ucation, and of the sacrifices he made to give his son the advantage of
such an education. (Cheers.) I now, gentlemen, have to propose to you
the toast which has been committed to me, and which is 'Honour to the
memory of George Stephenson, and may the college to be erected to his
memory prove worthy of his fame.' I must ask you to drink this toast
standing; and consider that the birth of Stephenson is a subject of
jubilation. I think that although he is dead we may drink that toast
with hearty cheering. (Hear, hear, and loud cheers.)

Mr. George Robert Stephenson, who was warmly cheered on rising to respond
to the toast, said: "Mr. Mayor and gentlemen,--Let me, in the first place
thank Sir William Armstrong for the many kind words he has uttered in
honour of the memory of George Stephenson. It is true that he was, as
Sir William said, one of the most kind-hearted and unselfish men that
ever lived; but I suppose that no man has had a more up-hill struggle
during the present century. (Cheers). I have now in my possession
documents that would show in his early life the extraordinary and
peculiar nature of the opposition that was brought against him as a poor
man. He was opposed by many of the leading engineers of the day; some of
these men using language which, it is not incorrect to say, was not only
injurious but wicked. This is not the proper occasion to weary you with
a long speech, but with the view of showing the peculiar mode of
engineers reporting against each other, I could very much wish, with your
permission, to read a few sentences from documents that I have in my
possession, dating back to 1823. (Hear, hear). This, gentlemen, will
clearly show the sort of opposition I have alluded to. It occurs at the
end of a report by an opponent upon some projected work on which the four
brothers were engaged:--'But we cannot conclude without saying that such
a mechanic as Mr. Stephenson, who can neither calculate, nor lay his
designs on paper, or distinguish the effect from the cause, may do very
well for repairing engines when they are constructed, but for building
new ones, he must be at great loss to his employers, from the many
alterations that will take place in engine-building, when he goes by what
we call the rule of thumb.' In a preceding sentence he is taunted with
being like the fly going round on a crank axle, and shouting 'What a dust
I am kicking up.' Gentlemen, the dust that George Stephenson ki