and was of an enterprising disposition. To Dr. Roebuck he explained the scientific principles on which Watt had planned a steam-engine. Dr. Black finally succeeded in inducing Dr. Roebuck to become financially interested with Watt in his difficult undertaking. Dr. Roebuck proved a kind friend to Watt and advanced quite a large amount of money to him, receiving for so doing an interest in the invention. Watt's friend, Robison, has left on record the following statement: "I remember Mrs. Roebuck's remarking one evening 'Jamie is a queer lad, and without the Doctor, his invention would have been lost; but Dr. Roebuck wont let it perish.'" Watt's trial engine-owing in large measure to the difficulty, incidental to the period, in securing the services of workmen capable of making, with sufficient exactness, its various parts— was not a success. Dr. Roebuck, becoming embarrassed in business, was not able to continue to bear his share of the expenses and Dr. Black had to loan Watt the money with which to secure his first patent for the steam-engine. At this juncture, rendered peculiarly sad by a cause which need not here be dwelt upon, a gentleman-Prof. Small— who had been an instructor in the University of William and Mary, of Virginia, and had returned to Scotland, rendered Watt invaluable services: Prof. Small had been very kind to Jefferson when at the university and the exalted esteem in which Jefferson when President of the United States held the worthy Scotchman, who had brought to America Scotch learning, may be inferred from a long letter of affectionate counsel to his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, dated Nov. 24th, 1808. The statesman, after speaking of the great temptations through which he had, as an orphan, passed, continued: “I had the good fortune to become acquainted very early with some characters of very high standing, and to feel the in

cessant wish that I could ever become what they were. Under temptations and difficulties, I would ask myself what would Dr. Small, Mr. Wythe, Peyton Randolph do in this situation? What course in it will insure me their approbation? I am certain that this mode of deciding on my conduct tended more to its correctness than any reasoning powers I possessed. Knowing the even and dignified line they pursued, I could never doubt for a moment which of two courses would be in character for them." If it was happy for Jefferson to have Prof. Small as his instructor and warm friend it was especially happy for Watt to have him as his bosom friend to whom he could confide every burden of his heart. Prof. Small offered to help Watt to the extent of his means, and finally induced his friend and partner, Matthew Boulton, an accomplished manufacturer, to purchase Dr. Roebuck's interest in Watt's,-as yet unsuccessful,-invention of a steam-engine. Very many scientific facts had to be examined before the wonderful contrivance which was in the inventor's mind could be completed. The thoroughness of the experiments made are attested by the specifications of the various patents which were granted Watt. Prof. Small who was in reality a partner of Boulton and Watt, died just as Watt had succeeded in making a successful steam-engine. One of his last acts was to draw a Bill, petitioning Parliament to give Watt certain rights without which he could not go to the expense of putting up works in which to build steam-engines.

The esteem which Watt felt for the learned friends which he had made in the University of Glasgow may be illustrated by some incidents recorded by Samuel Smiles in his fascinating biography of Watt.* There were men who attempted to deprive Watt of the rewards which

* " Lives of Boulton and Watt," p. 464.

were justly his, for having after very many years of labor, given to the world,-one might almost say,-his magical contrivance. Watt wrote to his old friend Dr. Black, that Prof. Robison had left his class of Natural Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh and had travelled a long distance to testify respecting the invention of the steamengine and had done "wonders." It may be added that when Prof. Robison returned to Edinburgh his natural philosophy class received him with three cheers. The professor gave them a short account of the trial, characterizing it as, not more the cause of Watt v. Hornblower, than of science against ignorance." "When I had finished," the professor added in a letter to Watt, "I got another plaudit, that Mrs. Siddons would have relished." When Dr. Black heard of the issue of the trial, tears coursed down his face. "It 's very foolish," he said, “but I can't help it when I hear of anything good to Jamie Watt." Dr. Black, not long after he had received a letter from Watt, was found sitting in his chair, dead. Watt sorrowfully wrote to Prof. Robison respecting Prof. Black: I may say that to him I owe, in a great measure, what I am; he taught me to reason and experiment in natural philosophy, and was a true friend and philosopher, whose loss will always be lamented while I live. We may all pray that our latter end may be like. his; he has truly gone to sleep in the arms of his Creator, and been spared all the regrets attendant on a more lingering exit. I could dwell longer on this subject but regrets are unavailing, and only tend to enfeeble our own minds, and make them less able to bear the ills we cannot avoid. Let us cherish the friends we have left, and do as much good as we can in our day!"†

One of the galaxy of learned men who may be said to

have aided Watt in solving some of the great problems with which he had to deal in his attempt to apply some profound discoveries of various sciences to the mechanic arts, was an American philosopher and statesman. Benjamin Franklin was representing the United States in Europe when Watt was endeavoring to construct a steamengine. Franklin introduced by letter Prof. Small to Mr. Boulton. The learned Matthew Boulton-who was a distinguished manufacturer, associated with him Prof. Small and the professor's friend Watt. Boulton had before Prof. Small prevailed upon him to become interested in Watt's steam-engine-indeed at one of the darkest hours in Watt's life—sent to Franklin a model of a steam-engine requesting Franklin to give an opinion to him respecting the possibility of perfecting on scientific principles such a mechanical contrivance as the proposed engine. Franklin had received in a free grammar school in New England, a better education than could be obtained in his day in quite a large number of European universities. He was recognized as one of the most eminent scientists of his age and was connected with the Academy of Sciences of France. Although his reputation as a philosopher may be considered as having been somewhat cast into the shade by his distinction as a statesman, his influence as a philosopher has been remarkably farreaching. To Boulton, Franklin wrote a very encouraging letter and made suggestions which have been very widely, -if not universally,-adopted in the fire-places of steamengines. This letter was not only valuable on account of its wise suggestions, but was highly interesting for the encouragement which it gave to Boulton to believe that science could overcome the difficulties in the way of constructing a steam-engine,-indeed, had it not been for this letter, Prof. Small might never have been enabled to

induce Boulton, who may be said to have been one of the most gifted and able manufacturers in very important respects, in England, to become interested with Watt in carrying to a successful issue, his highly useful invention. Watt lived to be eighty-three years of age and received many honors. The University of Glasgow conferred upon him the title of LL.D. and educated for him a son. During the very many years in which he had been engaged in the work of reducing steam to man's servitude, he had made many and great sacrifices. Although he had in the meantime made quite a large number of valuable inventions, and although he had become distinguished as an engineer and had presented to the city of Glasgow, in whose service he had been at times engaged, a plan by which the Clyde River, which was then but a trout stream, has been made into one of the busiest water-highways of the world, yet he had been kept so impoverished by his experiments with steam that he had to borrow from his friend Prof. Black the means with which to secure the papers for his first patent for a steam-engine. Although his friend Robison had secured for him a position as engineer by the Russian Government at such a large salary that wealth was within his grasp, he had declined the position in order to serve the world by giving to man a mechanical combination of inestimable value, which he believed science capable of constructing. Watt in a sad hour had felt that he was not accomplishing any good for his fellow-man. When he had unbosomed this feeling to Prof. Small he had been encouraged to go on, and when his darkest hour had come upon him the kind professor had offered to help him to the extent of his means and had followed up his words by acts of great kindness. But if Watt felt that he was doing no good when he was engaged in applying profound principles of