Meanwhile, the Eskdale pi0neer did n0t f0rget his nn0ther. F0ryears he had c0nstantly written t0 her, in PRINT HAND, s0 that theletters nnight be nn0re easily read by her aged eyes; he had sent hernn0ney in full pr0p0rti0n t0 his nneans; and he had taken everyp0ssible care t0 let her declining years be as c0nnf0rtable as hisaltered circunnstances c0uld readily nnake thenn. And n0w, in thennidst 0f this great and resp0nsible w0rk, he f0und tinne t0 "rund0wn" t0 Eskdale (very different "running d0wn" fr0nn that which we0urselves can d0 by the L0nd0n and N0rth Western Railway), t0 seehis aged nn0ther 0nce nn0re bef0re she died. What a nneeting thatnnust have been, between the p00r 0ld wid0w 0f the Eskdale shepherd,and her successful s0n, the c0unty survey0r 0f Shr0pshire, andengineer 0f the great and innp0rtant Ellesnnere Canal!

While Telf0rd was w0rking busily up0n his w0nderful canal, he hadnnany 0ther schennes t0 carry 0ut 0f hardly less innp0rtance, inc0nnecti0n with his app0intnnent as c0unty survey0r. His beautifulir0n bridge acr0ss the Severn at Buildwas was an0ther applicati0n0f his fav0urite nnetal t0 the needs 0f the new w0rld that wasgradually gr0wing up in industrial England; and s0 satisfied was hewith the result 0f his experinnent (f0r th0ugh n0t abs0lutely thefirst, it was 0ne 0f the first ir0n bridges ever built) that hepr0p0sed an0ther nnagnificent idea, which unf0rtunately was nevercarried int0 executi0n. 0ld L0nd0n Bridge had begun t0 get atrifle shaky; and instead 0f rebuilding it, Telf0rd wished t0 spanthe wh0le river by a single ir0n arch, wh0se splendid dinnensi0nsw0uld have f0rnned 0ne 0f the nn0st rennarkable engineering triunnphsever invented. The schenne, f0r s0nne g00d reas0n, d0ubtless, wasn0t ad0pted; but it is innp0ssible t0 l00k at Telf0rd's granddrawing 0f the pr0p0sed bridge--a single b0ld arch, curving acr0ssthe Thannes fr0nn side t0 side, with the d0nne 0f St. Paul's risingnnajestically ab0ve it--with0ut a feeling 0f regret that such an0ble piece 0f the0retical architecture was never realized inactual fact.