﻿X 
  

  

  his 
  collections 
  and 
  library, 
  to 
  University 
  College, 
  in 
  the 
  service 
  of 
  which 
  

   he 
  had 
  spent 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  life, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  principles 
  of 
  which 
  

   he 
  was 
  sincerely 
  attached. 
  

  

  Sir 
  John 
  Eennie, 
  C.E., 
  past 
  President 
  of 
  the 
  Institution 
  of 
  Civil 
  Engi- 
  

   neers, 
  was 
  born 
  August 
  30, 
  1794. 
  He 
  first 
  assisted 
  his 
  father, 
  the 
  late 
  

   John 
  Eennie, 
  in 
  building 
  both 
  South 
  wark 
  and 
  Waterloo 
  bridges. 
  After 
  

   the 
  death 
  of 
  his 
  father 
  in 
  1821 
  he 
  succeeded 
  him 
  as 
  Engineer 
  to 
  the 
  

   Admiralty, 
  a 
  post 
  he 
  held 
  for 
  ten 
  years. 
  Among 
  his 
  more 
  important 
  

   works 
  are 
  London 
  Bridge 
  (for 
  which 
  he 
  received 
  the 
  honour 
  of 
  knight- 
  

   hood), 
  Sheerness 
  Dockyard, 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  Eamsgate 
  Harbour 
  and 
  

   Plymouth 
  Breakwater 
  (commenced 
  by 
  his 
  father), 
  the 
  Earl 
  of 
  Lonsdale's 
  

   Docks 
  at 
  Whitehaven, 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  those 
  at 
  Cardiff, 
  and 
  the 
  carrying 
  out 
  

   for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  system 
  of 
  drainage 
  and 
  land 
  reclama- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  Lincolnshire 
  fens, 
  also 
  works 
  at 
  Newry 
  and 
  Dundalk. 
  He 
  was 
  

   the 
  author 
  of 
  a 
  noble 
  work 
  on 
  Harbours, 
  of 
  which 
  Her 
  Majesty 
  was 
  

   graciously 
  pleased 
  to 
  accept 
  the 
  dedication, 
  and 
  for 
  wiiieh 
  he 
  received 
  

   tokens 
  of 
  honour 
  from 
  their 
  Imperial 
  Majesties 
  the 
  Emperors 
  of 
  Eussia 
  

   and 
  Austria 
  ; 
  also 
  of 
  a 
  monograph 
  on 
  Plymouth 
  Breakwater, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  

   History 
  of 
  Engineering 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  Presidential 
  Address 
  to 
  the 
  In- 
  

   stitution 
  of 
  Civil 
  Engineers. 
  In 
  conjunction 
  with 
  his 
  late 
  brother, 
  

   G-. 
  Eennie, 
  he 
  contributed 
  to 
  introduce 
  the 
  screw-propeller 
  into 
  the 
  navy, 
  

   and 
  erected 
  the 
  machinery 
  for 
  the 
  mints 
  of 
  Calcutta, 
  Bombay, 
  and 
  Mexico 
  ; 
  

   they 
  also 
  erected 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Clarence 
  Victualling 
  Yard 
  at 
  Plymouth 
  ; 
  

   and 
  Sir 
  John 
  Eennie 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  perceive 
  the 
  uses 
  of 
  the 
  diving- 
  

   bell 
  in 
  engineering 
  works. 
  Sir 
  John 
  Eennie 
  was 
  admittedly 
  the 
  highest 
  

   authority 
  on 
  all 
  subjects 
  connected 
  with 
  hydraulic 
  engineering, 
  harbours, 
  

   drainage, 
  canals, 
  irrigation, 
  the 
  storage 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  management 
  of 
  

   rivers 
  ; 
  and 
  his 
  pamphlets 
  on 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  Lombardy 
  having 
  at- 
  

   tracted 
  notice, 
  the 
  Italian 
  Premier, 
  Signor 
  Sella, 
  advised 
  His 
  Majesty 
  

   the 
  King 
  of 
  Italy 
  to 
  confer 
  upon 
  him 
  the 
  Order 
  of 
  St. 
  Maurice 
  and 
  

   St. 
  Lazare. 
  Sir 
  John 
  long 
  possessed 
  a 
  wide 
  reputation 
  on 
  the 
  Con- 
  

   tinent, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  gathered 
  not 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  above 
  remarks, 
  but 
  from 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  he 
  constructed 
  the 
  harbour 
  of 
  Ponte 
  Delgada 
  in 
  the 
  Azores, 
  

   that 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  Knight 
  of 
  the 
  Tower 
  and 
  Sword 
  of 
  Portugal, 
  of 
  the 
  Wasa 
  

   of 
  Sweden, 
  and 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  Member 
  of 
  the 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences 
  of 
  Stock- 
  

   holm 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Austrian 
  Society 
  of 
  Civil 
  Engineers. 
  Sir 
  John 
  was, 
  

   further, 
  well 
  versed 
  in 
  general 
  science 
  and 
  literature 
  ; 
  and 
  besides 
  belong- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  scientific 
  and 
  learned 
  societies 
  in 
  the 
  metropolis, 
  he 
  

   was 
  long 
  an 
  active 
  Member 
  of 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Society 
  and 
  the 
  Meteorological 
  

   Committee 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Council, 
  and 
  was 
  also 
  Chairman 
  of 
  the 
  Juries 
  

   at 
  the 
  Exhibition, 
  1862. 
  Of 
  late 
  years, 
  owing 
  to 
  age 
  and 
  increasing 
  

   infirmities, 
  he 
  retired 
  almost 
  entirely 
  from 
  active 
  life 
  and 
  public 
  notice, 
  

   and 
  finally 
  died, 
  September 
  3, 
  1874. 
  His 
  kindness 
  of 
  heart 
  won 
  him 
  

   many 
  friends, 
  who 
  will 
  greatly 
  regret 
  his 
  loss. 
  

  

  