Description
Autograph Letter Signed, to Dr Leechman, having written to the Government, hoping his recommendation will be of service, etc. 1 page 9 x 7 inches, in good condition, minor blemishes only.. 31 October 1859. Sir Samuel Morton Peto (1809-89), civil engineer and contractor, laid railways in England, Russia, Norway, Algiers and Australia. He was a Liberal M.P. (1847-68). His contracts included the Grand Trunk Railway in Canada. In the late 1850s, Peto and Betts helped to build the first railway in Algeria. Peto accompanied Napoleon III to the official opening of the line. In 1854 during the Crimean War Peto, Betts and Brassey constructed the Grand Crimean Central Railway between Balaklava and Sevastopol to transport supplies to the troops at the front line.