Jofeph Butter, of Wokingham, in Berks, druggift. Green Smart, of Kingston upon Hull, 'patten-maker. Robert Healey, of Louth, in Lincolnfhire, fellmonger. Thomas Joachim, of Upper Thamesfreet, tea-dealer. James Robbins, of Neath, Glamorganfhire, grocer and shopkeeper. William Cooper, of the city of Exeter, Devonshire, feltmaker. Jofeph Beach, of Bedminster, Somersetfhire, and Jofiah Martin, of the city of Bristol, brick and pantile-makers and copartners. John Hewitt, of the city of Coventry, wine and brandy merchant. John Fencott, of Clehonger, Herefordfhire, tanner. William Stillman, of the city of Bath, Somersetfhite, blacksmith. William Maynard, of Long acre, stationer. William Reynolds Highmore, of the Three Cranes, London, coal-merchant. John Hanforth, of Wood-ftreet, innholder. John Barnes, of St. Helen, in the city of Worcester, baker. John Baptift Rouffel, of Artillery-ftreet, Spitalfields, weaver. Jeremiah Williamfon, of Old Bargeyard, in the parish of Chrift Church, timber-merchant. Henry Richardfon, of Camberwell, Surry, brewer. ler. Thomas Bedford, of Oxford-ftreet, fad Thomas Strawn, of Johnson's-court, Charing-crofs, vintner. William King, of Hatton-ftreet, coalfactor. Simon Kinfman, of Milton-Abbott, Devonshire, butcher. John Fletcher, of Manchester, Lancafhire, money-fcrivener. William Sword, of Whitehaven, Cumberland, butcher. Richard Emery, of Potton, Bedfordfhire, innholder. Jonathan Roberts, of the city of Chefter, ironmonger. Jofiah Chambers, of Tewksbury, Glou- Thomas Hilton, of Bury St. Edmund's, John Children, of Headcorn, in Kent, John Bird, of Little Ruffell - ftreet, Gwyllim Buffell, of Moorgate, apothe cary. Thomas Hayward, of Chelmsford, in William Reading, of the Tenter-ground, Richard Batchelor, of St. Mary Mag- John Stevens, of Croydon, Surry, but cher. Thomas Vernon, of Piccadilly, up holder. John Wilfon, of St. Mary-le-bone, money-fcrivener. Richard Ranger, of Lewes, Suffex, fhopkeeper. David White, of Bishops Hull, Somerfetfhire, cabinet maker. John Blood, of Tamworth, Warwickshire, mercer. William Ellam and Samuel Spendley, of Manchester, Lancashire, mercers and copartners. Edward Brown, of Lambeth, Surry, coal-merchant. Jane Priestley and Ann Priestley, of the city of York, milliners and copart ners. Richard White, of the city of Wor- George Dare the elder, of St. Mary James Nelfon, of Sunderland, draper. PRICES of STOCKS from January 26, to February 26, 1780, inclufive, Days ANK STOCK. STOCK. INDIA South Sea South Sea South Sea 3 per C. | 3 per C. | 3 per C. | 3 per C. | 31 per C. STOCK. old Ann. new Ann. Ind. Ann. Reduced, 31 Bank Confol. B. 1726. B. 1751. 1758. 4 per C, 1762. Navy Bills. 61 151 114 60 급 59 60 61 60 1 58 61 65 61 16 1144 1594 601/2 999966 61 60 61 60 61 1 62 62 62 61 1 61 61 62 61 61 62 62 61 61 62 62 61 59 4 62 62 17 60 1 61 ნა 61 62 18 61 60 / 61 60 59 意 61 62 614 65 62 60 60 COURSE of the EXCHANGE, LONDON, Feb. 22, 1780. Cadiz 36 | Genoa 45 Madrid 36 Venice Dublin 7 48 Altona 35 5 21 Ur Bilboa 36 Lisbon 51. 2d. Antwerp, no price | Bourdeaux, ditto 28} Leghorn 47 Oporto 58, 24. MEMOIRS of the LIFE of Mr. JAMES BRINDLEY, the celebrated HE amazing efforts of genius fhewn Tby Mr. Bindley in forming navigable communications between inland towns, even where Nature feemed to have interpofed infuperable obftacles to fuch undertakings, will certainly render the memoirs of this extraordinary man an interesting article of biography to all the lovers of mechanical arts. JAMES BRINDLEY was born at Tunfted, in the parish of Wormhill, and county of Derby, in the year 1716. His parents were poffeffed of a little freehold, the small income of which his father diffipated by a fondness for field-diversions, and by keeping company with people above his rank. The confequence was, that his fon was fo totally neglected, that he did not receive the ordinary rudiments of education. The neceffities of the family were fo preffing, that young Brindley was obliged, as early as poffible, to contribute towards its fupport; and, till he was nearly feventeen years of age, he was employed in thofe kinds of light labour ufually affigned, in country places, to the children of the poor. At this period of his life, he bound himself apprentice to one Bennet, a mill-wright, near Macclesfield, in Cheshire, and foon became expert in the bufinefs; quickly discovering a strong attachment to the mechanic arts in general, and a genius for extending them. In the early part of his apprenticeship, he was frequently left by himself, for whole weeks together, to execute works concerning which his mafter had given him no previous inftructions. Thefe works, therefore, he finished in his own way; and Mr. Bennet was often aftonifhed at the improvements his apprentice, from time to time, introduced into the mill-wright bufinefs, and earnestly quef. tioned him from whence he had gained his knowledge. He had not been long at the trade, before the millers, wherever he had been employed, always chofe him again, in preference to the matter, or any other workman; and, before the expiration of his fervitude, at which time Mr. Bennet, who was advanced in years, grew unable to work, Mr. Brindley, by his ingenuity and application, kept up the bufinefs with credit, and fupported the old man and his family in a comfortable manner. It may not be amifs to mention a fin- gular inftance of our young mechanic's active and earneft attention to the improvement of mill-work. His master, having been employed to build an engine-papermill, which was the first of the kind that had been attempted in those parts, went to fee one of them at work, as a model to copy after. But, notwithstanding this, when he had begun to build the mill, and prepare the wheels, the people of the neighbourhood were informed by a mill-wright, who happened to travel that road, that Mr. Bennet was throwing his employers money away, and would never be able to complete the work he had undertaken. Mr. Brindley, hearing of the report, and being fenfible that he could not depend upon his master for proper inftructions, determined to fee, with his own eyes, the mill intended to be copied. Accordingly, without mentioning his defign, he fet out, on a Saturday evening, after he had finifhed the bufinefs of the day; travelled 50 miles on foot to view the mill; returned back, in time for his work, on Monday morning; informed Mr. Bennet wherein he had been deficient; and completed the engine, to the intire fatisfaction of the proprietors. Mr. Brindley afterwards engaged in the mill-wright business on his own account, and advanced it to a higher degree of perfection than it had formerly attained; fo that he rendered himself greatly valued in his neighbourhood, as a moft ingenious mechanic. By degrees, his fame began to fpread in the country, and his genius was no longer confined to the particular branch in which he had hitherto been employed. In the year 1752, he erected a very extraordinary water-engine at Clifton, in Lancafhire, for the purpofe of draining fome coal mines, which before were worked at an enormous expence. The water for the ufe of this engine was brought out of the river Irwell, by a fubterraneous tunnel, nearly 600 yards in length, carried thro' a rock; and the wheel was fixed thirty feet below the furface of the ground. Mr. Brindley's fuperiority being now well afcertained, and his reputation having reached the metropolis, he was employed by N. Pattifon, Efq; of London, and some other Gentlemen, in the year 1755, to execute the larger wheels for a new filkP mill, The mill, at Congleton, in Cheshire. execution of the faller wheels, and of the more complex parts of the machinery, was committed to another perfon, and that perfon had the fuperintendency of the whole. He was not, however, equal to the undertaking; for he was obliged, after various efforts, to confess his inability to complete it. The proprietors, upon this, being greatly alarmed, thought fit to call in the affiftance of Mr. Brindley; but still left the general management of the conftruction of the filk-mill to the former engineer, who refused to let him fee the whole model, and, by giving him his work to perform in detached pieces, without acquainting him with the refult which was wanted, affected to treat him as a common mechanic. Mr. Brindley, who, in the confcioufhefs of gehius, felt his own fuperiority to the man who thus affumed an afcendency over him, would not fubmit to fuch unworthy treatment. He told the proprietors, that if they would let him know what was the effect they wished to have produced, and would permit him to perform the business in his own way, he would finish the mill to their fatisfaction. This affurance, joined with the knowledge they had of his ability and integrity, induced them to introft the completion of the mill folely to his care; and he accomplished that very curious and complex piece of machinery in a manner far fuperior to the expectations of his employers. They had not folely the pleafure of feeing it established, with a moft mafterly fkill, according to the plan originally propofed, but of having it constructed with the addition of many useful improve ments. He invented, likewife, machines for making all the tooth and pinion wheels of the different engines; which had hitherto been cut by hand; with great labour. The potteries of Staffordshire were alfo, about this time, indebted to him for feveral valuable additions in the mills ufed by them for grinding flint-ftones, by which that procefs was greatly facilitated. In the year 1756, Mr. Brindley undertook to erect a team-engine, near Newcaftle under Line, upon a new plan. The boiler of it was made with brick and stone, inftead of iron plates; and the water was heated by fire-flews of a peculiar conftruction; by which contrivances the confumption of fuel, necefiary for working a fteamengine, was reduced one half. He introduced likewife, in this engine, cylinders of wood, made in the manner of coopers ware, instead of iron ones; the former being not only cheaper, but more easily managed in The difappointment of Mr. Brindley's In this period of our great mechanic's life, we fhall fee him triumphing over all the fuggeftions of envy or prejudice, tho' aided by the weight of established customs; and giving full scope to the operations of a ftrong and comprehenfive mind, equal to the most arduous undertakings. This he did under the protection of a noble Duke, who had the difcernment to fingle him out, and the steadiness and generofity to fupport him, against the opinions of thofe who treated Mr. Brindley's plans as chimeras, and laughed at his Patron as an idle projector. The D. of Bridgewater hath, at Worfley, about feven miles from Manchester, a large ellate, rich with mines of coal, which had hitherto lain useless in the bowels of the earth, because the expence of carriage was too great to find a market for confumption. The Duke, wishing to work thefe mines, perceived the neceffity of a canal from Worfley to Manchefter; upon which occafion, Mr. Brindley, who was now become famous in the country, Having furveyed the was confulted. ground, he declared the fcheme to be practicable. In confequence of this, an act was obtained, in the years 1758 and 1759, for enabling his Grace to cut a canal from Worfley to Salford, near Manchefter, and to carry the fame to or near Hollin Ferry, in the county of Lancaster. It being, however, afterwards difcovered, that the navigation would be more benefi cial, cial, both to the Duke of Bridgewater and the Public, if carried over the river Irwell, near Barton Bridge to Manchelter, his Grace applied again to Parliament, and procured an act, which enabled him to vary the courfe of his canal agreeably to this new plan, and likewife to extend a fide branch to Longford Bridge in Stretford. Mr. Brindley, in the mean time, had begun thefe great undertakings, being the firit of the kind ever attempted, in England, with navigable fubterraneous tunnels and elevated aqueducts. The principle laid down at the commencement of this bufinefs reflects much honour on the noble undertaker, as well as upon his engineer. It was refolved that the canal hould be perfect in its kind, and that, in order to preferve the level of the water, it fhould be free from the ufual obftructions of locks. But, in accomplishing this end, many difficulties occured, which were deemed unfurmountable. It was neceffary that the canal fhould be carried over rivers, and many large and deep vallies, where it was evident that fuch ftupendous mounds of earth must be raised as could fcarcely, it was thought, be completed by the labour of ages: and, above all, it was . not known from what fource fo large a fupply of water could be drawn, as, even upon this improved plan, would be requifite for the navigation. But Mr. Brindley, with a ftrength of mind peculiar to himself, and being poffeffed of the confidence of his great Patron, conquered all the embarrassments thrown in his way, not only from the nature of the undertakeing itself, but by the pallions and prejudices of interested individuals and the admirable machines he contrived, and the methods he took, to facilitate the progrefs of the work, brought on fuch a rapid exe. cution of it, that the world began to won. der how it could have been efteemed fo difficult. When the canal was completed as far as Barton, where the Irwell is navigable for large veffels, Mr. Brindley propoled to carry it over that river, by an aqueduct of thirty-nine feet above the furface of the water. This, however, being generally confidered as a wild and extravagant pro ject, he defired, in order to justify his conduct towards his noble employer, that the opinion of another engineer might be taken; believing that he could easily convince an intelligent perfon of the practicability of his defign. A Gentleman of eminence was accordingly called in; who, being conducted to the place where it was intended that the aqueduct fhould be, made, ridiculed the attempt; and when, the height and dimenfions were communicated to him, he exclaimed, I have often heard of cattles in the air, but never before was hewn where any of them were to be erected.' This unfavourable verdict did not deter the Duke of Bridgewater from following. the opinion of his own engineer. The a-, queduct was immediately begun.; and it was carried on with fuch rapidity and fuccefs as aftonished all thofe who had but a little before condemned it as a chimerical, fcheme. This work commenced in September, 1760; and the first boat failed over on the 17th of July, 1761. From that time, it was not uncommon to fee a boat loaded with forty tons drawn over the aqueduct, with great eafe, by one or two mules; while below, against the stream of the Irwell, perfons had the pain of beholding ten or twelve men tugging at an equal draught a ftriking inftance of the fupe riority of a canal-navigation over that of a river not in the tideway. The works were then extended to Manchester, at which place the curious machine for landing coals, upon the top of the hill gives a pleasing idea of Mr. Brindley's addrefs in diminishing labour by mechanical contrivances. It may here be obferved, that the bafon, in particular, for conveying the fuperfluous water into the Irwell, below the canal, is an inftance that, where occafion offered, he well knew how to unite elegance with utility. : The Duke of Bridgewater, perceiving, more and more, the importance of thefe inland navigations, not only to himself in particular, but to the community in general, extended his ideas to Liverpool; and though he had every difficulty to encounter, that could arife from the novelty of his undertakings, his Grace happily of vercame all oppofition, and obtained, in 1762, an act of Parliament for branching his canal to the tideway in the Merfey. This part of the canal is carried over the rivers Merfey and Bollan, and over many wide and deep vallies. Over the vallies it is conducted without the affiftance of a fingle lock; the level of the water being preferved by raifing a mound of earth, and forming therein a channel for the water. Across the valley at Stretford, through which the Merfey runs, this kind of work extends nearly a mile. A person might naturally have been led to conclude, that the conveyance of fuch a mafs of earth must have employed all the horfes and car P2 riages |