ward a state, that it is expected it will be open for travelling early in the summer of 1837. Fourteen of the twenty arches of the splendid viaduct across the Weaver are finished; it, as well as the viaduct near Birmingham, will be completed next spring. There are several parts of the line ready for the iron rails being laid down, all the carriages are in a forward state, and twenty-five locomotive engines will be ready for action in March. The contracts

for the rails and chains were made at a fortunate period, being 15 per cent. less than they could now be obtained for. The income derivable from the Warrington and Newcastle Railway, now forming part of the general line, yields a surplus, after paying the recent proprietors the sum of 4 per cent. per annum, as agreed upon to be paid to them until the opening of the whole line. The proprietors were unanimous in their desire to support the line between Manchester and Crewe, and to assist the inhabitants of the Potteries to form a branch line to the Grand Junction Railway, near Newcastle. Messrs. John Moss, James Heyworth, and Joseph Sanders, the Directors who were to go out of office by rotation, have been re-elected.

The Greenwich Railway Company have commenced lighting their line with gas. Its appearance from the Old Kent Road is very brilliant, and when completed to London Bridge, it will certainly be one of the most splendid displays of gas in Europe.

Halifax and Leeds Railway.-A project is on foot for a railway from Halifax to Leeds by way of Bradford. The Halifax terminus is proposed to be at West House, in King's Cross Lane; and the line will proceed in the direction of Ovenden, passing through Swill-hill, by a tunnel, into Bradford Dale.

Hull and Selby Railway.-Mr. Walker, the engineer, has had an interview with several of the Directors of the Hull and Selby Railway. The line of railroad is to be staked out forthwith, and immediate measures taken to enable the Directors to contract for the works, which they appear determined to prosecute vigorously, and without delay. Shares are now taken for the whole estimated cost of this undertaking, 384,6397., as required by the Act of Parliament, so that the Directors will be able immediately to prosecute the work. The capital in the Act is 400,000l., so that about 300 shares are now reserved (viz. 15,000l.), which, there is no doubt, that landowners and others on the line will speedily take. The Directors have a balance of upwards of 26,000l. in hand, and it is likely that no call will be made on the shareholders in the present year.

Liverpool and Manchester Railway.-The new tunnel has now been in operation for a fortnight, and everything about it appears to work well, and to give satisfaction. The communication of signals can be made from one end to the other in twenty-five seconds, by means of a very ingenious apparatus, by which a powerful current of air is driven through the tube with sufficient

force to ring a bell or blow an organ pipe, which latter has been preferred. Great and rapid progress is making in relaying the railway with new rails.-Liverpool Mercury, Sept. 9.

Manchester and Cheshire Junction Railway.At a meeting, numerously attended, of the shareholders, Benjamin Braidley, Esq., in the Chair, Mr. Wheeler, the Solicitor to the Company, made a report of the proceedings of the Committee, since the last meeting, on the 28th of May, in the course of which he adverted, with a view to their refutation, to a considerable number of statements put forth by the South Union Company, regarding the Cheshire Junction project. He was warmly applauded at the close of his exposition. Mr. Brooks vindicated Mr. Egerton's adherence to the interests of the Stockport people. He had met Mr. Lingard, one of the solicitors, who expressed a strong desire to have the matter settled, and said, he thought the terms offered very reasonable.

Manchester and Leeds Railway.-The first general meeting of the proprietors of this railway was held at Manchester, on Thursday last, James Wood, Esq., in the Chair. The Report of the Provisional Directors was laid before the meeting, from which it appeared that, according to the evidence laid before the Committee of the House of Commons, the population, within three miles of this line, was 1,849 persons to the square mile; that the estimated probable annual number of passengers from various distances along the line was 207,688, being equivalent to 116,399 the whole length, &c.; and that the probable income from passengers would be 115,2561. odd, and from goods 113,7071.; making together, 228,9637. 6s. 8d., at the rate of 2d. per head per mile, for passengers; 2d. per ton for minerals; and 4d. per ton per mile for goods. The proposed capital is 1,300,0007.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Edinburgh, and Glasgow Railway.— At a meeting held at Peebles the engineer, Mr. Richardson, described the proposed line, starting from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the direction of the Reed Water, then to the Carter, and onwards to Jedburgh, with branches to Kelso and Hawick, Selkirk, &c., continuing onwards to Peebles, and up the Tweed onwards to Lanark, and by Hamilton, to Glasgow. It had been originally intended to branch off to Edinburgh by Galashiels, but he had examined the line from Peebles to Edinburgh, via Pennycuick; and he had found that line to present fewer difficulties on the whole than the other, and had the advantage of a considerable saving in distance. A western line had been proposed, considerably longer than the line projected by Mr. Reed. This western line was proposed to strike off from London by Coventry, onwards to Warrington, then to Preston, and so on. It was proposed to go nearly by the coast, to cross the Solway Frith to Annan and Dumfries, and onwards, nearly by the present road to Kilmarnock, and then to Glasgow. The populations were, of the Midland

Line, 509,177; of the Eastern Line, 294,533; difference, 214,644. On a careful examination of the map, he found the distance from London to Edinburgh, by the Midland Line, to be 381 miles, from London to Glasgow 404 miles. By the Western Line, the distance from London to Edinburgh was 400 miles; and from London to Glasgow 411 miles. By the Eastern Line, from London to Edinburgh, the distance was 397 miles; and from London to Glasgow 429 miles; making, as they would see, a difference as to the length of the Eastern Line, and that now under their consideration of sixteen miles to Edinburgh, and twenty-five miles to Glasgow, and a difference between the Western Line and theirs of nineteen miles to Edinburgh, and seven to Glasgow. This line was originally projected by Mr. Stephen Reed, of Newcastle.

Newcastle and Carlisle Railway.-The receipts of the part of the line already open of the Newcastle and Carlisle railway, infinitely exceed the anticipations of the Directors and proprietors. It was at first imagined that an annual income of 30,000l. might be received from the whole line, but we now find, that even along the part opened, it bids fair to realize 50,000l., and one of the gentlemen of Newcastle, who has taken a very active part in the financial department, has expressed his strong conviction that, when opened through, the annual receipts would be at least 90,000l., being treble the sum originally set forth.

North Midland Railway.—Several gentlemen connected with the North Midland Railway, have been re-surveying the line from Bullbridge to Chesterfield. They are now employed on the line from the latter place to Rotherham. Workmen are expected shortly to begin operations near Clay Cross, where the first portion of the road will commence being formed.

Advantages of the Railway.-The other day a farmer beyond the South Esk, brought eleven tons of wheat at once with a single horse, from Newton Grange, to the granaries in St. Leonard's Depôt, and the saving he computes as follows:-He got waggons from the Railway Company, and used his own horse.

He paid the railway dues

His horse and man, a day

Half a day of two horses and carts loading waggons.

Total cost by the Railway .

By carting the same to Edinburgh, he would

have employed eleven horses and carts

a day

Two tolls on ditto

Total by the high road

Saving by using the Railway

13s. 9d.

4s. Od.

4s. Od.

21s. 9d.

Yet, strange to say, in this well-informed age, very little traffic, we are told, has taken place hitherto in the above way.

Railway from Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton.-On Saturday, August 27, a meeting of the inhabitants of Shrewsbury was held, the Mayor in the Chair, for the purpose of considering the best line of railway between the above-named places, in connexion with the railway from Birmingham to London. It was numerously attended, and a series of resolutions were carried unanimously. Mr. Bidder, who attended on behalf of Mr. Stephenson, the engineer, stated, that the proposed line was the best that could be pointed out, with regard to local interests, and the general view of the country. The length of tunnel required would be about a mile, whilst, on another line which had been proposed, the tunnel would require to be two miles and a half in length, and there would also be less excavation on the line proposed by Mr. Stephenson. When the meeting was about to separate, Mr. R. A. Slaney entered, and expressed his anxious wish to concur in every thing that would benefit the town of Shrewsbury. A branch of the proposed railway would pass through his property at Dawley, and he should be most happy to make any sacrifice in order to ensure its being completed.

Sheffield and Midland. This projected railway owes its origin to the North Midland, leaving Sheffield at five miles distance the town having opposed the North Midland on that ground-as well as that a line, to pass through, or near to Sheffield, would be practicable, if time was allowed for farther surveys. Though the North Midland Bill was passed last session, the Committee of the Lords came to a resolution, in some degree sanctioning the above scheme, by which Sheffield would have a railway direct to London and Birmingham; while, to the passengers, nine or ten miles would be saved in the distance to London, by passing over a part of the line to the Midland Counties' Railway, in preference to going round by Derby, as intended by the Act of the North Midland. Mr. Locke has been joined to Mr. Leather in taking minute surveys, preparatory to an Act being applied for in the ensuing session.

Sheffield and Goole, and Sheffield and Humber Railways.These are two rival schemes of communication with the Eastern Ocean; both branch from the North Midland, near to Rotherham, the one terminating at Goole, the other passing over the Ouse near that place, and joining the Hull and Selby Railway on the

other side of the river.

Sheffield and Manchester.-There are few railways in projection more strongly and respectably supported than this line, and the fact of there being no water carriage between the two places, makes such a means of communication quite necessary. The surveys are progressing rapidly under Messrs. Vignolles and Locke.

York and North Midland Railway.-A meeting of the influential inhabitants of Brixham and its neighbourhood, took place on Wednesday last, to take into consideration, and to adopt, such measures as may best conduce to the accomplishment of a junction line, connecting Torbay and the south coast of Devon, with the proposed main line of railway between Plymouth and Exeter. Mr. Stephenson will immediately commence laying out the intended line of rails for this undertaking. Mr. Walker, engineer of the North-Eastern Railroad, from London to York, via Cambridge, is to confer with the Directors of the York and North Midland Railway, as to the most eligible point at which a junction of the two railways shall be formed. The Directors are in correspondence with the Directors of the Great North of England line, from Newcastle; and it is said that this line will be brought up to this city, and not carried past it by a curve, as was at first projected.

FOREIGN RAILROADS.

Railroads in Belgium.-The accounts from Belgium give the following details relative to the success of the railroad between Brussels and Antwerp, from which the Government is likely to realize great profits:-The road is 24 English miles long. It has been opened four months, and has carried 430,000 passengers, and the average fare being a fraction more than a franc each, the year's return would be 1,300,000f. (upwards of 50,000%); but, allowing for a diminution of traffic in winter, 1,000,000f. are only taken credit for, and the road (a single line of rail) having cost 4,500,000f., the profits of the Government are manifestly immense. The parties who, in 1832, pressed the Belgian Government for a grant to enable them to make this very road, estimated the traffic at 92,000 passengers in the year, which is less by 25,000 than have been carried upon it in the past month only.

Railroads in the Island of Cuba.-A railroad of considerable extent, running through the most fertile parts of the Island of Cuba, and connecting two of the largest towns, is now nearly laid down, and it is expected before many months, to come into full operation. Several hundred workmen are employed daily upon it. The present Governor, Don Miguel Tacon, has placed at the service of the managers of the road a considerable number of convicts, so that the works go on uninfluenced by the demand for labour in other districts in this most flourishing colony.

Railroad in Russia.-A locomotive engine, of the most superior workmanship, which has just been constructed for the Petersburgh and Pawlowsky Railway at the manufactory of Messrs. R. Stephenson and Co., has had a trial, and exceeded the extraordinary speed of sixty-five and a half miles per hour!

Railroad from Quebec to St. Andrew's.-The railway which it