A History of the English Railway Author:John Francis Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: tions was abandoned, the directors fell back upon principle, the accusers withdrew the charge, and it is curious to look back to a period when the time bargain o... more »f a railway director, to the extent of one hundred shares, created so great an effect, and when the interests of a railway company were so keenly looked after as they were in 1841. That which Mr. alderman Humphery did was no impeachment of his honour, no taint upon his integrity ; he had done only as hundreds had done before, and as thousands after him ; and if it involved his discretion, it involved far more the wisdom of those who at a public meeting accused a public man of dishonourable practices, without being able to substantiate their charge. A further legislative enactment was made in 1840, the speeches concerning which were only worthy notice, that, while Mr. Muntz, a name now well known in railway records, thanked heaven he never bad possessed, nor did he ever mean to possess, a share in any line; in another the important fact was elicited that railroads were of no service to his grace of Wellington, as he was obliged to maintain a stage coach at his own expence. The measureintroduced, now generally known as Lord Seymour's bill, was entitled " An Act for Regulating Railroads," and demands special notice, because it first placed in tbe hands of the board of trade a certain power which has increased with the increase of railways, and which by a constant supervision and by suggestions which emanate from an unprejudiced body, have been and are likely to be of no little service. The following are the clauses chiefly worthy of notice :— The board of trade to be at liberty to authorise any person or persons to inspect any railway, and at all reasonable times to enter upon and examine the said railway stations, work...« less