186 JAMES'S VISITS TO KILLINGWORTH. CHAP. X. 



place, the collier was soundly pummelled, the natives 

 poured in volleys of stones upon the surveyors and their 

 instruments, and the theodolite was smashed to pieces. 



From a letter before us, written by Mr. James to 

 Mr. Sandars, on the 21st October, 1821, it appears 

 that an outline-survey had then been made, and the 

 notices were published of the intended application to 

 Parliament. Mr. James there states that he is " going 

 to Newcastle principally to get a certificate from Ste- 

 phenson of the operations of his engine. Until a deputa- 

 tion goes down, it may serve to prevent the existence 

 and spread of doubts, which are so mortifying to honour- 

 able intentions." Mr. James accordingly proceeded to 

 Killingworth, and his son, who accompanied him, has 

 informed us of the result of the visit. Mr. James was 

 not so fortunate as to meet Mr. Stephenson on the occa- 

 sion ; but he examined the locomotive at work, and was 

 very much struck by its power and efficiency. He saw 

 at a glance the magnificent uses to which it might be 



(applied. " Here," said he, " is an engine that will, 

 before long, effect a complete revolution in society." 

 Returning to Moreton-in-the-Marsh, he wrote to Mr. 

 Losh (Stephenson's partner in the patent) expressing 

 his admiration of the Killingworth engine. "It is," 

 said he, " the greatest wonder of the age, and the fore- 

 runner, as I firmly believe, of the most important 

 changes in the internal communications of the king- 

 dom." Mr. Losh invited him again to visit Killing- 

 worth, for the purpose of having an interview with 

 Mr. Stephenson on the subject of his locomotive. 

 Accordingly, in September of the same year, Mr. 

 I James, accompanied by his two sons, made a second 

 /journey to Killingworth, where he met both Losh arid 

 / Stephenson. The visitors were at once taken to where 

 the locomotive was working, and invited to mount 

 it. The uncouth and extraordinary appearance of 

 the machine, as it came snorting along, was somewhat 



