enterprising commercial men as a most desirable site for a harbour, and accordingly, after a severe parliamentary contest, an Act was obtained in 1855 for the formation of a railway from the existing Port Carlisle Railway at Drumburgh to the bay of Silloth, together with the construction of a dock, pier, and all necessary works requisite for a complete commercial port. The railway was immediately commenced, and its construction prosecuted with the utmost vigour, in order to acquire the necessary means of transit for the vast quantity of material required for the works of the dock, harbour, and town, the site of the latter being a waste of sandhills without even a hut for shelter. The railway was completed in 1858, and the preliminary works of the dock and harbour were commenced in 1856. They consist of a pier, 1000 feet in length, projecting into the Solway Frith, having a sufficient depth of water at its termination at low water of spring tides to accommodate the ordinary class of coasting steamers, together with a dock of four acres area, having an entrance sixty feet in width, and a depth of water over the cill of twenty-four feet, capable of receiving the largest class of shipping, surrounded by spacious quays, traversed by lines of railway, and furnished with the most recent and improved appliances for the rapid and economical transfer of cargoes. To and from the shipping, in addition to these great works, the sandy waste has been levelled and formed into wide and spacious streets, and already the buildings are so numerous as to constitute an important town, probably, from its situation, one of the most healthy and pleasant in the kingdom; the whole being built on gravel from the excavations of the dock, at a considerable elevation above high water level, and thoroughly drained. Undoubtedly, these advantages, together with the beauty of the site, will render it one of the most favourite and fashionable watering-places; while the harbour, situated below all the dangerous portions of the Solway navigation, and in immediate proximity to the entrance of the Frith, accessible at all times, and possessed of a roadstead affording safe anchorage to the largest class of shipping, must command an extensive foreign and coasting trade, and contribute as an outlet greatly to the wealth and commercial prosperity of all the surrounding country. We may add that, at the laying of the foundation of the Docks, Captain Calber remarked, "If another light ship was placed in the roads the harbour would be the best in England," and Mr. Abernethy, the eminent civil engineer, says: "Government should now assist the Company by erecting additional lights." Surely the suggestions of two such authorities will not be disregarded by the powers that be; for we may search the world, and fail in discovering any place so admirably suited by nature for its intended purpose. Truly, we are indebted to the energy of the enterprising Board of Directors of the Silloth Bay Company. The neighbourhood of Carlisle abounds in fine scenery and pleasant and picturesque residences. Our space will not admit of much description; but one spot of antiquarian and historical interest cannot be passed over, and this is Naworth Castle, the noble and venerable mansion of the Earl of Carlisle, eleven miles east of the city. It is said to have been occupied by Mary, Queen of Scots, during her sojourn, or rather imprisonment, in Carlisle. Be that as it may, Naworth Castle is highly deserving of notice as one of the best and most complete specimens of a baronial castle in the empire. It consists of two lofty towers, connected by other masses of masonry, enclosing a quadrangular court, supposed to have been erected by a powerful family of the name of Dacres, whose original seat was Dacres Castle in this county, the ruins of which are still to be seen. Naworth Castle is kept in the very same state in which it was occupied by Lord William Howard, the celebrated "Belted Will" of Sir Walter Scott's "Marmion." His apartments, furniture, library, oratory, and armoury, remain sacred and untouched, and convey to the stranger a vivid impression of the solitary grandeur and proud state of its feudal lord. The first historical notice of this mansion is during the time of Edward II. (1307). The names of the two successive owners of this Castle, Lords Dacres and Howard, are recorded in the "Lay of the Last Minstrel." "Thus to the lady did Tinlinn show And hot Lord Dacre with many a spear." The hall of the castle is lofty and spacious, adorned with portraits of the Scottish monarchs and other valuable paintings. At one end is a music gallery of modern erection, which is of the Grecian style of architecture, forming a striking contrast with the pure Gothic appearance of the building. The dining and drawing rooms are hung with tapestry, and contain a number of pictures, amongst which is a very fine fulllength portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, supposed to be an original. The apartments said to have been occupied by that Queen, her bed, and other furniture, are still to be seen. The chapel of the castle communicates with the gallery. This apartment contains a considerable quantity of ancient armour which has doubtless been used in the wars of the Border. At the end of the chapel there is an entrance to the apartments of the famous Lord William Howard: these communicate by secret passages with the dungeon below, so that while sitting in his library, or engaged in his devotions, his eyes might still be directed towards his prisoners and their guards. Of this place it may be truly said that "Suspicion was its architect, and Fear its founder." 'The castle stands embosomed amidst venerable and lofty trees, with roaring torrents gushing beneath its walls on three sides. The spacious and antique gardens and porter's lodge complete the picturesque prospect. The mansion and the surrounding domain are now the property and form one of the residences of the Earl of Carlisle. Pursuing our railway journey northwards, we will now invite the attendance of the tourist on the Edinburgh and Carlisle section of THE CALEDONIAN RAILWAY; merely premising that it is our intention to illustrate the southwestern railway of Scotland in our next edition of this work, when we hope to do justice to the Land of Burns. THE CALEDONIAN RAILWAY!-The very name is suggestive of ideas of power and strength; and, certainly, among the marvels of enterprise and skill which engineering science has realized in our day, this Railway holds a high place. It is impossible to contemplate without admiring the boldness which projected a Railway to penetrate deserts and to scale mountains, the energy which carried the Bill sanctioning the bold conception in the face of a most formidable opposition,—or the skill and perseverance which, in so short a period as two years and a half, completed the vast undertaking. The Line was projected about the year 1835,-the Act of Parliament authorizing its construction received the royal assent in July 1845,-in a week or two afterwards the first sod was turned at the Beattock summit, the portion of the line from Carlisle to the Moffat station was completed and opened in September, 1847,-and in February, 1848, the whole Railway was opened for the use of the public. The Caledonian is composed of many other lines, some of which existed before the Bill for the Caledonian was obtained, viz., the Glasgow, Garnkirk and Coalbridge Railway; Wishaw and Coltness; and Glasgow, Faizley and Greenock Railways. The former has been in operation almost twenty years, and is almost the oldest in Scotland. In 1850 the Caledonian had a death-struggle, the plant and other moveable property having been arrested, under warrant of the Sheriff, by its numerous unsatisfied creditors. A. Bill was at length obtained in 1851, which relieved the Company in two ways: first, by reducing the guaranteed dividends, which were enormous, and by authorizing the raising of money to liquidate arrears and purchase plant. Since that time it has continued to improve rapidly, having paid per cent. in 1852, and reached at 31st January, 1858, 5 per cent. for that half-year, and would have continued that dividend, but for the commercial crisis in the winter of 1857 and 1858, when the Western Bank stopped payment, and never again transacted banking business; when the City of Glasgow suspended payment, but after a short time resumed. The Caledonian, while it enjoys the great bulk of the through English and Scotch traffic, has its strength in the inexhaustible mineral fields in the Wishaw, Lesmahayou, and other districts. The finest household coal is at Wishaw, and steam-coal is also in abundance; and, on Lesmahayou, gas-coal of great value is found and worked, which finds its way to the gas-works in the large cities and towns, such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paisley, Greenock, &c., and is also exported from the Clyde and to the Continent from the Forth. Extensive Iron Works are also in that district. There are Fire-clay Works at Wishaw and Garnkirk,-tiles, agricultural pipes and sewage pipes are sent to all parts of Scotland. The Garnkirk Company (Mark Sprot, Esq., proprietor), is the largest, and produces vases, ornamental fire-clay work, &c. In 1855 the Caledonian and Edinburgh and Glasgow had a fierce competition, when fares were reduced to 1s. first, and 6d. second-class |