Americans, and he had reason to think of Mr. Perkins 

 in particular. As to Mr. Hawkins no one could be 

 better, but Hawkins was aged and somewhat infirm, 

 and might not be able to go with me to the works. 

 As to Leslie, he had never heard Mr. Donkin speak 

 of him as an acquaintance, though no doubt he knew 

 him by reputation. 



I said that I already had two letters of introduction 

 from parties owning and using Fourdrinier machines 

 made by him. 



If open letters of introduction there would be no 

 impropriety in his asking to see them. 



When I place them in his hand he glanced at the 

 signatures and shook his head, saying that my having 

 received the letters I was bound by etiquette to 

 deliver them, but he did not think they would gain 

 my object. He went to his desk and wrote to Mr. 

 Donkin, placed it in my hands, and asked if it met 

 my views. He simply told Mr. Donkin, by whom 

 I was introduced to him, that I was engaged in 

 America in the same line of business that he was; 

 that he believed a free interchange of ideas would 

 be mutually beneficial; that he could assure him 

 that I would not intrude or be inquisitive into any 

 matters that he was not disposed to communicate. 

 He then advised my going to Mr. Donkin without 

 any one with me, and in handing him the letters 

 to be careful so to place them, that he would be 

 likely to look at the others before opening his; he told 

 me of many of the little peculiarities of Mr. Donkin, 

 and told me to observe him closely as he read the 

 letters .... [40] 



After having seen in operation the admirable paper 

 machines, from the Bermondsey works of Bryan 

 Donkin & Co., the making his acquaintance, and, 

 if possible, seeing the works was to me the principal 

 objective point in going to London. And yet I had 

 been there for over a week without having presented 

 my letters of introduction. There seemed to be a 

 fatality attending every effort I made. There was 

 always something of interest to be seen. My friends 

 made arrangements and appointments for me that 

 I could not well avoid or put off. 



Finally, one morning I got ready for an early start, 

 but as I was stepping into a cab I saw my friend, 

 Joseph Saxton, coming in great haste. He said he 

 had come to take me to the Maudslay Works in 

 Lambeth, exactly in an opposite direction from 

 Bermondsey, where I was going. He came with an 

 invitation from Josiah Field, the surviving partner 



of Henry Maudslay, the original founder of the 

 works, who had died about a year previous. The 

 works were then beine; carried on l>\ Mr. Field and 

 the sons of Maudslay. 



Mr. Saxton said that there was then on the boring 

 machine the largest steam cylinder ever cast at the 

 works; that he particularly wanted me to see the 

 boring machine in operation; that they would com- 

 mence taking down to remove from the erecting 

 shop to their destination the largest pair of marine 

 engines they had ever constructed, being estimated, 

 if I recollect right, at some 300 effective horse-power — 

 mere dolls compared with the marine engines of the 

 present day. 



When I told Mr. Saxton that I was starting for 

 Mr. Donkin's works, he replied that I would probably 

 meet him at Maudslay's, for he knew that he was 

 expected to meet a number of prominent persons to 

 see the marine engines, among others Mr. Barton, 

 director of the Royal Mint, whom Mr. Maudslay 

 and Donkin had been associated with in establishing 

 the English standard measures, and that Lord Broug- 

 ham would probably be there with Mr. Sharp, the 

 Attorney-General of Barbadoes, and his fellow com- 

 missioner, Mr. Reese, who had been my fellow pas- 

 sengers in crossing the ocean, and whom I had 

 promised to notify of my arrival in London, but 

 had not yet done so. 



I was curious to meet Lord Brougham, not so much 

 on account of his being Lord Chancellor, as for his 

 reputed advanced ideas of civilization and his con- 

 nection with the Penny Magazine which was then 

 being published. Mr. Saxton thought it probable we 

 should meet some artists whom he knew I was desirous 

 of seeing. The temptation was irresistible; we at once 

 set off for Lambeth, crossing the Thames by the 

 Westminster Bridge; by the early start we would have 

 considerable time to see the works before the arrival of 

 other sightseers. 



Mr. Field met us very cordially; showed us the col- 

 lection of Mr. Maudslay's own hand work that had 

 been carefully preserved. The most interesting was 

 his work in producins; a standard screw, and his 

 original screw cutting lathe, said to lie the father of all 

 lathes, that by a combination of gear wheels and one 

 quide screw any variety of pitch could be produced. 14 " 



After seeing all that was of interest in this collection. 

 the record of Henry Maudslay's ingenuity, sreat appli- 



'<« Maudsla\ 's tools arc now in the Science Museum, London. 



Ill 



