most formidable kind, the most important being the construction of the Kilsby Tunnel; but by perseverance and skill, added to his previous knowledge of mining operations, which proved of great service to him, they were all surmounted; and the success of the London and Birmingham Railway speedily introduced our young engineer to a vast and prosperous business, in which he continued to hold the very first place to the close of his life. It was stated in his presence, at the celebration of the opening of the High Level bridge at Newcastle a few years ago, that not less than eighteen hundred and fifty miles of railway

had then been constructed after his designs and under his superintendence, at an outlay of seventy millions sterling.

His parliamentary business was necessarily extensive. In the session of 1846 he appeared as the engineer for no fewer than thirty-three schemes; and he might have been engineer for as many more if he would have allowed his name to appear in connexion with them. On all questions of railway working and railway construction his evidence was eagerly sought and highly valued. Into the controversy respecting the comparative merits of the narrow and broad gauges, and the locomotive as compared with the atmospheric system, he threw himself with more than ordinary scientific keenness. He was the head and front of the opposition to his friend Brunel's innovations, and the result proved that his views were correct. The most vehement parliamentary struggle of this kind occurred in the session of 1845, when the rival schemes of Brunel and Stephenson were before Parliament-the one promoting the Northumberland Atmospheric and the other the Newcastle and Berwick (locomotive) line. The former was recommended to the Commons Committee by Mr. Sergeant Wrangham as calculated to be a respectable line, and not one that was to be converted into a road for the accommodation of the coal-owners of the district;' and Mr. Brunel summed up his evidence in these words- In short, rapidity, comfort, safety, and economy are its recom

mendations.' Mr. Stephenson was examined at great length, and his evidence must have had its due weight with the Committee, who passed the preamble of his bill; and the shareholders were thus saved much useless expenditure, for after the lapse of a few years_the atmospheric system was everywhere abandoned.

The High Level bridge at Newcastle formed part of the east coast system of railways of which Mr. Stephenson was then the engineer, extending from London to Berwick. This noble work occupied three years in construction, and it was opened by her Majesty on the 19th of August, 1849. It is a much finer architectural structure than any of the great iron bridges subsequently erected by Mr. Stephenson, combining also in a remarkable degree the qualities of strength, rigidity, and durability. The bridge and viaduct approaching it are of great length, being together about four thousand feet. The bridge spans the Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead, and passes completely over the roofs of the houses which fill the valley on either side the river. The prospect from the bridge is most striking; the Tyne, full of shipping, lies a hundred and thirty feet below, the funnels and masts of steamers being visible when the smoke allows far down the river. Seen from beneath, the bridge is very majestic, the impress of power being grandly stamped upon it. One of the most important features of the bridge characteristic of all Mr. Stephenson's structures, but especially so in this case-is its utility. It is a double bridge, forming a direct road connecting the busy towns of Newcastle and Gateshead with each other, at the same time that it is an integral part of the railway system along which the traffic by the east coast between England and Scotland is enabled to pass without break of gauge; and it will probably remain, for many centuries to come, the finest and most appropriate monument in Newcastle to the native genius of the Stephen

sons.

Another of Mr. Stephenson's great structures is his well known Britannia Bridge across the Menai

Straits, a masterly work, the result of laborious calculation, founded on painstaking experiment, combined with eminent constructive genius and high moral and intellectual courage. The original idea embodied by Mr. Stephenson in this bridge, was the application of wrought iron tubes in the form of an aerial tunnel, for the purpose of spanning this arm of the sea at such a height as to enable vessels of large burden to pass underneath in full sail. The arch was rejected as incompatible with the requirements of the Act of Parliament, and the engineer was thrown upon his own resources to overcome the apparently insurmountable difficulties of the passage. After much reflection and study, the scheme of a wrought-iron hollow beam of gigantic dimensions was adopted; Mr. Stephenson feeling satisfied that the principles on which the idea was founded were nothing more than an extension of those in daily use in the profession of the engineer. While his mind was still occupied with the subject in its earlier stages, an accident occurred to the Prince of Wales iron steamship at Blackwall, which singularly corroborated Mr. Stephenson's views as to the strength of wrought-iron beams of large dimensions. While launching this vessel, the cleet on the bow gave way in consequence of the bolts breaking, and let the vessel down so that the bilge came in contact with the wharf, and she remained suspended between the water and the wharf for a distance of about one hundred and ten feet, without injury to the plates of the ship, thus proving her great strength. The illustration was well-timed, and so fully confirmed the calculations which Mr. Stephenson had already made on the strength of tubular structures, that it greatly relieved his anxiety, and converted his confidence into a certainty that he had not undertaken an impracticable task. Then commenced a series of elaborate experiments, in which the engineer was ably assisted by Professor Hodgkinson, Mr. Fairbairn, and Mr. E. Clarke, to determine the best form, thickness, and dimensions of the required tubes, so that assurance might be made doubly sure. Every

detail was carefully attended to, and not a point was neglected that could add to the efficiency and security of the structure. As Mr. Stephenson himself said at the opening of the bridge for traffic, the true and accurate calculation of all the conditions and elements essential to the safety of the bridge, had been a source, not only of mental, but of bodily toil; including, as it did, a combination of abstract thought and well considered experiment adequate to the magnitude of the project.' Mr. Stephenson's anxiety was very great during the arduous process of raising the tubes, and it is said that for three weeks he was almost sleepless. Sir F. Head, however, relates that on the morning following the raising of the final tube, when about to leave the scene of so many days' harassing operations, he observed, sitting on a platform which had been erected to enable some of the more favoured spectators to command a good view of the preceding day's operations, a gentleman reclining entirely by himself, smoking a cigar, and as if almost indolently gazing at the aerial gallery before him. It was the father looking at his new-born child! He had strolled down from the neighbouring village, after his first sound and refreshing sleep for weeks, to behold in sunshine and solitude that which during a weary period of gestation had been either mysteriously moving in his brain, or like a vision-sometimes of good omen, and sometimes of bad-had by night as well as by day been flitting across his mind.

The Victoria Bridge across the St. Lawrence, near Montreal, is constructed on the same principle as the Britannia Bridge, but on a much larger scale; the Victoria Bridge with its approaches, being only sixty yards short of two miles in length. In its gigantic strength and majestic proportions there is no structure to compare with it in ancient or modern times. It consists of not less than twenty five immense tubular bridges joined into one; the great central span being three hundred and thirty feet, the others two hundred and forty-two feet in length. The weight of wrought iron in the bridge is about

1859.]

ten thousand tons, and the piers are of massive stone, containing some eight thousand tons each of solid masonry. Of this last and

greatest of his works, it is to be lamented that the engineer did not live to see the completion.

Mr. Stephenson was greatly esteemed in his profession, and when any difficulty arose, he was prompt to render his best advice and assistance. When Mr. Brunel was occupied with his first fruitless efforts to launch the Great Eastern, at the close of one most disheartening day's work, he wrote Mr. Stephenson, urging him to come down to Blackwall on the following morning, and confer with him as to further measures. Next morning Mr. Stephenson was in the yard at Blackwall shortly after six o'clock, and he remained there until dusk. While superintending the operations about mid-day, he came to the end of a balk of timber which canted up, and he fell up to his middle in the Thames mud. He was merely in his ordinary dress, without any great coat (though the weather was bitter cold) and with only thin boots upon his feet. He was urged to leave the yard and change his dress, but, with his usual disregard of health, his reply was, 'Oh, never mind me, I'm quite used to this sort of thing; and he went paddling about in the mud, smoking his cigar until almost quite dark, when the work of the day was completed. The consequence of this exposure was an inflammation of the lungs, which kept him to his bed for a fortnight.

No man could be more beloved than Mr. Stephenson was by a wide circle of friends. His pupils and juniors in the profession regarded him with a sort of worship; and he even ran some risk of being spoilt by the adulation with which they surrounded him. But he preserved his simplicity, his modesty, and his manliness, through all. He was a kind and pleasant companion, very unaffected, cordial, and communicative. Possessing ample means,

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he was enabled to do many benevolent acts, particularly to those who had worked with him in the early part of his career; and he was always ready to help on the deserving and the industrious.

He was greatly honoured in his life, though he died untitled. Like his father, he was offered knighthood, and declined it; but he accepted the honours of foreign potentates for whom he had performed important services. By the King of the Belgians he was made Knight of the Order of Leopold; the King of Sweden presented him with the Grand Cross of Olaf; and the Emperor of the French decorated him with the Order of the Legion of Honour. In 1857 the University of Oxford conferred on him the honour of D.C.L.; and for many years he represented Whitby in Parliament. The greatest honour of all, however, was reserved for his death, when he was laid to rest amidst the great departed of England in Westminster Abbey.

·

Amongst those who stood beside his grave were many of the friends of his boyhood and his manhood. William Kell, Philip Staunton, and Joseph Glynn, his schoolfellows; Nicholas Wood, his first master in the business of life; Joseph Sandars, the projector of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway; Henry Booth, his coadjutor in designing the Rocket,' which won the prize at Rainhill; Joseph Locke and John Dixon, his early professional companions; Mr. Glyn, Mr. Ellis, and Mr. Joseph Pease, fast friends of his father, as well as himself; down to Henry Weatherburn, driver of the Harvey Combe,' beside whom the engineer stood on the foot plate of the locomotive at the opening of the London and BirminghamRailway. Besides these, were many of the greatest living men of thought and action, assembled at that solemn ceremony to pay their last mark of respect to this illustrious son of one of England's greatest working men. Requiescat! SAMUEL SMILES.