1 1 4 HEROES OF INVENTION AND DISCO VER Y. 



;^8,oS 7,000. From 1838 till 1844 the desire for new railway 

 works was moderated, and in 1845 a.nother tide of railway 

 speculation set in. Powers were granted by Parliament 

 during that year to construct 2883 miles of new railways in 

 Britain, and next year the power was conceded for still larger 

 undertakings. 



Speaking at Blackburn in 1840, Stephenson intimated his 

 intention of retiring from the more arduous portion of his 

 duties, which he did by resigning his charge as chief engineer 

 on several of the railways with which he was connected. He 

 had removed in 1838 to Tapton House, near Chesterfield, and 

 he was able to enjoy the grounds, which he greatly improved. 

 His name and presence were common at this time with the 

 Mechanics' Institutes of the Midland Counties. In 1844 he 

 was appointed engineer to the Wliitehaven and Maryport Rail- 

 way, and at about the same time was elected chairman of the 

 Yarmouth and Norwich Railway. The Newcastle and Darling- 

 ton line was completed and publicly opened in 1844. By this 

 line direct communication was gained with London. Mr. 

 Stephenson, Mr, Hudson, and a distinguished party, travelled 

 from London to Newcastle in nine hours. At the banquet in 

 the evening, the honourable Mr. Liddell, M.P., occupied the 

 chair, and paid a high compliment to George Stephenson and 

 his son Robert. " Mr. Stephenson," he said, " might truly be 

 looked upon as the great pacificator of the age. And yet a 

 few years ago he was but a working engineman at a colliery. 

 But he was a man not only of talent but of genius. Happily, 

 also, he was a man of industry and of character. He con- 

 structed the first successful engine that travelled by its own 

 spontaneous power over an iron railroad, and on such a road, 

 and by such an engine, a communication iiad now been estab- 



