DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. 163 



it was useless to go there, as a bill had been obtained in 

 Parliament by the Great Western branch to run from 

 Maidenhead to High Wycombe, and from thence to 

 Oxford ; but if they would be guided by me I would 

 show them a projected portion of old Gaorge Stephen- 

 son's original line from London to Birmingham, which 

 was afterwards partly carried out by his son Robert, 

 but which had never been completed between Claydon 

 and Aylesbury. I took them over my suggested route 

 through Quainton to Claydon so as to join the Bucking- 

 hamshire line, which ran from Bletchley to Banbury and 

 Oxford. The Marquis of Chandos was then Chairman 

 of the London and North-Western Railway, and on 

 our return we determined to consult his lordship, and 

 called at Wotton. Fortunately we found him at home, 

 and he fell in with our views immediately ; said he 

 would become chairman of our company, and would 

 take ;^5000 in shares if we brought it out. When our 

 surveys were made, the bill deposited in Parliament, and 

 the company formed, he carried out his promises, became 

 our chairm.an, and launched the project. Through his 

 indefatigable zeal and business-like ability the line, after 

 many years of trouble and disaster, was completed and 

 opened. I joined the Board of Directors at the com- 

 mencement, and Sir Harry Verney became vice-chair- 

 man with a representative board of directors — Sir Harry 

 and myself are the only men of the original Board now 

 alive. 



We directors had reason to congratulate ourselves 

 upon the Duke of Buckingham's acuteness and remark- 

 able knowledge of minor details as to business manage- 



