to be a man of some means, and was already
chairman of an Indian bank, so that the number
which Lord Dunstraw had fixed on as the
smallest of which he could form one, was not only
filled up, but they were all gentlemen of respectability,
and some of them really great catches in
the way of directors. The prospectus, as now
printed for private circulation, stood as follows:

THE RIO GRANDE AND CITY OF MEXICO
GRAND JUNCTION RAILWAY
COMPANY (LIMITED).

(To be incorporated under the Companies Act
of 1862, whereby the liability of each shareholder
is limited to the amount of his shares)

CAPITAL £5,000,000.

Divided into a Hundred Thousand Shares of
£50 each, of which it is only intended to issue
Fifty Thousand Shares for the present; £2 per
share to be paid upon application, £3 upon
allotment, and the remainder by instalments of
£5, at intervals of not less than three months
between each payment, until £25 is paid up, it
not being deemed necessary to call up more.

DIRECTORS.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARL OF
DUNSTRAW, 36, Enfield-square, W., Dunstraw
Castle, Essex, and Wakeham Court,
Yorkshire. (Chairman.)

GEORGE WOOD, Esq. (Messrs. A. C. Wood and
Co.), 27, Chapman's-court.

JOHN GRASS, Esq., M.P. (Director of the
Universal Financial Association, of the Discounting
Credit Company, and Chairman of the
Lucknow Bank), 104, Edinburgh-square, S.W.

WILLIAM END, Esq. (Director of the Town
Bank), 25, Great Martin-street, E.C.

GENERAL FOSTER (late Bengal Army), Flinders
Lodge, Kilburne-road, W.

E. S. WATSON, Esq., M.P., The Temple.

EDMUND RESTER, Esq. (Director of the Town
Bank), 64, East-street, E.C.

JAMES CURRIE, Esq. (late Bombay Civil Service,
Chairman Bombay, Bengal, and Madras
Bank), 446, Westbourne-terrace, W.

BANKERS.

The Town Bank (Limited), the Bank of Lucknow
(Limited), the Bombay, Bengal, and
Madras Bank (Limited).

SOLICITORS.

MESSRS. QUIBBLE and QUIRCK, 46, Manchester-
street, E.C.

BROKERS.

MESSRS. TULSE, HALL AND TULSE, 6, Judas-
court, E.C.

AUDITORS.

MESSRS. FRENCH AND GOODWATER, 108, Helen-
street.

SECRETARY (pro tem.)
WILLIAM WILSON, Esq.
Temporary Offices, 49, Great Henry-street, E.C.

PROSPECTUS.

This Company has been formed for the object of
constructing a line of railway between the far-famed
city of Mexico and the banks of the Rio Grande, or
Great River, which forms the natural as well as the
political boundary between the new empire of Mexico
and the United States of America.

The immense amount of traffic which now
exists between these points, must be increased tenfold
by the establishment of a railway which, as is well
known, always creates for itself the trade and
commerce upon which it afterwards feeds. The
immense wealth of produce which the state of Texas
possesses, and the great demand for this in every part
of Mexico, the vast mineral wealth of the latter
country, and its constant exportation of the precious
metals to pay for the goods brought into the empire
by the enterprising citizens of the States, are so well
known as not to need recapitulation here. At
present it is calculated that more than half a million of
laden mules pass each way every year, and each of
these charge what is equivalent to about one pound
seven and fourpence half-penny for the journey north,
and about a third more on their return trip towards
the south. Allowing that the railway will be able
to carry these goods at even one-half the rates now
charged (the public will gladly pay more, but the
minimum has been put down), here would be an
annual income which would give a return of at least
ten per cent upon the capital of the Company.

And so forth, for nearly a column of the
Times. To read the prospectus, any one would
imagine that it had been written by some one
who had resided all his life in Mexico, and
had most carefully made his calculations as
well as his surveys whilst going over the
ground where the railway had to be constructed.
The truth being that neither Wilson nor
myself had ever been further west than Plymouth
or Liverpool in our lives. But like the editor
of the Eatanswille Gazette, we read up to our
subject. We studied carefully several of the
novels of Captain Mayne Reid, and thus
got a smattering of life in Mexico, together
with the names of a few towns and villages,
which we interspersed here and there throughout
the prospectus. But of the distances from
place to place we knew nothing whatever; and
even to this day we are in profound ignorance as
to whether the distance between the Rio Grande
and Mexico is three, or seven hundred, or two
thousand miles.

A few days after I had succeeded in getting
Mr. Grass and Mr. Currie as directors, there
was a preliminary meeting of the board, held at
my chambers. Being now very sanguine of
success, and Lord Dunstraw (who, for my sake,
and with his usual good humour, began to take
a real interest in the affair) having lent me two
"tenners" until we had got matters straight, I
provided an excellent cold luncheon, with plenty
of good wine, from The London, in Fleet-street,
and had a grey-haired sergeant of Commissionnaires,
as well as the one-armed private of the
same corps, to wait upon my guests and
run messages. His lordship took the chair.
The court Wood paid Lord Dunstraw was a
sight worth seeing. "Yes, my lord;" "No, my
lord;" "Your lordship is right;" "What is
your lordship's opinion?" "His lordship has just
very truly remarked"—were repeated every two
minutes. The chief questions mooted were
whether we should bring the company out at