_1842, May 15_.

Yesterday after posting the letter for you I went per steamboat to
Hungerford. I then found Mr Vignoles, and we trundled off together,
with another engineer named Smith, picking up Stratford by the way, to
Wormwood Scrubs. There was a party to see the Atmospheric Railway in
action: including (among others) Sir John Burgoyne, whom I met in
Ireland several years ago, and Mr Pym, the Engineer of the Dublin and
Kingstown Railway, whom I have seen several times, and who is very
sanguine about this construction; and Mr Clegg, the proposer of the
scheme (the man that invented gas in its present arrangements), and
Messrs Samuda, two Jews who are the owners of the experiment now going
on; and Sir James South! With the latter hero and mechanician we did
not come in contact. Unfortunately the stationary engine (for working
the air-pump which draws the air out of the pipes and thus sucks the
carriages along) broke down during the experiment, but not till we had
seen the carriage have one right good run. And to be sure it is very
funny to see a carriage running all alone "as if the Devil drove it"
without any visible cause whatever. The mechanical arrangements we
were able to examine as well after the engine had broken down as at
any time. And they are very simple and apparently very satisfactory,
and there is no doubt of the mechanical practicability of the thing
even in places where locomotives can hardly be used: whether it will
pay or not is doubtful. I dare say that the Commissioners' Report has
taken a very good line of discrimination.

* * * * *

1843

"In March I wrote to Dr Wynter (Vice-Chancellor) at Oxford, requesting
permission to see Bradley's and Bliss's manuscript Observations, with
the view of taking a copy of them. This was granted, and the books of
Transits were subsequently copied under Mr Breen's superintendence.
--The following paragraph is extracted from the Report to
the Visitors: 'In the Report of last year, I stated that our
reductions had dropped considerably in arrear. I have the satisfaction
now of stating that this arrear and very much more have been
completely recovered, and that the reductions are now in as forward a
state as at any time since my connection with the Observatory.' In
fact the observations of 1842 were sent to press on Mar. 1st,
1843.--About this year the Annual Dinner at the Visitation began