Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 4.djvu/446

398 the beauties of a fine landscape, and was an enthusiastic lover of the fine arts. In the course of his busy life he several times went to Italy and Switzerland ; and in 1847 he bought a small estate in Devonshire, to make his home there. The pressure of business, however, did not allow him to spend much of his time in the country. In 1830 Brunei was elected F.R.S., and he was afterwards a member of many other scientific societies. In 1857 the honorary degree of D.C.L. was conferred on him by the university of Oxford. In July 1836 he married; he left two sons and a daughter surviving him. For the sake of his health he spent the winter of 1858-59 in Egypt, return ing to England in May. He was on board his &quot; great ship&quot; on the 5th September 1859, and the same day was attacked with paralysis. The ship sailed on her first voyage on the 7th, and her great projector passed away on the 15th of the month. His remains were interred in Kcnsal Green Cemetery. In 1870 appeared The Life of I. K. Brunei, C.E., by his son Isambard Brunei, of Lincoln s Inn, chancellor of the diocese of Ely.  BRUNEL, (1769-1849), was born at Haqueville, in Normandy. His family had for several centuries held a respectable station in the pro vince, living as farmers and small landowners on the estate on which he was born, and numbering among its members Nicholas Poussin. He was educated at the seminary of St Nicaise at Rouen, with the intention of his enter ing holy orders ; but his predilection for the physical sciences was so strong, and his genius for mathematics and mechanics so decided, that, on the advice of tlie superior of- the establishment, he was removed to follow a more congenial career. His father then destined him for the naval service, which he entered on the appointment of the Marshal de Castries, the minister of marine, and made several voyages to the West Indies, In this position, although only in his seventeenth year, his mechanical talents developed themselves actively on many occasions, and he surprised his captain by the production of a sextant of his manufacture with which he took his observations. On his return to France in 1792, he found the Revolution at its height, and like all who entertained royalist principles, he was compelled to seek safety in emigration. He effected his flight with considerable difficulty, and found refuge in the United States of America, where, driven by necessity to the exercise of his talents as a means of support, he followed the bent of his inclination and became a civil engineer and architect. His first engagement was on the survey of a tract of land near Lake Erie ; he then became engaged in cutting canals, and was employed to erect an arsenal and cannon foundry at New York, where he applied several new and ingenious machines. His highly orna mental design for the House of Assembly at Washington was rejected, as being inconsistent with the simplicity of a republic ; he was, however, engaged to design and super intend the construction of Bowery Theatre,, New York, since destroyed by fire, the roof of which was peculiar and original. The idea of substituting machinery for manual labour in the making of ships blocks had long occupied his mind ; and, in 1799, having matured his plans, he determined to visit England. Earl St Vincent was at that time at the head of the Admiralty, and after the usual delays and difficulties, which were ultimately overcome chiefly through the powerful influence of his steady friend and patron Earl Spencer, aided by the recommendation of Brigadier- General Sir Samuel Benthatn, who at once perceived and appreciated the merit of the machines and the talent of the inventor, the system was adopted, and the machinery erected. The construction of the machines was entrusted to Mr Henry Maudslay, whom Brunei had selected with true discrimination, and by whom he was ably assisted. The beautiful simplicity of these machines, their perfect adaptation to their various purposes, and, notwithstanding the recent advances in mechanics, their continuing for nearly half a century in active work, without any improve ments having ever been suggested, must rank them as among the most complete and ingenious pieces of mechanism ever invented. The block machinery was completed in 1806, and it was estimated that the economy produced by it in the first year was about 24,000, two-thirds of which sum was awarded to the ingenious inventor, who was soon after engaged by the Government to erect extensive saw-mills, on improved principles, at Chatham and Woolwich. He there suggested modifications of the systems of stacking and seasoning timber, which were afterwards carried into effect. Some time previously, he had invented the ingenious little machine for winding cotton-thread into balls, which, simple as it may at first sight appear, has exercised great influence on the extension of the cotton trade. He found time also to invent an instrument for combin ing the use of several pens, so as to produce simultaneously a number of copies of a manuscript ; a simple and portable copying-machine ; and a contrivance for making the small boxes used by druggists, which had been previously imported in large quantities from Holland. A nail-making machine also occupied his attention ; and he discovered the system of giving the efflorescent appearance to tinfoil, by which it was fitted for ornamental purposes. Among other more important improvements may be mentioned that of cutting veneers by circular saws of large diameter, to which is mainly due the present extensive application of veneers of wood to ornamental furniture. About the year 1812 he had devised a scheme for making shoes by machinery ; and, under the countenance of the duke of York, the shoes so manufactured, in consequence of their strength, cheapness, and durability, were introduced for the use of the army ; but at the peace in 1815, manual labour becoming cheaper, and the demand for military equipments having ceased, the machines were laid aside. Steam navigation also attracted his attention, and he became deeply interested in establishing the Ramsgate steam vessels, which were among the first that plied success fully on the River Thames ; and on board of them it is believed that the double engines were first used. About this period, after much labour and perseverance, he induced the Admiralty to permit the application of steam for towing vessels to sea, the practicability of which he had strenuously urged. The experiments were tried chiefly at his own expense ; a small sum in aid had been promised, but it was eventually withdrawn before the completion of the trials, the Admiralty considering the attempt &quot; too chimerical to be seriously entertained.&quot; He introduced various im provements in the steam-engine, and for nearly ten years persevered in the attempt to use liquefied gases as the source of motive power, in which he was ably assisted by his son. The necessary experiments were most laborious, and needed all the persevering energy and resources of a mind determined not to be foiled ; in spite, however, of his efforts, after a great sacrifice of time and money, the plan was abandoned. The whole power of his mind, however, was for many years concentrated on one great object, the construction of the tunnel for communication from shore to shore beneath the bed of the River Thames. It is said that the original idea occurred to him, as applied to the Neva at St Peters burg, in order to avoid the inconvenience arising from the floating ice, a plan which he offered to the Emperor Alex ander, on the occasion of his visit to England in 1814. Undismayed by previous signal failures in the attempt 