LORD brougham's INSCRIPTION. 451 



NOT TO PERPETUATE A NAME 



WHICH MUST ENDURE WHILE THE PEACEFUL ARTS FLOURISH, 



BUT TO SHOW 



THAT MANKIND HAVE LEARNT TO HONOUR THOSE 



WHO DESERVE THEIR GRATITUDE, 



THE KING, 



HIS MINISTERS, AND MANY OF THE NOBLES 



AND COMMONERS OF THE REALM, 



RAISED THIS MONUMENT TO 



JAMES WATT, 



WHO DIRECTING THE FORCE OF AN ORIGINAL GENIUS 



EARLY EXERCISED IN PHILOSOPHIC RESEARCH, 



TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF 



THE STEAM-ENGINE, 



ENLARGED THE RESOURCES OF HIS COUNTRY, 



INCREASED THE POWER OF MAN, 



AND ROSE TO AN EMINENT PLACE 



AMONG THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS FOLLOWERS OF SCIENCE 



AND THE REAL BENEFACTORS OF THE WORLD. 



BORN AT GREENOCK, MDCCXXXVI. 



DIED AT HEATHFIELD, IN STAFFORDSHIRE, MDCCCXIX.* 



There are, actually counted, five large statues erected 

 in a slioz't time to the honour of "Watt. Must we ac- 

 knowledge it ? — this homage of filial piety, of public 

 gratitude, has excited the ill-humour of some narrow 

 minds, who, remaining stationary themselves, think they 

 can arrest the march of centuries. If we believe them, 

 some military men, some magistrates, some ministers (I 

 must confess they have not dared to say all the ministers), 

 would have a right to statues. I know not whether 

 Homer, Aristotle, Descartes, Newton would appear to 

 these new Aristarchi deserving of a bust ; assuredly they 

 would refuse the most unassuming medal to the Papins, 

 the Vaucansons, the Watts, the Arkwrights, and other 

 mechanics, unknown, perhaps, in a certain world, but 



* The French trauslation, for obvious reasons, is omitted. — Trans- 

 lator. 



