Part 10 (1/2)

On the 19th of May 1829, accoh Castle, Captain Orr, e of four days we reached the mouth of the Thames We sailed up from the Nore on Saturday afternoon, lifted up, as it were, by the tide, for it was alht of the banks of the famous river, with the Kent orchards in full blossoes of steamers with bands of ether with the sight of numbers of noble lorious and exciting scene It was also enhanced by the thought that I was nearing the great ht but anxious hopes were centred, as the scene of my first important step into the anxious business of life, The tide, which had carried us up the river as far as Woolwich suddenly turned; and we re the tide rose, and we sailed away again

It was a brightup the east”

as we floated past wharfs and woodyards and old houses on the banks, past wherries and coal boats and merchant shi+ps on the river, until we reached our destination at the Irongate Wharf, near the Tower of London I heard St Paul's clock strike six just as we reached our h to allow us tothe Sunday, as it was by no e on that day My father took ent's Park One ofin that neighbourhood My father so planned his route as to include hts of London He pointed out the principal objects, and gave in and history

I was rowth of the trees and shrubs in the squares; for spring was then in its first beauty The loveliness of Regent's Park surprised me The extent of the space, the brilliancy of the fresh-leaved trees, and the handsos by which the park was surrounded, made it seehts Under the happy aspect of a brilliant May forenoon, this first long walk through London, with all its happy attendant circumstances, rendered it one of theher all the details of the last news from home, she joined us in our walk down to Westminster Abbey The first view of the interior stands out in hts I ever beheld I had before read, over and over again, the beautiful description of the Abbey given by Washi+ngton Irving in the Sketch Book, one of thethat I know of I now found one of my day-dreae to call upon s from his beautiful sketches from Nature Some of them were more or less advanced in the for oncommemorate his artistic life We closed this everat a tavern at the Surrey end of Waterloo Bridge We sat at an upper hich co stretch of the river, and fros, from St Paul's to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, which lay on the other side of the Tha dayat that ti

We succeeded in securing a tidy lodging at No 14 Agues Place, Waterloo Road The locality had a special attraction for me, as it was not far froe was res, andthe exaineer workman, were deposited in a carpenter's workshop close at hand

I was now anxious for the intervieith Maudslay My father had been introduced to him by a mutual friend soh On the ether, and reached his house in Westminster Road, Lambeth

It adjoined his factory My father knocked at the door My own heart beat fast Would he be at home? Would he receive us? Yes! he was at home; and ere invited to enter

Mr Maudslay received us in the most kind and frank manner After a little conversation my father explained the object of his visit

”My son,” he said, pointing toa thorough practical knowledge ofas an apprentice in some such establishment as yours” ”Well,” replied Maudslay, ”I must frankly confess to you that my experience of pupil apprentices has been so unsatisfactory that my partner and myself have determined to discontinue to receive them--no matter at what premium This was a very painful blow to uine expectations

Mr Maudslay knew thatto o round the works Of course I accoht of the workshops astonished me They excelled all that I had anticipated The beautiful machine tools, the silent smooth whirl of the machinery, the active moveress, and the adement that pervaded the whole establishly anxious than ever to obtain some employment there, in however humble a capacity

Mr Maudslay observed the earnest interest which I andon, and explained the s in thefrom one part of the factory to another that I observed the beautiful steaave motion to the tools and ed in cleaning out the ashes from under the boiler furnace, in order to wheel them away to their place outside On the spur of the moment I said to Mr Maudslay, ”If you would only permit me to do such a job as that in your service, I should consider et the keen but kindly look that he gave me ”So ,”

said he, ”you are one of that sort, are you?” I was inwardly delighted at his words

When our round of the works was concluded, I ventured to say to Mr Maudslay that ”I had brought up with ines and ed if he would allowthem to me tomorrow at twelve o'clock”

I need not say how much pleased I was at this permission to exhibit my handiwork, and how anxious I felt as to the result of Mr Maudslay's inspection of it

I carefully unpacked ine at the carpenter's shop, and had it conveyed, together withat the appointed hour

I was allowed to place my work for his inspection in a roo-house I then called at his residence close by, where he kindly received me in his library He asked me to wait until he and his partner, Joshua Field, had inspectedminutes passed At last he entered the room, and from a lively expression in his countenance I observed in acherished aood round terineer andthe door which led from his library into his beautiful private workshop, he said, ”This is where I wish you to work, beside me, as my assistant workman From what I have seen there is no need of an apprenticeshi+p in your case”

He then proceeded to show me the collection of exquisite tools of all sorts hich his private workshop was stored They mostly bore the impress of his own clearheadedness and common-sense They were very siements

At the same time they were perfect for the special purposes for which they had been designed The workshop was surrounded with cabinets and drawers, filled with evidences of the master's skill and industry

Every tool had a purpose It had been invented for some special reason Sometimes it struck the keynote, as it were, to many of the important contrivances which enable man to obtain a co upon the walls, or placed upon shelves, many treasured relics of the first eenius

There were ress of his tee inventions and contrivances The workshop was thus quite a historical museum of mechanism It exhibited his characteristic qualities in construction I afterwards found out that many of the contrivances preserved in his private workshop were treasured as suggestive of soe in his useful and active life They were kept as relics of his progress towards ht them out from time to time, to serve for the execution of some job in hand, he was sure to dilate upon the occasion that led to their production, as well as upon the happy results which had followed their general e

It was one of his favourite et a clear notion of what you desire to acco it” Another was ”Keep a sharp look-out upon your et rid of every pound of material you can do without; put to yourself the question, 'What business has it to be there? avoid co as simple as possible” Mr Maudslay was full of quaint maxims and rereat experience They orthy of being stored up in the mind, like a set of proverbs, full of the life and experience of hts beca his force of character and intellect

His quaint remarks on my first visit to his workshop, and on subsequent occasions, proved to ard to all matters connected with mechanical structure

Mr Maudslay seemed at once to take me into his confidence He treated me in the most kindly manner--not as a workman or an apprentice, but as a friend I was an anxious listener to everything that he said; and it gave him pleasure to observe that I understood and valued his conversation The greatest treat of all was in store for me

He showed me his exquisite collection of taps and dies and screw-tackle, which he had made with the utmost care for his own service

They rested in a succession of drawers near to the bench where he worked

There was a place for every one, and every one was in its place