective links which connect the main line with the Yorkshire and Northern systems; and it now comes into direct collision with the Midland at many different points. During the Exhibition æra of 1851 the rivalry became so obstinate that both companies carried excursionists from Yorkshire to London and back for 5s. A case was submitted to Mr. Gladstone, for his arbitration, in respect to an equitable division of the northern and mid-counties traffic between the old and new companies; a peace has been temporarily patched up, but it has not the aspect of a lasting one. Meantime, the Great Northern company are rapidly progressing with the towns' line, with the King's Cross terminus, with the various junc