efficiency, and the economy with which our railway has been worked. As
regards the first, I find that ten millions of journeys have been
performed on our line during the half-year with hardly a detention, with
very few late trains, at high speeds, and with only one accident, which
was a comparatively slight one, and was unattended with loss of life or
serious damage to any one."

"He-ar, he-ar!" from the toady.

At this point a wag in the distance got up and suggested, in a very weak
voice, that if the toady would say, "he-ar, he-ar!" less frequently,
perhaps they would "he-ar" much better--a suggestion which was received
with a burst of laughter and a round of applause. It effectually
quelled the toady and rendered him innocuous for a considerable time.

"Now," resumed the chairman, "some people appear to think that it is an
easy thing to work a railway in safety, but I can assure you that such
is not the case. Intelligence, care, foresight, and the strictest
discipline, are necessary to secure this result; and, remember, we have
not the advantage of anything so powerful as military discipline to help
us. We have nothing to appeal to save the hopes and fears of our staff;
and we feel it to be our great difficulty, as it is our principal duty,
to be most careful in the selection of the thousands of men who, in
their various positions and vocations, have to be employed in the
conduct of your enterprise.

"I know well," continued Sir Cummit Strong, "how men shudder when
statistics are mentioned in their ears! Nevertheless, I shall venture
to give you a few statistics that will, I am quite sure, prove
interesting--all the more so that the figures which I quote apply to
several other railways--and, therefore, will serve to give those of you
who may chance to be unlearned on railway matters, some idea of the vast
influence which railways have on our land.

"We run on this railway (I use round numbers) about 700 trains a day.
In addition to which we have spare engines and empty trains, which
perhaps ought to be added to the number given. Now, just consider for a
moment the operations which have to be performed daily in the ordinary
working and running of your passenger traffic. These 700 trains stop
about 5000 times in the twenty-four hours, and of course they start the
same number of times. The empty trains and engines have also to stop
and start. We have on the line upwards of 1000 signals, including the
teleg