Part 8 (1/2)

The amount of practical infor our own cheents was such as to reward us, in many respects, for the labour we underwent To outsiders itat the finally desired result But I feel certain that there is no betterchemical or any other instruction, deeply in our ret that the sa men of the present day They are seldom, if ever, called upon to exert their oits and industry to obtain the requisites for their instruction A great deal is now said about ”technical education”; but how little there is of technical handiness or head work! Everything is bought ready made to their hands; and hence there is no call for individual ingenuity

I often observe, in shop-s, every detail of ines, supplied ready enious and mechanical turn Thus the vital uses of resourcefulness are done aith, and a shaenius is paraded before you by the young impostors--the result, for the most part, of too free a supply of pocket money I have known too many instances of parents, led by such false evidence of constructive skill, apprenticing their sons to so out that the pretender co shop with no other practical acco!

The truth is that the eyes and the fingers--the bare fingers--are the two principal inlets to sound practical instruction They are the chief sources of trustworthy knowledge as to all the ineer has to deal with, No book knowledge can avail for that purpose The nature and properties of the er ends Hence, I have no faith in young engineers who are addicted to wearing gloves Gloves, especially kid gloves, are perfect non-conductors of technical knowledge

This has really ineering success than innings

I left the High School at the end of 1820 I carried with me a small amount of Latin, and no Greek I do not think I was uages I wanted so I continued eometry were my favourite branchesThe three first books of Euclid were to ht outThey trained me mentally They enabled e of absolute truths It is because of this that I have ever since held the beautifully perfect , as exhibited in the exactat QED, to be one of the most satisfactory efforts and exercises of the hu part in the works at Patterson's foundry, and joining in the cheave

He taught me to sketch with exactness every object, whether natural or artificial, so as to enable the hand to accurately reproduce what the eye had seen In order to acquire this almost invaluable art, which can serve so many valuable purposes in life, he was careful to educate ht perceive the relative proportions of the objects placed before me He would thron at rando them, and set hts and shadows respectively

I have often heard hiard to outline, and also indicate by a few effective touches the variation of lights and shadows of such a group of ood and correct sketch of the exterior of York Minster!

My father was an enthusiast in praise of this graphic language, and I have followed his example In fact, it forave raphic strokes of the pencil, which far surpassed in expression any nuhest gifts in conveying clear and correct ideas as to the forms of objects--whether they be those of a simple and familiar kind, or of some form of , or the characteristic features of a wide-stretching landscape This acco, which I achieved for the ood turn in future years with reference to the engineering hich became the business of my life

I was constantly busy Mind, hands, and body were kept in a state of delightful and instructive activity When not drawing, I occupied myself in my father's workshop at the lathe, the furnace, or the bench

I gradually became initiated into every variety of mechanical and chemical manipulation I made my own tools and constructed my chemical apparatus, as far as lay in my power With respect to the latter, I constructed a very handy and effective blowpipe apparatus, consisting of a small air force-pump, connected with a cylindrical vessel of tin plate By means of an occasional use of the handy pump, it yielded such a fine steady blowpipe blast, as enabled lass tubes and blow bulbs for thermometers, to analyse metals or mineral substances, or to do any other work for which intense heat was necessary

My natural aptitude for manipulation, whether in mechanical or chemical operations, proved very serviceable to myself as well as to others; and (as will be shown hereafter) it gained for uished scientific ether to experiments Exercise is as necessary for the body as the mind Without full health a man cannot enjoy comfort, nor can he possess endurance I therefore took plenty of exercise out of doors I accoh My intellect was kept alive during these delightful excursions For sometimes my father was accompanied by brother-artists, whose conversation is always so attractive; and sometimes by scientific men, such as Sir James Hall, Professor Leslie, Dr Brewster, and others

Whatever may have beencould have better served the purpose of real education (the evolution of the mental faculties) than the opportunities I enjoyed while accouished for their originality of thought and their high intellectual capacity This was a in of the beautiful scenery round Edinburgh was often the subject of their conversation Probably few visitors are aware that all those res so peculiar and ro inconceivably re the earth's crust by disruptive power, and pouring forth streams of molten lava, now shrunk and cooled into volcanic rock

The observant eye, opened by the light of Science, can see uns which were in action at periods so remote as, in comparison, to shrink up the oldest of human records into events of yesterday

I had often the privilege of standing by and hearing the philosophic Leslie, Brewster, and Hall, discussing these volcanic remains in their actual presence; sometimes at Arthur's Seat or on the Calton Hill, or at the rock on which Edinburgh Castle stands, Their observations sank indelibly into rand class of terrestrial pheno at the ”Giant's Ribs,” on the south side of Arthur's Seat, I felt as if one of the grandest pages of the earth's history lay open before me

The evidences of similar volcanic action abound in ht across Scotland froal's Cave, the Giant's Causeway in Antrial in Ireland

Volcanic action, in some inconceivably reh, and after denudation by water, has been the Harrow, by which the originally deep-seated ht within the reach of man's industrial efforts It has thus yielded him inexhaustible mineral harvests, and helped hiress towards civilisation It is fro the results of these grand fundaencies in their picturesque aspect, the knowledge of their useful results to randeur of the contereat subject caused me, even at this early period of my life, to behold with special interest the first peep at the structure of the moon's surface, as revealed to lass,”

which my father possessed, and thus planted the seed of that earnest desire to scrutinise more minutely the moon's wonderful surface, which in after years I pursued bytelescopes constructed by myself

To turn to another subject In 1822 the loyalty of Scotland was greatly excited when George the Fourth paid his well-known visit to Edinburgh It was then the second greatest city in the kingdom, and had not been visited by royalty for about 170 years The civic authorities, and the inhabitants generally, exerted the a cordial welco of dissatisfaction as to his personal character The recent trial and death of Queen Caroline had not been forgotten, yet all such recollections were suppressed in the earnest desire to show every respect to the royal visitor Edinburgh was croith people from all parts of the country; heather was arrayed on every bonnet and hat; and the reception was on the whole nificent Perhaps the most impressive spectacle was the orderliness of the multitude, all arrayed in their Sunday clothes The streets, s; and house-tops were crowded; and the Calton Hill, Salisbury Crags, and even Arthur's Seat it self, were covered with people On the night before the arrival a gigantic bonfire on Arthur's Seat lit up with a tre country It for the adjacent mountains as well as the prorand old volcanic mountain had once more, after a rest of soain in its former vehemence of eruptive activity

There were, of course, eant of the king's entry into Edinburgh, but none of theed than Sir Walter Scott, who never felt more proud of ”his own romantic town” than he did upon this occasion It is unnecessary tofeatures of the royal reception The king's visit lasted for seven or eight days, and everything passed off loyally, orderly, happily, and successfully

Shortly after this ti classes All thetoere short of employment, and the weavers and factory workers were thrown upon the public Many of the work Radical clubs were forhts in the hopes of setting things to rights byweavers cah A committee was foriving them temporary employment

They were set to work to s The fine walk is, which opens out such perfect panorah, was made by these poor fellows It was hard work for their delicate hands and fingers, which before had been accustomed only to deal with threads and soft fabrics They were very badly suited for handling the mattock, shovel, and hand-barrow The result of their labours, however, proved of great advantage to Edinburgh in opening up the beauties of its scenery

The road round the crags is still called ”The Radical Road”

Let me here mention one of the most memorable incidents of the year 1824 I refer to the destructive fire which took place in the old town of Edinburgh It broke out in an aparth Street In spite of every effort of the fireutted and destroyed The fire was thought to be effectually arrested; but towards the afternoon of the next day s from the upper part of the steeple of the Tron Church The steeple was built of timber, covered with lead There is never smoke but there is fire; and at last the flaht of the spire was so lofty that all atteuish the fire were hopeless The lead was soon th the whole steeple fell doith a frightful crash

I happened to see the first outbreak of this extraordinary fire, and I watched its progress to its close Burning embers were carried by the wind and co houses The last outburst took place one night about ten All the fire-engines of Edinburgh and the neighbourhood were collected round the buildings, and played water upon the flaes of lofty old houses were roaring with fire In the course of two or three hours, several acres, covered by the loftiest and h Street, were in a blaze Some of them were of thirteen stories Floor after floor ca out a blaze of embers The walls of each house acted as an enorht-holes The walls, under the intense heat, were fluxed andthe progress of the fire was to pull down the neighbouring houses, so as to isolate the reh Street