CHAP. XVII. BOARD OF TRADE REPORT. 379 



gauge. No regard was paid to the claims of existing 

 companies, which had already expended so large an 

 amount in the formation of useful railways ; and specu- 

 lators were left at full liberty to project and carry out 

 lines almost parallel with theirs. 



The House of Commons became thoroughly influenced 

 by the prevailing excitement. Even the Board of Trade 

 began to favour the views of the fast school of engineers. 

 In their "Keport on the Lines projected in the Man- 

 chester and Leeds District," they promulgated some 

 remarkable views respecting gradients, declaring them- 

 selves in favour of the " undulating system." They 

 there stated that lines of an undulating character " which 

 have gradients of 1 in 70 or 1 in 80 distributed over 

 them in short lengths, may be positively better lines, 

 i. e. 9 more susceptible of cheap and expeditious working, 

 than others which have nothing steeper than 1 in 100 

 or 1 in 120 ! " They concluded by reporting in favour 

 of the line which exhibited the worst gradients and the 

 sharpest curves, chiefly on the ground that it could be 

 constructed for less money. 



Sir Robert Peel took occasion, when speaking in 

 favour of the continuance of the Railways Department 

 of the Board of Trade, to advert to this Report in the 

 House of Commons on the 4th of March following, as 

 containing " a novel and highly important view on the 

 subject of gradients, which, he was certain, never could 

 have been taken by any Committee of the House of 

 Commons, however intelligent ; " and he might have 

 added, that the more intelligent, the less likely they 

 were to arrive at any such conclusion. When Mr. 

 Stephenson saw this report of the Premier's speech in 

 the newspapers of the following morning, he went forth- 

 with to his son, and asked him to write a letter to Sir 

 Robert Peel on the subject. He saw clearly that if 

 these views were adopted, the utility and economy of 

 railways would be seriously curtailed. " These members 



