nd,
were consulted by the King on the best mode of carrying out his important
plans, as early as 1835. In the course of that year they visited
Belgium, and had several interesting conferences with Leopold and his
ministers on the subject of the proposed railways. The King then
appointed George Stephenson by royal ordinance a Knight of the Order of
Leopold. At the invitation of the monarch, Mr. Stephenson made a second
visit to Belgium in 1837, on the occasion of the public opening of the
line from Brussels to Ghent. At Brussels there was a public procession,
and another at Ghent on the arrival of the train. Stephenson and his
party accompanied it to the Public Hall, there to dine with the chief
Ministers of State, the municipal authorities, and about five hundred of
the principal inhabitants of the city; the English Ambassador being also
present. After the King's health and a few others had been drunk, that
of Mr. Stephenson was proposed; on which the whole assembly rose up,
amidst great excitement and loud applause, and made their way to where he
sat, in order to jingle glasses with him, greatly to his own amazement.
On the day following, our engineer dined with the King and Queen at their
own table at Laaken, by special invitation; afterwards accompanying his
Majesty and suite to a public ball given by the municipality of Brussels,
in honour of the opening of the line to Ghent, as well as of their
distinguished English guest. On entering the room, the general and
excited inquiry was, "Which is Stephenson?" The English engineer had not
before imagined that he was esteemed to be so great a man.

The London and Birmingham Railway having been completed in September,
1838, after being about five years in progress, the great main system of
railway communication between London, Liverpool, and Manchester was then
opened to the public. For some months previously, the line had been
partially opened, coaches performing the journey between Denbigh Hall
(near Wolverton) and Rugby,--the works of the Kilsby tunnel being still
incomplete. It was already amusing to hear the complaints of the
travellers about the slowness of the coaches as compared with the
railway, though the coaches travelled at the speed of eleven miles an
hour. The comparison of comfort was also greatly to the disparagement of
the coaches. Then the railway train could accommodate any quantity,
whilst the road conveyances were limited; and when a press of