d Ennis Railway, and lodged a Bill for the purpose, which was
vigorously opposed. It was with great zest that I made my preparations,
arranged for witnesses, drafted briefs, consulted with lawyers and
counsel, and compiled my evidence, not neglecting the important matter of
visiting the district served by the railway we sought to acquire, making
friends and working up local feeling in our favour. How the Bill
proceeded, and what was its fate, will be set forth in another chapter.

Very soon after I settled in Dublin I was able to carry out a long
cherished wish. Ever since I first arrived in Ireland I had hoped to be
able to establish an Irish branch of the Railway Benevolent Institution,
such as Mr. Wainwright and I had succeeded in forming in Scotland in the
year 1880, but whilst I remained in Belfast my efforts were of no avail.
When, however, I moved to Dublin and became manager of one of the
principal railways, the difficulties disappeared, and _The History of the
Railway Benevolent Institution, its Rise and Progress from 1858 to 1897_,
by _Mr. W. F. Mills_, its late Secretary, contains the following:--

"In February, 1891, Mr. Joseph Tatlow proposed to establish a
Committee in Ireland, where supporters were few and far between, and
in the report presented at the annual meeting in June, it was stated
that 'The Board have great pleasure in announcing the appointment of a
Committee in Dublin, presided over by Mr. Tatlow, the manager of the
Midland Great-Western, and the founder of the successful Branch in
Scotland.'"

Edward John Cotton warmly seconded my efforts, for his heart was in the
work, and he was proud of telling us that he was one of the few surviving
members of the first Board of Management of the parent Institution, which
had its first meeting in London in May, 1858. He was then the
newly-appointed manager of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, and
was only twenty-eight years of age. The Irish Branch, like the Scotch,
has been a great success. Its Committee of Management consists of the
principal officers of the Irish railways, and they have brought home to
the rank and file of the railway service a knowledge of the society and
the solid benefits that membership confers. Year by year the membership
has increased, and year by year the number of old and needy railway
servants, and their widows, who have been pensioned from the funds, and
the orphans who have been clothed,