ions of Mr. Gray's work
had been published and successively commented upon by many newspapers,
that commercial men were roused to give the proposed scheme its first
great trial on the road between Liverpool and Manchester. The success of
that experiment, insured by the engineering skill of Stephenson, was the
signal for all that has since been done both in this island and in other
parts of the world. Unfortunately, the public has been too busy these
many years in making railways to inquire to whom it owes its gratitude
for having first expounded and advocated their claims; and probably there
are few men now living who have served the public as effectually, with so
little return in the way of thanks or applause, as Mr. Thomas Gray, the
proposer in 1820 of a general system of transit by railways."

Poor Gray! He was far ahead of his times. Public men called him a bore,
and people in Nottingham, where he resided, said he was cracked. The
_Quarterly Review_ declared such persons are not worth our notice, and
the _Edinburgh Review_ said "Put him in a straight jacket." Thus the
world is often ignorant of its greatest benefactors. Gray died in
poverty. His widow and daughters earned their living by teaching a small
school at Exeter.

OPENING OF THE DARLINGTON AND STOCKTON RAILWAY.

In the autumn of 1825 the _Times_ gave an account of the origin of one of
the most gigantic enterprises of modern times. In that year the
Darlington and Stockton Railway was formally opened by the proprietors
for the use of the public. It was a single railway, and the object of
its promoters was to open the London market to the Durham Collieries, as
well as to facilitate the obtaining of fuel to the country along its line
and certain parts of Yorkshire. The account of the opening says:--

A train of carriages was attached to a locomotive engine of the most
improved construction, and built by Mr. George Stephenson, in the
following order:--(1) Locomotive engine, with the engineer and
assistants; (2) tender with coals and water; next six wagons loaded with
coals and flour; then an elegant covered coach, with the committee and
other proprietors of the railway; then 21 wagons fitted up on the
occasion for passengers; and, last of all, six wagons loaded with coals,
making altogether a train of 38 carriages, exclusive of the engine and
tender. Tickets were distributed to the number of nearly 300 for those
whom it was intended should