Note titled 'Stockton and Darlington Railway Jubilee'

Stanhope Castle
Darlington

The pamphlet of which the directors require your acceptance – gives so full a statement of preliminary efforts to obtain better communications that I do not deem it right to occupy your time with their direction & extent of the [illegible] state of the district it communicates [illegible] - population – employment [illegible] – state facts.
The project for a [illegible] meets with almost uncanny opposition ridicule specially from the more influential – and how can we [illegible] when Landlords [illegible] their tennants that they would be ruined as no horses would be wanted – would that same these were living in 1875 – when the farmers produce so few horses that a [illegible] of the horse to which so many Humble Gents here belong – applied

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its [illegible] to see how the dearth could be met, but so far as we [illegible] are aware the laws of supply demand is a law to which even they must bow. Before going any further into the history of the line of [illegible] - allow me a few [illegible] as to Stephensons [illegible] - he was essentially a modest man – of few words but [illegible] to his purpose – having the power of the [illegible] of mind to the object in hand and not easy moved from his judgement hence the investigation of problems and circumstances – between him and Mr Pease, was not unfrequently as it were inch by inch - [illegible] determination might depend much of the [illegible] of that which the public began to look upon with a heavy [illegible] eye. Then imagine the business concluded and Stephenson came into a large family of juniors

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to partake of the family meal - he is plain George Stephenson better known in his [illegible] as Geordy – he makes no self affectation of manners – but gives an [illegible] – v suggests an original question - [illegible] teaches the young Ladies a better [illegible] in equal other [illegible] to his character – the friendship which now commenced to continue during their [illegible] life – so [illegible] of it.
The bill for the Rlwy – was thrown out of [illegible] in – but not [illegible] in the following year – but the scheme had to little outside support that but for a further investment of 10,000 at the 11th hour the bill could not have been lodged – success attended the effort and rthe Royal assent given on the
No time was lost in preparations to commence the work which the short sighted and faint hearted paraded their [illegible] in declaring never would be accomplished – and if even made would see all the colas that could be earned.
Great was the case and economy which the Canal [illegible] – bringing to bear the business principles of their own undertaking – thus we find the prime mover of the work stating after years of toil and unrest that he had never had 1d reward. Perseverance triumphed and when does it not – and now we celebrate the opening of the line on the 27 of Septr 1825 – looking back over the intervening ½ century we mark change and results which many Gents here are fully capable of appreciating as I am. As regards the proceedings on the opening day – I think you will allow me to quote a few extracts from the very interesting memorandum of Mr Meynell the Chairman of the Compy and of that occasion.