Railroads. 523 



means, might, by each working the machine in turn, make 

 tours of business or pleasure to those scenes now only acces- 

 sible to the wealthy. It is delightful to think of a party of 

 London or Birmingham journeymen, with their wives, making 

 a tour, in a hired or joint-stock mechanical carriage, to North 

 or South Wales, or the lakes ; and to think of the ease with 

 which all the finest scenery in the island might be seen by 

 every one. The views from the public roads so laid out would 

 combine all the beauties now chiefly sought for in the scenery 

 round gentlemen's seats, and would, indeed, far exceed them ; 

 for, independently of the variety of situation of such seats, 

 and of distant prospects seen from them, there is of necessity 

 a great general sameness in their appearance when examined 

 in detail. It is clear to us that there ought not to be any 

 turnpikes on any road whatever ; but we have neither time 

 nor room to give our reasons. 



Eailroads we would subject to the same general system as 

 common roads, and indeed include them and canals in that 

 system. A railroad from Dover to John O'Groat's house, 

 with branches to Holyhead, Liverpool, Carlisle, Port- 

 patrick, and Aberdeen, ought unquestionably to be under- 

 taken by government*; while subordinate railroads might be 

 engaged in by counties, parishes, or unions of these. It is 

 clear that the governments of all countries must sooner or 

 later adopt the railroad system of communication from their 

 seats of government to their extreme points, and that ulti- 

 mately there will be one main railroad through every large 

 continent, and in every large island. There is no insuper- 

 able difficulty to prevent a railroad from being laid down 

 from Calais to Pekin; all that is wanting is a generation of 

 civilisation in the more barbarous of the intervening nations, 

 so as to admit of the cooperation of the different governments. 

 We could wish that all of our readers who have not yet been 

 on the Manchester and Liverpool railroad could visit it, in 

 order that they might be inspired with those feelings on this 

 subject which we are certain it is utterly beyond the power 

 of description to convey. As the editor of the Scotsman pre- 

 dicted some years ago, it is highly probable that persons not 

 much beyond the middle age may live to go from Edinburgh 

 to London in a summer's day. It has been proved on the 

 Manchester railway, that letters can be conveyed at the rate 

 of upwards of thirty miles an hour ; and the heaviest goods 

 at twenty miles an hour. 



* The money might be raised in shares, transferable like canal shares ; 

 government taking a number of shares, and guaranteeing to individuals a 

 certain per centage. 



