CHAP. XI. HIS DEATH AND CHARACTER. 283 



volumes. Froissart's and Monstrelet's ' Chronicles ' were 

 amongst his favourites, and we find him on one occasion 

 sending a present of duplicate copies to his friend Whid- 

 bey, accompanied with the wish that he might derive as 

 much pleasure from their perusal as he himself always 

 did from reading " honest John Froissart." He also 

 commissioned his friends, when travelling abroad, to 

 pick up old books for him; and in 1820 we find him 

 indulging his " extravagance," as he termed it, so far as 

 to request Sir William Jolliffe to bring 300/. worth of 

 old books for him from Paris. 



Although Mr. Eennie realized a competency by the 

 practice of his profession, he did not accumulate a large 

 fortune. The engineer was then satisfied with a compa- 

 ratively moderate rate of pay, 1 and Mr. Rennie's charge 

 of seven guineas for an entire day's work was even 

 objected to by General Brownrigg, the head of the Ord- 

 nance Department at the time. " Why, this will never 

 do," said the General, looking over the bill ; " seven 

 guineas a-day ! Why, it is equal to the pay of a Field 

 Marshal ! " " Well," replied Mr. Rennie, " I am a Field 

 Marshal in my profession ; and if a Field Marshal in 

 your line had answered your purpose, I suppose you 

 would not have sent for me ! " " Then you refuse to 

 make any abatement ? " " Not a penny," replied the 

 engineer ; and the bill was paid. 



Mr. Rennie was blamed in his time for the costliness 

 of his designs, and it was even alleged of him that he 

 carried his love of durability to a fault. But there is no 

 doubt that the solidity of his structures proved the 

 best economy in the long run. Elevated by his genius 

 and his conscientiousness above the thoughts of imme- 



1 We do not wonder to find Mr. 

 1 {el 11 iic complaining of the small re- 

 muneration of 350Z. awarded to him 

 by the Kennct and Avon Canal Com- 



his bill against the Manchester Water- 

 works Company, for his year and a- 

 halfs advice and service, amounting 

 to only 159?. 7s., his charge to tiicm 



paiiy for constructing their canal for a whole day's labour being only 

 works; and we arc surprised to find W. (is. 



