Nos 1 and 2. Messrs Fitzgerald and Mercer to Colonial Office (23 June 1879) and Colonial Office to Messrs Fitzgerald and Mercer (11 July 1879); held at the National Archives, CO 879/38/451.

A dissertation on the advantages to be derived by railway communication and transport would be impertinently superfluous at this advanced period of the nineteenth century. A comparison of the present condition of Great Britain, of Europe generally, of the United States of America, and other countries now and fifty years ago, exhibits these advantages in so powerful a light that no word of comment can be needed. Owing to peculiarities of the Gold Coast climate beasts of burden cannot be employed, so that any system of common roads would confer but little benefit, and be comparatively inoperative; which is fully borne out by the experience acquired by the Ashantee expedition under Sir Garnet Wolseley in 1873–74. Only those who have acquired a knowledge of what the undeveloped gold resources of this Colony, in which scientific mining is only now commencing, really are, can properly estimate the success that these lines will attain.