nts by means of a toothed rail, with a
toothed propelling wheel working into it. This unnatural infant,
however, turned out to be not the true child. It was found that such a
powerful creature did not require teeth at all, that he could "bite"
quite well enough by means of his weight alone,--so the teeth were
plucked out and never allowed to grow again.

After this, in 1813, came Brunton of Butterley, with a curious
contrivance in the form of legs and feet, which were attached to the
rear of his engine and propelled it by a sort of walking motion. It did
not walk well, however, and very soon walked off the field of
competition altogether.

At last, in the fulness of time there came upon the scene the great
railway king, George Stephenson, who, if he cannot be said to have
begotten the infant, at all events brought him up and effectually
completed his training.

George Stephenson was one of our most celebrated engineers, and the
"father of the railway system." He may truly be said to have been one
of mankind's greatest benefactors. He was a self-taught man, was born
near Newcastle in 1781, began life as a pit-engine boy with wages at
two-pence a day, and ultimately rose to fame and fortune as an engineer.

In 1814 he made a locomotive for the Killingworth Colliery Railway. It
drew thirty tons at the rate of four miles an hour, and was regarded as
a great success. In 1825 an engine of the same kind was used on the
Stockton and Darlington Railway, of which Stephenson had been made
engineer.

But the great crowning effort of Stephenson, and the grand impulse to
the railway cause, which carried it steadily and swiftly on to its
present amazing degree of prosperity, did not occur till the year 1829.

Previous to that date the Manchester and Liverpool Railway was being
constructed, and so little was known as to the capabilities of railways
and the best mode of working them, that the directors and engineers had
some difficulty in deciding whether the line should be worked by fixed
engines or by locomotives. It was ultimately decided that the latter
should be used, and a premium of 500 pounds was offered for the best
locomotive that could be produced, in accordance with certain
conditions. These were--That the chimney should emit no smoke--that the
engine should be on springs--that it should not weigh more than six
tons, or four-and-a-half tons if it had only four wheels--that it should
be able to draw a load of