The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-08 00:00:00

N°.18,396

[PRICE fiD.

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THE NORWEGIAN RAILWAY.
The following account of the ceremony of cutting
_:st sod of this railway appears in the Norse
rivers. .This important line is to run from Christiana
to Lake Morsen. Its length is only fifty miles, but it
will connect the seaboard of Norway with several
hundred miles of inland navigation. The concession
has been granted by the Government of. Norway to a
company of capitalists, consisting of Mr. Pete, M.P.,
Mr. Ricardo, M.P., and Mr. Brassey. Mr. Robert
Stephenson and Mr. Bidder are the engineers ; and
the contractors for the works (which are to be finished
within two years) are Mr. George Merritt and Mr.
Earle.
At twelve o'clock on the Bth ult. the Government
and municipal authorities of Christiana, together with
a large proportion of the members of the Storthing,
marched in procession from the bishop's palace to the
spot outside the city where the ceremony was to be
performed. Galleries were erected for the accommo-
dation of about 800 ladle,. The enclosure was deco-
rated with English and Norwegian ffigs. The scene
was enlivened by several military bands. Mr. Pete,
Mr. Stephenson, and Mr. Bidder, having received
his Excellency the Stathholder Lovenskiold, tha
barrow and silver spade required for the opera-
tion, were presented to that distinguished func-
tionary. The first sod having been cleverly dug and
wheeled off amid the cheers of the assembled multi-
tude, the firing of a royal salute, and the perform-
ance of the national airs by the military bands, his
Excellency made au eloquent speech, in which be
expatiated upon the advantages to be derived by his
country from the construction of this railway, at d
congratulated his auditors that it was to be 'nude by
English engineers and English contractors, and that
the money was to be provided by English capitalists.
This sentiment was received with enthusiastic bursts
of applause. A patriotic song, appropriate to the
occasion, and composed expressly for it, was then
sung by the united singing clubs of the town ; and
the work commenced by the Stadtbolder was imme-
diately followed up by .50 picked " navviei," who,
with shovel in hand, quickly afforded a visible speci-
men of their handiwork.
In the evening a sumptuous dinner was given by
the magistrates and corporation of the city to about
250 persons, amongst whom, in addition to the Stadt-
holder, Messrs. Peto, Stephenson, and Bidder, were
Mr. J. R. Crowe, the British Consul-General (to
whose perseverance and negotiations the Norwegians
are indebted for the construction of this railway) ;
Sir Thomas D. Acland, Bart., M.P., and several
other English visitors. The Mayor of the city pre-
sided. The toast of " His Majesty the King" and of
" Queen Victoria" having been responded to, amid
deafening cheers, salutes of cannon, and feux de joie,
the " Health of Mr. Robert Stephenson" was drunk,
and most enthusiastically responded to.
Mr. STEPHENSON said—ln rising to burden you with
my thanks for the honour which you have done me, I
must at once declare to you that the flattering ex-
pressions with which the mayor has associated my
name are not due solely to me, but that the great
merit of it belongs to others with whom I have had
the good fortune to be connected. In the first place,
I am bound to direct your notice to the British
Consul-General, who originally drew my attention
to Norway. It was from his clear, honest, and
truthful exposition of the various facts connected with
this undertaking that I was induced to investigate the
feasibility of the project which has this day been so
auspiciously begun. In the next place, in my first
visit to Norway I was accompanied by my valued and
esteemed friend, Mr. Bidder, whose experience in
railway engineering is scarcely inferior to my own.
To his excellent co-operation you must attribute much
of the success which has attended our exertions, and
to his engineering skill our future progress must be
greatly indebted. These are the two names with
which the Norwegian Railway must always be asso-
ciated in my mind ; but it is neither to their names
nor my own that you as Norwegians are indebted for
your railway ; it is to your own steady perseverance
and enlightened Government that you owe the events
of this day, and that you will be indebted for the conse-
quences that will flow from them. Had these elements
not been brought to bear, the assistance of English
enterprise could never have been obtained. The
mayor has alluded to the difficulties which you have
I had to surmount on the score of poverty, but this is
seldom one of the principal difficulties which railways
have to contend with. In my own country, where
wealth, and power, and enterprise exists to a degree
almost unheard of in the world's history, there, on
the commencement of railways, difficulties of a dif-
ferent character bad to be surmounted—prejudice
and almost overwhelming antagonistic interests were
arrayed against their introduction; indeed, those who
are acquainted with the progress of railways in Eng-
land must marvel how so much has been done in so
short a period of time. Thirty years hove scarcely
passed away since my revered father, George Stephen-
son, was deliberately characterised as a madman by
members of the British Legislature, when be stated
his confidence that the locomotive engine could be
made to realise too Norwegian miles per hour. His
statements were received with derision. I need not
occupy your time by expatiating on the results. Pre-
judice was overcome and science prevailed, and man-
kind is now in possession of one of the most civilis ng
agents the operations of which history has yet been
called upon to record. It was impossible for Norwe-
gians, from whom the Britons derive so many of their
charac eristic qualities, to rest satisfied without enter-
ing the great race of progress. You have, no doubt, phy-
sical difficulties to contend with, but nature has been
bountiful in scattering splendid navigable lakes
throughout your land, which go far to compensate
you. Let me for one moment call your attention to
the nature of the contract which now exists between
your Government and the enterprising men who
have come forward with a portion of the capital
n-cessary for completing your railway. In that con-
tract I am celled upon to act as arbitrator between
the parties. This position involves great responsi-
bilities, and would have been to me insufferable had
I not felt that both interests were actuated by the
most honourable and liberal intentions. 'The Nor-
wegian Government may rest assured that I am

deeply sensible of the high trust which they have
placed in my hands, add that it will be exercised, if
occasion may require it, with the strictest imparti-
ality. I way, perhaps, err in judgment, but my
appreciation of the compliment they have thus paid
me will always protect me from erring intentionally.
Mr. FROLICH, a member of the corporation, then
proposed "Toe health of the English Capitalists,
Messrs. Ricardo, Peto, and Brassey. '

Mr. PETO replied in the following terms :—Gan-
tlernen, in acknowledging the honour you have done
my colleagues and myself; permit me to express my
great regret that one of them has been prevented the
honour and pleasure of accepting your hospitality by
the necessity of his presence in Italy at the opening
of a railway there ; aiid that the other was
compelled to remain in London by legislative
engagements. The undertaking so auspiciously com-
menced to day is fraught with benefit to your coun-
try and my own--it will inn its completion place your
fatherland a century in advance—it will develop your
natural resources, and bring our nations into close
contact—and though, as capitalists, we necessarily
look to self-interest as the first motive in action, we
are not insensible that there are other motives than

mere money value. Onr countries have a common
sympathy—you have a Sovereign whom you affec-
tionately regard, who not only commands your loy-
alty but reigns through your love—you have a con-
stitutional country whose interests are entwined round
your sympathies, and whose advancement is the main
spring of all your actions. We, too, have a Queen
who reigns paramount in our devotion and regard.
We, too, have a country and constitution, whose well-
being is our constant care, and we cannot forget there
are historical incidents which bind us closely; and
the cordial reciprocity of today makes me feel
that the sentiment of your hearts are in unity with
mine, and that, were they audibly expressed, your re.
in
nut half felt.llt
would
sponse would be, " Were we not Norwegians we
be Englishmen." But unless a weekly communication
be established, by means of steam vessels, with London,
advance.
sioseuear
bmperofoovcreeeme
mde proceeding
theofp todayrvoapi
ueerloyfi sfwo bill 111 i
ow
who
enwde i slult
peb p, e
the
practicabi-
lity
near
ati
ol w
oauy rs
the centre of Norway
Vsacwiansgthe city of Edinburgh before
as
cap
visitorsy you now hare,
ttoafl
and steam-vessels were known ; and if
you place
Christiana and London within sixty -
another weekly, for every ten hours of one
your Storthing must feel that
you will then have a hundred.
a direct instead of a
circuitous traffic with us is anllii our Sovereign and
important to our com-
mon interest, and then let
unique fyords, your y your lovely lakes, your
splendid mountain scenery, e assure you that your
all my pleasure-seeking stupendous waterfalls, will bring
other parts of the g Countrymen, to whom the
odrtihs Continentlt not
are a beaten track, to
ally an object Awn not commercially and politi-
cyour shores.
ou will r y your effort, and one I feel as-
suredp osecute with all your native energy
and intentness of purpse ? In carrying out our en-
gagem-nts as caital. •the we employ are
those we have'es
known ists, parti
withfor years.
and acted
They will not supplant your industry by the in-
troduction of others, but attempt rather to direct
your own industry in the execution of those works
than to seek foreign aid. And this undertaking which
will so ultimately promote your increase of capital
and comfort will, in its transition to completion,
aid your industrious workmen. I should here
do injustice to my own feelings were I not to refer to
the open, frank, and candid manner
,in which the ca-
pitalists have been met by y
our (...Tovernment, and
especially by
the chief of the department of the in-
terior, be has not only given us his confidence, but
commands ours. We see, under his fostering care,
not only the construction of new and splendid roads
progreising in your country, but I found on my ar-
rival a letter, showing how thoroughly all, even the
minutest matters, have his judicious regard ; he
calltd my attention to the moral and medical oae c