198 SIR JOHN BARROW'S VIEWS. CHAP. X. 



Indeed, when Mr. Stephenson, at the interviews with 

 counsel, held previous to the Liverpool and Manchester 

 bill going into Committee of the House of Commons, con- 

 fidently stated his expectation of being able to impel 

 his locomotive at the rate of twenty miles an hour, Mr. 

 William Brougham, who was retained by the promoters 

 to conduct their case, frankly told him that if he did not 

 moderate his views, and bring his engine within a 

 reasonable speed, he would " inevitably damn the whole 

 thing, and be himself regarded as a maniac fit only 

 for Bedlam." 



Amongst the papers left by Mr. Sandars we find a 

 letter addressed to him by Sir John Barrow of the 

 Admiralty, as to the proper mode of conducting the case 

 in Parliament, which pretty accurately represents the 

 state of public opinion as to the practicability of loco- 

 motive travelling on railroads, at the time at which it 

 was written, the 10th of January, 1825. Sir John 

 strongly urged Mr. Sandars to keep the locomotive alto- 

 gether in the background, to rely upon the proved 

 inability of the canals and common roads to accommodate 

 the existing traffic, and to be satisfied with proving the 

 absolute necessity of a new line of conveyance ; above 

 all, he recommended him not even to hint at the intention 

 of carrying passengers. " My objection to great speed 

 being attended with danger," said he, " applies only to 

 the conveyance of passengers, and not to vehicles ap- 

 pended to the extremity of a long string of waggons, in 

 which, however, I still think you will not get many who 

 will suffer themselves to be conveyed even at the rate of 

 eight miles an hour, amidst the hissing noise and the 

 dense smoke of their own and other passing engines. . . 

 I think it would be wise, for the present at least, to give 

 up the passengers, for it is there you will fail, if you 

 persevere. You will at once raise a host of enemies in 

 the proprietors of coaches, post-chaises, innkeepers, &c., 

 whose interests will be attacked, and who, I have no 



