Beschreibung:

Four autograph letters unsigned, to G. Whateley of Birmingham, Sam Sweet, R. Osborne and the Board of Directors of the Great Western Railway Company, 9 pages, 4to, 1833, one letter undated. The first two letters relating to the undertaking of a survey for the Bristol to London line. The first undated letter to Whateley informs him that "a survey is about to be made of a line of Railway between Bristol and London -- I hope to be employed in making it ... I am only known through reputation and not personally -- it is possible that Mr. Stourge ... maybe acquainted with them ... his writing to these Gentlemen may be a great use to me -- their names are Mr. J. Harford ... and Mr. Tothill." The other letter dated February 24th informs Mr. Sweet that the competition for the survey is between himself and another engineer, Mr. Brunton. "Brunton as first in the field has been applied to but I having much more influence here have within the last week succeeded in causing that I am also applied to and on Thursday this point between us is to be decided ... I have still hopes tho' I am rather late in my application I shall at once supercede him and be employed alone." The letter to Mr. Osborne (a Bristol solicitor) is dated Saturday May 4th and is written after he had been employed to do the survey and has come up against local opposition "We are come to a cross road and must decide upon our next step ... Walter's opposition would be fatal -- he is a most vindictive, intriguing scoundrel." The final letter written in September to the Board of Directors of the Great Western Railway Company announces the discontinuation of the survey between Bath and Reading. (4)