Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/382



Ooiobsr 20,  1850.]  ROBERT  STEPHENSON. 371

any difficulties  which  might  have  arisen,  than for the  friendly  and  intellectual  intercourse to which  they  gave  rise,  from  which  none  were excluded, from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.

Like all  truly  great  minds,  and  we  may  add,  like his father  before  him,  he  of  whom  we  write was eminently  unselfish  and  free  from  profes- sional jealousy. He aided,  most  freely  and

most cheerfully,  his  fellow -labourers  in  the  great human cause  of  taming  the  elements  and  of  reduc- ing nature to  obedience  to  the  ways  and  wills  of mankind. To mention  no  other  instance,  the public at  large  are  well  aware  that  the  aid  ren- dered to him  by  his  friend  Brunei  in  the  construc- tion of the  Menai  tubular  bridge  was  gratefully repaid by  counsel  and  advice  in  the  launching out of  the  Great  Eastern.

We will  not  weary  our  readers  by  recording here the  long  list  of  learned  societies  that  counted Robert Stephenson  among  their  members: it  will be sufficient  to  say  that  the  Great  Exhibition  of 1851,  the  London  Sanitary  and  Sewerage  Com- mission, the Institute  of  Civil  Engineers,  and  the Royal Society,  all  reaped  in  their  turn  the  benefits of his  clear  head,  his  sound  professional  know- ledge, and his  willing  and  zealous  co-operation.

As our  readers  are  aware,  he  represented  the sea-port of  Whitby  in  the  Conservative  interest for the  last  ten  or  twelve  years  of  his  life. As a member of  “the  House,”  he  did  not  take  any active part  in  questions  of  a purely  political  cha- racter; and he  was  of  too  large  a mind  and  too liberal a nature  to  allow  himself  to  be  shackled  by the  ties  of  party. He was  no  orator,  nor  did  he pretend  to  what  he  was  not; but  upon  such  sub- jects as were  fairly  within  his  ken  and  his  grasp, he spoke  with  a sound  sense  and  shrewdness,  and with an  honest  integrity,  which  always  secured  for him a respectful  attention  in  that  most  fastidious of all  audiences — St. Stephen’s. Upon the  much debated questions  of  the  Suez  Canal  Scheme,  the Thames Embankment,  Metropolitan  Drainage,  the Purification of  the  Serpentine,  and  the  Construc- tion of Metropolitan  Railways,  there  was  no  one to whom  “the  ear  of  the  house ” was  more readily accorded.

If there  and  elsewhere  he  will  be  heard  no more,  and  the  loss  of  his  counsels  may  be  esteemed  a national  loss  in  the  deepest  sense,  there  is  yet  another sense in  which  he  will  be  regretted  more  widely  than most men  who  have  had  equal  opportunities  of  inter- course with society. Here he  was  simply  charming and fascinating  in  the  highest  degree,  from  his  natural goodness of  heart  and  the  genial  zest  with  which he relished  life  himself  and  participated  its  enjoy- ment with others. He was  generous  and  even princely in  his  expenditure— not  upon  himself  but on his  friends — and  his  love  of  the  English  pas- time of yachting  amounted  almost  to  a passion. On board  the  “Titania,”  or  at  his  house  in Gloucester  Square,  his  frequent  and  numerous guests found  his  splendid  resources  at  all  times converted to  their  gratification  with  a grace  of  hos- pitality which, although  sedulous,  was  never oppressive. There was  nothing  of  the  patron  in his  manner,  or  of  the  Olympic  condescension  which is sometimes  affected  by  much  lesser  men. A friend (and  how  many  friends  he  had!)  was  at

once his  equal  and  treated  with  republican  free- dom, yet with  the  most  high-bred  courtesy  and happy considerateness. We may  doubt  whether any of  the  celebrated  reception-houses  of  our aristocracy ever  afforded  more  delightful  gather- ings than those  with  which  Stephenson’s  ex- pansive tastes surrounded  him  in  his  fiome.

Men of  science,  letters,  art,  great  travellers, engineers, young  and  old  of  both  sexes,  and  of varied  accomplishments,  gave  to  his  reunions  a completeness  the  more  striking  that  it  seemed never to  be  anxiously  aimed  at. Surrounded by his  choice  collection  of  modern  works  of  art,  or explaining  his  philosophical  apparatus,  or  battling some scientific  thesis,  or  exchanging  some  sprightly banter in  asocial  circle, the  image  of  Robert  Stephen- son will rise  up  before  his  friends  as  a pillar bearing the  record  of  some  of  their  happiest  hours. What a favourite  he  was  with  all,  especially  with women and  young  persons  I No  one  who  enjoyed his intimacy  can  forget  the  easy  and  familiar manner in  which  he  was  accustomed  to  enlarge  on interesting  but  abstruse  points  of  natural  philo- sophy; but to  ladies,  and  the  young  espe- cially, he made  a point  of  explaining  everything with more  than  usual  care  and  definiteness,  never quitting the  subject  until  he  was  satisfied  that  he had  been  perfectly  understood. Nor was  his natural benevolence  exemplified  in  the  social sphere only. Accessible almost  to  a fault,  he never  turned  a deaf  ear  to  the  applications  for counsel and  assistance  so  constantly  poured  in upon  him. Nor was  his  kindness  to  his  fellow men more  remarkable  than  his  strong  detestation of cruelty  to  animals. Those who  knew  him well will  remember  with  pleasure  this  trait  of true  gentleness. It mattered  not  to  him  what was the  occasion,  or  what  the  apparent  reason  for haste, but  he  never  would  suffer  the  horses  in any  of  the  vehicles  under  his  control  to  be  ill-used.

As readily  he  oould  waive  his  private  gratification for the  public  good; as  for  example,  when  it  was desired to  ascertain  some  facts  of  a scientific  nature with regard  to  Teneriffe,  he  at  once  put  his  yacht and crew  at  the  disposal  of  the  parties  to  whom the mission  was  confided,  and  refused  all  reim- bursement of his  liberal  expenditure. His payment of half  the  debt  of  6000J. , which weighed  like  an incubus  on  an  Institution  at  Newcastle,  is  generally known; but his  private  charities  were  as  boundless as his  nature  was  generous,  and  as  quietly  per- formed as that  nature  was  unostentatious.

Such, then,  was  Robert  Stephenson,  lotus  teres clique rotundus, as  complete  a character  in  the multifarious relations  of  life  as  probably  any  man has met  or  will  meet  in  the  course  of  his  experience.

Not unlike,  or  rather  exceedingly  like,  his  father  in some  respects,  especially  in  the  easy  unimposing manner in  which  he  went  about  his  life’s  work,  he was  hardly  to  be  accounted  his  father’s  inferior, except perhaps  in  the  heroic  quality  of  combative- ness. Father and  son,  independently  of  each  other, and both  in  conjunction,  have  left  grand  and  bene- ficent results to  posterity,  and  both  recal  to  us Monckton  Milnes’s  men  of  old,  who

Went about  their  gravest  tasks Like noble  boys  at  play.