withoutart，withouteloquence；whoyethadthewisdomtodeviseandthecouragetoperformthatwhichtheylackedlanguagetoexplain。Suchmenhaveworkedthedeliveranceofnationsandtheirowngreatness。
Theirheartsaretheirbooks；eventsaretheirtutors；greatactionsaretheireloquence。“
BeginingsofEnglishShipbuildingCHAPTERIIFrancisPettitSmith:
PracticalintroduceroftheScrewPropellerCHAPTERIIIJohnHarrison:
InventoroftheMarineChronometerCHAPTERIVJohnLombe:
IntroduceroftheSilkIndustryintoEnglandCHAPTERVWilliamMurdock:
HisLifeandInventionsCHAPTERVIFrederickKoenig:
InventoroftheSteam-printingMachineCHAPTERVIITheWaltersof’TheTimes’:
InventoroftheWalterPressCHAPTERVIIIWilliamClowes:
Book-printingbySteamCHAPTERIXCharlesBianconi:
AlessionofSelf-HelpinIrelandCHAPTERXIndustryinIreland:
ThroughConnaughtandUlstertoBelfastCHAPTERXIShipbuildinginBelfast:
BySirE。J。Harland，EngineerandShipbuilderCHAPTERXIIAstronomersandstudentsinhumblelife:
AnewChapterinthe’PursuitofKnowledgeunderDifficulties’
Iofferthisbookasacontinuationofthememoirsofmenofinventionandindustrypublishedsomeyearsagointhe’LivesofEngineers，’’IndustrialBiography，’and’Self-Help。’
TheearlychaptersrelatetothehistoryofaveryimportantbranchofBritishindustry——thatofShipbuilding。Alaterchapter，kindlypreparedbySirEdwardJ。Harland，ofBelfast，relatestotheoriginandprogressofshipbuildinginIreland。
ManyofthefactssetforthintheLifeandInventionsofWilliamMurdockhavealreadybeenpublishedinmy’LivesofBoultonandWatt；“butthesearenowplacedinacontinuousnarrative，andsupplementedbyotherinformation，moreparticularlythecorrespondencebetweenWattandMurdock，communicatedtomebythepresentrepresentativeofthefamily，Mr。Murdock，C。E，ofGilwern，nearAbergavenny。
IhavealsoendeavouredtogiveasaccurateanaccountaspossibleoftheInventionoftheSteam-printingPress，anditsapplicationtotheproductionofNewspapersandBooks，——aninventioncertainlyofgreatimportancetothespreadofknowledge，science，andliterature，throughouttheworld。
Thechapteronthe“IndustryofIreland“willspeakforitself。
Itoccurredtome，onpassingthroughIrelandlastyear，thatmuchremainedtobesaidonthatsubject；and，lookingtotheincreasingmeansofthecountry，andthewell-knownindustryofitspeople，itseemsreasonabletoexpect，thatwithpeace，security，energy，anddiligentlabourofheadandhand，thereisreallyagreatfuturebeforeIreland。
Thelastchapter，on“AstronomersinHumbleLife，“consistsforthemostpartofaseriesofAutobiographies。Itmayseem，atfirstsight，tohavelittletodowiththeleadingobjectofthebook；butitservestoshowwhatanumberofactive，earnest，andablemenarecomparativelyhiddenthroughoutsociety，readytoturntheirhandsandheadstotheimprovementoftheirowncharacters，ifnottotheadvancementofthegeneralcommunityofwhichtheyformapart。
Inconclusion，Isaytothereader，asQuarlessaidintheprefacetohis’Emblems，’“IwishtheeasmuchpleasureinthereadingasIhadinthewriting。“Infact，thelastthreechapterswereinsomemeasurethecauseofthebookbeingpublishedinitspresentform。
London，November，1884。
“AspeckintheNorthernOcean，witharockycoast，anungenialclimate，andasoilscarcelyfruitful，——thiswasthematerialpatrimonywhichdescendedtotheEnglishrace——aninheritancethatwouldhavebeenlittleworthbutfortheinestimablemoralgiftthataccompaniedit。Yes；fromCelts，Saxons，Danes，Normans——fromsomeorallofthem——havecomedownwithEnglishnationalityatalismanthatcouldcommandsunshine，andplenty，andempire，andfame。The’go’whichtheytransmittedtous——thenationalvis——thisitiswhichmadetheoldAngle-landagloriousheritage。Ofthiswehavehadaportionaboveourbrethren——goodmeasure，runningover。Throughthisourisland-motherhasstretchedoutherarmstilltheyenrichedtheglobeoftheearth……Britain，withoutherenergyandenterprise，whatwouldshebeinEurope？“——Blackwood’sEdinburghMagazine1870。
InoneofthefewrecordsofSirIsaacNewton’slifewhichheleftforthebenefitofothers，thefollowingcomprehensivethoughtoccurs:
“Itiscertainlyapparentthattheinhabitantsofthisworldareofashortdate，seeingthatallarts，asletters，ships，printing，theneedle，&c。，werediscoveredwithinthememoryofhistory。“
IfthisweretrueinNewton’stime，howmuchtruerisitnow。
Mostoftheinventionswhicharesogreatlyinfluencing，aswellasadvancing，thecivilizationoftheworldatthepresenttime，havebeendiscoveredwithinthelasthundredorhundredandfiftyyears。Wedonotsaythatmanhasbecomesomuchwiserduringthatperiod；for，thoughhehasgrowninKnowledge，themostfruitfulofallthingsweresaidby“theheirsofalltheages“
thousandsofyearsago。
ButasregardsPhysicalScience，theprogressmadeduringthelasthundredyearshasbeenverygreat。Itsmostrecenttriumphshavebeeninconnectionwiththediscoveryofelectricpowerandelectriclight。Perhapsthemostimportantinvention，however，wasthatoftheworkingsteamengine，madebyWattonlyaboutahundredyearsago。Themostrecentapplicationofthisformofenergyhasbeeninthepropulsionofships，whichhasalreadyproducedsogreataneffectuponcommerce，navigation，andthespreadofpopulationovertheworld。
EquallyimportanthasbeentheinfluenceoftheRailway——nowtheprincipalmeansofcommunicationinallcivilizedcountries。
Thisinventionhasstartedintofulllifewithinourowntime。
Thelocomotiveenginehadforsomeyearsbeenemployedinthehaulageofcoals；butitwasnotuntiltheopeningoftheLiverpoolandManchesterRailwayin1830，thattheimportanceoftheinventioncametobeacknowledged。ThelocomotiverailwayhassincebeeneverywhereadoptedthroughoutEurope。InAmerica，Canada，andtheColonies，ithasopeneduptheboundlessresourcesofthesoil，bringingthecountrynearertothetowns，andthetownstothecountry。Ithasenhancedthecelerityoftime，andimpartedanewseriesofconditionstoeveryrankoflife。
Theimportanceofsteamnavigationhasbeenstillmorerecentlyascertained。Whenitwasfirstproposed，SirJosephBanks，PresidentoftheRoyalSociety，said:“Itisaprettyplan，butthereisjustonepointoverlooked:thatthesteam-enginerequiresafirmbasisonwhichtowork。“Symington，thepracticalmechanic，putthistheorytothetestbyhissuccessfulexperiments，firstonDalswintonLake，andthenontheForthandClydeCanal。FultonandBellafterwardsshowedthepowerofsteamboatsinnavigatingtheriversofAmericaandBritain。
Aftervariousexperiments，itwasproposedtouniteEnglandandAmericabysteam。Dr。Lardner，however，deliveredalecturebeforetheRoyalInstitutionin1838，“proving“thatsteamerscouldnevercrosstheAtlantic，becausetheycouldnotcarrysufficientcoaltoraisesteamenoughduringthevoyage。Butthistheorywasalsotestedbyexperienceinthesameyear，whentheSirius，ofLondon，leftCorkforNewYork，andmadethepassageinnineteendays。FourdaysafterthedepartureoftheSirius，theGreatWesternleftBristolforNewYork，andmadethepassageinthirteendaysfivehours。[1]Theproblemwassolved；
andgreatoceansteamershaveeversincepassedincontinuousstreamsbetweentheshoresofEnglandandAmerica。
Inanageofprogress，oneinventionmerelypavesthewayforanother。Thefirststeamerswereimpelledbymeansofpaddlewheels；butthesearenowalmostentirelysupersededbythescrew。Andthis，too，isaninventionalmostofyesterday。Itwasonlyin1840thattheArchimedeswasfittedasascrewyacht。
Afewyearslater，in1845，theGreatBritain，propelledbythescrew，leftLiverpoolforNewYork，andmadethevoyageinfourteendays。Thescrewisnowinvariablyadoptedinalllongoceanvoyages。
Itiscurioustolookback，andobservethesmallbeginningsofmaritimenavigation。Asregardsthiscountry，thoughitsinstitutionsareold，modernEnglandisstillyoung。Asrespectsitsmechanicalandscientificachievements，itistheyoungestofallcountries。Watt’ssteamenginewasthebeginningofourmanufacturingsupremacy；andsinceitsadoption，inventionsanddiscoveriesinArtandScience，withinthelasthundredyears，havesucceededeachotherwithextraordinaryrapidity。In1814
therewasonlyonesteamvesselinScotland；whileEnglandpossessednoneatall。Now，theBritishmercantilesteam-shipsnumberabout5000，withabout4millionsofaggregatetonnage。[2]
Inoldentimesthiscountrypossessedthematerialsforgreatthings，aswellasthemenfittedtodevelopethemintogreatresults。Butthenationwasslowtoawakeandtakeadvantageofitsopportunities。Therewasnoenterprise，nocommerce——no“go“
inthepeople。Theroadswerefrightfullybad；andtherewaslittlecommunicationbetweenonepartofthecountryandanother。
Ifanythingimportanthadtobedone，weusedtosendforforeignerstocomeandteachushowtodoit。Wesentforthemtodrainourfens，tobuildourpiersandharbours，andeventopumpourwateratLondonBridge。Thoughaseafaringpopulationlivedroundourcoasts，wedidnotfishourownseas，butleftittotheindustriousDutchmentocatchthefish，andsupplyourmarkets。Itwasnotuntiltheyear1787thattheYarmouthpeoplebeganthedeep-seaherringfishery；andyetthesewerethemostenterprisingamongsttheEnglishfishermen。
Englishcommercealsohadveryslenderbeginnings。Atthecommencementofthefifteenthcentury，EnglandwasofverylittleaccountintheaffairsofEurope。Indeed，thehistoryofmodernEnglandisnearlycoincidentwiththeaccessionoftheTudorstothethrone。WiththeexceptionofCalaisandDunkirk，herdominionsontheContinenthadbeenwrestedfromherbytheFrench。ThecountryathomehadbeenmadedesolatebytheWarsoftheRoses。Thepopulationwasverysmall，andhadbeenkeptdownbywar，pestilence，andfamine。[3]Thechiefstaplewaswool，whichwasexportedtoFlandersinforeignships，theretobemanufacturedintocloth。Nearlyeveryarticleofimportancewasbroughtfromabroad；andthelittlecommercewhichexistedwasinthehandsofforeigners。Theseasweresweptbyprivateers，littlebetterthanpirates，whoplunderedwithoutscrupleeveryvessel，whetherfriendorfoe，whichfellintheirway。
TheBritishnavyhasrisenfromverylowbeginnings。TheEnglishfleethadfallenfromitshighestatesincethereignofEdwardIII。，whowonabattlefromtheFrenchandFlemingsin1340，with260ships；buthisvesselswereallofmoderatesize，beingboats，yachts，andcaravels，ofverysmalltonnage。Accordingtothecontemporarychronicles，Weymouth，Fowey，Sandwich，andBristol，werethenofnearlyalmostasmuchimportanceasLondon；[4]whichlattercityonlyfurnishedtwenty-fivevessels，with662mariners。
TheRoyalFleetbeganinthereignofHenryVII。OnlysixorsevenvesselsthenbelongedtotheKing，thelargestbeingtheGracedeDieu，ofcomparativelysmalltonnage。Thecustomthenwas，tohireshipsfromtheVenetians，theGenoese，theHansetowns，andothertradingpeople；andassoonastheserviceforwhichthevesselssohiredwasperformed，theyweredismissed。
WhenHenryVIII。ascendedthethronein1509，hedirectedhisattentiontothestateofthenavy。AlthoughtheinsularpositionofEnglandwascalculatedtostimulatetheartofshipbuildingmorethaninmostcontinentalcountries，ourbestshipslongcontinuedtobebuiltbyforeigners。Henryinvitedfromabroad，especiallyfromItaly，wheretheartofshipbuildinghadmadethegreatestprogress，asmanyskilfulartistsandworkmenashecouldprocure，eitherbythehopeofgain，orthehighhonoursanddistinguishedcountenancewhichhepaidthem。
“Byincorporating，“saysCharnock，“theseusefulpersonsamonghisownsubjects，hesoonformedacorpssufficienttorivalthosestateswhichhadrenderedthemselvesmostdistinguishedbytheirknowledgeinthisart；sothatthefameofGenoaandVenice，whichhadlongexcitedtheenvyofthegreaterpartofEurope，becamesuddenlytransferredtotheshoresofBritain。“[5]
Infittingouthisfleet，wefindHenrydisbursinglargesumstoforeignersforshipbuilding，for“harness“orarmour，andformunitionsofallsorts。TheStatePapers[6]particularizetheamountspaidtoLewezdelaFavafor“harness；“toWilliamGurre，“bregandy-maker；“andtoLeonardFriscobaldfor“almaynryvetts。“
FrancisdeErrona，aSpaniard，suppliedthegunpowder。AmongtheforeignmechanicsandartizansemployedwereHansPopenruyter，gunfounderofMechlin；RobertSakfeld，RobertSkorer，FortunodeCatalenago，andJohnCavelcant。Ononeoccasion2，797L。19s。4
1/2d。wasdisbursedforgunsandgrindstones。Thissummustbemultipliedbyaboutfour，togivetheproperpresentvalue。
Popenruyterseemstohavebeenthegreatgunfounderoftheage；
hesuppliedtheprincipalgunsandgunstoresfortheEnglishnavy，andhisnameoccursineveryOrdnanceaccountoftheseries，generallyforsumsofthelargestamounts。