386 Mr Sang 07i the Rapidity/ of Motion, S^c. 



bees not merely keep pace with us, but fly round and across the 

 coach, and that not by help of any current of air which might be 

 supposed generated, but at several feet distant from the train. 

 At times, too, specimens of the Libellula grandis kept up with 

 us over a stretch of half-a-mile ; wliile the smaller birds, such as 

 the linnet, were unable to cope with the steam. Once I almost 

 caught one, which, flying with all its might, remained opposite 

 the window for a few seconds. 



The effect of long-continued travelling on myself, was to give 

 me a perfect distaste for horse-coaches. It seemed, on getting 

 out of the steam-carriage and into the hackney-coach, that we 

 were standing still, or moving at a snail's pace ; and after four 

 or five trips, the thing became so intolerable, that I preferred to 

 send my luggage by an omnibus, and to walk into town. 



If a rail-road be regarded only as a means of communication 

 between two distant towns, I should have no hesitation in saying, 

 that a rate of even one hundred miles per hour could be main- 

 tained with perfect safety to the passengers ; but it is diff'erent 

 if passengers have to be let out at stations along the line, for then 

 the trouble and expense of stopping the train comes to be con- 

 sidered. 



To form a correct notion on this head, I noted, during tw'o 

 journeys, the times of arrival at each quarter mile mark, and also 

 the instants of starting, — of letting off" the steam, — of stopping. 

 From these observations, I find that from the instant the steam 

 was let off", till the train fairly stopped, there elapsed from 60 to 

 152 seconds, the average being about 90 seconds, thus occasion- 

 ing a loss of time of 45 seconds each stop ; but again, the train 

 did not acquire its full speed after the steam was let on, for some 

 150 seconds, — indeed its rate kept sensibly increasing even at 

 the distance of a mile and a half, or two miles, owing to the in- 

 creased violence of the fire ; here, then, is another loss of 75 

 seconds, making two minutes of delay for each stop, indepen- 

 dently of the titiie during which the train is actually at rest. 

 AVe may say, at an average, three minutes in all. 



If the stops be very frequent, the engine is unable to bring 

 the train to full speed during the interval, and the delay becomes 

 ■proportionally vexatious ; and, of course, if the rapidity of mo- 

 tion 'be augmented, the loss of time in stopping is so too. For 



