The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-04 00:00:00

had been passed by the board of directors was to pro-
vide a resident minister where the works were princi•
pally carried on, and he felt sure that every assistance
would be afforded them by the Bishop and he clergy,
especially the clergy more immediately connected with
the district.

The Rer. R. INGRAM very appropriately acknowledged
th© toast.

Lord MORPETH rose amid loud applause. He said.—
Gentlemen, the chairman has just told us that he has
come to the end of his routine toasts, which we have
drank with due loyalty, respect, and attachment. The
toast which I have now to bring before ou cannot be
called routine, because we have to drink it for the first
time; but it will become a routine toast, for it is not the
last time, I trust, we shall drink it.—(Cheers.) The toast
which I am honoured by being allowed to propose is,
Success to the North-Western Rsilway."—(lmmense
cheering.) lam sure you will feel that the sentiment is
congenial to the offices in which we have engaged this
day, and that it is appropriately the crowning work of
this evening.—(Cheers.) I flatter myself that this un-
dertaking has been launched with ail possible omens of
success. Nothing seemed wanted at the beginning. I
only felt, when we were on the spot where the first sod
was dug, amid the admirable preparations which were
made for the ceremonial, and in the centre of the beau-
tiful panorama of hills spread out on each aide, I only
felt that the passengers would complain of being hurried
too rapily along over the most beautiful scenes of the
world, to come to " Settle."— (Most rapturous applause,
which continued for some time.) I certainly think
that the position and circumstances of this line seem
to combine, very happily, all the leading matters that
aro desirable in undertakings of this description. Con-
nected as it is with our most busy haunts of manufactur-
ing industry in one direction, and with the most roman-
tic and picturesque spots of our land in another, it forms
a link between the dense smoke of our factories and the
silvery mists of the mountains—(Loud cheers.) I hope,
with mere reference to all contemporary undertakings, it
will be found, in the opposition which it may thought to
offer, to conflict in that opposition with none, but will
maintain its due place, as having uses and benefits of its
own. Indeed, it seems to me, from its v2ry position, to
form an illustration of an old and familiar story, a story
of two men quarelling about the possession of an oyster,
and calling in a third individual to arbitrate between
them. You have one line on the eost, oce on the west,
and another in the middle. On one side, a powerful
western line stretches along a vast extent of country,
from London, we may say, to Perth. On the east, an-
other broad shadow covers with its bulk a great portion
of the territory of our country.—(Cheers.) Well, gen-
tlemen, your railway comes in the middle between these
two powerful competitors. Ido not say we must leave
to them nothing but the empty shell; I should be sorry
if any such destiny awaited them; but I hope that occu-
pying, as you do, the middle position, you will have your
duo share of the luscious article.—(Vehement cheering).
With the expression of this hope for our future destiny,
and in the full assurance that our future success will be
commensurate with our most sanguine expectations, I
beg to commend to your hearty acceptance the toast
of the North-Western Railway.—(Drunk with three
times three).
Glee--" Life's a bumper."
The CHAIRMAN responded. Among other remarks,
he said that the fact of his Lordship having consented
to come down from hie arduous duties in London to be
present with them on that occasion was itself a proof
that their railway possessed some merit. Some had
called this the iron age, but he trusted that it would
prove the golden age.—(Cheers.) It had once been sup-
posed that insurmountable engineering difficulties pre-
vented the opening out of the lands of Craven to the
benefits of railway communication; but they had found
out a level road, and by means of the branch
.to Lan-
caster, a port would be opened to the West Riding of
Yorkshire, which would bring the rich produce of Ire-
land in return for the commodities in which that district
abounds.—(Avplause.) The Chairman concluded by
giving " The Members of the West Riding."
Lord MORPETH rose amid renewed cheering. He
said, lam almost ashamed to be on my legs again; it is
more than can be expected in one day, even from any
navvy—(Loud laughter)—and having evinced by the part
I have been allowed to take in the business of this day
the interest I feel in the matter of your railway, it would
not be right in me to detain you at any length in
speaking on a subject merely personal to myself. I do
not now come to Settle for the first time, and I have
always had reason to be pleased with the reception I
have met with. I may apply to myself the words of
the poet, though, perhaps, in a sense different from that
which he intended,
" Where rise the mountains, there to me are friends."
—(Loud cheers.) But however, agreeable my former
visits may have been, the pleasure of my coming among
any neighbours this day is much enhanced by the feel-
ing that there is no shadow of political difference to cast
any obstacle in the way of the promotion of the best in-
terests of the country. To use a railway metaphor, we
are all moving, not only to the same terminus, but tra-
velling on the same line, without any danger of collision,
and without any risk of a crash.—(Renewed cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN next gave " The Members of the
borough of Lancaster."

Mr. GREENE was loudly cheered on rising. The Hon.
Member said he was sure the company would do him
the justice to believe that he felt most deeply gratified
by the handsome manner in which his name had been
received. He did not deserve to be thanked for being
present at their meeting on the auspicious occasion which
had called them together. On the other hand, his thanks
were due to them for the honour they had done him in
sending him an invitation. It was a matter of great
satisfaction to him to have the opportunity of attending a
meeting which had been called for the purpose of com-
mencing a great work, a work designed not only for local
convenience, but which was entitled to be looked upon as
a work of national importance. He had been in the habit,
year after year, of travelling along that road to his own
house, and after three days' journey ho naturally felt
anxious to reach home. The difficulty of Giggleswick
Brow always presented itself to his mind, and he little
imagined that he should ever be enabled to pass to his
own place of residence at railway speed.—(Cheers.) It
was gratifying to him to witness the extension of the
railway system which was being carried out. He had, a
short time before, been called on to attend a meeting in
celebration of the opening of the Lancaster and Carlisle
Railway, and on his way had passed over the Shap Fells,
which had been pronounced, on high authority, to be
impracticable for railway transit. The result proved the
skill of their engineers, and Great Britain might well
feel proud that she had set the example to all the world
of ability and enterprise which were applied to ob-
jects so useful and important.—(Cheers.) lie had been.
much struck with an expression which, when in
London, he had heard used by one of the foreign Mi-
nisters, in speaking of a line that was proposed to be
made from Hamburgh to Trieste. The observation
was, that as lines were carried on to every part of the
glebe, and it was felt how one line depended for its
success on another, there was the surest guarantee for
the maintenance of the peace of the world.--(Cheers.)
True, they did not require in England railroads
for the maintenance of peace, but they were necessary
for the purposes of commercial intercourse, and it was
highly desirable that every place should possess the ad-
vantage of them. Feeling strongly, as he (Mr. Greene)
did, the advantages derived from railway communica-
tion, he could not be indifferent to the benefits offered
by the North-Western to a town in whose welfare he
was most deeply interested, being connected with it, as
he had been, from his infancy—he meant the town of
Lancaster. Lancaster would be linked, by means of it,
not only with the manufacturing districts of Yorkshire,
hut with the opposite shores, and she would also be
enabled to communicate with Hull and the other ports
on the east side of the island. The Hon. Gentleman,
after a few other remarks to a similar purpose, resumed
his seat amid loud cheers.

Mr. SALISBURY, of Lancaster, proposed " The Chair-
man mid Directors of the Lancaster and Carlisle and the
Leeds and Bradford lines."

Mr. RAND, of Bradford, responded to the toast.
Mr. BIR/LBECIZ gave " The Chairman and Board of
Directors of the Blackburn and Clithoro and North-
Western Railway."
The sentiment was acknowledged by Mr. ROBINSON,
of Settle.

Mr. It. lIINDE, of Lancaster, with a few appropriate
introductory remarks, gave " The Chairman and Di-
rectors of the Wharfdale line," and
Mr. WILSON, jun., of Eahton, briefly acknowledged
the compliment.
Mr. BAND proposed " The Chairman and Directors
of the East Lancashire Railway," observing, that the
North-Western Company was deeply interested in the
success of that line, and that the Rossendale valley con-
tained all the elements to ensure success to railway
enterprise.
Mr. NicuoLsox briefly return( d thanks. lie said the
East Lancashire would be most happy to interchange to
An unlimited extent with the North. Western commodi-
ties which must conduce to the comfort of the public to
s large degree, and which would return l2i per cent, to
both lines.—(Cheers.)
Lord MORPETH, in a few very appropriate words, pro-
posed the health of the chairman.
The CHAIRMAN acknowledged the compliment, and
gave the health of " the Engineers."
Mr. VIGNOLES, in responding, paid a high compliment
to Mr. Watson, the acting engineer, whose modesty, he
said, was surpassed only by his ability, his integrity, and
his industry. To himself, he said, no credit was due,
except for occasionally casting his eyes over the line, to.
se.l whether certain points were carried out. To Mr.
Watson belonged the praise of managing everything
that related to the details, and every praise ought to be
liven to him for the way in which he fulfilled his duties.
lie (Mr. Vignoles) might, however, claim for himself
the merit of having laid down principles which, when
they were first set forth, were generally condemned as
erroneous and impracticable. Their truth had, however,
been since acknowledged, and the importance of the re-
sults were above calculation. Ile had always maintained
that level lines should not be the only ones laid down,
but that they should boldly attack the hills. The doe-
t,n e was pronounced at the first to be visionary, and he
had to encounter the opposition and the remonstrances
of his most valued friends; but he contended that
it
v widaas for the
the b ugsrienaetsess t of
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event justified him in his views
that it was not necessary
to see'k and
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it publicneer tOOO seek to
The
obtain
h h taiad nagbd
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which a maximum load should be carried, but that it was
better to apply extra locomotive power, when any con-
siderable incline presented itself, rather' than waste the
efin
resources of the country
n rot her
wase m refinement for unnecessary
ai ednts
option( Ao
fp pl
thisaus el;
)rincAipne thee reasonnec.sty which
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in favour of
existed of affording a far greater amount
oer si
datien than could be given upon any other sysactee"Thln. rfl
hoped to see the day when villages would have. their
railroads, and the farmer would find it cheaper to em-
ploy the railway from parish to pariah, for purposes of
agriculture, than the present modes of conveyance. Mr.
Vignoles =chided an interesting address, QI which we ,