130 TREVITHICK. 



most distinguished engineers of their time, assured him that it was 

 impossible to make engines of sufficient power and yet small enough 

 to be carried over the Andes. Fortunately, however, Uvill at this 

 point met with Trevithick himself, and was enabled to make such 

 arrangements with him as resulted in the embarkation, during Sep- 

 tember 1814, of three engineers and nine of Trevithick's engines. 

 On landing at Peru, Uville and his charge were received with a 

 royal salute, and in due time the engines, which had been simplified 

 to the greatest extent, and so divided as to form adequate loads for 

 the weakly llama, were safely carried over precipices where a stone 

 may be^thrown for a league. An engine was soon erected at Lauri- 

 cocha, in the province of Tarma, which successfully drained the 

 shaft of the Santa Rosa mine, and enabled working operations to be 

 recommenced. During the year 1816 Trevithick, hearing of this 

 success, gave up family and fortune and embarked for South Ame- 

 rica. On landing he was received with the highest honours ; nil 

 Lima was in a state of excitement, which rose to a still greater 

 pitch, when it was found that his engines, by clearing the mines of 

 water, had doubled their produce and increased the coining ma- 

 chinery sixfold. Trevithick was created a marquis and grandee of 

 old Spain, and the lord warden of the mines proposed to raise a 

 silver statue in his honour. All went well until the revolution 

 broke out, when the Cornish engineer found himself placed in a very 

 disagreeable position between the two parties. The patriots kept 

 him in the mountains in a kind of honourable captivity, while the 

 royalists ruined his property and mutilated his engines. Trevithick, 

 never very patient, soon determined to end this, and, after incurring 

 many hardships and dangers, succeeded in making his escape from 

 the oppressive love and veneration of the mountain patriots. On 

 their way back Trevithick and his companions encountered many 

 perils; they had to shoot monkeys for subsistence, their clothes 

 were almost always wet through owing to it being the rainy 

 season of the year; they had also to ford rivers, and in many 

 cases make their own roads by cutting down the underwood and 

 other obstacles which impeded their progress. On one occasion 

 Trevithick nearly lost his life ; in attempting to swim across a river 

 he became involved in a kind of whirlpool caused by some sunken 

 rocks, and notwithstanding all his efforts he was utterly unable to 

 swim beyond its influence, which kept carrying him round and 

 round ; fortunately just as his strength was giving way a companion, 

 who had cut down a tall sappling, succeeded in stretching it out to 

 his assistance, and thus drew him to land. Ultimately, after ;i long 

 interval, Trevithick arrived at Cartagena, on the gulf of Uarien, 

 almost in a state of utter destitution. Here he was met by tho late 

 Robert Stephenson, who, having just received a remittance from 

 home, lent half to his brother engineer to help him on his VN 

 England, where he arrived on the 9th of October, 1827, bringing 



