[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR'] have received a letter
from the Board of Trade to say that the order for the Snowdon and Bettws-y-Coed Light Railway, about which I wrote to you in April last, has been confirmed. I shall be glad if you can find space to print the letter in which I acknowledged the communication from the Board, as it stated a principle with regard to the preserva- tion of places in which the nation has a special interest which I hope may meet with recognition in the future.—I am, Sir,
&c., P. E. MATHESON. New College, Oxford.
"To the Assistant Secretary, Sir,—I have to thank you for your letter of November 24th announcing that the Board of Trade has confirmed the order for the Snowdon and Bettws-y-Coed Light Railway. It is with great sorrow that I receive the announcement, for I am still strongly of opinion that the scheme was not called for by any sufficient local or public necessity or demands, and that, if carried out, it will permanently injure the amenities of a very beautiful region. The history of this case confirms the view which I have already expressed in a letter to the Spectator, that the conditions of the Light Railways Act are not adapted for dealing with railway schemes in localities in which the nation as a whole has a very special interest.—I am, your obedient servant, P. E. MATEEssoN."
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