The life of George Stephenson, railway engineer - Lighthouse ...

CHAP, xxxin.] BRUSSELS AND GHENT LINE. 407
1835, a year after the passing of the law ; and successive portions
were opened from time to time, until the year 1844, when
the entire national system was completed and opened, after a
total outlay on works, stations, and plant, of about six and a half
millions sterling. Never did any legislature expend public
money in a wiser manner for the promotion of the commoa
good. As the Belgian lines were executed as an entire system
by the state, there was no wasteful parliamentary expenditure,
and no construction of unnecessary duplicate lines ; the whole
capital invested was remunerative ; and the Belgian people thus
obtained the full advantages of railways at less than one half the
average cost of those in England.
At the invitation of the king, Mr. Stephenson made a visit to
Belgium in 1837, on the occasion of the public opening of the
line from Brussels to Grhent. The event was celebrated with
great ceremony. At Brussels there was a public procession,
and another at Ghent on the arrival of the train. Mr. Stephen-
son and his party accompanied it to the Public Hall, there to
dine with the chief ministers of state, the municipal authorities,
and about five hundred of the principal inhabitants of the city
the English ambassador being also present. After the king's
health and a few others had been drank, that of Mr. Stephen-
son was proposed ;
on which the whole assembly rose up, amidst
great excitement and loud applause, and made their way to
where he sat, in order to jingle glasses with him, greatly to his
own amazement. On the day following, Mr. Stephenson dined
with the king and queen at their own table at Laaken, by spe-
cial invitation ; afterwards accompanying his majesty and suite
to a public baU given by the municipality of Brussels, in honour
of the opening of the line to Ghent, as well as of their distin-
guished English guest. On entering the room, the general and
excited inquiry was, " Which is Stephenson ? " The English
engineer had never before known that he was esteemed so great
a man.
When the success of railways in Belgium was no longer matter
of conjecture, capitalists were ready to come forward and
undertake their formation, without aid from the government;
and several independent companies were formed in England for
;