The first turf of earthwork for the Bahia Railway was cut on the 24th of May last in the city of Bahia (San Salvador), situated in the Bay of All Saints, in the Brazils.
This Railway is intended to extend from Bahia to the banks of the great river San Francisco, and will be executed by sections, the first of which is 77 miles long. The capital required for this section is ₤1,800,000 upon which a guarantee of seven per cent is given by the Imperial and provincial Governments.
The view of the Inauguration, which we have engraved, is taken from the canal-bridge near the Fort of Gequitana [sic], looking towards the opposite side of the bay. It was sketched by Mr. Lenoir, the engineer of the Waterworks at Bahia.
Through the obliging kindness of Captain Otway and Lieutenant Barklay of H.M.B. Syren, at present stationed at Bahia, and in the hearty co-operation of the crew, two pavillions were erected with spare sails and canvas from the brig, and decorated with flags, under the direction of Mr. Henry M. Matthews, the resident representative of Mr. Charles Vignoles, F. R. S., Engineer-in-Chief of the Bahia Railway Company.
One pavillion was devoted to the ceremony, and the other was filled with a numerous assemblage of elegantly-dressed ladies, the élite of the society of Bahia. A double line of banners hoisted on elevated masts indicated the direction of the future railway.
At half-past one in the afternoon, the Archbishop of Bahia bestowed the benediction of the Church on the undertaking, (...) and pronounced and eloquent discourse suitable to the occasion.
His Excellency the President of the Province of Bahia then cut the first piece of earth, which he threw into a barrow (...). This example was followed first by the leading members of the company present, and afterwards by every one of high and low degree, working to the music of the military bands – the ground being kept by a detachment of the 1st battalion of the Fusilier Guards.
The company then adjourned to the house of Colonel da Costa (shown in our Illustration), and at three o’clock sat down to a sumptuous banquet to which they had been invited, among which were fifty ladies and all the notabilities of Bahia. The crowd of guests was so great, that the tables were replenished several times. During the entertainment, Mr. John Morgan, jun., the British Consul at Bahia, gave “The Health of his Imperial Majesty Don Pedro II, the august head of the Brazilian Empire”. This was responded to by the President of the Province of Bahia, who gave “The Queen of England”. A variety of other toasts, appropriate to the occasion, were given (...). The entertainments concluded with a ball, and dancing was kept up until long after nightfall. It is a remarkable proof of the spirit of enterprise, and a mark of great judgement on the part of the Imperial Government of the Brazils in having encouraged the continuation of the Bahia Railway by the liberal and almost unprecedented guarantee of seven per cent upon a capital of nearly four millions sterling for a period of ninety years; the concession being in perpetuity, and the shareholders to receive their interest from the very date of paying their subscriptions, without waiting for the completion of the Works, which we understand will only occupy two or three years.
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