Notwithstandingthelossesandsufferingoccasionedbystrikes，Mr。
Nasmythholdstheopinionthattheyhaveonthewholeproducedmuchmoregoodthanevil。Theyhaveservedtostimulateinventioninanextraordinarydegree。Someofthemostimportantlabour-savingprocessesnowincommonusearedirectlytraceabletothem。Inthecaseofmanyofourmostpotentself-actingtoolsandmachines，manufacturerscouldnotbeinducedtoadoptthemuntilcompelledtodosobystrikes。Thiswastheeasewiththeself-actingmule，thewool-combingmachine，theplaningmachine，theslottingmachine，Nasmyth’ssteamarm，andmanyothers。Thus，eveninthemechanicalworld，theremaybe”asoulofgoodnessinthingsevil。”
Mr。NasmythretiredfrombusinessinDecember，1856。Hehadthemoralcouragetocomeoutofthegroovewhichhehadsolaboriouslymadeforhimself，andtoleavealargeandprosperousbusiness，saying，”I
havenowenoughofthisworld’sgoods；letyoungermenhavetheirchance。”HesettleddownathisruralretreatinKent，butnottoleadalifeofidleease。Industryhadbecomehishabit，andactiveoccupationwasnecessarytohishappiness。Hefellbackuponthecultivationofthoseartistictasteswhicharetheheritageofhisfamily。WhenaboyattheHighSchoolofEdinburgh，hewassoskilfulinmakingpenandinkillustrationsonthemarginsoftheclassics，thathethusoftenpurchasedfromhismonitorsexemptionfromthelessonsoftheday。NorhadheceasedtocultivatetheartduringhisresidenceatPatricroft，butwasaccustomedtofallbackuponitforrelaxationandenjoymentamidthepursuitsoftrade。Thathepossessesremarkablefertilityofimagination，andgreatskillinarchitecturalandlandscapedrawing，aswellasinthemuchmoredifficultartofdelineatingthehumanfigure，willbeobvioustoanyonewhohasseenhisworks，——moreparticularlyhis”CityofSt。
Ann’s，””TheFairies，”and”Everybodyforever！”whichlastwasexhibitedinPallMail，amongtherecentcollectionofworksofArtbyamateursandothers，forreliefoftheLancashiredistress。Hehasalsobroughthiscommonsensetobearonsuchunlikelysubject’sastheoriginofthecuneiformcharacter。ThepossessionofabrickfromBabylonsethimathinking。Howhaditbeenmanufactured?ItsundersidewasclearlymarkedbythesedgesoftheEuphratesuponwhichithadbeenlaidtodryandbakeinthesun。Buthowaboutthosecuriouscuneiformcharacters?Howhadwritingassumedsoremarkableaform?
Hissurmisewasthis：thatthebrickmakers，intellingtheirtaleofbricks，usedthetriangularcornerofanotherbrick，andbypressingitdownuponthesoftclay，leftbehinditthetriangularmarkwhichthecuneiformcharacterexhibits。Suchmarksrepeated，andplacedindifferentrelationstoeachother，wouldreadilyrepresentanynumber。Fromtheuseofthecornerofabrickinwriting，thetransitionwaseasytoapointedstickwithatriangularend，bytheuseofwhichallthecuneiformcharacterscanreadilybeproduceduponthesoftclay。ThiscuriousquestionformedthesubjectofaninterestingpaperreadbyMr。NasmythbeforetheBritishAssociationatCheltenham。
ButthemostengrossingofMr。Nasmyth’slaterpursuitshasbeenthescienceofastronomy，inwhich，bybringingafresh，originalmindtotheobservationofcelestialphenomena，hehassucceededinmakingsomeofthemostremarkablediscoveriesofourtime。AstronomywasoneofhisfavouritepursuitsatPatricroft，andonhisretirementbecamehisseriousstudy。Byrepeatedobservationswithapowerfulreflectingtelescopeofhisownconstruction，hesucceededinmakingaverycarefulandminutepaintingofthecraters，cracks，mountains，andvalleysinthemoon’ssurface，forwhichaCouncilMedalwasawardedhimattheGreatExhibitionof1851。Butthemoststrikingdiscoverywhichhehasmadebymeansofbigtelescope——theresultofpatient，continuous，andenergeticobservation——hasbeenthatofthenatureofthesun’ssurface，andthecharacteroftheextraordinarylight-givingbodies，apparentlypossessedofvoluntarymotion，movingacrossit，sometimesformingspotsorhollowsofmorethanahundredthousandmilesindiameter。
Theresultsoftheseobservationswereofsonovelacharacterthatastronomersforsometimehesitatedtoreceivethemasfacts。*
[footnote……
SeeMemoirsoftheLiteraryandPhilosophicalSocietyofManchester，3rdseries，vol。1。407。
YetsoeminentanastronomerasSirJohnHerscheldoesnothesitatenowtodescribethemas”amostwonderfuldiscovery。””AccordingtoMr。Nasmyth’sobservations，”sayshe，”madewithaveryfinetelescopeofhisownmaking，thebrightsurfaceofthesunconsistsofseparate，insulated，individualobjectsorthings，allnearlyorexactlyofonecertaindefinitesizeandshape，whichismorelikethatofawillowleaf，ashedescribesthem，thananythingelse。
Theseleavesorscalesarenotarrangedinanyorderasthoseonabutterfly’swingare，butliecrossingoneanotherinalldirections，likewhatarecalledspillsinthegameofspillikins；
exceptatthebordersofaspot，wheretheypointforthemostpartinwardstowardsthemiddleofthespot，*
[footnote……
SirJohnHerscheladds，”Spotsofnotveryirregular，andwhatmaybecalledcompactform，coveringanareaofbetweensevenandeighthundredmillionsofsquaremiles，arebynomeansuncommon。OnespotwhichImeasuredintheyear1837occupiednolessthanthreethousandsevenhundredandeightymillions，takinginalltheirregularitiesofitsform；andtheblackspaceornucleusinthemiddleofoneverynearlyroundonewouldhaveallowedtheearthtodropthroughit，leavingathousandclearmilesoneitherside；andmanyinstancesofmuchlargerspotsthantheseareonrecord。”
presentingmuchthesortofappearancethatthesmallleavesofsomewater-plantsorsea-weedsdoattheedgeofadeepholeofclearwater。Theexceedinglydefiniteshapeoftheseobjects，theirexactsimilarityonetoanother，andthewayinwhichtheylieacrossandathwarteachotherexceptwheretheyformasortofbridgeacrossaspot，inwhichcasetheyseemtoaffectacommondirection，that，namely，ofthebridgeitself，——allthesecharactersseemquiterepugnanttothenotionoftheirbeingofavaporous，acloudy，orafluidnature。Nothingremainsbuttoconsiderthemasseparateandindependentsheets，flakes，orscales，havingsomesortofsolidity。
Andtheseflakes，betheywhattheymay，andwhatevermaybesaidaboutthedashingofmeteoricstonesintothesun’satmosphere，&c。，areevidentlyTHEIMMEDIATESOURCESOFTHESOLARLIGHTANDHEAT，bywhatevermechanismorwhateverprocessestheymaybeenabledtodevelopeand，asitwere，elaboratetheseelementsfromthebosomofthenon-luminousfluidinwhichtheyappeartofloat。Lookedatinthispointofview，wecannotrefusetoregardthemasorganismsofsomepeculiarandamazingkind；andthoughitwouldbetoodaringtospeakofsuchorganizationaspartakingofthenatureoflife，yetwedoknowthatvitalactioniscompetenttodevelopheatandlight，aswellaselectricity。ThesewonderfulobjectshavebeenseenbyothersaswellasMr。Nasmyth，sothatthemisnoroomtodoubtoftheirreality。”*
[footnote……
SIRJOHNHERSCHELinGoodWordsforApril，1863。
Suchisthemarvellousdiscoverymadebytheinventorofthesteam-hammer，asdescribedbythemostdistinguishedastronomeroftheage。AwriterintheEdinburghReview，referringtothesubjectinarecentnumber，saysitshowshim”topossessanintellectasprofoundasitisexpert。”Doubtlesshistrainingasamechanic，hishabitsofcloseobservationandhisreadyinventiveness，whichconferredsomuchpoweronhimasanengineer，provedofequaladvantagetohimwhenlabouringinthedomainofphysicalscience。
Bringingafreshmind，ofkeenperception，tohisnewstudies，anduninfluencedbypreconceivedopinions，hesawtheminnewandoriginallights；andhencetheextraordinarydiscoveryabovedescribedbySirJohnHerschel。
Sometwohundredyearssince，amemberoftheNasmythfamily，JeanNasmythofHamilton，wasburntforawitch——oneofthelastmartyrstoignoranceandsuperstitioninScotland——becauseshereadherBiblewithtwopairsofspectacles。HadMr。Nasmythhimselflivedthen，hemight，withhistwotelescopesofhisownmaking，whichbringthesunandmoonintohischamberforhimtoexamineandpaint，havebeentakenforasorcerer。Butfortunatelyforhim，andstillmoresoforus，Mr。Nasmythstandsbeforethepublicofthisageasnotonlyoneofitsablestmechanics，butasoneofthemostaccomplishedandoriginalofscientificobservers。
CHAPTERXVI。
WILLIAMFAIRBAIRN。”Insciencethereisworkforallhands，moreorlessskilled；andheisusuallythemostfittooccupythehigherpostswhohasrisenfromtheranks，andhasexperimentallyacquaintedhimselfwiththenatureoftheworktobedoneineachandevery，eventhehumblestdepartment。”J。D。Forbes。
ThedevelopmentofthemechanicalindustryofEnglandhasbeensorapid，especiallyasregardsthewondersachievedbythemachine-toolsabovereferredto，thatitmayalmostbesaidtohavebeenaccomplishedwithinthelifeofthepresentgeneration。”WhenI
firstenteredthiscity，saidMr。Fairbairn，inhisinauguraladdressasPresidentoftheBritishAssociationatManchesterin1861，”thewholeofthemachinerywasexecutedbyhand。Therewereneitherplaning，slotting，norshapingmachines；and，withtheexceptionofveryimperfectlathesandafewdrills，thepreparatoryoperationsofconstructionwereeffectedentirelybythehandsoftheworkmen。Now，everythingisdonebymachine-toolswithadegreeofaccuracywhichtheunaidedhandcouldneveraccomplish。Theautomatonorself-actingmachine-toolhaswithinitselfanalmostcreativepower；infact，sogreatareitspowersofadaptation，thatthereisnooperationofthehumanhandthatitdoesnotimitate。”Inalettertotheauthor，Mr。
Fairbairnsays，”Thegreatpioneersofmachine-tool-makingwereMaudslay，MurrayofLeeds，ClementandFoxofDerby，whowereablyfollowedbyNasmyth，Roberts，andWhitworth，ofManchester，andSirPeterFairbairnofLeeds；andMr。Fairbairnmightwellhaveadded，byhimself，——forhehasbeenoneofthemostinfluentialandsuccessfulofmechanicalengineers。
WilliamFairbairnwasbornatKelsoonthe19thofFebruary，1787。
Hisparentsoccupiedahumblebutrespectablepositioninlife。Hisfather，AndrewFairbairn，wasthesonofagardenerintheemploymentofMr。BaillieofMellerston，andlivedatSmailholm，avillagelyingafewmileswestofKelso。TracingtheFairbairnsstillfurtherback，wefindseveralofthemoccupyingthestationof”portioners，”orsmalllairds，atEarlstonontheTweed，wherethefamilyhadbeensettledsincethedaysoftheSolemnLeagueandCovenant。Byhismother’sside，thesubjectofourmemoirissupposedtobedescendedfromtheancientBorderfamilyofDouglas。
WhileAndrewFairbairnWilliam’sfatherlivedatSmailholm，WalterScottwaslivingwithhisgrandmotherinSmailholmorSandyknoweTower，whitherhehadbeensentfromEdinburghinthehopethatchangeofairwouldhelpthecureofhisdiseasedhip-joint；andAndrew，beingnineyearshissenior，andastrongyouthforhisage，wasaccustomedtocarrythelittlepatientaboutinhisarms，untilhewasabletowalkbyhimself。Atalaterperiod，whenMissScott，Walter’saunt，removedfromSmailholmtoKelso，theintercoursebetweenthefamilieswasrenewed。ScottwasthenanEdinburghadvocate，engagedincollectingmaterialsforhisMinstrelsyoftheScottishBorder，or，ashisauntdescribedhispursuit，”runningaftertheauldwivesofthecountrygatherin’havers。”Heusedfrequentlytoreadoverbythefiresideintheeveningtheresultsofhiscuriousindustry，which，however，werenotverygreatlyappreciatedbyhisnearestrelatives；andtheydidnotscrupletodeclarethatforthe”Advocate”togoaboutcollecting”ballants”wasmerewasteoftimeaswellasmoney。
WilliamFairbairn’sfirstschoolmasterwasadecrepitoldmanwhowentbythenameof”BowedJohnnieKer，”——aCameronian，withanasaltwang，whichhispupilslearntmuchmorereadilythantheydidhislessonsinreadingandarithmetic，notwithstandingaliberaluseof”thetawse。”YetJohnniehadatasteformusic，andtaughthispupilstoSINGtheirreadinglessons，whichwasreckonedquiteanoveltyineducation。Afterashorttimeourscholarwastransferredtotheparish-schoolofthetown，keptbyaMr。White，wherehewasplacedunderthechargeofaratherseverehelper，who，insteadofthetawse，administereddisciplinebymeansofhisknuckles，hardashorn，whichheappliedwithapeculiarjerktothecraniaofhispupils。AtthisschoolWillieFairbairnlostthegreaterpartofthesingingaccomplishmentswhichhehadacquiredunder”BowedJohnnie，”