250 



RESIGNS HIS APPOINTMENT 



CHAP. XIII. 



letter, the Board, through Mr. Kichardson, of Lombard- 

 street, one of the directors, communicated with his father 

 at Newcastle, representing that if he would allow his 

 son to remain in Colombia the Company would make it 

 " worth his while." To this the father gave a decided 

 negative, and intimated that he himself urgently needed 

 his son's assistance, and -that he must return at the 

 expiry of his three years' term, a decision, writes 

 Robert, " at which I feel much gratified, as it is clear 

 that he is as anxious to have me back in England as I 

 am to get there." ' At the same time, Edward Pease, 

 a principal partner in the Newcastle firm, privately 

 wrote Robert to the following effect, urging his return 

 home : " I can assure thee that your business at New- 

 castle, as well as thy father's engineering, have suffered 

 very much from thy absence, and, unless thou soon 

 return, the former will be given up, as Mr. Longridge is 

 not able to give it that attention it requires ; and what 

 is done is not done with credit to the house." The idea 

 of the manufactory being given up, which Robert had 

 laboured so hard to establish before leaving England, 

 was painful to him in the extreme, and he wrote Mr. 

 Illingworth, strongly urging that arrangements should 

 be made for enabling him to leave without delay. In 

 the mean time he was again laid prostrate by another 

 violent attack of aguish fever ; and when able to write, 



cepting what were called into exercise 

 in the monotonous routine of mining, 

 in which variety is scarcely known. 

 I mean not to imply that the art of 

 mining is devoid of interest ; on the 

 contrary, its pursuit always afforded 

 me pleasure, but I should wish to 

 blend other studies with it, and I 

 know it could be done with advan- 

 tage, and without detracting from the 

 attention due to operative mining. To 

 be open, should I remain here I would 

 erect a complete laboratory for per- 

 forming all the necessary kinds of 

 metallurgical operations. I would 

 have a liberal supply of scientific 



journals, as well as standard works 

 on chemistry and mineralogy. These, 

 the superintendence of the mines, and 

 the engineering department, would 

 form ample resources for the mind, 

 and render a four years' residence 

 bearable, otherwise it would be in- 

 tolerable. With these privileges, an 

 adequate remuneration, and the con- 

 sent of my friends, perhaps I might 

 remain; but my feelings and ideas 

 will be entirely guided by future com- 

 munications from England." 



1 Letter to Mr. Illingworth, April 

 9th, 1827. 



