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(f.rreyti and phnned ihe whole, ant! executed fome miles of 

 tKe tuvigalioii, which wat tinifhed by his brothcr-in-Iaw, 

 Mr. Hcnlhall,in 1777. Such was ihceiUblilhed reputation 

 of Mr. Brindlcy, that he was edifultid 011 a variety of oc- 

 ctfioni ; and, indeed, few woikauf iliis kind were undertaken 

 wnhout bis advice. 



He was employed by the city of London, to furvey a 

 eourfe for a canal from Sunning, near Reading in Btrkdiire, 

 to Monkey ifland, near Riclinioiid ; but, on account of the 

 oppofition of the land-owners, this plan was defeated. He 

 had alfo, for fome time, the direftion of the Calder naviga- 

 tion J but, on account of a difference among the commif- 

 fioners, he declined any further concern in it. In 1766, he 

 taid out a canal from the river Calder, at Cooper's bridge, 

 to Huddcrsfitld in Yorkfhire, which has fince been exe- 

 cuted. In 1768, he revifcd the plan for the inland naviga- 

 tion from Leeds to Liverpool j but, though he was ap- 

 pointe<l engineer for conducting the works, his other en- 

 gagements obhged him to dcchne this employment. In the 

 fam* year, he planned a canal from Stockton, by Darling- 

 ton, to Winlloi*, in the bilhopric of Durham. Three plans 

 of the like kind were formed by him in 1769; one from 

 Leeds to Sclby ; another from the Briftol ciiannel, near 

 Uphill in Somei fetfhire, to Glaftonbury, Taunton, Welling- 

 ton, Tivertoo, and Exeter j and a third from Langport, in 

 the county of Somcrfet, by way of Ilminller, Chard, and 

 Axminiler, to the fotith channel at Asmouth, in the county 

 of Devon. In 1770, he fnr\eyed the country, for a canal 

 from Andover, by way of Stockbridge and Rumfey, to 

 Redbridge near Southampton ; and, in 1 7 7 1 , from Salif- 

 bury, by Fordinghridge and Ringwood, to Chri(lchiu-ch. 

 fn 1772 he performed the fame office, for a fimilar naviga- 

 tion from Prellon to Lancafter, and from thence to Kendal 

 in Weftmoreland. He alfo planned a canal for joining that 

 of the duke of Bridgwater at Runcorn, near Liverpool, in 

 the execution of which fcheme be propofed to have con- 

 ilructed an aqoxducl over the river Merfcy, at a pkce where 

 the tide flows to the height of 14 feet. He alio furveyed 

 the county of Cheflcr, with a view to a canal from the 

 Grand Trunk to the city of Cheiler. He re^■ifed the plan 

 for joining the Forth and the Clyde, and propofed fome 

 conuderable improvements, which were afterwards adopted 

 by the managers. A canal was alfo laid out by him for 

 uniting that of Qiellertield, by the way of Derby, with the 

 Grand Trunk at Swarkftone. He was alfo confultcdin the 

 rarious plans for the draining of the low lands in different 

 parts of Lincolnftiire, and the i(Te of Ely. He gave the 

 corporation of Liverpool a plan for clearing their docks of 

 mud, which has been praciil'ed with fuceeis; and he pro- 

 pofed a method, which has alfo fuccecdcd, of building wall* 

 ijgainft the fca without mortar. The lad of his inventions 

 was an improved machine for drawing water out of mines, 

 by a lofing-and gr.irjng bucket, wlsch lie afterwards em- 

 ployed with advantage in raifing coals. 



When difficulties occurrtd in tlie execution of any of his 

 works, Mr. Brindley had no recourfe to books, or to the 

 labours of other perfons ; but as all his refourees wer>' thofe 

 of his own inventive mind, he generally retired to bed, and 

 by there one, two, or three days, till he had devifed the 

 expedients which he needed for the accomplilhment of Ins 

 objeits. He tli-n got up, and executed his defign without 

 any drawing or model, which he never ufcd, except for the 

 Iitisfaiftion of his employers. His memory was fo tena- 

 ciojs, that he could remember and e.\ecute all the parts of 

 the njoft complex machine, provided lie had time, in 

 hjs previous furvey, to fettle, in his mind, the fcven»l de- 

 partments, and thcii relations to each other. In his calcu.- 



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lations of the powers of any machine, he performed the 

 requitite operation by a raental procefs, in a manner which 

 none kneiv but hi:rfelf, and which, perhaps, he was not 

 able to communicate to others ; and after certain intervals- 

 of confidcration, he noted down the refult in figures ; and 

 then proceeded to operate upon that refult, until at length 

 the complete folution was obtained, which was generally 



ri^bt. 



Sonie have faid that Mr. Brindley had been fo much 

 negledted in early life, as never to have learned to read and 

 write ; and it has alfo been affirmed, that his afpeA was that 

 of an idiot, and his language mean, obfcu«-e, and almoit 

 unintelligible. But neither of thefe faifls- is well founded. 

 Although he read little, and wrote lefs, he had frequent 

 occafiou for corrtfpondence with his friencis and employers* 

 His countenance was fenfible and ar.imaled ; but as he was 

 unoftentatious in his outward appearance, his drefs was 

 always {>lain. His converfation, on occaiions of importance, 

 and among his intimate friends, waa inllruiflive and interell- 

 ing; and enlivened by the fingular genius, and t!ie benevo- 

 lent and patriotic fpirit, for which he was dillinguilhed, and 

 which gave energy to his purfuits. His want of literature, 

 indeed, coropelle-d him to cultivate, in an extraoidinary 

 degree, th« art of menu>iy ; and in order to facilitate the 

 revival, in his mind, of thofe vilible objptls and their pro- 

 perties, to whidi his attention was chiefly dirctled, he 

 fecluded himfclf from the external impreflions of other ob- 

 jects, in the folitude of his bed. Dr. Wallis, who was emi- 

 nently diftinguifhed by the tenacioufiitfs of his memory, fo 

 that he could extraft the cube root of any number to 100. 

 places of figures in his mind, availed himfelf, for this pur- 

 pofe, of a fimilar feclufion. Mr. Brindley's inceffant at- 

 tention to important and interefting objefts, precluded hin» 

 from participating in any of the ordinary amufements of 

 life, and ii^deed, prevented his deriving from them any plea- 

 fure. Accordingly, though he was once prevailed upoa 

 by his friends in London to fee a play, he found his ideas 

 fo much dillurbed, and his mind rendered fo unfit for buC- 

 nefs, as to induce him to declare, that he would not on any 

 account go to anotlier. It is not improbable, however, that 

 by mdulging an occallonal relaxation, remitting his applica- 

 tion, and varying his purfuits, his life might have been pro- 

 longed, and his ufefulncfs extended. Whereas the multi- 

 plicity of his engagements, and the con'.tant attention which, 

 he bellowed on them, brought on a hettic fever, which con- 

 tinued, with little or no intermifi".on, for fome years, and at 

 laft terminated his ufcful and honourable career on the 27th 

 of September, 1772, in the 56th year of his age, at Turr- 

 hurft, in St^ffordfhire. He was buried at New Chapel, hi 

 tlje fame county. 



The talents of Mr. Brindley were cf a fingular kind ; 

 and under the patronage of his grace the duke of Bridg- 

 water, they had an opportunity of being unfolded and exer- 

 cifed to their full extent, iii the execution of works new to 

 this cnmitry, and which will perpetuate his fame to future 

 generations. The brief recital which has been given of his 

 llupenJoud undertakings, will enable the reader to form fome 

 j,udgraent of this extraordinary perfon. Such was the en- 

 thuiirbfm with which he engaged in all fchemes of inland 

 navigation, that he feemcd (if we may credit report) to. 

 regard all rivers with contempt, whe-n compared with canals. 

 To this purpofc, it is faid, that in an examination before the 

 houfe of commons, when he was aflced by a member, for 

 what purpofe he appi-ehendcd rivers were created ? he re- 

 plied, after fome deliberation, " to feed navigable canals." 

 As to his private charafter, thofe who knew him well, ai.d 

 hadanopportunityofconverfing, familiarly with htm, refpeacd 



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