The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tales from "Blackwood", by Various

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Tales from "Blackwood"

Author: Various

Release Date: March 30, 2010 [EBook #31826]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES FROM "BLACKWOOD" ***

Produced by D Alexander, Juliet Sutherland and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

TALES
FROM
"BLACKWOOD"

Contents of this Volume

_The Glenmutchkin Railway. By Professor Aytoun_

_Vanderdecken's Message Home_

_The Floating Beacon_

_Colonna the Painter_

_Napoleon. By J. G. Lockhart_

_A Legend of Gibraltar. By Col. E. B. Hamley_

_The Iron Shroud. By William Mudford_

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON

TALES FROM "BLACKWOOD."

HOW WE GOT UP THE GLENMUTCHKIN RAILWAY
AND HOW WE GOT OUT OF IT

BY PROFESSOR AYTOUN.

[_MAGA._ OCTOBER 1845.]

[The following Tale appeared in the Magazine for October 1845. It was
intended by the writer as a sketch of some of the more striking
features of the railway mania (then in full progress throughout Great
Britain), as exhibited in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Although bearing the
appearance of a burlesque, it was in truth an accurate delineation (as
will be acknowledged by many a gentleman who had the misfortune to be
"out in the Forty-five"); and subsequent disclosures have shown that
it was in no way exaggerated.

Although the "Glenmutchkin line" was purely imaginary, and not
intended by the writer to apply to any particular scheme then before
the public, it was identified in Scotland with more than one reckless
and impracticable project; and even the characters introduced were
supposed to be typical of personages who had attained some notoriety
in the throng of speculation. Any such resemblances must be considered
as fortuitous; for the writer cannot charge himself with the
discourtesy of individual satire or allusion.]

I was confoundedly hard up. My patrimony, never of the largest, had
been for the last year on the decrease--a herald would have emblazoned
it, "ARGENT, a money-bag improper, in detriment"--and though the
attenuating pro