84 The Journal of the Royal 
in the Argentine and Chilian systems, I had no hesita- 
tion in recommending the 3 feet 6 inches gauge, and its 
advantage may shortly be summed up thus, — economy 
in construction of railway ; economy in rolling stock . 
engines being lighter there is less wear and tear on rails ^ 
and the wagons tare is also much less in proportion to 
paying load, all of which mean economy in working and 
less difficulty in purchasing stock ready built on 
emergency. The custom on Indian and Belgian railways 
is to have the main line of the broad gauge, with branch 
lines of metre or other narrower gauge, thus making a 
break of sc^uge at nearly every point of communication 
between the branch and main lines. A fuller description 
of this is given in volume 147 of the Proceedings of the 
Institute of Civil Engineers, pages 389-391, so that it 
will be at once seen that the Demerara Railway is by no 
means singular in working two lines of a different gauge. 
Another case occurs at Woodstock, where a narrow 
gauge line is run from the Great Western Railway to 
Blenheim Park ; and there are numerous similar 
instances. There is just as much truth in the statement 
that the West Coast Railway was made 3 feet 6 inches 
gauge to suit Barbados engin3s, as there is in the story 
of Lartigue, or Monorail Railway (which would be more 
properly named the triple rail), which runs, — that where 
a cow is bsino^ sent in a truck at one side of the rail 
another cow lias to be borrowed to act as a counterpoise 
for the journey an I then walked back to her home. I 
fear Mr. Hill is not quite up in his railway history when 
he states that the standard gauge is now in universal 
use througlioui Great Britain, as all the following, at 
least, are narrow guage. Tlie Festiniog Railwa}^, Corris 
Railway, Schull and Skibbereen Railway, Cork and 
