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Second Report of the Irish Railway Commissioners (1838) with the

Atlas Volume, 1837

Whilst the development of railways happened on a piecemeal commercial basis on the mainland of Great Britain, the less developed and populated state of Ireland made commercial development more problematic. In 1836 Thomas Drummond, then Under Secretary of State for Ireland, proposed that a Royal Commission be established to study the options for railway construction in Ireland and propose possible routes with a view to Government financial support. In the event railway construction in Ireland followed the piecemeal approach of the mainland although the general pattern of lines proposed by the Commission was close to the network that was built.

The Royal Commission was duly formed in October 1836, issued its First Report in 1837 (a brief progress report) and then its substantive Second Report in 1838. To illustrate the Report this atlas of maps of Ireland was prepared, 5 maps of Ireland and one general map of the UK & Ireland.

The copy offered here contains the 5 Irish Maps (the 6th, general, map is missing but is of little value) with the abridged Dublin printing of the actual report..

Map 1 : scale 10 miles to "1: proposed railways etc. Also shows existing canals etc.

Map 2: scale 10 miles to 1": Population density of Ireland

Map 3: scale 10 miles to 1": Traffic Flow map (Goods)

Map 4: scale 10 miles to 1": Traffic Flow map (Passengers)

Map 5: scale 10 miles to 1": Geological map of Ireland (Handcoloured)

Map 1 is by Larcom, maps 2-4 by Henry Harness, map 5 by Richard Griffiths.

The maps by Harness are of particular importance as being the first known examples of statistical mapping, showing traffic flows by line thickness and population density by shading. The Geological map is of importance as the first published for Ireland as a whole. In all these maps are of great significance in cartographic and Irish history.

Whilst copies of the report may occasionally be found (and even more rarely with copies of map 1  folded and bound in as does this copy!) the Atlases are extremely rare - I have been able to identify only two copies in Public Libraries (British Library and Library of Congress).

The Atlas was originally issued in a limp cloth cover with leather title piece which offered only slight protection to the maps which tend, as a result, to suffer considerable edge wear and damage. This copy has been rebound in cloth covered boards with the original leather title piece laid down.  Map 1 has suffered extensive edge damage with some loss and archival tape repairs, however the margins of the map are generous and the actual printed area has survived largely unscathed. The other maps are much better with only minor edge wear and tears although some offsetting is evident. The maps each measure 36" x 26" when open and are folded once across the centre where they are attached to the binding strip. They could be removed and mounted individually if required.

The report is the 1838 Dublin printing, which is slightly abridged in that some of the preambles etc were omitted, but it includes all the main body of the report and its conclusions. A copy of the first map is bound in at the rear in folded format. iv+213pp, newly rebound in green cloth, a VG copy.

Due to large size, value and slightly delicate nature of this atlas we would not wish to mail overseas other than by international insured datapost (cost £30-£40). UK - personal collection recommended or we can deliver within 50 miles of Manchester or arrange Parcelforce fully insured delivery

A vert rare chance to buy the Report and Atlas together. Without doubt the one of the most interesting items of early Irish Railway History to be found.

Price £675.00