450 HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. CHAP. XX. 



American. Afterwards Emerson said, "that it 

 worth crossing the Atlantic to have seen Stephensori 

 alone ; he had such native force of character and vigour 

 of intellect." Although Emerson does not particularly 

 refer to this interview in the interesting essay afterwards 

 published by him, entitled 6 English Traits,' embodying 

 the results of the observations made by him in his 

 journeys through England, one cannot help feeling that 

 his interview with such a man as Stephenson must have 

 tended to fix in his mind those sterling qualities of 

 pluck, bottom, perseverance, energy, shrewdness, bravery, 

 and freedom, which he so vividly depicts in his book 

 as the prominent characteristics of the modern English- 

 man. 



The rest of Mr. Stephenson's days were spent quietly 

 at Tapton, amongst his dogs, his rabbits, and his birds. 

 When not engaged about the works connected with his 

 collieries, he was occupied in horticulture and farming. 

 He continued proud of his flowers, his fruits, and his 

 crops ; and the old spirit of competition was still strong 

 within him. Although he had for some time been in 

 delicate health, and his hand shook from nervous affec- 

 tion, he appeared to possess a sound constitution. Emer- 

 son had observed of him that he had the lives of many 

 men in him. But perhaps the American spoke figura- 

 tively, in reference to his vast stores of experience. It 

 appeared that he had never completely recovered from 

 the attack of pleurisy which seized him during his return 

 from Spain. As late, however, as the 26th of July, 

 1848, he felt himself sufficiently well to be able to attend 

 a meeting of the Institute of Mechanical. Engineers at 

 Birmingham, and to read to the members his paper " On 

 the Fallacies of the Rotatory Engine." It was his last 

 appearance before them. Shortly after his return to 

 Tapton, he had an attack of intermittent fever, from 

 which he seemed to be recovering, when a sudden 

 effusion of blood from the lungs carried him off, on the 



