ed at night by
a large public lamp. Sleeping in the house were several females and
males, one of the latter being an ex-Sergeant-Major of Dragoons, 6 feet
2 inches in height and of great bodily strength. Next door lived a baker
whose workman is about early in the morning, so it may be inferred that
the burglars had no small amount of nerve. Within a week another robbery
took place at a mansion within a mile of the post office. This occurred
in the evening. Whether or not this second burglary was the work of the
same gang which carried off the post office safe, there is similar
evidence of most carefully laid plans and of intimate acquaintance with
the house and the habits of its occupants.

Ere the excitement of these two burglaries had passed off as a nine
days' wonder, another robbery equally bold in character took place, and
this time in the very centre of the city of Bristol, and in its most
frequented thoroughfare. A jeweller's shop window was rifled at 6.0
a.m., at a time when the police were being relieved. The thieves got off
with about L2,000 worth of rings, etc. These three burglaries in
conjunction seem to indicate the work of one gang of professional
burglars hailing probably from the Metropolis.

A little time later, a post office safe in the West End of London was
rifled, the burglars discarding old methods of violence in breaking it
open, and using a jet of oxyhydrogen flame to burn away a portion of the
safe door!

CHAPTER XI.

MANCHESTER AND LIVERPOOL MAILS.--FROM COACH TO RAIL--THE WESTERN
RAILROAD.--POST OFFICE ARBITRATION CASE.

When the construction of the Great Western Railway was in contemplation,
the prospect of the Londoner being able to pay a morning visit to
Bristol, in even four or five hours, was hailed with satisfaction, as
will be gathered from the following article from _The Sun_ newspaper of
March 26th, 1832:--

"RAILWAY FROM LONDON TO BRISTOL.--We understand that two civil engineers
of eminence, Henry H. Price and Wm. Brunton, Esqrs., are busily occupied
(under the auspices of some leading interests) in making the necessary
surveys for the above important work. We hail with satisfaction the
prospect of seeing the metropolis, ere long, thus closely approximated
to the Bristol Channel and Western Seas, when four or five hours will
enable us to pay a morning visit to Bristol. Nothing can tend more to
increase and consolidate the power of the empire than to give the
greatest