The Famous Blind Engineer of Belfast. 29 



which by sending off a certain portion of the water centrifically at 

 right angles with the axis, gives a violent vibratory motion to the 

 entire mass of the ship and cargo, and thus subtracts materially 

 from the propelling power of the engines " 



In June of 1854 Mitchell left Heysham and went to Victoria 

 Terrace, Holywood, for some months, four miles from Belfast, 

 where he enjoyed the superintendence of a large garden of 

 vegetables. 



This was the year 1855 of the great Paris Exhibition, and a 

 silver medal was awarded to Alexander Mitchell for the invention 

 of the screw mooring. 



On the 1 2th of April, 1858, a paper by Mitchell was read at the 

 Literary Society on " Architectural foundations " 



After his daughter Mary's death he joined Mrs. Burden's house- 

 hold, and her family stayed with him at Farm Hill, Holywood. 

 until they all moved to Glen Divis in May, 1868. In this latter 

 year a young Belfast sculptor, called Lynn, modelled a bust of 

 Mitchell, but it was not thought so good as the marble bust that 

 Shakspere Wood made when he came over from Italy several 

 years before. This bust is now the property of Belfast, but was 

 unfortunately discoloured by a fire in his grand-daughter's house. 

 On the 25th of June, 1868, Mitchell's life ended calmly and 

 naturally in the presence of his beloved daughter and son-in-law. 

 He was buried in Clifton Street Graveyard. 



The lecturer expressed his indebtedness for information supplied 

 to him by Mrs. Mary Garrett of Wynnstay Gardens, Kensington, 

 London, widow of Thomas Garrett, formerly a Solicitor in Belfast. 

 Mrs. Garrett is the only daughter of Alexander Mitchell's elder 

 daughter, Margaret, wife of Dr. Wm. Burden, of Belfast. The 

 lecturer expressed the hope that the bust of Mitchell now pre- 

 sented to the city would long serve to keep the memory green of 

 one who had conferred a great benefit on humanity and shed a 

 lustre on his native city of Belfast, of which he was one of the 

 most famous engineers. 



A series of drawings of Mitchell's work, and a portrait, were 

 presented to the Technical School, Belfast, by the lecturer. 



