nt plumage, humming-birds, golden
orioles, toucans, and a host of solitary warblers. But the glorious
sunsets seen from his cottage-porch more than all astonished and
delighted the young engineer; and he was accustomed to say that, after
having witnessed them, he was reluctant to accuse the ancient Peruvians
of idolatry.

But all these natural beauties failed to reconcile him to the harassing
difficulties of his situation, which continued to increase rather than
diminish. He was hampered by the action of the Board at home, who gave
ear to hostile criticisms on his reports; and, although they afterwards
made handsome acknowledgment of his services, he felt his position to be
altogether unsatisfactory. He therefore determined to leave at the
expiry of his three years engagement, and communicated his decision to
the directors accordingly. On receiving his letter, the Board, through
Mr. Richardson, of Lombard street, one of the directors, communicated
with his father at Newcastle, representing that if he would allow his son
to remain in Colombia the Company would make it "worth his while." To
this the father gave a decided negative, and intimated that he himself
needed his son's assistance, and that he must return at the expiry of his
three years' term,--a decision, writes Robert, "at which I feel much
gratified, as it is clear that he is as anxious to have me back in
England as I am to get there." {199} At the same time, Edward Pease, a
principal partner in the Newcastle firm, privately wrote Robert to the
following effect, urging his return home:--"I can assure thee that thy
business at Newcastle, as well as thy father's engineering, have suffered
very much from thy absence, and, unless thou soon return, the former will
be given up, as Mr. Longridge is not able to give it that attention it
requires; and what is done is not done with credit to the house." The
idea of the manufactory being given up, which Robert had laboured so hard
to establish before leaving England, was painful to him in the extreme,
and he wrote to the manager of the Company, strongly urging that
arrangements should be made for him to leave without delay. In the mean
time he was again laid prostrate by another violent attack of aguish
fever; and when able to write in June, 1827, he expressed himself as
"completely wearied and worn down with vexation."

At length, when he was sufficiently recovered from his attack and able to
travel, he set out