changed all that, and Neville and his skill are as
little remembered in Ireland as the military-road cutter in Scotland, of
whom, to show that

[Illustration: G. S. & W. R. Corridor Train.]

Ireland had not the monopoly in "bulls," an English admirer wrote:--

"If you had seen those roads before they
Were made,
You would hold up your hands and bless
General Wade."

A poor Italian boy--Charles Bianconi--who tramped through the country as
a print-seller, was the first, in the days of Waterloo, in the south of
Ireland, to begin really that healthy competition with the mail-coaches
which made straight the way for the Iron Horse.

The Great Southern and Western Railway was incorporated in 1845. Mr.
Under-Secretary Drummond, the English statesman who got closest to the
Irish heart, was identified with the construction of the line.

Year after year the Company prospered and increased, gradually absorbing
the smaller lines adjoining it until the year 1901, when it amalgamated
the only two other systems of broad gauge lines in their district which
had remained independent. Practically the two provinces of Munster and
Connaught are now knit together by the great network of railway lines
which comprise the Great Southern and Western System. The total length
is about 1,100 miles. The main line stretches from Dublin, through Cork,
to Queenstown, forming the route for the American Mails and the great
transatlantic passenger traffic. Branches extend to Waterford, Limerick,
Killarney, and Kerry, and every place of importance in the South of
Ireland, while in the west the line extends from Tralee, through
Limerick, to Sligo. The carriages which the Company provide are of the
very latest design; vestibule corridor trains, with dining and breakfast
cars, are run daily, and the speed of the trains will bear comparison
with any. The journey, Dublin to Cork (165 miles) is performed in four
hours; to Killarney (189 miles) in about fifteen minutes more, and all
the important tourist centres can be reached within a very short time.
The comfort of passengers is well arranged for; refreshment rooms are
provided at the principal stations, and breakfast, luncheon, and tea
baskets can always be had, as well as pillows, rugs, and all the modern
conveniences of travel. Besides all this, the enterprise of the Company
has provided at Killarney, Parknasilla, Kenmare, Caragh Lake, and
Waterville, hotels, which for appearance and luxury