“Report of the Committee appointed at a Meeting of Inhabitants of Brighton, held at the Old Ship, on Saturday, May 19, 1827:
“In pursuance of a Resolution passed at a Meeting held here, on Saturday, the 12th instant, your Committee have inspected Mr. Vallance’s apparatus for the conveyance of passengers and goods by atmospheric pressure; and can bear testimony to the success of it; having been repeatedly conveyed through the cylinder [18] laid down by that gentleman in Devonshire Place.
“Your Committee are of opinion, that, in the event of such a method of conveyance being established from one town to another where much traffic exists, the advantages would be incalculable, both as regards the ready transit, and saving of time and expense to the traveller and merchant, as compared with the ordinary mode of conveyance. Your Committee are informed that 75,000 tons of materials are annually imported into Brighton coastways, the greater part of which is landed at Shoreham, and from thence brought into Brighton, at a land carriage varying from 5s. to 8s. 4d. per ton: and your Committee having been assured by Mr. Vallance, that by his principle of conveyance, the carriage of all goods from Shoreham might be reduced to a sum not exceeding 3s. per ton, and yet a net annual profit of ten per cent. be returned on the sum expended, are of opinion that if such a communication were established between Brighton and Shoreham, it would materially benefit the inhabitants of both towns; and your Committee feel confident it would receive the most cordial and general support.
“Your Committee beg further to report, that the opinions of some of the highest scientific authorities upon the principle of Mr. Vallance’s proposition, have been submitted to them; and they have the satisfaction to state, that these authorities concur in the practicability of the measure to the fullest extent; and the illustration of it which your Committee have examined, appears to be on a scale of sufficient magnitude to demonstrate the truth of such opinions. Should it, therefore, be adopted between the town of Brighton and London, it is impossible to calculate the important and beneficial changes to which it may lead.
“Your Committee, in conclusion, think that a successful mode of transit by Mr. Vallance’s apparatus, would be attended with the most important advantages to this great mercantile nation, and deem it entitled, not only to the attentive consideration of the inhabitants of Brighton in particular, but the community at large.
“Your Committee, therefore, recommend, that a requisition be addressed to the High Constable, to convene a Meeting of the Inhabitants of Brighton, to take into consideration the best means of furthering so important an object.
“(Signed by the Committee).”
In proof of the above statements, I beg to refer you to the Records and Official Authorities of Brighton.
And, as a summary of the other persons who have witnessed and experienced the effect of this method of conveyance, additional to the parties already mentioned, I beg to submit the following extracts from a Petition which I presented to Parliament on the subject.
“To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled; the humble Petition of John Vallance, of Brighthelmstone, in the County of Sussex,’
“Sheweth,
“That your Petitioner hath invented a method of conveyance, by which he can prove that persons may be carried from one place to another very much faster, cheaper, and more safely, in reference to security from personal danger, than can be done on turnpike roads, or railways; and whereby be can also prove that goods may be conveyed for less expense than by canal carriage.
“That to shew the public importance of this method of conveyance, your Petitioner hath put it in operation, on a scale capable of carrying twenty persons at once, over a space sufficient to demonstrate its practicability; as hath been proved by His Grace the Duke of Bedford, the Right Honourable the Earl of Lauderdale, the Noble Baron Holland, and Lord William Russell; who, with several other persons of distinction, at one and the same time, rode in, and experienced the effect of it, on the 2nd December, 1826.
“That on the 16th May, 1827, a Committee of seven Gentlemen, nominated at a Meeting of Inhabitants of Brighton, also rode in, and experienced the operation of this method of conveyance.
“That His Grace the Duke of Rutland, the Right Honourable the Earl of Egremont, one of the honourable members for Yorkshire, one of the honourable members for Lewes, Professor Leslie, and many other gentlemen, have since witnessed and experienced the effect of it.
“That it has also been seen by the Honourable Member for Dundalk, by one of the Honourable Members for Essex, for London, for Southwark, for Barnstable, for Callington, for Stafford, for Petersfield, for Bedford, for Cambridge, for Bossiney, and for Weymouth; with other noblemen and gentlemen too numerous to mention.
“That the whole of these noble and honourable gentleman whom your petitioner hath mentioned, appeared to be, and it is your Petitioner’s belief, were convinced, that this method of conveyance is equally practicable as steam navigation, gas lighting, or locomotive steam-engines; notwithstanding that before they witnessed and experienced the effect of it, they deemed it more absurd and impossible than those now well known triumphs of art were considered twenty years ago.
“That the tunnel and other works whereby your Petitioner hath produced this conviction, combine the operation of the largest pneumatic machinery in the world; the air pumps being capable of exhausting above 50,000 cubic feet [20] of air in a minute; and of conveying 100 tons weight over a space equal to the distance between Manchester and Liverpool, in three hours;—while the tunnel is, in point of calibre and strength, equal to the conveyance of the whole 1000 tons of goods daily passing between those places, at one time.
“Your Petitioner humbly begs leave further to represent, that the information he hath obtained during five years which he hath devoted to investigations relative to the practicability, cost, and advantages, of putting this method of conveyance into operation between our principal manufacturing towns, the outports, and the metropolis, will enable him to prove that it may be done of cast iron, for an expense which would not exceed what canals cost; while he can also prove, that in addition to combining the trade of the turnpike road with that of the canal, it would admit of goods being carried for less than half what they can be carried for on canals; and passengers in less than half the time, very much less than half the expense, and far more safely with reference to security from personal danger, than can be done on turnpike roads or railways; it being alike impossible to be overturned, to be driven against any thing, or to break down.”
The last evidence I adduce, is that of a Major of Engineers in the Russian service; whom the late Emperor Alexander, after he visited England, sent over to inspect and report upon our canals and railroads. This officer was directed by the Russian Ambassador to visit Brighton, expressly to inspect my plan; with reference to which he addressed to his government a report, of which he favoured me with the following copy:—
REPORT TO THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
“To His Royal Highness Prince Alexander, Duke of Wirtemburg, Chief of the Corps of Engineers for the Inland Communications of Russia, General of Cavalry, &c. &c.
“Your Royal Highness having commanded me to report upon all the inventions of importance that have been brought forward in England of late years, whether such were, or were not named in the instructions I had the honour to receive from your Royal Highness in St. Petersburgh in June 1824,1 beg leave most humbly to submit the following particulars, relative to a proposed mode of conveyance; differing from every existing system, as much as it will surpass them in point of expedition and ultimate economy.
“In March, 1825, I was informed that a Mr. Vallance had invented a method of conveyance, by which goods might be forwarded from place to place ten times faster than can now be done; or equal to 100 miles per hour. The apparent absurdity of the proposition, and the undefined explanation then given, induced me to consider the scheme as one of the nefarious and stock-jobbing bubbles of the day; consequently I took no measures to become correctly informed on the subject; particularly as I was about leaving London for an extensive journey in the interior. Recent circumstances have, however, caused me to entertain so different an opinion to that which I then held on the subject, that I can now confidently submit to your Royal Highness an account of a method of conveyance, which will, in my humble opinion, within a few years, operate a change in the condition of the whole civilized world; and which would be productive of the most important benefits to the Russian Empire.
“The theory of this method is stated in the Treatise marked with the letter A. The practice, I have experienced personally: having been conveyed over a space sufficient to demonstrate the practicability of the principle; and although that space was not sufficient to admit of any such velocity being attained as is adverted to in the Treatise, yet there is sufficient evidence of the velocity with which air may be made to move, to satisfy any one, that on a line of proper length, the only limit to the rate at which persons or goods may be conveyed, will be that at which wheels will revolve. I will, however, first advert to the general object of the Treatise, and then comment on those parts of it which I conceive to require further illustration.
“Your Royal Highness will perceive, upon a perusal of the treatise, that the general object of the author is to prove,
“1. That it is practicable to render air a means by which we may cause a peculiar sort of wheel carriage to convey both passengers and goods ten times faster than horses can draw any vehicle now in use.
“2. That this may be done with perfect safety and convenience.
“3. That we may, at one and the same time, move a weight exceeding that of 100,000 infantry or 10,000 cavalry; and, consequently, that a whole army may, in an hour, be transported over a space of 100 miles.
“4. That this method of transmission may be put in practice, for an expense per mile, far less than what several canals have cost, as will be apparent from the amounts of the several inland navigations of the United Kingdom, stated in my Report of January last.
“5. That the expense of transport by it will be so many times less than by any present method, that military as well as commercial benefits will result from it of the most important nature; and
“6. That the stoppages, inconveniences, and delays, which would otherwise arise from those who have charge of the exhausting apparatus at each end of the line of transit, setting it in operation at an improper time, may be prevented by the new mode of telegraphic communication described in the last section of the Treatise, which, being equally efficient during the most foggy weather and darkness, as in day light and clear weather, will admit of instantaneous communication between those who direct the operations at each end; so that any thing which it may be necessary should be known at one end, may be instantaneously communicated from the other, independent of the method of conveyance itself; an arrangement, without which, the operation of the principle would ever be attended with doubt, delay, and danger.
“The vast importance which a method of transmission, combining the advantages of tenfold expedition and cheapness, must be, to an empire so extensive as that of Russia, I will not presume to point out to your Royal Highness, but pass to those particulars which appear to me to require further elucidation than the author’s object allowed of his giving.
“The first thing is, the velocity at which the cause of motion, in this method of transmission, viz. the air, would move us, provided we could construct wheel carriages to go so fast. This velocity would, if raised to its maximum, be between 900 and 1000 miles an hour. But as saving nine-tenths the time now wasted in travelling post, would render the saving of portions of the remaining tenth, very unimportant, it will be unnecessary to trouble your Royal Highness with proof that it might be possible to do so, in perhaps a large proportion; and I therefore pass to the adduction of evidence, which shows that it is certainly in our power to save nine-tenths.
“From the examination I have given to the construction, and what I have experienced as to the effect of the cylinder, or large tube, in which I was conveyed, according to this principle of transmission, I am convinced that exhaustion, to a degree which should give fifteen inches of mercury, may be effected—that is, half a vacuum; and as this would give an initial velocity of between 200 and 300 miles an hour, there is no reason to doubt but that a rate of motion equal to 100 miles an hour may be attained, provided wheels can revolve so fast without igniting. The operations of nature frequently impart to air a velocity of above 100 miles an hour; and in the process of fusing iron, it is artificially caused to move at rates varying from 200 to nearly 700 miles an hour. At the lower rate of 100 miles an hour, it must therefore be fully practicable to make it move.
“The second thing I advert to, is, the quantity in which air may be exhausted, or taken out of a cylinder, or line of large pipe, such as is adverted to. The blast cylinders used instead of bellows, for fusing iron, are all air pumps, and it is requisite only to arrange the valves properly, to render them condensing or exhausting pumps at pleasure. Many of these pumps are large enough to exhaust 10,000 cubic feet of air per minute. Assuming the area of the cylinder to be 100 square feet, [22a] and the velocity at which we are to be conveyed to be 100 miles an hour, the combined operation of eighty-eight of these pumps would be required. But the one referred to in page 18, will take out 22,000 cubic feet per minute; therefore, only forty such pumps as that would be required to exhaust air from the cylinder at the rate of 100 miles an hour—a number, the operation of which there will be no difficulty in combining.
“The pressure requisite to cause air to move at the rate of 100 miles an hour, appears, by all experiments that have been made on the subject, to be less than half a pound per square inch. Calculating from this datum the power requisite to move a column of air equal to the area of the cylinder, at the rate of 100 miles an hour, would be that of 1900 horses. [22b]
“A steam engine of fifty horses’ power would, therefore, be required to each air pump, to cause the air to move at the rate of 100 miles an hour, independent both of the load to be moved, and of the friction of the air against the inside of the cylinder. With reference to the first of these—the load to be moved—it is to be observed, that, owing to the principle combining the operation of by far the best railway I have ever seen, or, indeed, can conceive, with carriage wheels six times as high as those used on the patent single line railway, friction is diminished to a degree which will admit of the same power moving a considerably greater weight than on that railway. It will, therefore, be quite safe to calculate only on the same effect being produced; and, according to this the extra power requisite to move 100 tons at the rate of 100 miles an hour, would be only 200 horses. With reference to the friction of the air against the inside of the cylinder, as referred to at pages 68 to 74, several times the power will be required; so that, were there no other means of power and exhaustion than steam engines and air pumps, objection might arise in point of expense. But, by what is stated at pages 50 and 51, it appears that neither air pumps nor steam engines would be indispensably necessary; and although Mr. Vallance does not at present deem it prudent to give full explanation on this particular, he informs me, that whenever it may be requisite, he is prepared to prove that every purpose of exhaustion may be effected without other apparatus than what he can construct out of rough hewn trunks of trees; so that the question may be considered free from any objections which the necessity for costly machinery would give rise to in Russia.
“Thirdly, that a vehicle capable of carrying both passengers and goods, can be so adapted to the inside of the cylinder as to be moved in it by the air when operated upon by the air pump, I can vouch, from having seen and experienced it; and as the rate at which this vehicle moves, is exactly commensurate with that at which the pumps exhaust air from the cylinder, it follows, that, at whatever rate air can be pumped out of the cylinder, the vehicle will be carried forward, provided that velocity does not exceed the rate at which wheels can revolve on their axes without ignition: with reference to which, it is to be observed,
“Fourthly, that the number of revolutions made by a carriage wheel depends on the size of that wheel, as well as on the motion of the vehicle. The fore wheels of the coaches which travel with the greatest expedition, revolve, on an average, about 100 times in a minute. One of the peculiar advantages of the method Mr. Vallance proposes, is, that it admits of the wheels of the vehicles which move in the cylinder being several times larger than the wheels of carriages which run on roads; owing to their being always kept in an exactly perpendicular position, and consequently free from the strain thrown on the spokes of a common carriage wheel, by the deflections from the perpendicular, which the nature of and obstructions upon roads continually occasion. Owing to this, the wheels of the vehicles which move in the proposed cylinder may be from ten to twelve feet in diameter; or nearly four times as large as the fore wheels of a coach. The same number of revolutions, therefore, which the fore wheel of a coach makes in an hour, would move the vehicle in the cylinder forty miles; and twice and a half that number of revolutions would give 100 miles an hour. Now if a common coach wheel which moves under the disadvantages of being constantly exposed to all the clogging and impediments arising from the dust and dirt of the road, can revolve for hours together at the rate of 100 times a minute, without being greased, excepting at the end of its journey of perhaps one hundred miles, it may fairly be presumed, that a wheel which would be not only free from all dust and dirt, but also moving in a reservoir of oil would revolve 250 times a minute without heating, even had we no such evidence as that referred to in page 36. But when that is taken into the consideration, all anxiety with reference to the effect a velocity of 100 miles an hour would have on the axes of the wheels, may be dismissed.
“Fifthly, nor is it necessary that any anxiety should be entertained, as to the effect such a velocity would have on respiration; for in addition to what is urged on this matter at pages 28, 29, and 35, I have to state that, though I was purposely exposed to the ‘vacuum’ as it is termed, many times during my examination of, and riding in the cylinder, yet I did not experience the least inconvenience from it. Indeed, I should not have been aware of it, had my attention not been directed to it; the degree of exhaustion necessary to move a carriage, not being much more than the ten-thousandth part of a vacuum: a diminution of density, which would not lower the barometer so much as the two-hundredth part of an inch.
“Sixthly, a degree of exhaustion, or vacuum, which is not sufficient visibly to affect the barometer, being enough to move the carriage with persons in it, so as for them to experience the effect, and fully comprehend the operation of the principle, it becomes evident that the idea at first entertained of a perfect vacuum being indispensable, is most erroneous; and the objections which at first present themselves to us, relative to the difficulty of constructing the cylinder—of making the joints air tight, and of so adapting the ends of the vehicle to the cylinder, as should prevent the passage of any important quantity of air, without occasioning great friction, are all seen to exist only in imagination. In the cylinder which Mr. Vallance has in operation at Brighton, there is a space of above an inch in width, purposely left all round between the cylinder and the end of the carriage which forms the piston, against which the air presses to drive the carriage along; yet does not the air which rushes through this crevice (though it is in the whole equal to an aperture of two square feet), prevent the operation of the principle: its sole effect being a loss of a proportion of the power employed to drive the air pumps; a loss which Mr. Vallance intentionally submits to, for the sake of proving that a very large portion of air may rush by the piston end of the carriage, without preventing the effect of the principle.—Vide pages 30 and 31.
“Seventhly, nor will the degree to which it may be necessary to exhaust, or, as it may in other words be termed, the degree of ‘vacuum’ required, to move even a very great weight, interpose any insuperable difficulty. In the cylinder at Brighton, a party, consisting of his Grace the Duke of Bedford, the Earl of Lauderdale, Lord Holland, Lord W. Russell, Lady W. Russell, and another lady and gentleman, were all at the same time experiencing the operation of the principle, on the day I was last at Brighton, with a degree of exhaustion not exceeding two drachms per square inch; a proportion of vacuum which would lower the barometer about one-hundredth of an inch. Practice therefore proves, as well as the arguments in pages 47 and 48, that a very trivial degree of exhaustion will be sufficient to move a considerable load; and as it will be perfectly practicable to exhaust to a degree, that should render a barometer exposed to the vacuum inside the cylinder, several, if not many inches lower than one would stand exposed to the atmosphere, I do not think the amount stated in page 37 more than it may be possible to move at one time. And with reference to weights of 50 or 100 tons, such as locomotive engines draw at once, there will certainly be no difficulty at all, let the velocity they are moved at be what it may.
“Eighthly, under the trivial degree of exhaustion which will thus, generally speaking, be necessary, your Royal Highness will perceive, that rendering the cylinder sufficiently air-tight for the purpose, will be far less difficult than it is at first supposed. Indeed, I see so many different ways of doing it, that I am satisfied it would not, in practice, prove more difficult, nor indeed so difficult, as causing some canals I have seen, to retain the water let into them.—Vide p. 45.
“Ninthly, nor will there be any difficulty in regulating the motion of, and stopping the vehicle. The shortest way of rendering this evident to your Royal Highness, will be to suppose the end of the carriage which, when in motion, stands across the cylinder, at a right angle with its course, to be capable of turning on a pivot; so that it may be moved one quarter of a circle, and placed in a line with the course of the cylinder: or edge to wind, like a sail when it shivers. The consequence of this would be, that as the air would pass by without pressing against it, the power which moved the carriage forward would be taken off; and as the wheel could at the same time be dragged by a friction lever, while other levers caused friction against the side of the cylinder, the progress of the carriage could be commanded and stopped at pleasure. This method of removing the effect of the pressure of the air against the carriage, not being that which would be made use of in practice, my reason for adverting to it, is solely to enable your Royal Highness to perceive, that a very simple arrangement will admit of its being done. For the same reason, I only state, that to the axis of each carriage, would be connected clock work, which would shew the person who has charge of the carriage how far he has gone, and where he is, to a yard; so that there will be no uncertainty as to when and where to prepare for stopping, by gradually diminishing the motion of the carriage. There will be every facility for perfect vision, as at each end of every carriage will be fixed a portable gas light.
“Tenthly, this principle possesses an advantage over common roads, as well as rail-roads and canals, which will, under all circumstances, be generally, and, in some cases, highly important. This advantage is, that the cause of motion (the atmospheric pressure) will act vertically as well as horizontally; and that in consequence of it, the filling up of hollows, and also deep cutting, as for canals and rail-roads, is unnecessary. Not that it would be advisable to select hilly ground; though perfectly possible to go over any, the most abrupt rises, even were they nearly perpendicular. But that any rise or fall over which a carriage road can be cut, would be quite level enough for the operation of the principle.
“Eleventhly, I now mention the expense per mile, which I think will not, in Russia, exceed 10,000l. The calculations on which this opinion is founded, I do not here submit to your Royal Highness; but at such time as may be necessary they will be ready for transmission.
“Twelfthly, the expense of transit, or carriage, by this principle. Assuming that the combined effect of the improved railway in the cylinder, and the six-fold diameter of the wheels, should not render any given power capable of moving more than on the single-line railway (vide my Report of August, 1825), one horse would move twenty tons; but independent of the effect which the wheels, being six times larger, would have in diminishing friction, the expense of transmission would be diminished many times, from the following circumstances:—On the single-line railway, the power employed is that of horses; and, considering the construction of that railway, and the height the rail must be in some situations above the ground, I do not conceive that locomotive engines can be ever used upon it. Horse-power is twenty-four times as dear as elementary power, employed in the way the Treatise points out. Assuming, therefore, that the friction of the rarified air against the inside of the cylinder, as stated at pages 68 and 74, should increase the power required ten times, still would the expense of carriage be less than by the single line railway, while we should attain the important advantage of being able to transmit 10,000 tons, at any rate between what railways now transmit at, and 100 miles per hour, for an expense which, as relates to power, would be only the twenty-fifth part of a farthing per ton per mile.
“But even were the friction of the rarefied air against the inside of the cylinder to increase the power required ten times, as I have supposed, it is not imperative that the expense of transmission must be increased in a similar degree. Owing to its being well-known and universally received, steam is the first mover, or power, Mr. Vallance has referred to. The researches of men of science in England have, however, been for some years directed to means of rendering the gases first movers, instead of steam, under the hope of obtaining an agent, which should serve as a mechanical first mover, without fuel. From the year 1820, the attention of Mr. Vallance has been directed to this subject, with a view of rendering the method of conveyance the Treatise refers to perfect, in the particular of cheapness of transmission; and about two years ago he obtained a patent for a first mover, which will give ten times the power of steam, without any expense for fuel; the principle of which is stated in the Tract, marked letter B, which I have obtained from him, for the perusal of your Royal Highness. The power therein referred to, proposed to be used instead of steam, would so greatly reduce the expense of transmission, that the cost of power would be ten times less than by the single line rail-road.
“It will also be equally superior in point of safety and security from accidents, as it is in point of economy and expedition: it being, as stated in page 81, absolutely impossible to be overturned.
“Thus combining expedition exceeding that of posting, with economy equal to that of canal transmission, it must appear that this principle is most importantly advantageous to an empire so vast in its extent as that of Russia, and, consequently, fully authorizes me most strongly to recommend that the Government should immediately contract with Mr. Vallance, to send a practical illustration of the principle, such as he has in operation at Brighton, which, being capable of carrying your Royal Highness, the Members of the Council, and Generals of the Arrondissements, over a space sufficient to demonstrate the practicability of the proposition, will place within command a reply to all objections from ignorant or interested persons.
“It has been deemed essentially important to the welfare of Russia to promote internal communication by canals, and immense sums have been expended in cutting them; but owing to the long duration of winter, they are useless during half the year; and so slow is the rate of transmission by them, that, even when in full operation, they can hardly serve to convey goods from one part of the empire to the other, before winter locks them up again. Railways also, owing to the period the snow lays on the ground, and the continual drifting of it which takes place, would be available scarcely more than half the year. But the principle here adverted to, being liable to interruption from neither frost nor snow, and equally effective by night as by day, offers a means of rendering the extremities of the empire contiguous to each other; and will do this at a much less charge than can ever be done by canals, or any other mode of conveyance.
“The vast importance of this principle to Russia, both in a military and commercial point of view, it is unnecessary for me to state to your Royal Highness; but I consider the manifold advantages it presents sufficiently demonstrated, to prompt me to recommend its speedy adoption from St. Petersburgh to Tsarsko-selo, the river Volga, Moscow, and the Black Sea.
“William Couling, K. V. &c.
“London, Dec. 21, 1826.”
With these evidences that I do not presume to request your attention relative to a mere theory, I trust I may be permitted to hope, that the following observations relative to effecting a communication between your canal at Kensington and the point of termination you propose, may be deemed not wholly undeserving attention.
Were you to purchase land for either a canal or a railway, the width required would not be less than sixty or seventy feet, while in some parts it would be much more on account of the cuttings and embankments. [26]
Supposing the method which I submit to you were to be adopted, a width of only eight feet would be necessary, even were the tunnel to be carried, as a canal or railway must be, along the surface of the ground; so that my proposition has, to recommend it, this first feature, that only one-eighth of the ground would be wanted that must be required for either a canal or railway; while this recommendation would be attended with the additional advantage, that, instead of the tunnel rendering the lands through which it would pass, open, and liable to the depredations of the bargemen and drivers, as canals or railways do, it would, owing to communication going on inside the tunnel, leave them still as private, untrenched upon, and uninvaded, as a water or gas pipe would do.
In order, however, still more to obviate objections as to the course, and additionally to reduce expense as to the nature of the ground required for the line of communication which I suggest, I propose carrying the tunnel under ground, in lieu of upon it; while, instead of taking its course across fields and cultivated grounds—as a canal or railway must do—I propose taking it along the line of (though buried underneath) certain bye-roads and (to coin a word) uncultivatible grounds lying between your basin and the Grand Junction Canal, and the line of the London and Birmingham Railway; by doing which, I anticipate that very great expense, and still more important opposition, will be avoided; while, as the farm-roads and tracks, along and underneath which I propose to carry the tunnel, would be so importantly improved by it, as to be rendered almost equal to turnpike roads, the execution of the work would be an actual benefit, instead of an injury to the land under which it was carried.