CHAP. XVI. RAILWAYS OPENED FOR TRAFFIC. 345 



to his own amazement. On the day following, our 

 engineer dined with the King and Queen at their 

 own table at Laaken, by special invitation ; afterwards 

 accompanying his Majesty and suite to a public ball 

 given by the municipality of Brussels, in honour of the 

 opening of the line to Ghent, as well as of their distin- 

 guished English guest. On entering the room, the 

 general and excited inquiry was, "Which is Stephen- 

 son ? " The English engineer had not before imagined 

 that lie was esteemed to be so great a man. 



The London and Birmingham Railway having been 

 completed in September, 1838, after being about five 

 years in progress, the great main system of railway com- 

 mimication between London, Liverpool, and Manchester 

 was then opened to the public. For some months pre- 

 viously, the line had been partially opened, coaches 

 performing the journey between Denbigh Hall (near 

 Wolverton) and Rugby the works of the Kilsby tunnel 

 being still incomplete. It was already amusing to hear 

 the complaints of the travellers about the slowness of 

 the coaches as compared with the railway, though the 

 coaches travelled at a speed of eleven miles an hour. 

 The comparison of comfort was also greatly to the dis- 

 paragement of the coaches. Then the railway train 

 could accommodate any quantity, whilst the road con- 

 veyances were limited ; and when a press of travellers 

 occurred as on the occasion of the Queen's coronation 

 the greatest inconvenience was experienced, and as 

 much as 10/. was paid for a seat on a donkey-chaise 

 between Rugby and Denbigh. On the opening of the 

 railway throughout, of course all this inconvenience and 

 delay was brought to an end. 



Numerous other openings of railways constructed byn 

 Mr. Stephenson took place about the same time. The\ 

 Birmingham and Derby line was opened for traffic | 

 in August, 1839; the Sheffield and Rotherham in J 

 November, 1839 ; and in the course of the following! 



