MECHANICS' MAGAZINE. 



In our notice last week of Mr. Walker's engraving of the distinguished 

 men of science, we were only able to make a passing mention of the book 

 of memoirs which accompanies it. As, however, this book is to be ob- 

 tained separately, and has evidently been written with care, we will now 

 speak further as to its deserts. In the preface the writer claims the merit 

 only of a compiler, with one or two exceptions, and he expresses a hope 

 that he may have performed his task with clearness and brevity, not 

 neglecting, at the same time, to present his facts in a readable form. The 

 combination of these three qualities is not often to be met with in a series 

 of short biographies, and we are, therefore, glad to be able to say that Mr. 

 W. Walker has, in a great measure, succeeded in accomplishing this. We 

 would particularly call attention to the notices of Cavendish, Samuel 

 Crompton, Dr. Jenner, Count Rumford, and Dr. Thomas Young, as in- 

 stances of the successful manner in which good sketches of character have 

 been interwoven with plain records of the facts occurring in the lives of 

 these eminent men. The memoir of James Watt is also well put together, 

 and it must have cost the writer considerable labour to compress into the 

 space of six pages so clear an account of the numerous works of this great 

 philosopher and engineer. 



The biographies which claim particular notice, from containing original 

 information, are those of Tennant, Maudslay, and Trevi thick. The life 

 of Charles Tennant, the founder of the celebrated chemical works at St. 

 Rollox, Glasgow, gives to the public for the first time a sketch of the 

 career of one whose inborn energy of character and clear intellect (to use 

 the author's words), placed him among the foremost of those men who, 

 by uniting science to manufactures, have entitled their occupations to be 

 classed among the ranks of the liberal professions. 



But the memoir the perusal of which will afford the greatest interest to 

 engineers is that of Trevithick. Without pretending to anything like a 

 life worthy of the genius of this extraordinary man, it is, notwithstanding, 

 the most complete biographical notice which has yet been published of 

 him. We trust the book may be extensively read, as it affords interesting 

 information, in an easily accessible shape, of men, the memory of whose 

 deeds is too liable to pass away. 



