in a low and somewhat monotonous tone, which harmonized admirably with the weight and brevity of his observations, and set off to the greatest advantage the pleasant anecdotes which he delivered with the same grave brow, and the same calm smile playing soberly on his lips. There was nothing of effort, indeed, or impatience, any more than of pride or levity, in his demeanor; and there was a finer expression of reposing strength and mild self-possession in his manner, than we ever recollect to have met with in any other person. He had in his character the utmost abhorrence for all sorts of forwardness, parade, and pretension; and, indeed, never failed to put all such impostures out of countenance by the manly plainness and honest intrepidity of his language and deportment.

"In his temper and dispositions, he was not only kind and affectionate, but generous and considerate of the feelings of all around him, and gave the most liberal assistance and encouragement to all young persons who showed any indications of talent, or applied to him for patronage or advice. His health, which was delicate from his youth upwards, seemed to become firmer as he advanced in years; and he preserved, up almost to the last moment of his existence, not only the full command of his extraordinary intellect, but all the alacrity of spirit and the social gayety which had illumined his happiest days. His friends in this part of the country never saw him more full of intellectual vigor and colloquial animation— never more delightful or more instructive-than

in his last visit to Scotland, in autumn, 1817. Indeed, it was after that time that he applied himself, with all the ardor of early life, to the invention of a machine for mechanically copying all sorts of sculpture and statuary; and distributed among his friends some of its earliest performances as the productions of a young artist, just entering on his eighty-third year.

"This happy and useful life came, at last, to a gentle close. He had suffered some inconvenience through the summer; but was not seriously indisposed till within a few weeks of his death. He then became perfectly aware of the event which was approaching; and, with his usual tranquillity and benevolence of nature, seemed only anxious to point out to the friends around him the many sources of consolation which were afforded by the circumstances under which it was about to take place. He expressed his sincere gratitude to Providence for the length of days with which he had been blessed, and his exemption from most of the infirmities of age; as well as for the calm and cheerful evening of life that he had been permitted to enjoy, after the honorable labors of the day had been concluded. And thus, full of years and honors, in all calmness and tranquillity, he yielded up his soul without pang or struggle, and passed from the bosom of his family to the presence of his God."*

*This is a beautiful sketch of Mr. Watt's character, but it will be noticed with regret that no clear reference has been made to the truths of the gospel in enumerating the sources from which Mr. Watt drew his tran

Such was James Watt. His history, although that of a private individual, whose career was unmarked by any striking adventure, is one full of interest, and rich in lessons of improvement. It points out in an emphatic manner the triumphs of perseverance, and the mode in which difficulties, however complicated, yield to patient application and well-directed ability. To artisans, the life of James Watt is especially profitable, for it shows how one of their own class achieved the highest social distinction, not by listening to the arts of the demagogue, but by the honest exercise of the talents God had intrusted to him.

If ever human fame were a desirable thing, that acquired by Watt might be coveted. By perfecting an ingenious invention, he enlarged the resources of his country, and multiplied the powers of industry over the whole world. He has made the force of his genius felt in the mine and in the factory: he has given new wings to commerce, and revolutionized our modes of conveyance both by land and sea. He has introduced, in short, an agency, the power of which is experienced in every country in the globe, and one, too, whose tendency, when not perverted by the selfishness of man, is to abridge toil and to multiply the comforts of social life. If ever earthly fame were to be coveted, such a fame as

quillity in the prospect of death. No life, however amiable, however useful, can serve as the ground of a sinner's acceptance before God. Other foundation can no man lay in this respect than that which is laid in God's word, Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

120 THE DOMESTIC LIFE, ETC., OF JAMES WATT.

But we would not be

this might be envied. dealing fairly with our readers, were we not to state that all fame which has reference only to this state of existence, and which is not connected with the possession of God's favor, is a poor and a fleeting thing. It perishes with the life that now is: it cannot benefit its possessor in the life that is to come. How far James Watt was the subject of those renewing influences of the Holy Spirit-without which, according to the declarations of Scripture, no man can enter the kingdom of heaven-we know not, and are not called upon to decide. While awarding him, then, a full measure of applause-while hailing him as a benefactor of his species-we would remind our readers that all here is temporary and evanescent, and that even triumphs such as Watt achieved, have, when viewed in the light of eternity, but a subordinate importance. The one thing needful is to be born again by the Holy Spirit: to have a true repentance for sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of the soul; and to evidence our faith by a holy and a godly life.

Without these blessings we are poor, whatever else we may possess. With them we are rich, "take what Thou wilt away."

CHAPTER VII.

THE RAILWAY AND LOCOMOTIVE-ENGINE.

THE application of the steam-engine to railway travelling was an event of momentous importance to the social and commercial interests of mankind. The increased facility of intercourse between distant places has already produced a change upon the surface of society, and many modifications in its habits and institutions will probably follow. Railway history, therefore, is not only interesting, as exhibiting the development of a mechanical contrivance and commercial enterprise, but as a new phase in the ever-changing conditions of mankind. In comparison with this history, meagre as it is in event, the records of ancient martial exploits, the ingenious disputes of philosophical scholarship, and even the triumphs of classical poetry and eloquence, lose much of their boasted interest and importance.

To obtain a connected history of the inventions which ultimately led to the establishment of the present system of railway travelling by locomotive-engine, it is necessary to distinguish between the adoption of the rail, and the invention and application of the engine. The railroad is not,