The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-23 00:00:00

THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.

(From the Railway Times.)
The prevailing opinion among those who interest therij.
selves in railwaymatters, with respect to the last Great We!,.
ern Meeting, is, that the gentlemen of the north were ootai
enough north for those of the south; -that is, in a word, t e
they were sadly bamboozled and outwitted. We do not char
in this opinion. We think the Liverpool delegates knew vert, ti,
well what they were about; and that, however weak or f
consistent their conduct may appear to the plausible, if
lookers-on, the could give, if they chose, very plausible, 3
not sufficient, reasons for it. The gentlemen of the north
are, from all we can learn, quite as much dissatisfied as der,
with the past conduct and management of this great uo,.itt
biking ; they see clearly enough that the whole affair is . %,
of joint"—Direction as well as Engineering ; but they tet.et
gine, at the same time, that " they. (alone) were born to 16,
them right." The only radical cure is, in their judt.,rokit
a little infusion of Lancashire blood into the direction.
to accomplish this infusion, without the consent and coca.
rence of the present directors, they apprehend to be no e.
matter : and hence it has seemed to themgood policy to eeto
ciliate Mr, Chairman Sims and his colleagues by everyoleao,
in their power. Divide et impera' is the motto on their bat
ner. Censure for Mr. Brunel, but all manner of complimeery
to Mr. Brunel masters; among whom they hope, e,o.
shortly, to see two or three of their own party playing a e
minent part. Witness the fulsome praise bestowed, by sum
of the Lancashire speakers at the 'fleeting, on the directots;
though, if there be one word of truth in the fault found
them with the proceedings of the engineer, the directors,
the
have sanctioned these proceedings, and persist, up to k'te
present moment, in defending them, are quite as mach o$
blame as Mr. Brunel. Having a good end in view—notbli,
less than the salvation of the concern—they think that PIA
fies the adoption of any means, however questionable, to en:'d
it. Once before—not, indeed, very long ago—they. adolaend
a different course, but got, as we have heard, only jibes lb'
jeers for their pains. They began with declaring that 6,
Great Western Directors had entirely forfeited the eoel,
deuce, not only of the Lancashire propretary, but of the pod
lie at large; and thereupon they proceeded to recomme
that•some half-dozen of them should make way for an eq,,,u-r
number of infallible and sturdy Lancastrians. The aus7o-0
to this modest requisition was a poser—' It it be true, as 3.e,
state, that we have forfeited the confidence of the prop!te,
Lary and of the public, how can you, Gentlemen of Lancashlrho
propose to youselves to act with any number of men '",.t,0
have so disgraced themselves—far less with a majority (10,,
trustless a set; for, as yet, your proposition extends ll° '
Cher than to admit a few of your party into the direction
•
And so it happened that the mouths of the Lancashire Dens
tlemen being stopped by this answer, they found thernsei:,f
in an exceedingly false and ridiculous position—not far ivrt:, 01;
as to the forfeiture of confidence incurred, but wholly wiYll5
as to the mode by which they proposed to impart new, e,
and energy to the concern; and fat the momeut, their
altogether powerless either fur good or evil. Indeed, so in,' is
stronger did the Great Western Railway Directors feel of
11
consequence of this erroneous move of their assailants, Les
though a vacancy occurred soon after, in their body, thre„.l"te
the resignation of Mr. Tite (Why, by the bye, did Mr. 1,,,e
resign I—he was the ablest, by far, of the whole Board at
time,) la
they refused to let even one Lancastrian in to saPP,„'s
his lace ; and filled it up with a Mr. Nobody, whose 081,""er
and additions at the Resent moment we forget. T repo is
the ground thus lost, they Lancashire gentlemen have
time gone upon quite an opposite tack. Now they are fore'"of
of confidence in, and respect for, the directors, as beer,
distrust and contempt. Most upright and gentiemanlY dso
sons the directors all are ; and no pleasure to be irnagiae,,,,,,
great as that of acting cordially aiong with them for the
mon good! The directors, seeing the pleasing chaoh,,eir
(pleasing to them,) which has come over' the spirit of tot
opponents, have not been slow in turning it to as good ae, c°,.oa
as they previously did their blundering rudeness. "P‘6all
refuse to pass this our report," say the directors, " we 'no'
take it as a personal insult." " Nothing,",reply the Livetree
gentlemen," is further from ourinteutionr--we wish to beyo-11
sonally on the best terms possible with you all—but our ,
to ourselves and our brother proprietors requires-----i•
"This only, that you should satisfy yourselves that the %so
neering of the line is all right, to which we, the directors, oid
have no objection; but it does not require that you sbe° r 0
persist in refusing to pass.our half-yearly account of rec leo4
.
and disbursements, for every penoy of which we have goo,
and sufficient vouchers. It is ntirkei' \#ee can assure, sal
to be left under such a cloud of suspicion as your last or
has thrown upon us. Only think what our feelings as geriaio
men must be—think of what your own would be, were Y 0,151
our situations." "Ab, to he sure," " And do nut forget 'ogls
there is at this moment a seat at our Board vacant, thrf.ips
the loss of our late dearly-beloved colleague, Mr. HOPI, do
which we cannot fill up—though most anxious are we
,1001,,,
so, with some gentleman of judgment and experience ',Oil
ing significantly hard towards the Liverpool squad) . oee
you have certified, by your sweet voices, that the pos,t,Z„r
which a gentleman may fill without dishonour." l'-feel
word inure, Mr. Chairman—(Beyworth loquitur)—we
all the delicacy of your situation ; we have no wish to got
harass you—far from it—we have the highest opinion 0' ler
integrity, and only impute to you a want of that railsveYall
perience which we gentlemen of the north possess ins es
abundance—and in order that you, the directors, nose
placed quite at your ease, and enabled to fill up the nle-ole
Mr. Hopkins—which ought, by all means, to be done lu'ert/
diately —we will withdraw our resolution of censure, in re lion
to the engineering, fur the present, and agree to the atiq
of the report."
We have given what we believe to be a tolerablY ,e7refol
version of the course of policy pursued by the Liverpo," 'pot
tlemen on the present
,occasion; but we beg we ineYteir
be considered as at all approving of it. We think the tetss
ductioti of two or three intelligent men of business frooloo
north, into the Great Western Direction, would be one °old
best things that could happen for the concern ; but o'eviti,-,r
have this brought about in an open and straight-forward too
ner; we would have them borne its upon the force of root
opinion, and not by virtue of a paltry intrigue. We orb
imagine that any good can come, in the long-run, e' jast
crooked ways and hollow professions as our pen has;eric
traced. No end, however good, can, in our humble.'
naent, srespectability of he oanctify such unworthyppositi on to the Great NVe means. stetrti
The t,
Railway Management has, we make no doubt, alreal
fered greatly in the public estimation, from the pall'ableadilt
xiety for place displayed by those who have taken the act
.it. The Great. Western Directors will not, we thing too
wisely, if they omit the opportunity which they n"wr leer
of strengthening their hands by the addition of some rieteo;
pool gentleman to their body; .but certain it is, uevert ecoe'l
that if they should take it into their heads to pass a 5 niace,
affront upon their northern friends, by supplying the_4llb°
of Mr. Hopkins from same other quarter; all the world w
disposed rather to laugh with. than blame them.

GRAND JUNCTION, RAILWAY.
*t§
This railway having now been fairly tested, both a• to,;(1.
durabilit, and also with respect to the traffic expel that
npoa it, it is fairly due to our townsmen who projeelehotots
line, and also to the able engineers who executed it,
upon theta such.a meed of praise as they are unquest''eri,
all entitled to; particularly as it is universally adotirlotli s,
all who have travelled upon it lately, to be freer f here!
unpleasant motion than any other railway in the cotiu'i',err
The Grand Junction Railway after having been i" °,4eterl
,
Lion twelve months, and paying ten per cent. to its itr°P," ;Of!
for that period, is eginning to develope, in the secon"tiiliooe;
an increase of t raffle, which warrants the highest ex Pee beet
ever formed of it ; and although the traffic from 310licifvlb,,,
and Birmingham, up to the present time, does not
results anticipated from that portion of it, vet the trato of 0,,
Liverpool to Birmingham for the first three Ineotlis,,veol,
present year, being full fifty, per cant. above the fornle:e3r,,,ti
fairly promises, before the expiration of the second laedv;o
exceed the most sanguine calculations ever enterltdi o'4
the projectors of this line. And ihe arrangements
now in progresS, both for expediting and faciliating theA Mahe
passengers and goods direct from Liverpool an" of t'
chester to London, under the cordial co-operation pireo
Directors of the Grand Junction and the Londan ar"!fucti°,
Ingham Companies, are such a-will not only give Sat' ere,s,
to the public,. but crust also tend Nell' materially to .7 rot;
tfie traffic upon those lines, by securing to them a ['re'e
ate
over every other Triode eonveyance.
It is confidently expected, that, after the ensuing'
is over, and the embankments on the London and nirtio.ee;
ham line are well settled down first class trains be wor
Liverpool and Manchester and London will not occuPYiispet],
than nine hours in the journey. This being accoul orfoi
what further improvements could be desired between I):',6ll'it
and Lancashire ? The advantages. that will be der,.ifforilee
every branch of the community, from the means ".d at
them of an increased intercourse so cheap and so rat" ,
quite incalculable. eft
To the merchant, whose communications with the it
polls are so frequent, it mnst prove invaluable.
°Vat- ste
Ti the tradesman, who is constantly obliged to „ j
supplies from London, to suit the continually varyjFri
of his customers, the convenience will be inestima"'„citi.,
the consumer will find his advantage in being able te,r;orarl
in a few hours, from the grand mart of luxury, at a I
0.,
tively small expense, every article he may desire. hoe of
Liverpool and Manchester Wil!, by means oftooo'
lines of railway, be brought within two days' i°
110
Paris. . Ito
W
Edinburgh will be brought within a journey of thin'!thin'!
from Dublin.
London may be reached in twentylour hours frerni},l)o;,l,O I:ej,
Such are the facilities wbich the public will rh;, preity
which had their primary origin in Liverpool, hY bsecine'd
tors of the Grand Junction Railway, which has s"• ; to
been followed up by the London and Birmino'ha"l iorthad,
when this great artery of communication, "fr("napidlY
south, is brought to maturity, to which it is now rb, the 4ott
vancing, no doubt can possibly exist but that, rjunet'oy
dicious management of the Directors of the tiranit tines 11;irs
and London and Birmingham Railwa • ,these grea ,rfec'
)' so
be made so advantageous to the 'public, and from "
4hehirelves, as to defy all rivalry or upposit' care"' ',la"
ever quarster it may be threatened. And ourtow,trl'work, and
projected the first, may justly feel proud of their
their fame must be handed down to posterity:
aye
nndoo
The Earl of Har.lobv and Lord and LadYao-oleY
been on a visit to Lord Francis Es-atoll,' at "
near Manchester. . . .