CHAP. XIV. MR. TELFORD'S LATER YEARS. 477 



are able to emancipate themselves and enter on the path 

 of truth." But supposing a suspension bridge were not 

 deemed advisable under the circumstances, and it were 

 considered necessary altogether to avoid motion, " then," 

 said he, " I should recommend you to erect a cast iron 

 bridge of three spans, each 400 feet ; such a bridge will 

 have no motion, and though half the world lay a wreck, 

 it would still stand." l The suspension bridge was 

 eventually resolved upon ; it was constructed by, one of 

 Mr. Telford's ablest pupils, Mr. Tierney Clark, between 

 the years 1839 and 1850, and is one of the greatest 

 triumphs of English engineering to be found in Europe, 

 the Buda-Pesth people proudly declaring it to be " the 

 eighth wonder of the world." 



At a time when speculation was very rife in the 

 year 1825 Mr. Telford was consulted respecting a grand 

 scheme for cutting a canal across the Isthmus of Darien ; 

 and about the same time he was employed to resurvey 

 the line for a ship canal which had before occupied the 

 attention of Whitworth and Rennie between Bristol 

 and the English Channel. But although he gave great 

 attention to this latter project, and prepared numerous 

 plans and reports upon it, and although an Act was 

 actually passed enabling it to be carried out, the scheme 

 was eventually abandoned, like the preceding ones with 

 the same object, for want of the requisite funds. 



Our engineer had a perfect detestation of speculative 

 jobbing in all its forms, though on one occasion he could 

 not help being used as an instrument by schemers. A 

 public company was got up at Liverpool, in 1827, to 

 form a broad and deep ship canal, of about seven miles 

 in length, from opposite Liverpool to near Helbre Isle, in 

 the estuary of the Dee : its object was to enable shipping 

 to avoid the variable shoals and sand-banks which obstruct 

 the entrance to the Mersey. Mr. Telford entered on the 

 project with great zeal, and his name was widely quoted 



Supplement to Weale's ' Bridges,' Count Szechenyi's Report, p. 18. 



