192 RECORDS OF OLD TIMES 



my anxiety to open the line, I at once consented to 

 sign the bill. The money was found, and the secre- 

 tary drew out the amount as required for its comple- 

 tion. The line was opened, which then raised the 

 question as to its working ; and as the secretary, Mr. 

 Stewart, of the London and North-Western Rail- 

 way Company, had written, as before mentioned, 

 officially to say that the company would work the 

 line for us on its completion, on fair and reasonable 

 terms, our secretary was directed to apply to them 

 at once to carry out their proposal. It will scarcely 

 be credited that a company of such high repute and 

 position as the London and North-Western Railway 

 should have acted so dishonourably, but they repu- 

 diated the whole transaction. Mr. Stewart was 

 dead, the Duke of Buckingham had ceased to hold 

 the chairmanship, and this refusal was then ratified 

 by the then London and North-Western Board. 

 In all my experience I do not know of a more un- 

 warrantable act. I am at a loss to conceive why 

 this conduct was pursued ; probably it was to force 

 the ' A and B ' Company to sell their line to the 

 repudiating company. The Great Western Com- 

 pany were then applied to, and an arrangement was 

 made with them to find locomotive power, a first, 

 second, and third class carriage, with guard's van, 

 driver, stoker, and guard ; our company to supply 

 oil for lighting, with station masters and porters. I 

 forget the exact amount, but I think it was i^. i^t/. 

 per mile, about 13^. 6d. per trip, for three trips, a 

 day. I am mentioning these details as a record of 



