1 1 6 HER OES OF INVENTION AND DISCO VER Y. 



of being obtained. In what has been done under my manage- 

 ment, the merit is only in part my own. Throughout I have 

 been most ably seconded and assisted by my son. In the early 

 period of my career, and when he wg.s a little boy, I felt how 

 deficient I was in education, and made up my mind that I 

 would put him to a good school I determined that he should 

 have as liberal a training as J could afford to give him. I was, 

 however, a poor man ; and how do you think I managed ? I 

 betook myself to mending my neighbours' clocks and watches 

 at night after my daily labour was done. By this means I 

 saved money, which I put by ; and in course of time I was thus 

 enabled to give my son a good education. While quite a boy 

 he assisted me and became a companion to me. He got an 

 appointment as under-viewer at Killingworth, and at nights 

 when we came home we worked together at our engineering. 

 I got leave from my employers to go from Killingworth to lay 

 down a railway at Hetton, and, next to Darlington for a like 

 purpose ; and I finished both railways. After that I went to 

 Liverpool to plan a line to Manchester. The directors of that 

 undertaking thought ten miles an-hour would be a maximum 

 speed for the locomotive engine, and I pledged myself to attain 

 that speed. I said I had no doubt the locomotive might be 

 made to go much faster, but we had better be moderate at the 

 beginning. The directors said that I was quite right ; for if, 

 when they went to Parliament, I talked of going at a greater rate 

 than ten miles an-hour, I should put a cross on the concern. It 

 was not an easy task for me to keep the engine down to ten 

 miles an-hour, but it must be done ; and I did my best. I had 

 to place myself in the most unpleasant of all positions — the wit- 

 ness-box of a parliamentary committee. I was not long in it, I 

 assure you, before I began to wish loi a hole to creep out at 



