InPlutarch’sLives,wearetoldthatThemistoclessaidononeoccasion,“’TistruethatIhaveneverlearnedhowtotuneaharp,orplayuponalute,butIknowhowtoraiseasmallandinconsiderablecitytogloryandgreatness。“SomightitbesaidofHarlandandWolff。TheyhavegivenBelfastnotonlyapotencyforgood,butaworld-widereputation。Theirenergiesoverflow。
Mr。Harlandistheactiveandever-prudentChairmanofthemostimportantofthelocalboards,theHarbourTrustofBelfast,andexertshimselftopromotetheextensionoftheharbourfacilitiesoftheportasifthebenefitsweretobeexclusivelyhisown;
whileMr。WolffistheChairmanofoneofthelatestbornindustriesoftheplace,theBelfastRope-workCompany,whichalreadygivesemploymenttoover600persons。
Thislast-mentionedindustryisonlyaboutsixyearsold。Theworksoccupyoversevenacresofground,morethansixacresofwhichareunderroofing。AlthoughthewholeoftherawmaterialisimportedfromabroadfromRussia,thePhilippineIslands,NewZealand,andCentralAmerica——itisexportedagaininamanufacturedstatetoallpartsoftheworld。
Suchisthecontagionofexample,andsuchtheever-branchingindustrieswithwhichmenofenterpriseandindustrycanenrichandblesstheircountry。ThefollowingbriefmemoirofthecareerofMr。Harlandhasbeenfurnishedatmysolicitation;andIthinkthatitwillbefoundfullofinterestaswellasinstruction。
FootnotesforChapterX。
ReportintheCorkExaminer,5thJuly,1883。
In1883,ascomparedwith1882,therewasadecreaseof58,022acresinthelanddevotedtothegrowthofwheat;therewasatotaldecreaseof114,871acresinthelandundertillage——AgriculturalStatistics,Ireland,1883。ParliamentaryReturn,c。3768。
StatisticalAbstractfortheUnitedKingdom,1883。
Theparticularsarethese:depositsinIrishPostOfficeSavingsBanks,31stDecember,1882,1,925,440;tothecreditofdepositorsandGovernmentstock,125,000L。;together,2,050,440L。
Theincreaseofdepositsoverthosemadeintheprecedingyear,were:inDublin,31,321L。;inAntrim,23,328L。;inTyrone,21,315L。;inCork,17,034L。;andinDown,10,382L。
[TheonlythrivingmanufacturenowinDublinisthatofintoxicatingdrinks——beer,porter,stout,andwhisky。Brewinganddistillingdonotrequireskilledlabour,sothatstrikesdonotaffectthem。
[Times,11thJune,1883。
ThevaluationofthecountyofAberdeenexclusiveofthecitywasrecently866,816L。,whereasthevalueoftheherrings748,726barrelscaughtroundthecoastat25s。thebarrelwas935,907L。,therebyexceedingtheestimatedannualrentalofthecountyby69,091L。TheScotchfishermencatchoveramillionbarrelsofherringsannually,representingavalueofaboutamillionanda-halfsterling。
[ArecentnumberofLandandWatersuppliesthefollowinginformationastothefishingatKinsale:——“Thetakesoffishhavebeensoenormousandunprecedentedthatbuyerscanscarcelybefound,evenwhen,asnow,mackerelaresellingatoneshillingpersixscore。Pilesofmagnificentfishlierottinginthesun。
ThesidesofKinsaleHarbourarestrewnwiththem,andfrequently,whentheyhavebecomealittle’touched,’wholeboat-loadsarethrownoverboardintothewater。Thisgreatwasteistobeattributedtoscarcityofhandstosaltthefishandwantofpacking-boxes。Someoftheboatsaresaidtohavemadeasmuchas500L。thisseason。Thelocalfishingcompanyaremakingactivepreparationsfortheapproachingherringfishery,anditisanticipatedthatKinsalemaybecomeoneofthecentresofthisdescriptionoffishing。“
StatisticalJournalforMarch1848。PaperbyRichardValpyon“TheResourcesoftheIrishSeaFisheries,“pp。55-72。
HALL,RetrospectofaLongLife,ii。324。
TheCommissionersofIrishFisheries,inoneoftheirreports,observe:——“Notwithstandingthediminishedpopulation,thefishcapturedroundthecoastissoinadequatetothewantsofthepopulationthatfully150,000L。worthofling,cod,andherringareannuallyimportedfromNorway,Newfoundland,andScotland,thevesselsbearingthesecargoes,astheyapproachtheshoresofIreland,frequentlysailingthroughlargeshoalsoffishofthesamedescriptionastheyarefreightedwith!“
]ThefollowingexaminationofMr。J。Ennis,chairmanoftheMidlandandGreatWesternRailway,tookplacebeforethe“RoyalCommissiononRailways,“aslongagoastheyear1846:-
Chairman——“Isthefishtrafficofanyimportancetoyourrailway?“
Mr。Ennis——“ofcourseitis,andwegiveitallthefacilitiesthatwecan……ButtheGalwayfisheries,whereonewouldexpecttofindplentyoffish,aretotallyneglected。“
SirRowlandHill——“Whatisthereasonofthat?“
Mr。Ennis——“Iwillendeavourtoexplain。IhadoccasionafewnightsagotospeaktoagentlemanintheHouseofCommonswithregardtoanapplicationtotheFisheryBoardfor2000L。torestorethepieratBuffin,inClewBay,andIsaid,’Willyoujoinmeintheapplication?Iamtolditisaplacethatswarmswithfish,andifwehadapiertherethefishermenwillhavesomesecurity,andtheywillgoout。’TheonlyanswerIreceivedwas,’Theywillnotgoout;theypaynoattentionwhatevertothefisheries;theyallowthefishtocomeandgowithoutmakinganyefforttocatchthem……’“
Mr。Ayrton——“DoyouthinkthatifEnglishfishermenwenttothewestcoastofIrelandtheywouldbeabletogetoninharmonywiththenativefishermen?“
Mr。Ennis——“Weknowthefacttobe,thatsomeyearsago,acompanywasestablishedforthepurposeoftrawlinginGalwayBay,andwhatwastheconsequence?TheIrishfishermen,whoinhabitaregionintheneighbourhoodofGalway,calledCladdagh,turnedoutagainstthem,andwouldnotallowthemtotrawl,andtheEnglishmenveryproperlywentawaywiththeirlives。“
SirRowlandHill——“Thentheywillneitherfishthemselvesnorallowanyoneelsetofish!“
Mr。Ennis——“Itseemstobeso。“——MinutesofEvidence,175-6。
TheDerryJournal。
ReportofInspectorsofIrishFisheriesfor1882。
TheReportoftheInspectorsofIrishFisheriesontheSeaandInlandFisheriesofIrelandfor1882,givesalargeamountofinformationastothefishwhichswarmroundtheIrishcoast。
Mr。Bradyreportsontheabundanceofherringandotherfishallroundthecoast。Shoalsofherrings“remainedoffnearlytheentirecoastofIrelandfromAugusttillDecember。““Largeshoalsofpilchards“wereobservedonthesouthandsouth-westcoasts。OffDingle,itisremarked,“thesupplyofallkindsoffishispracticallyinexhaustible。“
“ImmenseshoalsofherringsoffLiscannorandLoopHead;““themackerelisalwaysonthiscoast,andcanbecapturedatanytimeoftheyear,weatherpermitting。“AtBelmullet,“theshoalsoffishoffthecoast,particularlyherringandmackerel,aresometimesenormous。“Thefishermen,thoughpoor,areallveryorderlyandwellconducted。Theyonlywantenergyandindustry。
TheHarleianMiscellany,iii。378-91。
TheHarleianMiscellany,iii。392。
SeeTheHuguenotsinEnglandandIreland。ABoardofTraders,fortheencouragementandpromotionofthehempandflaxmanufactureinIreland,wasappointedbyanActofParliamentatthebeginningoflastcentury6thOctober,1711,andtheyearaftertheappointmentoftheBoardthefollowingnoticewasplacedontherecordsoftheinstitution:——“LouisCrommelinandtheHuguenotcolonyhavebeengreatlyinstrumentalinimprovingandpropagatingtheflaxenmanufactureinthenorthofthisKingdom,andtheperfectiontowhichthesameisbroughtinthatpartofthecountryhasbeengreatlyowingtotheskillandindustryofthesaidCrommelin。“Inahistoryofthelinentrade,publishedatBelfast,itissaidthat“thedignitywhichthatenterprisingmanimpartedtolabour,andthehalowhichhisexamplecastaroundphysicalexertion,hadthebesteffectinraisingthetoneofpopularfeeling,aswellamongthepatriciansasamongthepeasantsofthenorthofIreland。Thisloveofindustrydidmuchtobreakdownthenationalprejudiceinfavourofidleness,andcastdoubtsonthesocialorthodoxyoftheideathensopopularwiththesquirearchy,thatthosealonewhowereabletolivewithoutemploymenthadanyrightfulclaimtothedistinctivetitleofgentleman……Apatricianbybirthandamerchantbyprofession,Crommelinproved,byhisownlife,hisexample,andhisenterprise,thatanenergeticmanufacturermay,atthesametime,takeahighplaceintheconventionalworld。“
Benn’sHistoryofBelfast,p。78。
FromtheIrishManufacturers’Almanackfor1883Ilearnthatnearlyone-thirdofthespindlesusedinEuropeinthelinentrade,andmorethanone-fourthofthepower-looms,belongtoIreland,that“theIrishlinenandassociatedtradesatpresentgiveemploymentto176,303persons;anditisestimatedthatthecapitalsunkinspinningandweavingfactories,andthebusinessincidentalthereto,isabout100,000,000L。,andofthatsum37,000,000L。iscreditedtoBelfastalone。“
Theimportationofcoalin1883amountedtoover700,000
tons。
WeareindebtedtotheobligingkindnessoftheRightHon。
Mr。Fawcett,Postmaster-Generalforthisreturn。ThetotalnumberofdepositorsinthePostOfficeSavingsbanksintheParliamentaryboroughofBelfastis10,827andtheamountoftheirdeposits,includingtheintereststandingtotheircredit,onthe31stDecember,1882,was158,064L。0s。1d。
AnimportantiteminthesavingsofBelfast,notincludedintheabovereturns,consistsintheamountsofdepositsmadewiththevariousLimitedCompanies,aswellaswiththethrivingBuildingSocietiesinthetownandneighbourhood。
“Theusefulartsarebutreproductionsornewcombinationsbytheartofman,ofthesamenaturalbenefactors。Henolongerwaitsforfavouringgales,butbymeansofsteamherealisesthefableofAEolus’sbag,andcarriesthetwo-and-thirtywindsintheboilerofhisboat。“——Emerson。
“Themostexquisiteandthemostexpensivemachineryisbroughtintoplaywhereoperationsonthemostcommonmaterialsaretobeperformed,becausetheseareexecutedonthewidestscale。Thisisthemeaningofthevastandastonishingprevalenceofmachineworkinthiscountry:thatthemachine,withitsmillionfingers,worksformillionsofpurchasers,whileinremotecountries,wheremagnificenceandsavagerystandsidebyside,tensofthousandsworkforone。ThereArtlaboursfortherichalone;
heresheworksforthepoornoless。Therethemultitudeproduceonlytogivesplendourandgracetothedespotorthewarrior,whoseslavestheyare,andwhomtheyenrich;herethemanwhoispowerfulintheweaponsofpeace,capital,andmachinery,usesthemtogivecomfortandenjoymenttothepublic,whoseservantheis,andthusbecomesrichwhileheenrichesotherswithhisgoods。“——WilliamWhewell,D。D。
IwasbornatScarboroughinMay,1831,thesixthofafamilyofeight。MyfatherwasanativeofRosedale,half-waybetweenWhitbyandPickering:hisnursewasthesisterofCaptainScoresby,celebratedasanArcticexplorer。Arrivedatmanhood,hestudiedmedicine,graduatedatEdinburgh,andpractisedinScarboroughuntilnearlyhisdeathin1866。HewasthriceMayorandaJusticeofthePeacefortheborough。Dr。Harlandwasamanofmuchforceofcharacter,anddisplayedgreatoriginalityinthetreatmentofdisease。Besidesexercisingskillinhisprofession,hehadagreatloveformechanicalpursuits。Hespenthisleisuretimeininventionsofmanysorts;and,inconjunctionwiththelateSirGeorgeCayleyofBrompton,hekeptanexcellentmechanicconstantlyatwork。
In1827heinventedandpatentedasteam-carriageforrunningoncommonroads。Beforetheadoptionofrailways,theoldstagecoacheswerefoundslowandinsufficientforthetraffic。A
workingmodelofthesteam-coachwasperfected,embracingamultitubularboilerforquicklyraisinghigh-pressuresteam,witharevolvingsurfacecondenserforreducingthesteamtowateragain,bymeansofitsexposuretothecolddraughtoftheatmospherethroughtheintersticesofextremelythinlaminationsofcopperplates。Theentiremachinery,placedunderthebottomofthecarriage,wasborneonsprings;thewholebeingofanelegantform。Thismodelsteam-carriageascendedwithperfecteasethesteepestroads。ItssuccesswassocompletethatDr。
Harlanddesignedafull-sizedcarriage;butthedemandsuponhisprofessionalskillweresogreatthathewaspreventedgoingfurtherthanconstructingthepairofengines,thewheels,andapartoftheboiler,——allofwhichremnantsIstillpreserve,asvaluablelinksintheprogressofsteamlocomotion。
Otherbranchesofpracticalscience——suchaselectricity,magnetism,andchemicalcultivationofthesoil——receivedashareofhisattention。Hepredictedthatthreeorfourpowerfulelectriclampswouldyetlightawholecity。HewasalsoconvincedofthefeasibilityofanelectriccabletoNewYork,andcalculatedtheprobablecost。Asanexampletotheneighbourhood,hesuccessfullycultivatedatractofmoorland,andovercamedifficultieswhichbeforethenwerethoughtinsurmountable。
WhenpassingthroughNewcastle,whilestillayoungman,ononeofhisjourneystotheUniversityatEdinburgh,andbeingdesirousofwitnessingtheoperationsinacoal-mine,afriendrecommendedhimtovisitKillingworthpit,wherehewouldfindoneGeorgeStephenson,amostintelligentworkman,incharge。MyfatherwasintroducedtoMr。Stephensonaccordingly;andafterramblingovertheundergroundworkings,andobservingthepumpingandwindingenginesinfulloperation,afriendshipwasmade,whichafterwardsprovedofthegreatestservicetomyself,byfacilitatingmybeingplacedasapupilatthegreatengineeringworksofMessrs。RobertStephensonandCo。,atNewcastle。
MymotherwasthedaughterofGawanPierson,alandedproprietorofGoathland,nearRosedale。She,too,wassurprisinglymechanicalinhertastes;andassistedmyfatherinpreparingmanyofhisplans,besidesattainingconsiderableproficiencyindrawing,painting,andmodellinginwax。Toysinthosedayswerepoor,aswellasveryexpensivetopurchase。Butthenurserysoonbecamealittleworkshopunderherdirections;andtheboyswereusuallyengaged,oneinmakingacart,anotherincarvingoutahorse,andathirdincuttingoutaboat;whilethegirlsweremakingharness,orsewingsails,orcuttingoutandmakingperfectdressesfortheirdolls——whosehouseswerecompletelyfurnishedwitheverything,fromthekitchentotheattic,allmadeathome。