the depot. Upon the locks of the leader of the party the snows of fifty
winters had evidently fallen, while the lady had apparently reached that
age when she is supposed to have lain aside her matrimonial cap. Quietly
approaching the officer on duty within the station, they asked for a room
where a marriage ceremony might be privately performed. The request was
readily granted, and under the leadership of the obliging officer, the
party was conducted to the despatch room, a small lobby in the eastern
part of the building, where in a few minutes the twain were made man and
wife. With pleasant smiles, and a would-be-congratulated look upon their
countenances, they mingled with the crowd in waiting; and when the gates
were thrown open, arm in arm they boarded the train, their
fellow-passengers all the while ignorant of the interesting ceremony.

--_Illustrated World_.

ENGINE FASCINATION.

The fascination which engines and their human satellites exercise over
some minds is very great; and while speaking on the subject, I am
reminded of a young man who haunted for years one of our chief termini:
he was the son of a leading west end confectioner, so that his early
training had in no way disposed him to an engineering life; but he was
the most remarkable accumulation of statistics in connection therewith I
over knew. The line employed several hundreds of engines, and he not
only knew the names of all of them, but when they were made, and who had
made them; when each one had last been supplied with a new set of tubes
at the factory--this last, of course only referred to the engines
employed on the main line, which he had an opportunity of seeing, and
would miss when they were laid up for repair--and how this had had the
pressure on its safety-valve increased, and this had been diminished. He
had such a retentive memory for these and kindred facts, that I have seen
the foreman of the works appeal to him for information, which was never
lacking. His penchant was so well known that he had special permission
for access to the works.

--_Chambers's Journal_.

COMPETITION FOR PASSENGERS.

Mr. Galt remarks:--"In the summer of 1857 the London and North-Western
and Great Northern railways contended with each other for the passenger
traffic from London to Manchester. First-class and second-class
passengers