21.--Miss Fitzwilliam appeared at Norwich Theatre in the Assize week
performances. She took the leading parts in "The Belle of the Hotel,"
"My Little Adopted," "Foreign Airs and Native Graces," &c. At the
conclusion of the season, on the 26th, Mr. George Smith announced to the
audience that he had resigned the management of the circuit. "He had
been," he said, "thirty-one years a member of the Norwich Company. He
had witnessed the drama in its high and palmy state; he had seen its
gradual decline. Many had been the causes assigned for this decay--the
increase of Dissent and fanaticism on the one hand, errors of management
on the other, and the reduction of prices."
29.--A prize-fight took place on Mousehold Heath, Norwich, between Jim
Woods and Ben Clarke, "the Norfolk Slasher," for 5 pounds a side. Woods
was the favourite, at 5 to 2, and obtained "first blood," but in the
second round Clarke struck him a severe blow on the temple and felled
him. In the third round Clarke put in another blow, and as his opponent
was falling, struck him behind the ear and laid him senseless. Clarke
was declared the winner, after a contest which lasted only five minutes.
--The Norfolk Railway was opened. The directors ran a special train from
Trowse to Cambridge, by which about 200 guests, including the Dean and
Mayor of Norwich, were conveyed. A special train from London brought a
like contingent to Cambridge, where luncheon was served, under the
presidency of the chairman of the Eastern Counties Railway, Mr. Henry
Bosanquet. One of the first projects for a long line was the proposal to
construct a railway between London and Norwich, _via_ Thetford, with a
continuation to Yarmouth. A prospectus was printed and partially
circulated in 1825, but the scheme was abandoned. In 1835 the prospectus
of the Eastern Counties (or Grand Eastern Counties) Railway appeared.
The requisite notices were published in November of that year,
application was made in the ensuing session of Parliament for a Bill, and
the first Act for the construction of the works received the Royal assent
on July 4th, 1836. Up to 1840 this line was opened only as far as Warley
Lane, between Brentwood and Warley Common. In 1843 it was completed as
far as Colchester, but as the original capital was more than expended in
carrying the line that distance, all hope of proceeding to Norwich was
abandoned. In 1839 two Acts connected with the Northern and Western
Company were passed, and received the Royal assent on July 19th. The
first was for the purpose of extending the time for the purchase of land
as far as Bishop's Stortford, and the second was chiefly to confirm an
agreement with the Eastern Counties Company as to the terms, &c., for
passing over their line. In 1840 another Act was passed, receiving the
Royal assent on June 4th, for reducing the joint stock capital to 700,000
pounds, giving the company power to raise 240,000 pounds on debentures so
soon as one moiety of the capital should be paid off, and abandoning that
portion of the line between Bishop's Stortford and Cambridge. In 1840
the idea of railway communication between Norwich and the Metropolis was
revived, and it was resolved to form a company, to be styled the Norfolk,
Suffolk, and Cambridge Railway Company. It was afterwards known as the
East Anglian Railway Company. It received the support of the landowners'
committee in Norfolk, and the expense was estimated as follows: From
Bishop's Stortford to Cambridge, 22 miles, 572,000 pounds; from Cambridge
to Norwich, 63 miles, 1,126,695 pounds; from Norwich to Yarmouth, 18
miles, 291,512 pounds. After the opening of the Yarmouth and Norwich
line according to the plan of Mr. Stephenson, the project for the East
Anglian Railway was dropped for a time, and was revived by the promoters
of the Norwich and Brandon Railway, the prospectus of which was published
in 1843. The capital to be raised was stated to be 380,000 pounds, in
19,000 shares of 20 pounds each. In the Session of 1844 an Act was
applied for and received the Royal assent in the month of June. The line
in connection with that from Yarmouth and with that from Ely to Brandon
resulted, and it was known as the Norfolk Railway. Messrs. Grissell and
Peto were the contractors, and Messrs. Stephenson and Bidder the
engineers in chief. The works were commenced at Wymondham on May 17th,
1844, and finished on July 1st, 1845. The first through train to London
started from Trowse on the morning of July 30th. At that date the swing
bridge at Trowse had not been completed. Of the travelling it was said
it "cannot be rendered more comfortable than it is upon the Norfolk
Railway."