that an underground railway should
be made, encircling the Metropolis, so that travellers arriving from all
points of the compass might find a ready and sufficient means of
conveyance into the central parts of the city. There was opposition to
the scheme, of course; but, through the persevering energy of the
solicitor to the undertaking and others, the work was at length begun,
and the line opened for traffic in January 1863. Its extraordinary
success soon proved the wisdom of its promoters.

At first it was thought that the chief revenues would be derived from
the conveyance of goods from the west to the eastern districts of
London, but its enormous passenger traffic eventually became the chief
cause of its great prosperity. In the very first year of its opening
the number of passengers who travelled by it between Farringdon Street
and Bishop's Road, Paddington, amounted to nearly nine and a half
millions of individuals, which is more than three times the entire
population of London--also, let us add, more than three times the entire
population of Scotland!

The number of trains which are constantly following each other in quick
succession (at times every two or three minutes) on this magnificent
railway has rendered a most perfect system of signalling necessary, as
well as a working staff of superior intelligence and activity. The
drivers are all picked men, and indeed it is obvious to every one who
travels by it that the porters, and guards, and all employed on the line
are unusually smart men. The engineering difficulties connected with
the Metropolitan railway were very great as may easily be believed,
seeing that it had to be formed under streets whose foundations were
unavoidably shaken, and amongst an infinite ramification of gas and
water-pipes and sewers whose separate action had to be maintained intact
while the process of construction was going on. Some of the stations
are most ingeniously lighted from the streets above by bright reflecting
tile-work, while others, too deep for such a method, or too much
overtopped with buildings to admit of it, are lit perpetually with gas.
The whole of the works are a singular instance of engineering skill,
reflecting great credit on Mr Fowler, the engineer-in-chief. Despite
its great length of tunnelling the line is perfectly dry throughout.

At first fears were entertained that human beings could not with safety
travel through such tunnels as were here formed, b