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When Mr. Telford had occasion
to visit London on business during the early period of his career, his
quarters were at the Salopian Coffee House, now the Ship Hotel, at Charing
Cross. It is probable that his Shropshire connections led him in the first
instance to the 'Salopian;' but the situation being near to the Houses of
Parliament, and in many respects convenient for the purposes of his
business, he continued to live there for no less a period than twenty-one
years. During that time the Salopian became a favourite resort of engineers;
and not only Telford's provincial associates, but numerous visitors from
abroad (where his works attracted even more attention than they did in
England) took up their quarters there. Several apartments were specially
reserved for Telford's exclusive use, and he could always readily command
any additional accommodation for purposes of business or hospitality.
The successive landlords of
the Salopian came to regard the engineer as a fixture, and even bought and
sold him from time to time with the goodwill of the business. When he at
length resolved, on the persuasion of his friends, to take a house of his
own, and gave notice of his intention of leaving, the landlord, who had but
recently entered into possession, almost stood aghast. "What! leave the
house!" said he; "Why, Sir, I have just paid 750L. for you!" On explanation
it appeared that this price had actually been paid by him to the outgoing
landlord, on the assumption that Mr. Telford was a fixture of the hotel; the
previous tenant having paid 450L. for him; the increase in the price marking
very significantly the growing importance of the engineer's position. There
was, however, no help for the disconsolate landlord, and Telford left the
Salopian to take possession of his new house at 24, Abingdon Street. Labelye,
the engineer of Westminster Bridge, had formerly occupied the dwelling; and,
at a subsequent period, Sir William Chambers, the architect of Somerset
House, Telford used to take much pleasure in pointing out to his visitors
the painting of Westminster Bridge, impanelled in the wall over the parlour
mantelpiece, made for Labelye by an Italian artist whilst the bridge works
were in progress. In that house Telford continued to live until the close of
his life.
One of the subjects in which
he took much interest during his later years was the establishment of the
Institute of Civil Engineers. In 1818 a Society had been formed, consisting
principally of young men educated to civil and mechanical engineering, who
occasionally met to discuss matters of interest relating to their
profession. As early as the time of Smeaton, a social meeting of engineers
was occasionally held at an inn in Holborn, which was discontinued in 1792,
in consequence of some personal differences amongst the members. It was
revived in the following year, under the auspices of Mr. Jessop, Mr. Naylor,
Mr. Rennie, and Mr. Whitworth, and joined by other gentlemen of scientific
distinction. They were accustomed to dine together every fortnight at the
Crown and Anchor in the Strand, spending the evening in conversation on
engineering subjects. But as the numbers and importance of the profession
increased, the desire began to be felt, especially among the junior members
of the profession, for an institution of a more enlarged character. Hence
the movement above alluded to, which led to an invitation being given to Mr.
Telford to accept the office of President of the proposed Engineers'
Institute. To this he consented, and entered upon the duties of the office
on the 21st of March, 1820.*[1] During the remainder of his life, Mr.
Telford continued to watch over the progress of the Society, which gradually
grew in importance and usefulness. He supplied it with the nucleus of a
reference library, now become of great value to its members. He established
the practice of recording the proceedings,*[2] minutes of discussions, and
substance of the papers read, which has led to the accumulation, in the
printed records of the Institute, of a vast body of information as to
engineering practice. In 1828 he exerted himself strenuously and
successfully in obtaining a Charter of Incorporation for the Society; and
finally, at his death, he left the Institute their first bequest of 2000L.,
together with many valuable books, and a large collection of documents which
had been subservient to his own professional labours.
In the distinguished position
which he occupied, it was natural that Mr. Telford should be called upon, as
he often was, towards the close of his life, to give his opinion and advice
as to projects of public importance. Where strongly conflicting opinions
were entertained on any subject, his help was occasionally found most
valuable; for he possessed great tact and suavity of manner, which often
enabled him to reconcile opposing interests when they stood in the way of
important enterprises.
In 1828 he was appointed one
of the commissioners to investigate the subject of the supply of water to
the metropolis, in conjunction with Dr. Roget and Professor Brande, and the
result was the very able report published in that year. Only a few months
before his death, in 1834, he prepared and sent in an elaborate separate
report, containing many excellent practical suggestions, which had the
effect of stimulating the efforts of the water companies, and eventually
leading, to great improvements.
On the subject of roads,
Telford continued to be the very highest authority, his friend Southey
jocularly styling him the "Colossus of Roads." The Russian Government
frequently consulted him with reference to the new roads with which that
great empire was being opened up. The Polish road from Warsaw to Briesc, on
the Russian frontier, 120 miles in length, was constructed after his plans,
and it remains, we believe, the finest road in the Russian dominions to this
day.
Section of Polish Road
He was consulted by the
Austrian Government on the subject of bridges as well as roads. Count
Szechenyi recounts the very agreeable and instructive interview which he had
with Telford when he called to consult him as to the bridge proposed to be
erected across the Danube, between the towns of Buda and Pesth. On a
suspension bridge being suggested by the English engineer, the Count, with
surprise, asked if such an erection was possible under the circumstances he
had described? "We do not consider anything to be impossible," replied
Telford; "impossibilities exist chiefly in the prejudices of mankind, to
which some are slaves, and from which few are able to emancipate themselves
and enter on the path of truth." But supposing a suspension bridge were not
deemed advisable under the circumstances, and it were considered necessary
altogether to avoid motion, "then," said he, "I should recommend you to
erect a cast iron bridge of three spans, each 400 feet; such a bridge will
have no motion, and though half the world lay a wreck, it would still
stand."*[3] A suspension bridge was eventually resolved upon. It was
constructed by one of Mr. Telford's ablest pupils, Mr. Tierney Clark,
between the years 1839 and 1850, and is justly regarded as one of the
greatest triumphs of English engineering, the Buda-Pesth people proudly
declaring it to be "the eighth wonder of the world."
At a time when speculation
was very rife--in the year 1825-- Mr. Telford was consulted respecting a
grand scheme for cutting a canal across the Isthmus of Darien; and about the
same time he was employed to resurvey the line for a ship canal--which had
before occupied the attention of Whitworth and Rennie--between Bristol and
the English Channel. But although he gave great attention to this latter
project, and prepared numerous plans and reports upon it, and although an
Act was actually passed enabling it to be carried out, the scheme was
eventually abandoned, like the preceding ones with the same object, for want
of the requisite funds.
Our engineer had a perfect
detestation of speculative jobbing in all its forms, though on one occasion
he could not help being used as an instrument by schemers. A public company
was got up at Liverpool, in 1827, to form a broad and deep ship canal, of
about seven miles in length, from opposite Liverpool to near Helbre Isle, in
the estuary of the Dee; its object being to enable the shipping of the port
to avoid the variable shoals and sand-banks which obstruct the entrance to
the Mersey. Mr. Telford entered on the project with great zeal, and his name
was widely quoted in its support. It appeared, however, that one of its
principal promoters, who had secured the right of pre-emption of the land on
which the only possible entrance to the canal could be formed on the
northern side, suddenly closed with the corporation of Liverpool, who were
opposed to the plan, and "sold", his partners as well as the engineer for a
large sum of money. Telford, disgusted at being made the instrument of an
apparent fraud upon the public, destroyed all the documents relating to the
scheme, and never afterwards spoke of it except in terms of extreme
indignation.
About the same time, the
formation of locomotive railways was extensively discussed, and schemes were
set on foot to construct them between several of the larger towns. But Mr.
Telford was now about seventy years old; and, desirous of limiting the range
of his business rather than extending it, he declined to enter upon this new
branch of engineering. Yet, in his younger days, he had surveyed numerous
lines of railway--amongst others, one as early as the year 1805, from
Glasgow to Berwick, down the vale of the Tweed. A line from
Newcastle-on-Tyne to Carlisle was also surveyed and reported on by him some
years later; and the Stratford and Moreton Railway was actually constructed
under his direction. He made use of railways in all his large works of
masonry, for the purpose of facilitating the haulage of materials to the
points at which they were required to be deposited or used. There is a paper
of his on the Inland Navigation of the County of Salop, contained in 'The
Agricultural Survey of Shropshire,' in which he speaks of the judicious use
of railways, and recommends that in all future surveys "it be an instruction
to the engineers that they do examine the county with a view of introducing
iron railways wherever difficulties may occur with regard to the making of
navigable canals." When the project of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
was started, we are informed that he was offered the appointment of
engineer; but he declined, partly because of his advanced age, but also out
of a feeling of duty to his employers, the Canal Companies, stating that he
could not lend his name to a scheme which, if carried out, must so
materially affect their interests.
Towards the close of his
life, he was afflicted by deafness, which made him feel exceedingly
uncomfortable in mixed society. Thanks to a healthy constitution, unimpaired
by excess and invigorated by active occupation, his working powers had
lasted longer than those of most men. He was still cheerful, clear-headed,
and skilful in the arts of his profession, and felt the same pleasure in
useful work that he had ever done. It was, therefore, with difficulty that
he could reconcile himself to the idea of retiring from the field of
honourable labour, which he had so long occupied, into a state of
comparative inactivity. But he was not a man who could be idle, and he
determined, like his great predecessor Smeaton, to occupy the remaining
years of his life in arranging his engineering papers for publication.
Vigorous though he had been, he felt that the time was shortly approaching
when the wheels of life must stand still altogether. Writing to a friend at
Langholm, he said, "Having now being occupied for about seventy-five years
in incessant exertion, I have for some time past arranged to decline the
contest; but the numerous works in which I am engaged have hitherto
prevented my succeeding. In the mean time I occasionally amuse myself with
setting down in what manner a long life has been laboriously, and I hope
usefully, employed." And again, a little later, he writes: "During the last
twelve months I have had several rubs; at seventy-seven they tell more
seriously than formerly, and call for less exertion and require greater
precautions. I fancy that few of my age belonging to the valley of the Esk
remain in the land of the living."*[4]
One of the last works on
which Mr. Telford was professionally consulted was at the instance of the
Duke of Wellington--not many years younger than himself, but of equally
vigorous intellectual powers--as to the improvement of Dover Harbour, then
falling rapidly to decay. The long-continued south-westerly gales of 1833-4
had the effect of rolling an immense quantity of shingle up Channel towards
that port, at the entrance to which it became deposited in unusual
quantities, so as to render it at times altogether inaccessible. The Duke,
as a military man, took a more than ordinary interest in the improvement of
Dover, as the military and naval station nearest to the French coast; and it
fell to him as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports to watch over the
preservation of the harbour, situated at a point in the English Channel
which he regarded as of great strategic importance in the event of a
continental war. He therefore desired Mr. Telford to visit the place and
give his opinion as to the most advisable mode of procedure with a view to
improving the harbour. The result was a report, in which the engineer
recommended a plan of sluicing, similar to that adopted by Mr. Smeaton at
Ramsgate, which was afterwards carried out with considerable success by Mr.
James Walker, C.E.
This was his last piece of
professional work. A few months later he was laid up by bilious derangement
of a serious character, which recurred with increased violence towards the
close of the year; and on the 2nd of September, 1834, Thomas Telford closed
his useful and honoured career, at the advanced age of seventy-seven. With
that absence of ostentation which characterised him through life, he
directed that his remains should be laid, without ceremony, in the burial
ground of the parish church of St. Margaret's, Westminster. But the members
of the Institute of Civil Engineers, who justly deemed him their benefactor
and chief ornament, urged upon his executors the propriety of interring him
in Westminster Abbey.
Telford's Burial Place in Westminster Abbey
He was buried there
accordingly, near the middle of the nave; where the letters, "Thomas
Telford, 1834, mark the place beneath which he lies.*[5] The adjoining stone
bears the inscription, "Robert Stephenson, 1859," that engineer having
during his life expressed the wish that his body should be laid near that of
Telford; and the son of the Killingworth engineman thus sleeps by the side
of the son of the Eskdale shepherd.
It was a long, a successful,
and a useful life which thus ended. Every step in his upward career, from
the poor peasant's hut in Eskdale to Westminster Abbey, was nobly and
valorously won. The man was diligent and conscientious; whether as a working
mason hewing stone blocks at Somerset House, as a foreman of builders at
Portsmouth, as a road surveyor at Shrewsbury, or as an engineer of bridges,
canals, docks, and harbours. The success which followed his efforts was
thoroughly well-deserved. He was laborious, pains-taking, and skilful; but,
what was better, he was honest and upright. He was a most reliable man; and
hence he came to be extensively trusted. Whatever he undertook, he
endeavoured to excel in. He would be a first-rate hewer, and he became one.
He was himself accustomed to attribute much of his success to the thorough
way in which he had mastered the humble beginnings of this trade. He was
even of opinion that the course of manual training he had undergone, and the
drudgery, as some would call it, of daily labour --first as an apprentice,
and afterwards as a journeyman mason-- had been of greater service to him
than if he had passed through the curriculum of a University.
Writing to his friend, Miss
Malcolm, respecting a young man who desired to enter the engineering
profession, he in the first place endeavoured to dissuade the lady from
encouraging the ambition of her protege, the profession being overstocked,
and offering very few prizes in proportion to the large number of blanks.
"But," he added, "if civil engineering, notwithstanding these
discouragements, is still preferred, I may point out that the way in which
both Mr. Rennie and myself proceeded, was to serve a regular apprenticeship
to some practical employment--he to a millwright, and I to a general
house-builder. In this way we secured the means, by hard labour, of earning
a subsistence; and, in time, we obtained by good conduct the confidence of
our employers and the public; eventually rising into the rank of what is
called Civil Engineering. This is the true way of acquiring practical skill,
a thorough knowledge of the materials employed in construction, and last,
but not least, a perfect knowledge of the habits and dispositions of the
workmen who carry out our designs. This course, although forbidding to many
a young person, who believes it possible to find a short and rapid path to
distinction, is proved to be otherwise by the two examples I have cited. For
my own part, I may truly aver that 'steep is the ascent, and slippery is the
way.'"*[6] That Mr. Telford was enabled to continue to so advanced an age
employed on laborious and anxious work, was no doubt attributable in a great
measure to the cheerfulness of his nature. He was, indeed, a most
happy-minded man. It will be remembered that, when a boy, he had been known
in his valley as "Laughing Tam." The same disposition continued to
characterise him in his old age. He was playful and jocular, and rejoiced in
the society of children and young people, especially when well-informed and
modest. But when they pretended to acquirements they did not possess, he was
quick to detect and see through them. One day a youth expatiated to him in
very large terms about a friend of his, who had done this and that, and made
so and so, and could do all manner of wonderful things. Telford listened
with great attention, and when the youth had done - he quietly asked, with a
twinkle in his eye, "Pray, can your friend lay eggs?"
When in society he gave
himself up to it, and thoroughly enjoyed it. He did not sit apart, a moody
and abstracted "lion;" nor desire to be regarded as "the great engineer,"
pondering new Menai Bridges; But he appeared in his natural character of a
simple, intelligent, cheerful companion; as ready to laugh at his own jokes
as at other people's; and he was as communicative to a child as to any
philosopher of the party.
Robert Southey, than whom
there was no better judge of a loveable man, said of him, "I would go a long
way for the sake of seeing Telford and spending a few days in his company."
Southey, as we have seen, had the best opportunities of knowing him well;
for a long journey together extending over many weeks, is, probably, better
than anything else, calculated to bring out the weak as well as the strong
points of a friend: indeed, many friendships have completely broken down
under the severe test of a single week's tour. But Southey on that occasion
firmly cemented a friendship which lasted until Telford's death. On one
occasion the latter called at the poet's house, in company with Sir Henry
Parnell, when engaged upon the survey of one of his northern roads.
Unhappily Southey was absent at the time; and, writing about the
circumstance to a correspondent, he said, "This was a mortification to me,
in as much as I owe Telford every kind of friendly attention, and like him
heartily."
Campbell, the poet, was
another early friend of our engineer; and the attachment seems to have been
mutual. Writing to Dr. Currie, of Liverpool, in 1802, Campbell says: "I have
become acquainted with Telford the engineer, 'a fellow of infinite humour,'
and of strong enterprising mind. He has almost made me a bridge-builder
already; at least he has inspired me with new sensations of interest in the
improvement and ornament of our country. Have you seen his plan of London
Bridge? or his scheme for a new canal in the North Highlands, which will
unite, if put in effect, our Eastern and Atlantic commerce, and render
Scotland the very emporium of navigation? Telford is a most useful cicerone
in London. He is so universally acquainted, and so popular in his manners,
that he can introduce one to all kinds of novelty, and all descriptions of
interesting society." Shortly after, Campbell named his first son after
Telford, who stood godfather for the boy. Indeed, for many years, Telford
played the part of Mentor to the young and impulsive poet, advising him
about his course in life, trying to keep him steady, and holding him aloof
as much as possible from the seductive allurements of the capital. But it
was a difficult task, and Telford's numerous engagements necessarily left
the poet at many seasons very much to himself. It appears that they were
living together at the Salopian when Campbell composed the first draft of
his poem of Hohenlinden; and several important emendations made in it by
Telford were adopted by Campbell. Although the two friends pursued different
roads in life, and for many years saw little of each other, they often met
again, especially after Telford took up his abode at his house in Abingdon
Street, where Campbell was a frequent and always a welcome guest.
When engaged upon his
surveys, our engineer was the same simple, cheerful, laborious man. While at
work, he gave his whole mind to the subject in hand, thinking of nothing
else for the time; dismissing it at the close of each day's work, but ready
to take it up afresh with the next day's duties. This was a great advantage
to him as respected the prolongation of his working faculty. He did not take
his anxieties to bed with him, as many do, and rise up with them in the
morning; but he laid down the load at the end of each day, and resumed it
all the more cheerfully when refreshed and invigorated by natural rest, It
was only while the engrossing anxieties connected with the suspension of the
chains of Menai Bridge were weighing heavily upon his mind, that he could
not sleep; and then, age having stolen upon him, he felt the strain almost
more than he could bear. But that great anxiety once fairly over, his
spirits speedily resumed their wonted elasticity.
When engaged upon the
construction of the Carlisle and Glasgow road, he was very fond of getting a
few of the "navvy men," as he called them, to join him at an ordinary at the
Hamilton Arms Hotel, Lanarkshire, each paying his own expenses. On such
occasions Telford would say that, though he could not drink, yet he would
carve and draw corks for them. One of the rules he laid down was that no
business was to be introduced from the moment they sat down to dinner. All
at once, from being the plodding, hard-working engineer, with responsibility
and thought in every feature, Telford unbended and relaxed, and became the
merriest and drollest of the party. He possessed a great fund of anecdote
available for such occasions, had an extraordinary memory for facts relating
to persons and families, and the wonder to many of his auditors was, how in
all the world a man living in London should know so much better about their
locality and many of its oddities than they did themselves.
In his leisure hours at home,
which were but few, he occupied himself a good deal in the perusal of
miscellaneous literature, never losing his taste for poetry. He continued to
indulge in the occasional composition of verses until a comparatively late
period of his life; one of his most successful efforts being a translation
of the 'Ode to May,' from Buchanan's Latin poems, executed in a very tender
and graceful manner. That he might be enabled to peruse engineering works in
French and German, he prosecuted the study of those languages, and with such
success that he was shortly able to read them with comparative ease. He
occasionally occupied himself in literary composition on subjects connected
with his profession. Thus he wrote for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, conducted
by his friend Sir David (then Dr.) Brewster, the elaborate and able articles
on Architecture, Bridge-building, and Canal-making. Besides his
contributions to that work, he advanced a considerable sum of money to aid
in its publication, which remained a debt due to his estate at the period of
his death.
Notwithstanding the pains
that Telford took in the course of his life to acquire a knowledge of the
elements of natural science, it is somewhat remarkable to find him holding;
acquirements in mathematics so cheap. But probably this is to be accounted
for by the circumstance of his education being entirely practical, and
mainly self-acquired. When a young man was on one occasion recommended to
him as a pupil because of his proficiency in mathematics, the engineer
expressed the opinion that such acquirements were no recommendation. Like
Smeaton, he held that deductions drawn from theory were never to be trusted;
and he placed his reliance mainly on observation, experience, and
carefully-conducted experiments. He was also, like most men of strong
practical sagacity, quick in mother wit, and arrived rapidly at conclusions,
guided by a sort of intellectual instinct which can neither be defined nor
described.*[7] Although occupied as a leading engineer for nearly forty
years-- having certified contractors' bills during that time amounting to
several millions sterling--he died in comparatively moderate circumstances.
Eminent constructive ability was not very highly remunerated in Telford's
time, and he was satisfied with a rate of pay which even the smallest "M. I.
C. E." would now refuse to accept. Telford's charges were, however, perhaps
too low; and a deputation of members of the profession on one occasion
formally expostulated with him on the subject.
Although he could not be said
to have an indifference for money, he yet estimated it as a thing worth
infinitely less than character; and every penny that he earned was honestly
come by. He had no wife, *[8] nor family, nor near relations to provide
for,--only himself in his old age. Not being thought rich, he was saved the
annoyance of being haunted by toadies or pestered by parasites. His wants
were few, and his household expenses small; and though he entertained many
visitors and friends, it was in a quiet way and on a moderate scale. The
small regard he had for personal dignity may be inferred from the fact, that
to the last he continued the practice, which he had learnt when a working
mason, of darning his own stockings.*[9]
Telford nevertheless had the
highest idea of the dignity of his profession; not because of the money it
would produce, but of the great things it was calculated to accomplish. In
his most confidential letters we find him often expatiating on the noble
works he was engaged in designing or constructing, and the national good
they were calculated to produce, but never on the pecuniary advantages he
himself was to derive from them. He doubtless prized, and prized highly, the
reputation they would bring him; and, above all, there seemed to be
uppermost in his mind, especially in the earlier part of his career, while
many of his schoolfellows were still alive, the thought of "What will they
say of this in Eskdale?" but as for the money results to himself, Telford
seemed, to the close of his life, to regard them as of comparatively small
moment.
During the twenty-one years
that he acted as principal engineer for the Caledonian Canal, we find from
the Parliamentary returns that the amount paid to him for his reports,
detailed plans, and superintendence, was exactly 237L. a year. Where he
conceived any works to be of great public importance, and he found them to
be promoted by public-spirited persons at their own expense, he refused to
receive any payment for his labour, or even repayment of the expenses
incurred by him. Thus, while employed by the Government in the improvement
of the Highland roads, he persuaded himself that he ought at the same time
to promote the similar patriotic objects of the British Fisheries Society,
which were carried out by voluntary subscription; and for many years he
acted as their engineer, refusing to accept any remuneration whatever for
his trouble.*[10]
Telford held the sordid
money-grubber in perfect detestation. He was of opinion that the adulation
paid to mere money was one of the greatest dangers with which modern society
was threatened. "I admire commercial enterprise," he would say; "it is the
vigorous outgrowth of our industrial life: I admire everything that gives it
free scope:, as, wherever it goes, activity, energy, intelligence-- all that
we call civilization--accompany it; but I hold that the aim and end of all
ought not to be a mere bag, of money, but something far higher and far
better."
Writing once to his Langholm
correspondent about an old schoolfellow, who had grown rich by scraping,
Telford said: "Poor Bob L---- His industry and sagacity were more than
counterbalanced by his childish vanity and silly avarice, which rendered his
friendship dangerous, and his conversation tiresome. He was like a man in
London, whose lips, while walking by himself along the streets, were
constantly ejaculating 'Money! Money!' But peace to Bob's memory: I need
scarcely add, confusion to his thousands!" Telford was himself most careful
in resisting the temptations to which men in his position are frequently
exposed; but he was preserved by his honest pride, not less than by the
purity of his character. He invariably refused to receive anything in the
shape of presents or testimonials from persons employed under him. He would
not have even the shadow of an obligation stand in the way of his duty to
those who employed him to watch over and protect their interests. During the
many years that he was employed on public works, no one could ever charge
him in the remotest degree with entering into a collusion with contractors.
He looked upon such arrangements as degrading and infamous, and considered
that they meant nothing less than an inducement to "scamping," which he
would never tolerate.
His inspection of work was
most rigid. The security of his structures was not a question of money, but
of character. As human life depended upon their stability, not a point was
neglected that could ensure it. Hence, in his selection of resident
engineers and inspectors of works, he exercised the greatest possible
precautions; and here his observation of character proved of essential
value. Mr. Hughes says he never allowed any but his most experienced and
confidential assistants to have anything to do with exploring the
foundations of buildings he was about to erect. His scrutiny into the
qualifications of those employed about such structures extended to the
subordinate overseers, and even to the workmen, insomuch that men whose
general habits had before passed unnoticed, and whose characters had never
been inquired into, did not escape his observation when set to work in
operations connected with foundations.*[11] If he detected a man who gave
evidences of unsteadiness, inaccuracy, or carelessness, he would reprimand
the overseer for employing such a person, and order him to be removed to
some other part of the undertaking where his negligence could do no harm.
And thus it was that Telford put his own character, through those whom he
employed, into the various buildings which he was employed to construct.
But though Telford was
comparatively indifferent about money, he was not without a proper regard
for it, as a means of conferring benefits on others, and especially as a
means of being independent. At the close of his life he had accumulated as
much as, invested at interest, brought him in about 800L. a year, and
enabled him to occupy the house in Abingdon Street in which he died. This
was amply sufficient for his wants, and more than enough for his
independence. It enabled him also to continue those secret acts of
benevolence which constituted perhaps the most genuine pleasure of his life.
It is one of the most delightful traits in this excellent man's career to
find him so constantly occupied in works of spontaneous charity, in quarters
so remote and unknown that it is impossible the slightest feeling of
ostentation could have sullied the purity of the acts. Among the large mass
of Telford's private letters which have been submitted to us, we find
frequent reference to sums of money transmitted for the support of poor
people in his native valley. At new year's time he regularly sent
remittances of from 30L. to 50L., to be distributed by the kind Miss Malcolm
of Burnfoot, and, after her death, by Mr. Little, the postmaster at Langholm;
and the contributions thus so kindly made, did much to fend off the winter's
cold, and surround with many small comforts those who most needed help, but
were perhaps too modest to ask it.*[12]
Many of those in the valley
of the Esk had known of Telford in his younger years as a poor barefooted
boy; though now become a man of distinction, he had too much good sense to
be ashamed of his humble origin; perhaps he even felt proud that, by dint of
his own valorous and persevering efforts, he had been able to rise so much
above it. Throughout his long life, his heart always warmed at the thought
of Eskdale. He rejoiced at the honourable rise of Eskdale men as reflecting
credit upon his "beloved valley." Thus, writing to his Langholm
correspondent with reference to the honours conferred on the different
members of the family of Malcolm, he said: "The distinctions so deservedly
bestowed upon the Burnfoot family, establish a splendid era in Eskdale; and
almost tempt your correspondent to sport his Swedish honours, which that
grateful country has repeatedly, in spite of refusal, transmitted."
It might be said that there
was narrowness and provincialism in this; But when young men are thrown into
the world, with all its temptations and snares, it is well that the
recollections of home and kindred should survive to hold them in the path of
rectitude, and cheer them in their onward and upward course in life. And
there is no doubt that Telford was borne up on many occasions by the thought
of what the folks in the valley would say about him and his progress in
life, when they met together at market, or at the Westerkirk porch on
Sabbath mornings. In this light, provincialism or local patriotism is a
prolific source of good, and may be regarded as among the most valuable and
beautiful emanations of the parish life of our country. Although Telford was
honoured with the titles and orders of merit conferred upon him by foreign
monarchs, what he esteemed beyond them all was the respect and gratitude of
his own countrymen; and, not least, the honour which his really noble and
beneficent career was calculated to reflect upon "the folks of the nook,"
the remote inhabitants of his native Eskdale.
When the engineer proceeded
to dispose of his savings by will, which he did a few months before his
death, the distribution was a comparatively easy matter. The total amount of
his bequeathments was 16,600L.*[13] About one-fourth of the whole he set
apart for educational purposes, --2000L. to the Civil Engineers' Institute,
and 1000L. each to the ministers of Langholm and Westerkirk, in trust for
the parish libraries. The rest was bequeathed, in sums of from 200L. to
500L., to different persons who had acted as clerks, assistants, and
surveyors, in his various public works; and to his intimate personal
friends. Amongst these latter were Colonel Pasley, the nephew of his early
benefactor; Mr. Rickman, Mr. Milne, and Mr. Hope, his three executors; and
Robert Southey and Thomas Campbell, the poets. To both of these last the
gift was most welcome. Southey said of his: "Mr. Telford has most kindly and
unexpectedly left me 500L., with a share of his residuary property, which I
am told will make it amount in all to 850L. This is truly a godsend, and I
am most grateful for it. It gives me the comfortable knowledge that, if it
should please God soon to take me from this world, my family would have
resources fully sufficient for their support till such time as their affairs
could be put in order, and the proceeds of my books, remains, &c., be
rendered available. I have never been anxious overmuch, nor ever taken more
thought for the morrow than it is the duty of every one to take who has to
earn his livelihood; but to be thus provided for at this time I feel to be
an especial blessing.'"*[14] Among the most valuable results of Telford's
bequests in his own district, was the establishment of the popular libraries
at Langholm and Westerkirk, each of which now contains about 4000 volumes.
That at Westerkirk had been originally instituted in the year 1792, by the
miners employed to work an antimony mine (since abandoned) on the farm of
Glendinning, within sight of the place where Telford was born. On the
dissolution of the mining company, in 1800, the little collection of books
was removed to Kirkton Hill; but on receipt of Telford's bequest, a special
building was erected for their reception at Old Bentpath near the village of
Westerkirk. The annual income derived from the Telford fund enabled
additions of new volumes to be made to it from time to time; and its uses as
a public institution were thus greatly increased. The books are exchanged
once a month, on the day of the full moon; on which occasion readers of all
ages and conditions,--farmers, shepherds, ploughmen, labourers, and their
children,--resort to it from far and near, taking away with them as many
volumes as they desire for the month's readings.
Thus there is scarcely a
cottage in the valley in which good books are not to be found under perusal;
and we are told that it is a common thing for the Eskdale shepherd to take a
book in his plaid to the hill-side--a volume of Shakespeare, Prescott, or
Macaulay-- and read it there, under the blue sky, with his sheep and the
green hills before him. And thus, so long as the bequest lasts, the good,
great engineer will not cease to be remembered with gratitude in his beloved
Eskdale.
Footnotes for Chapter XV.
*[1] In his inaugural address
to the members on taking the chair, the President pointed out that the
principles of the Institution rested on the practical efforts and unceasing
perseverance of the members themselves. "In foreign countries," he said,
"similar establishments are instituted by government, and their members and
proceedings are under their control; but here, a different course being
adopted, it becomes incumbent on each individual member to feel that the
very existence and prosperity of the Institution depend, in no small degree,
on his personal conduct and exertions; and my merely mentioning the
circumstance will, I am convinced, be sufficient to command the best efforts
of the present and future members."
*[2] We are informed by
Joseph Mitchell, Esq., C.E., of the origin of this practice. Mr. Mitchell
was a pupil of Mr. Telford's, living with him in his house at 24, Abingdon
Street. It was the engineer's custom to have a dinner party every Tuesday,
after which his engineering friends were invited to accompany him to the
Institution, the meetings of which were then held on Tuesday evenings in a
house in Buckingham Street, Strand. The meetings did not usually consist of
more than from twenty to thirty persons. Mr. Mitchell took notes of the
conversations which followed the reading of the papers. Mr. Telford
afterwards found his pupil extending the notes, on which he asked permission
to read them, and was so much pleased that he took them to the next meeting
and read them to the members. Mr. Mitchell was then formally appointed
reporter of conversations to the Institute; and the custom having been
continued, a large mass of valuable practical information has thus been
placed on record.
*[3] Supplement to Weale's
'Bridges,' Count Szechenyi's Report, p. 18.
*[4] Letter to Mrs. Little,
Langholm, 28th August, 1833.
*[5] A statue of him, by
Bailey, has since been placed in the east aisle of the north transept, known
as the Islip Chapel. It is considered a fine work, but its effect is quite
lost in consequence of the crowded state of the aisle, which has very much
the look of a sculptor's workshop. The subscription raised for the purpose
of erecting the statue was 1000L., of which 200L. was paid to the Dean for
permission to place it within the Abbey.
*[6] Letter to Miss Malcolm,
Burnfoot, Langholm, dated 7th October, 1830.
*[7] Sir David Brewster,
observes on this point: "It is difficult to analyse that peculiar faculty of
mind which directs a successful engineer who is not guided by the deductions
of the exact sciences; but it must consist mainly in the power of observing
the effects of natural causes acting in a variety of circumstances; and in
the judicious application of this knowledge to cases when the same causes
come into operation. But while this sagacity is a prominent feature in the
designs of Mr. Telford, it appears no less distinctly in the choice of the
men by whom they were to be practically executed. His quick perception of
character, his honesty of purpose, and his contempt for all
otheracquirements,-- save that practical knowledge and experience which was
best fitted to accomplish, in the best manner, the object he had in
view,--have enables him to leave behind him works of inestimable value, and
monuments of professional celebrity which have not been surpassed either in
Britain or in Europe."--'Edinburgh Review,' vol. lxx. p. 46.
*[8] It seems singular that
with Telford's great natural powers of pleasing, his warm social
temperament, and his capability of forming ardent attachments for friends,
many of them women, he should never have formed an attachment of the heart.
Even in his youthful and poetical days, the subject of love, so frequently
the theme of boyish song, is never alluded to; while his school friendships
are often recalled to mind and, indeed, made the special subject of his
verse. It seems odd to find him, when at Shrewsbury--a handsome fellow, with
a good position, and many beautiful women about him--addressing his friend,
the blind schoolmaster at Langholm, as his "Stella"!
*[9] Mr. Mitchell says: "He
lived at the rate of about 1200L. a year. He kept a carriage, but no horses,
and used his carriage principally for making his journeys through the
country on business. I once accompanied him to Bath and Cornwall, when he
made me keep an accurate journal of all I saw. He used to lecture us on
being independent, even in little matters, and not ask servants to do for us
what we might easily do for ourselves. He carried in his pocket a small book
containing needles, thread, and buttons, and on an emergency was always
ready to put in a stitch. A curious habit he had of mending his stockings,
which I suppose he acquired when a working mason. He would not permit his
housekeeper to touch them, but after his work at night, about nine or half
past, he would go up stairs, and take down a lot, and sit mending them with
great apparent delight in his own room till bed-time. I have frequently gone
in to him with some message, and found him occupied with this work."
*[10] "The British Fisheries
Society," adds Mr. Rickman, "did not suffer themselves to be entirely
outdone in liberality, and shortly before his death they pressed upon Mr.
Telford a very handsome gift of plate, which, being inscribed with
expressions of their thankfulness and gratitude towards him, he could not
possibly refuse to accept."--'Life of Telford,' p. 283.
*[11] Weale's 'Theory.
Practice, and Architecture of Bridges,' vol.i.: 'Essay on Foundations of
Bridges,' by T. Hughes, C.E., p. 33.
*[12] Letter to Mr. William
Little, Langholm, 24th January, 1815.
*[13] Telford thought so
little about money, that he did not even know the amount he died possessed
of. It turned out that instead of 16,600L. it was about 30,000L.; so that
his legatees had their bequests nearly doubled. For many years he had
abstained from drawing the dividends on the shares which he held in the
canals and other public companies in which he was concerned. At the money
panic of 1825, it was found that he had a considerable sum lying in the
hands of his London bankers at little or no interest, and it was only on the
urgent recommendation of his friend, Sir P. Malcolm, that he invested it in
government securities, then very low.
*[14] 'Selections from the
Letters of Robert Southey,' vol. iv., p. 391. We may here mention that the
last article which Southey wrote for the 'Quarterly' was his review of the '
Life of Telford.' |
