400 THE nrKK'S DIFFICULTIES- P.\irr V. 



were boring for coal at Worsley, the Duke came every 

 morning and looked on for a long time together. Tlir 

 men did not like to leave off work whilst lie remained 

 there, and they became so dissatisfied at having to work- 

 so long beyond the hour at which the bell rang, that 

 Brindley had difficulty in getting a sufficient number of 

 hands to continue the boring. On inquiry, he found out 

 the cause and communicated it to the Duke, who from 

 that time made a point of immediately walking off when 

 the bell rang, returning when the men had resumed 

 work, and remaining with them usually until six o'clock. 

 He observed, however, that though the men dropped 

 work promptly as the bell rang, when he was not by, 

 they were not nearly so punctual in resuming work, 

 some straggling in many minutes after time. He asked 

 to know the reason, and the men's excuse was, that 

 though they could always hear the clock when it struck 

 twelve, they could not so readily hear it when it struck 

 only one. On this, the Duke had the mechanism of 

 the clock altered so as to make it strike thirteen at one 

 o'clock ; which it continues to do until this day. 



His time was very fully occupied with his various 

 business concerns, to which he gave a great deal of per- 

 sonal attention. Habit made him a business man- 

 punctual in his appointments, precise in his arrange- 

 ments, and economical both of money and time. When 

 it was necessary for him to see any persons about matters 

 of business, he preferred going to them instead of letting 

 them come to him ; " for," said he, " if they come to me, 

 they may stay as long as they please ; if I go to tl iem, I 

 stay as long as / please." His enforced habits of 

 economy during the construction of the canal had fully 

 impressed upon his mind the value of money. Yet, 

 though "near," he was not penurious, but was usually 

 liberal, and sometimes munificent. When the Loyalty 

 Loan was raised, he contributed to it no less a sum than 



