carefully inspected its colleges and churches, afterwards expressing the great delight and profit which he had derived from his visit. He was entertained while there by Mr. Robertson, an eminent mathematician, then superintending the publication of an edition of the works of Archimedes. The architectural designs of buildings that most pleased him were those of Dr. Aldrich, Dean of Christchurch about the time of Sir Christopher Wren. He tore himself from Oxford with great regret, proceeding by Birmingham on his way home to Shrewsbury. "Birmingham," he says, " famous for its buttons and locks, its ignorance and barbarismits prosperity increases with the corruption of taste and morals. Its nicknacks, hardware, and gilt gimcracks are proofs of the former; and its locks and bars, and the recent barbarous conduct of its populace,' are evidences of the latter." His principal object in visiting the place was to call upon a stained glass maker respecting a window for the new church at Bridgenorth.

On his return to Shrewsbury, Telford proposed to proceed with his favourite study of architecture; but this, said he, "will probably be very slowly, as I must attend to my every day employment," namely, the superintendence of the county road and bridge repairs, and the direction of the convicts' labour. "If I keep my health, however," he added, "and have no unforeseen hindrance, it shall not be forgotten, but will be creeping on by degrees." An unforeseen circumstance, though not a hindrance, did very shortly occur, which launched Telford upon a new career, for which his unremitting study, as well as his carefully improved experience, eminently fitted him: we refer to his appointment as engineer to the Ellesmere Canal Company.

1 Referring to the burning of Dr. Priestley's library.

The conscientious carefulness with which Telford had performed the duties entrusted to him, and the skill with which he directed the works placed under his charge, secured the cordial approbation of the gentlemen of the county. His straightforward and outspoken manner had further obtained for him the friendship of many of them. At the meetings of quarter-sessions his plans had often to encounter considerable opposition, and, when called upon to defend them, he did so with such firmness, persuasiveness, and good temper, that he usually carried his point. "Some of the magistrates are ignorant," he wrote in 1789," and some are obstinate; though I must say that on the whole there is a very respectable bench, and with the sensible part I believe I am on good terms." This was amply proved some four years later, when it became necessary to appoint an engineer to the Ellesmere Canal, on which occasion the magistrates, who were mainly the promoters of that undertaking, almost unanimously solicited their Surveyor to accept the office.

Indeed, Telford had become a general favourite in the county. He was cheerful and cordial in his manner, though somewhat brusque. Though now thirty-five years old, he had not lost the humorousness which had procured for him the sobriquet of "Laughing Tam." He laughed at his own jokes as well as at others. He was spoken of as jolly-a word then much more rarely as well as more choicely used than it is now. Yet he had a manly spirit, and was very jealous of his independence. All this made him none the less liked by free-minded men. Speaking of the friendly support which he had throughout received from Mr. Pulteney, he said, "His good opinion has always been a great satisfaction to me; and the more so, as it has neither been obtained nor preserved by deceit, cringing, nor flattery. On the contrary, I believe I am almost the

only man that speaks out fairly to him, and who contradicts him the most. In fact, between us, we sometimes quarrel like tinkers; but I hold my ground, and when he sees I am right he quietly gives in.

Although Mr. Pulteney's influence had no doubt assisted Telford in obtaining the appointment of surveyor, it had nothing to do with the unsolicited invitation which now emanated from the county gentlemen. Telford was not even a candidate for the engineership, and had not dreamt of offering himself, so that the proposal came upon him entirely by surprise. Though he admitted he had self-confidence, he frankly confessed that he had not a sufficient amount of it to justify him in aspiring to the office of engineer to one of the most important undertakings of the day. The following is his own account of the circumstance :

66

My literary project is at present at a stand, and may be retarded for some time to come, as I was last Monday appointed sole agent, architect, and engineer to the canal which is projected to join the Mersey, the Dee, and the Severn. It is the greatest work, I believe, now in hand in this kingdom, and will not be completed for many years to come. You will be surprised that I have not mentioned this to you before; but the fact is that I had no idea of any such appointment until an application was made to me by some of the leading gentlemen, and I was appointed, though many others had made much interest for the place. This will be a great and laborious undertaking, but the line which it opens is vast and noble; and coming as the appointment does in this honourable way, I thought it too great an opportunity to be neglected, especially as I have stipulated for, and been allowed, the privilege of carrying on my architectural profession. The work will re

The preparation of some translations from Buchanan which he had contemplated.

quire great labour and exertions, but it is worthy of them all."

Telford's appointment was duly confirmed by the next general meeting of the shareholders of the Ellesmere Canal. An attempt was made to get up a party against him, but it failed. "I am fortunate," he said, "in being on good terms with most of the leading men, both of property and abilities; and on this occasion I had the decided support of the great John Wilkinson, king of the ironmasters, himself a host. I travelled in his carriage to the meeting, and found him much disposed to be friendly." The salary at which Telford

Letter to Mr. Andrew Little, Langholm, dated Shrewsbury, 29th September, 1793.

John Wilkinson was the first of the great ironmasters, of whom there are now so many. His father was a small farmer in Cumberland, who afterwards went to work at the iron furnace and forge at Black barrow, in Cartmel, where he became foreman of the works. His two sons, John and William, were employed there. The first iron furnace and forge erected by John was at a place called Wilson House, in the same neighbourhood, for the purpose of smelting the hæmatite iron ore of Furness. The patent which he took out for the manufacture of box smoothing irons proved very successful, and he gradually extended his operations. The two brothers erected iron forges at Bersham, near Chester, at Bradley, Brimbo, Merthyr Tydvil, and other places; and became by far the largest iron manufacturers of their day. John was particularly celebrated for his castings and borings. Watt never could get cylinders cast true for his condensing steam-engines until Wilkinson supplied them. He himself invented and introduced a new boring machine, since become common, which was a great improvement on that formerly in use. The Wilkinsons cast the whole of the tubes, pipes, cylinders, and ironwork required for the great Paris waterworks-the most formid

VOL. II.

WILKINS

ployed to break up the machinery at the Welsh works with sledge-hammers, in order that the materials might be equally divided between them. Many thought this an exceedingly insane act; yet it was not entirely so. Both were extremely stubborn men, and knew each other's temper; and perhaps they concluded that, though sledge-hammers might be very destructive when wielded by labourers amongst their fine machinery, the corrosive though more tedious process of a Chancery suit, managed by skiltul lawyers, might be still more damaging

was engaged was 500l. a year, out of which he had to pay one clerk and one confidential foreman, besides defraying his own travelling expenses. It would not appear that after making these disbursements much would remain for Telford's own labour; but in those days engineers were satisfied with comparatively small pay, and did not dream of making large fortunes. Though he intended to continue his architectural business, he decided to give up his county surveyorship and other minor matters, which, he said, "give a great deal of very unpleasant labour for very little profit; in short they are like the calls of a country surgeon." One part of his former business which he did not give up was what related to Mr. Pulteney and Lady Bath, with whom he continued on intimate and friendly terms. He incidentally mentions in a letter a graceful and charming act of her Ladyship. On going into his room one day he found that, before setting out for Buxton, she had left upon his table a copy of Ferguson's 'Roman Republic,' in three quarto volumes, superbly bound and gilt.

He now looked forward with anxiety to the commencement of the canal, the execution of which would necessarily call for great exertion on his part, as well as unremitting attention and industry; "for," said he,

to the interests of both; so the machinery was all broken up. John had great faith in iron, and in its applicability to nearly every purpose for which durable material was required. Having made his fortune by its manufacture, he determined that his body should lie encased by his favourite metal when he died. In his will he directed that he should be buried in his garden in an iron coffin with an iron monument over him of twenty tons weight; and he was so buried within thirty yards of his mansion at Castlehead. He had the coffin made long before his death, and used to take pleasure in showing it to his visitors, very much to the horror of many of them. He would also offer a present

of an iron coffin to any one who might desire to possess one. When he came to be placed in his narrow bed, it was found that the coffin he had provided was too small, so he was temporarily interred until another could be made. When placed in the ground a second time, the coffin was found to he too near the surface; accordingly it was taken up, and an excavation cut in the rock, after which it was buried a third time; and on the Castlehead estates being sold in 1828, the family directed the coffin again to be taken up and removed to the neighbouring chapel yard of Lindale, where it now lies. A man is still living at the latter place who assisted at all the four interments.