The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-05 00:00:00

SIR JAMES GRAHAM BURG.FI.

The ceremony of cutting the first sod of the Silloth
Rails ay was performed at Drumburgh, on Friday last, by
Sir James Graham, Bart. The new line is to join the Port
Carlisle Railway at Drumburgh, and to run to a point on
the coast of the Solway Frith called Silloth Bay, a distance
of about nine miles and a half. At two o'clock a train of
16 carriages started from the Carlisle terminus, of the Port
Carlisle Railway, amidst the cheers bf s crowd "aietembled
'to wittiese the departure, the-strain& Of alositecrof musts; and
a series of: cannon-like explosions produced-by a number of
small boxes of fulminating powder attached- to the rails
over which the wheels of the carriages passed. The Corpo-
-ration attended in a body, the Mayor wearing Iris chain of
office. The train arrived at its destination shortly before
3 o'clock, by which time several hundred persons had as-
sembled upon the ground. Meanwhile Sir James Gra-
ham had come from Netherby, and proceeded to turn
the sod with the spade and place it in the -wheelbarrow,
which he wheeled a few yards, and thee deposited
the contents upon the green sward, amidst the vociferous
' h.urrahs" of the crowd (Which pressed pretty closely upon
him, and almost impeded his progress), and the strains of
the national anthem from the brass band. The spade and
the wheelbarrow were the ordinary implements used by
the navvies. There was no attempt at ornament of any
kind, as is usually the case on such occasions. At the close
of the ceremony, which did not occupy five minutes,
Sir JAMES GRAHAM stepped upon a rising piece of
ground, and said—Ladies and gentlemen, let me in the
first place return my thanks to the directors of this
great undertaking for having paid me the compliment
of inviting me to be present on this occssion, and for
having entrusted to me the duty of cutting the first sod
at the commencement of the work. Amidst the din of
war—amidst the prodigal and fruitless expenditure of mil-
lions of the public money—amidst the grievances and dis-
asters, the death, the sickness, the wounds and groans of
thousands of our fellow-creatures, it is gratifying to my
feelings to be occupied this day, as I am at present
occupied, in a work worthy of a great and commercial peo-
ple—a work which has raised the country of which we are
the favoured inhabitants to the highest pitch of commercial
greatness. Works of this kind in foreign countries have
been the boast of conquerors and of kings, but in our coun-
try they are the works of citizens. It is not the statesman
who has projected them, nor are they carried on for politi-
cal purposes, but they are the fruits of honest industry ;
they are derived from the earnings of industrious labour ;
when constructed they are directed by our neighbours, and
it is my hope and prayer that this work which we have
begun to-day may be conducive to the interests of the com-
munity to which I am attached by every tie that can bind
the heart of man to his fellow-creatures. When I look
around me, and when I see in the age in which I live how
great have been the works that adorn this country—
when I look at our bridges, our aqueducts, and other
moans of internal communication when I see our
canals, our railways, our harbours, and our docks—
when I see all these great works, and recollect that they
have been the fruits of the earnings of the honest industry
of the citizens of this country, or that they have been the
results of the application of productive capital to revive
and irrigate, as it were, that which was previously unpro-
durtive—when, I say, I see these things, I am proud of
the position my native country occupies among the nations
of the world, and I am glad to find that in my own imme-
diate neighbourhood, even at such an eventful moment,
efforts of this kind are not suspended.: It is the boast of
the ago in which we live that science and capital have been
combined, and by that means the greatest monuments of
the greatest country in the world have been secured. Our
commercial greatness may pass away, but these works are
everlasting memorials that we, in our time and generation,
have not lived in vain. I pray and trust that the work
which we have begun to-day may take its place amongst
those to which I have adverted. The work in which we
are engaged to-day will, I confidently hope, receive that
blessing, for it is a work of peace and of mercy. Such are all
God's works. Our works generally are of a more doubtful
character, but of the nature of this work we can have no
doubt whatever. It is commenced in the spirit of peace,
for its objects are peace and the good of the community in
which we live. Those who have undertaken this work are
following the example of their generation, and in thus
conferring great benefits upon the nation they are the
friends and benefactors of the people, and my prayer is
that it will prosper and realise your most sanguine expec-
tations. Gentlemen, I need not say more just now. I think
that something more substantial and more convivial than
a speech awaits us in the neighbouring tent, and at present
I have said sufficient to assure you of my sincerity in hoping
that the undertaking may prosper. (Applause.)
Three cheers were given for the success of the under-
taking, and the party, numbering about 160, adjourned to
a tent, where a substantial repast had been prepared.

The company waited for some time beyond the appointed
hour for Sir J. Graham, who at the close of his remarks
concluding the sod-cutting ceremony went to Drumburgh
Castle, an old border tower, where it was feared by the
hungry occupants of the tent that he had either lost his
appetite or his memory, amongst reminiscences of the past.
The growing impatience of the guests had already mani-
fested itself in an illegitimate use of knives and forks, and
at,,lerigth broke out in open rebellion by a general attack
upon the pies and joints of meat before them, when the
tall figure of the right hon. baronet suddenly appeared at
the head of the table, and suspended the onslaught until
grace had been said.
Mr. P. J. DIXON (the chairman of the projected line)
occupied the chair.
After the usual loyal toasts,

The CHAIRMAN proposed the healthy of the members for

The toast having been duly honoured,
Sir J. GRAHAM said—l have attended with infinite plea
sure at the request of the directors. I addressed you before
and toll-you my feelings with respect to this occasion. I
see the question constantly asked—a question which you
cannot fail to divine seeing that it has been so recently and
frequently put—" What would have been the conduct of
Sir R. Peel in existing circumstances were he now alive ? "
Permit me to say that this is a fruitless question —a need-
less and unproductive speculation. It is hard to say what
in present circumstances would have been his conduct ;
but time has not abated my sorrow for his loss. I feel
every day more and more the loss of his friendship. T re-
gret every day the absence of that advice on which I so
much relied—that advice which was ever dictated by the
soundest sense, by the warmest sympathy with the inte-
rests and feelings of the people of this country whom ho
served with constant fidelity, and whose happiness,
prosperity, and welfare it was the object of his life to
promote. Gentlemen—l cannot tell you—although per-
haps, without vain boasting, I may say that I enjoyed, to
a great extent, to the last moment of his life, his confi-
dence—l cannot pretend to say what in the varying cir-
cumstances of the present moment might be his position.
I can, however, look back to what was his past conduct ;
and, recollecting what that past conduct was, I can truly
tell you that, in reference to the past, it is the proudest
recollection of my public life that I was associated with
him, and enjoyed his confidence for the short remainder of
that public life. It will be my encleavonr to act in confor-
mity to the principles he enunciated, and with the ♦iew I
know he took of what was conducive to the prosperity of
this country. Of all things he was the maintainer of peace;
ho was the promoter of constitutional and progressive re-
for,u ; he was the great defender and champion of commerce;
ho was the guardian of the manufacturing interests of this
country, from which interest he sprang, and evinced the
utmost solicitude for is welfare ; and if for a moment a
cloud passed over his memory on the part of the agricul-
tural interest, yet now I think the time has arrived when
I may safely appeal to those around me to say whether
he was not the agriculturist's friend—whether he inflicted

any lasting injury upon that interest by his deep convic-
tion that commerce, manufacture, and agriculture were
identical and inseparable. These were the principles of
my late lamented friend—principles which to the last
moment of my life will actuate my conduct. I regret the
keel we have sustained, but when I am asked what would
have been the conduct of Sir R. Peel in the present crisis,
I will answer that for the remainder of my public life I
will endeavour to give effect to the view I take of his prin-
ciples. Gentlemen, 'tie vain to ask what be would do. It
is right to ask what he dii. With reference to his views,
upon railway competition, he did not think that competi-
tion was beneficial as the exception, but as the general rule.
Facility of communication, he was of opinion, whether by
railroad, navigation, and in every possible way it could
be excited, was conducive to the real interests of the coun-
try. (Hear, hear) And in reference to speculation, be
had such confidence in the shrewdness, intelligence, and
good sense of his countrymen, that he was satisfied that
those who engaged in such undertakings as a pecuniary
speculation would have sufficient discretion and
et.
intelli-
gence to take care of themselves. He considered compes
tien to be the soul of commerce, the parent of loo' prices inin
which the great body of the people have
so •
resapy, I also
terest. He was the advocate of competitioe
scheme, I believe it will not only be coblic,
but twill also. I
am an advocate of competition ; and indererf:ey.reenoceeottnoptlitiis.
tion which will be beneficial to the
subject when first
-day, and I
hope,
only
doubt
()out
bbte
entertainedinjurious to the e,(ecsphe
Gentlemen, I have
brought under my notice. (Cheers.) Gentlemen,
which was the
no hh
yeorue to t
have a ened
liMeastsrllsf.apet.Usr7iiiax:(lll
to my remarks. (Loud
a few remarks •
Mr. FERGUSON also made
experiencedtll l thank yon forgrtehaet at pleasuret
lit
eiohneienwr
ei:t:htewn
ix acknow-
ledgment of the toast.
rni cauml teus roef,
After referring to Sir James Graham's
andC°M Mr' n.
re JAMES.r tci ogugp. proposede with
at the recent dinner ofthe
speech Royal Agricultural
Society in Carlisle, especially to the remarks of the right
hon. baronet upon the union of agriculture and commerce,
and his desire for the restoration of peace, Mr. James
continued—l believe, he
said, there is not a true-hearted
Englishman who does not wish the same. But the ques-
tion is how are these desirable objects to be effected ? I
on't know what the opinion of Sir Robert Peel might
have been now. I know that he changed his opinions upon
the question of the cotu laws and other subjects, and not-
withstanding Sir James Graham " lays the flattering
unction to his soul, it is not perhaps quite so certain that