A very influential teeting has been held-at the House of Commons this. week under the presidency of the Marquis of Londonderry to promote the scheme for the construction of 4 railway tunnel between. Scotland and Treland. The cost.of the tunnel which is run between Wigtonshire near Stranracr, and Gobbins Head in County Antrim, is estimated at ten million pounds, and the proposal is'that most of the money shall be taised by private capitalists, "bat that the Government shall guarantee a minimum return of 3 per cent on the cost of con: struction. This guarantee, it is said, could not cost the tax-payers more thana quarter of a million a year, and it will be urged on the Government that a work which will be so greatly for the benefit of Ireland, and consequently of England also, is well'worth the risk of the expenditure. The scheme seems to be well'on its way to success; and should it' succeed itis highly' probable that the. older scheme for a tunnel between' England and France will then he carried out.' The strategic and sentimental objection to this latter scheme are very flimsy, and - will' not be. likely "to prevail "when once-its practicability and commercial advantages have been proved.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.