and Langport effecting a great reduction in
mileage between London and Exeter and places beyond; Didcot, Oxford,
Birmingham, Shrewsbury, Chester with connexions northward, and to
North Wales; Oxford to Worcester, and Swindon to Gloucester and the
west of England; South Welsh system (through route from London via
Wootton Bassett or via Bristol, and the Severn tunnel), Newport,
Cardiff, Swansea, Milford. Steamship services to the Channel Islands
from Weymouth to Waterford, Ireland from Milford, and to Rosslare,
Ireland, from Fishguard, the route last named being opened in 1906.
The line constructed jointly with the Great Central company (as
detailed in the description above) was extended in 1910 from Ashendon
to Aynho, to form a short route to the great centres north of Oxford.

_London & South-Western_ (1839, incorporating the London & Southampton
railway of 1835).--Terminus and offices, Waterloo. Main line--Woking,
Basingstoke, Salisbury, Yeovil, Exeter, Plymouth; Woking, Guildford
and Portsmouth; Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth, &c.
Extensive connexions in Surrey, Hampshire and the south-west, as far
as North Cornwall. This company owns the great docks at Southampton,
and maintains passenger services from that port to the Channel
Islands, Havre, St Malo and Cherbourg.

(d) SOUTHERN.

_London, Brighton & South Coast_ (1846).--Termini, Victoria and London
Bridge. Serving all the coast stations from Hastings to Portsmouth,
with various lines in eastern Surrey and in Sussex. Maintains a
service of passenger steamers between Newhaven and Dieppe.

_South Eastern & Chatham_ (under a managing committee, 1899, of the
South-Eastern company, 1836, and the London, Chatham & Dover company,
1853).--Termini--Victoria, Charing Cross, Holborn Viaduct, Cannon
Street. Offices, London Bridge Station. Various lines chiefly in Kent.
Steamship services between Folkestone and Boulogne, Dover and Calais,
&c.

2. _Provincial Railways._

The two most important railway companies not possessing lines to
London are the North-Eastern and the Lancashire & Yorkshire.

_North Eastern_ (1854, amalgamating a number of systems).--Offices,
York. Main line--Leeds, Normanton and York to Darlington, Durham,
Newcastle and Berwick-on-Tweed. Connecting with the Great Northern
between Doncaster and York, and with the North British at Berwick, it
forms part of th