The Steady Aim: a Book of Examples and Encouragements from Modern Biography. Illustrated

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. (continued).

Bernard de Palissy.-1. His youth; developes great talents; paints
upon glass; studies chemistry; his marriage, and poverty—2. The
enamelled cup; a project-3. Romance of real life; Palissy's
experiments in the manufacture of pottery ware; his failures and
increasing penury; a new furnace; his strength of purpose-
4. A lucrative appointment; Palissy returns to his experiments;
discovers the composition of enamel-5. Continues his labours
to discover how it is applied; the remorseless furnace; more fuel
6. The final trial; its success - -7. Is appointed the king's

potter-8. His Huguenot principles; Palissy and Henry III.;

dies a prisoner in the Bastile - 9. His character. Pages 43-49

Josiah Wedgwood. 1. His birth; early struggles; ornamental

pottery-2. Searches for better materials, and successfully experi-

mentalises with silica; universal diffusion of the Wedgwood

pottery-3. Wedgwood's rapid progress; the Queen's ware;

with Flaxman; influence of the beautiful upon the multitude -

5. Growth of the pottery manufacture -6. His liberality of

character; his death-7. Remarks on the career of Herbert

Minton 8 and 9. Quotation from 'Self Help'-10. English

heroes

49-56

The Cotton Manufacture. — 1. Its rise in England-2. Hostility of

the weavers; a felon's speech; warp and weft-3. John Kay and

the 'fly-shuttle;' a power-loom; Kay's fate- 4. James Har-

greaves and the spinning-jenny; he dies in obscurity 57-59

Sir Richard Arkwright.-1. His humble birth; a man of industry,

but not of genius-2. Becomes a barber; reduction of terms

3. Abandons his trade, and travels as a dealer in hair; accumu-

lates an independence, and marries-4. Studies the problem of

'perpetual motion' - 5. Developement of the cotton manufacture

6. Wyatt, Earnshaw, and Hargreaves; Arkwright's experi-

ments; separates from his wife 7. Establishes himself at

Nottingham, and enters into partnership with Messrs. Reed and

Strutt; his patents, and signal improvements-8. His powerful

enemies-9. Actions at law-10. Witnesses against him—11. A

memorable trial-12. True statement of the case-13. Arkwright's

energy, perseverance, and success - 14. His death

59-68

The Engineers. 1. Englishmen specially adapted for engineering

purposes; Emerson quoted-2. Lessons from the lives of great

engineers-3. A steady aim

68-70

character

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. (continued).

13. Its

John Smeaton.-1. His birth; mechanical bias; 'Fooley Smeaton'

-2. A practical philosopher-3. His pursuits-4. Distaste to

the legal profession - 5. Becomes a mathematical instrument

maker-6. Travels in Holland, and studies engineering

7. The value of an opportunity-8. The Eddystone-9. Winstan-

ley's lighthouse-10. Its destruction—11. Rudyerd's lighthouse;

destroyed by fire-12. Smeaton applied to; erects a lighthouse of

stone 13. Its durability - 14. Smeaton's engineering achieve-

ments; the Forth of Clyde canal - 15. The Carron ironworks

- 16. Harbours 17. His later years . 18. His death and

Pages 70-79

Thomas Telford.-1. The valley of the Esk; Telford's birthplace-

2. His industrious childhood-3. His apprenticeship; cultivates

poetry-4. His poem of Eskdale' - 5. Removes to Edinburgh,

and afterwards to London. 6. Works at Somerset House

7. Rapid progress; engaged at Portsmouth; his own account of

his daily life -8. His bridge building, and canals — 9. Iron

bridges 10. Road-making in the Highlands 11. The Cale-

donian canal - 12. English roads; the Menai bridge

details - 14. Telford's last achievements and closing years

15. His character.

John Rennie. -1. His birth and childhood-2. 'Old Meikle
3. Rennie's rapid advancement-4. A millwright on his own account
-5. The Albion corn mills - 6. Rennie's numerous labours
works at the Royal Mint-7. Earl Stanhope - 8. Canal-making
-9. Drainage of the Fens-10. Waterloo, Southwark, and

London bridges - 11. The docks of London - 12. Harbours

13. Plymouth sound-14. Plymouth breakwater - 15. Further

details - 16. Overwork; death. - 17. His character; Reynolds,

Cecil, and John Sterling quoted

87-96

James Brindley.· 1. His birth and childhood-2. A blundering
journeyman-3. His début under Milner's patronage; a prophecy;
gradual progress - 4. A paper mill wanted- 5. Brindley steps
in to his master's rescue- 6. Removes to Leek, and prospers;
proofs of his mechanical ingenuity-7. Introduction to the Duke
of Bridgewater; their similarities of character; the Mersey canal
-8. Parliamentary opposition; Brindley a madman; the Barton
aqueduct-9. Quotation from Mr. Smiles-10. Canal engineering;
the Grand Trunk canal-11. Brindley's premature death; his
character-12. A contrast; Lawrence Earnshaw.
97-107

EPILOGUE.-1. Necessity of perseverance illustrated-2. The true
happiness that lies in success - 3. Know one thing thoroughly,
and all things well

107-109

EXAMPLES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS FROM THE LIVES OF EMINENT

NAVAL AND MILITARY HEROES.

PROLOGUE.-1. Attractiveness of a military career- 2. Qualities

required in a great commander; Charles IX., Peter the Great,

Muley Moluc, Suwarrow; Anecdote of the Earl of Dundonald-

3. Fine saying of Napoleon's-4. Value of patience; Examples:

Wellington, Marlborough, Turenne, Nelson-5. Value of prompti-
tude; Examples: Blucher, Clyde, Sir John Jervis, Clive-6. Value
of purpose: the Indian hero, Nicholson-7. Sir Charles Napier,
John Hunter-8. The happiness that lies in doing one's
duty
Pages 110-115

EXAMPLES.-Earl of Dundonald.-1. His birth - 2. Educational

disadvantages-3. Love of a sea-faring life; his father's opposi-

tion - 4. That opposition conquered; Cochrane enters the navy

5. An amusing incident-6. On board the Thetis-7. In the

Mediterranean -8. Re-capture of the Lady Nelson- 9. The

brig Speedy-10. A series of gallant actions-11. Action with

the El Gamo-12, 13. Further particulars-14. Tardy pro-

motion: quarrel with Earl St. Vincent- 15. Studies at Edinburgh

-16. Appointed to the Arab; promoted to the Pallas; four

Spanish prizes-17. Contests the borough of Honiton-18. Cruise

of the Pallas-19. Cochrane appointed to the Impérieuse, and

ordered on a cruise -20. Contests Westminster; is elected;

attacks naval abuses-21. Cruises in the Mediterranean

22. Siege of Rosas- 23. Defence of the castle of Trinidad -

24. Novel modes of defence-25. Progress of the siege-26. Further

details 27. A flag of truce-28. A night attack-29. Evacua-

tion of Trinidad-30. Action in the Basque roads · 31. Obstacles

in Cochrane's way-32. The explosion vessels -33. Cochrane's

plan of operations - 34 The attack 35. Lord Gambier's want

of resolution - 36. Lord Cochrane's stratagem-37. Parliamen-

tary recriminations 38. Napoleon's opinion of Lord Cochrane's

plans 39. Close of his career .

115-137

William Dampier.-1. Dampier's love of knowledge-2. His birth

and childhood-3. Various voyages - 4. Logwood cutting

5. Buffalo hunting; joins the Buccaneers-6. The Mosquito men-

7. The solitary of Juan Fernandez-8. Voyage of the Cygnet

9. Quits the Buccaneers: a boat voyage-10. Arrives in England;

employed by the government; a disaster-11. Death and cha-

racter of Dampier

137-144

xii

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER II. (continued.)

Robert, Lord Clive.-1. Lesson of his life-2. Early years; daring

adventures-3. British settlements in India; Clive at Madras;

attempts self-destruction -4. Disputes between the French and

English 5. Clive proposes an attack on Arcot; commands the

expedition, and captures the town; prepares to defend it— 6. The

siege; fidelity of the Sepoys; Clive repulses the assailants

7. Energetic movements; battle of Coverspak-8. Relief of Trichi-

nopoly; Major Lawrence's opinion - 9. Capture of Covelong and

Chingleput; Clive returns to England-10. Embarks for Bombay;

destroys Gheriah; recaptures Calcutta-11. Suraj-u-Dowlah and

Meer Jaffier-12. A council of war- 13. Battle of Plassey-

14. Clive appointed Governor of Bengal; defeats the Dutch-

15. Returns to England; maladministration of Bengal during his

absence 16. Is appointed Governor-General; returns to Cal-

cutta; carries out a radical reform-17. Returns to England;

encounters the hostility of partisans; defended by Wedderburn;

his success-18. Melancholy end-19. Reflections . P. 145-159

Captain James Cook.-1. Opening remarks. 2. Birth and early
years; acquires a thorough knowledge of his profession, and is
employed in North America-3. Operations before Quebec; a
narrow escape-4. Further movements - 5. Transit of Venus;
a scientific expedition projected; Cook appointed to the command
6. Visits the Society Isles, New Zealand, Australia, and New
Guinea-7. Second voyage of discovery; the Antarctic Seas;
Coleridge quoted-8. Interesting discoveries- 9. Return to Eng-
land-10. Third voyage: a northwest passage; the South Seas;
Sandwich Islands; Owhyhee visited; death of Cook - - 12. Narra-
tive of an eyewitness - 13. Cook's triumphs

EPILOGUE.-Remarks on the excellence of doing one's duty

CHAPTER III.

159-168

EXAMPLES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS FROM THE LIVES OF EMINENT

ARTISTS.

PROLOGUE.-1. Art a jealous mistress. Examples: Sir Joshua
Reynolds, Michael Angelo, Banks, Titian; the signor and the
sculptor-2. Life of Chantrey; his early struggles — 3. A por-
trait painter at Sheffield; removes to London; carves a head of
Satan; Flaxman assists him; he obtains celebrity; a series of
successes; his principal works; his death-4. Samuel Williams,
the wood engraver-5. James Sharples; anecdotes of his early years
- 6. Drawings in chalk-7. Learns to read and write; his

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER III. (continued).

xiii

industry-8. Begins to paint in oil; a walk to Manchester-

9. The forge;' pursuit of painting under difficulties; the picture

successful—10. Attempts engraving on steel; autobiographical

narrative; Heaven helps those who help themselves; Moscheles

and Beethoven-11. Devotion to music; Handel's industry-

12. Mozart a worker; the 'Dying Swan.'

Pages 170-180

EXAMPLES.-John Flaxman.-1. A cripple in childhood; finds a
friend; love of reading; attempts sculpture; Roubilliac's
'Psha!'-2. Improves in general knowledge; Mortimer's cri-
ticism; Flaxman's perseverance; his first commission — 3. At the
Royal Academy; assiduous study-4. Employed by Wedgwood —
5. Popularises art-6. His marriage; Reynolds's prediction; his
wife's resolve; they set out for Italy; Flaxman finds patrons -
7. His successes, old age, and death
180-185

James Barry.-1. An Irish lad—2. His passion for art; a mother's

ambition - 3. Asceticism and perseverance; the first picture;

Burke's enlogium - 4. How Barry rescues himself from dissipa-

tion; receives help from Burke; visits Italy; quarrels with his

fellow students 5. Returns to England; falls into disorderly

habits-6. Proposes to the Society of Arts a series of cartoons on

the progress of human improvement; his daily life—7. Six years'

labour 8. His later life-9. His singular death and cha-

racter

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