MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 49 



amassed a large fortune in London, came to the 

 North, and established the Iron Works at Busy 

 Cottage, near Newcastle ; and, on his taking a 

 view of Tyneside, he fixed upon Eltringham as a 

 place at which he could carry on works to a much 

 greater extent. He set about this business in 

 great haste. All kinds of workmen were gathered 

 together for the purpose of speedily accomplishing 

 what he had in view ; and, while some of them 

 were busy in making the mills and machinery, 

 others were digging a mill-race of about a quarter 

 of a mile in length. But lo ! when this was done, 

 not being permitted to encroach on the bed of 

 the river, it was found they had not much more 

 than a foot of waterfall ; and, as the sides of the 

 mill-race were cut perpendicularly, about two 

 yards deep, through the dark fine soil, the first 

 great flood of the Tyne nearly levelled and filled it 

 up. The people in and about the place, including 

 my father, who had got licenses to sell ale, &c., 

 were obliged to decline, and the sign of my father's 

 house, the Seven Stars, which hung up between 

 the two ash trees, was taken down. The projector 

 made our house his home while the works were 

 going on, and the men were paid their w r ages 

 there. All was as suddenly sold off as it was 

 begun, and my father came to some loss after all 

 the trouble and turmoil he had been put to. 



