cured equally in the one case by
the wide, in the other by the narrow gauge. By either combination the
traffic between places north and east of the line of the London and
Birmingham Railway and places south of the line of the Great Western
Railway would not be affected, interruption of gauge having equally to be
encountered in the one case at Bristol and Oxford, in the other at
Birmingham and Rugby.

By the former or wide-gauge combination, the traffic between Devonshire,
Cornwall and all places south of the line of the Great Western Railway,
and Birmingham, and all places between Birmingham and Bristol, would
gain, _i.e._ would escape an interruption of gauge; also such of the
traffic of South Wales, to Birmingham, and places short of Birmingham, as
in the event of the South Wales Railway being sanctioned, would take the
circuitous route by that Railway to the north of Gloucester.

On the other hand by the narrow-gauge combination, a break is avoided in
the whole of the traffic between Manchester, Liverpool, Hull, and the
Northern, Eastern, and Midland portions of the kingdom, and Bristol,
Gloucester, Worcester, and the whole district intermediate between the
London and Birmingham and Great Western Railways.

The paramount importance of this consideration has been strongly urged
upon us by parties practically acquainted with the traffic, and by the
principal interests affected by the question.

In the memorial already referred to, signed by the representatives of 46
iron-works, 57 furnaces, and 98 collieries, in the Staffordshire mineral
district, in favour of the London and Birmingham line, and narrow-gauge
system, it is stated that, of the total export of the district, only
eight per cent. is sent in the direction of Bristol, of which by far the
greater quantity is shipped from that port, and would therefore be
unaffected by a break of gauge there; while 37 per cent. is sent to
Liverpool and the north and north-west of the kingdom, and 13 per cent.
to Hull and the east, all of which would consequently suffer by a break
at Birmingham.

The wool trade between Bristol, where wool fairs are held annually, and
Leicester and the West Riding of Yorkshire, is very considerable, all of
which would escape a break of gauge by the narrow-gauge combination.

The export of salt from Droitwich, both to Gloucester and Bristol, and to
Hull and other parts of the kingdom, is already large, and likely to
receive very great incre