Chamberss Edinburgh Journal, No. 455

Edinburgh Journal, No. 455, by
Various

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Title: Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 455 Volume 18, New Series,
September 18, 1852
Author: Various
Editor: William Chambers Robert Chambers
Release Date: October 28, 2007 [EBook #23226]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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CHAMBERS'S EDINBURGH ***

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CHAMBERS' EDINBURGH JOURNAL

CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS,
EDITORS OF 'CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE,'
'CHAMBERS'S EDUCATIONAL COURSE,' &c.
No. 455. NEW SERIES. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1852.
PRICE 1-1/2d.

A GLANCE AT CONTINENTAL RAILWAYS.
When lately making a pretty extensive continental excursion, we were
in no small degree gratified with the progress made in the construction
and operation of railways. These railways, from all that could be seen,
were doing much to improve the countries traversed, and extend a
knowledge of English comforts; for it must always be borne in mind
that the railway system, with its locomotives, carriages, waiting-rooms,
commodious and cheap transit, and other matters, is essentially English.
Hence, wherever one sees a railway in full operation, he may be said to
see a bit of England. And is not this something to be proud of? The
railway being your true civiliser, England may be said to have sent out
a missionary of improvement, whom nothing can withstand. The
continent, with all its stupid despotisms, must improve, and become
enlightened in spite of itself.
The newspapers lately described the opening of the line of railway from
Paris to Strasbourg. Those who know what travelling in France was a
few years ago, cannot wonder that Louis Napoleon should have made
this the occasion of a popular demonstration. The opening of this line
of railway is an important European event; certainly it is a great thing
for both France and Germany. English travellers may also think much
of it. A tourist can now journey from London to Paris--Paris to the
upper part of the Rhine at Strasbourg, going through a most interesting
country by the way--then go down the Rhine to Cologne by steamer;
next, on by railway to Ostend; cross by steamer to Dover; and, finally,
reach London--thus doing in a few days, and all by force of steam, what
a short time ago must have been done imperfectly, and with great toil
and expense. Still more to ease the journey, a branch railway from the

Strasbourg line is about being opened from near Metz, by Saarbrück, to
Manheim; by which means the Rhine will be reached by a shorter cut,
and be considerably more accessible. In a month or two, it will be
possible to travel from Paris to Frankfort in twenty-five hours. All that
is wanted to complete the Strasbourg line, is to strike off a branch from
Metz to Luxembourg and Treves; for by reaching this last-mentioned
city--a curious, ancient place, which we had the pleasure of
visiting--the traveller is on the Moselle at the spot where it becomes
navigable, and he descends with ease by steamer to Coblenz. And so
the Rhine would be reached from Paris at three important points.
Paris, as a centre, is pushing out other lines, with intermediate branches.
Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rouen, Dieppe, Boulogne, Calais, and
Lille, are the outposts of this series of radiation. The latest move is a
line from Caen to Cherbourg; it will start from the Paris and Rouen
Railway at Rosny, 40 miles from Paris, and proceed through Caen to
the great naval station at Cherbourg--a distance of 191 miles from
Rosny. By the time the great lines in France are finished--probably
3500 miles in the whole--it is expected that the total expenditure will
amount, in round numbers, to a hundred millions sterling.
It is gratifying to know, that the small German powers which border on
France have been most active in providing themselves with railways;
not only for their own accommodation, but to join the lines of other
countries; so as to make great trunk-thoroughfares through their
dominions. There seems to be a cordiality in making these junctions,
for general accommodation, that cannot but deserve praise. The truth,
however, is, that all these petty states are glad to get hold of means for
bringing travellers--that is, money-spenders--to their cities and
watering-places, and for developing their long-hidden resources. For
example, in the district lying between Saarbrück and Manheim, there
exist vast beds of coal, and powerful brine-springs; but hitherto, in
consequence of being out of