med to frequent, and there he learned to work at the
forge, to handle the hammer and file, and in a short time to shoe
horses with considerable expertness. A cousin of his named Farer, a
clock and watchmaker by trade, having returned to the village from
London, brought with him some books on mechanics, which he lent to
Joseph to read; and they kindled in him an ardent desire to be a
mechanic instead of a slater. He nevertheless continued to maintain
himself by the latter trade for some time longer, until his skill had
grown; and, by way of cultivating it, he determined, with the aid of
his friend the village blacksmith, to make a turning-lathe. The two
set to work, and the result was the production of an article in every
way superior to that made by Clement's father, which was accordingly
displaced to make room for the new machine. It was found to work very
satisfactorily, and by its means Joseph proceeded to turn fifes,
flutes, clarinets, and hautboys; for to his other accomplishments he
joined that of music, and could play upon the instruments that he made.
One of his most ambitious efforts was the making of a pair of
Northumberland bagpipes, which he finished to his satisfaction, and
performed upon to the great delight of the villagers. To assist his
father in his entomological studies, he even contrived, with the aid of
the descriptions given in the books borrowed from his cousin the
watchmaker, to make for him a microscope, from which he proceeded to
make a reflecting telescope, which proved a very good instrument. At
this early period (1804) he also seems to have directed his attention
to screw-making--a branch of mechanics in which he afterwards became
famous; and he proceeded to make a pair of very satisfactory
die-stocks, though it is said that he had not before seen or even heard
of such a contrivance for making screws.

So clever a workman was not likely to remain long a village slater.
Although the ingenious pieces of work which he turned out by his lathe
did not bring him in much money, he liked the occupation so much better
than slating that he was gradually giving up that trade. His father
urged him to stick to slating as "a safe thing;" but his own mind was
in favour of following his instinct to be a mechanic; and at length he
determined to leave his village and seek work in a new line. He
succeeded in finding employment in a small factory at Kirby Stephen, a
town some thirteen miles from Great A