Armed with such means of obtaining the good opinion of the great Henry
Maudslay, on the 19th of May, 1829, I sailed for London in a Leith
smack, and after an eight days' voyage saw the metropolis for the first
time. I made bold to call on Mr. Maudslay, and told him my simple
tale. He desired me to bring my models for him to look at. I did so,
and when he came to me I could see by the expression of his cheerful,
well-remembered countenance, that I had attained my object. He then
and there appointed me to be his own private workman, to assist him in
his little paradise of a workshop, furnished with the models of
improved machinery and engineering tools of which he has been the great
originator. He left me to arrange as to wages with his chief cashier,
Mr. Robert Young, and on the first Saturday evening I accordingly went
to the counting-house to enquire of him about my pay. He asked me what
would satisfy me. Knowing the value of the situation I had obtained,
and having a very modest notion of my worthiness to occupy it, I said,
that if he would not consider 10s. a week too much, I thought I could
do very well with that. I suppose he concluded that I had some means
of my own to live on besides the 10s. a week which I asked. He little
knew that I had determined not to cost my father another farthing when
I left-home to begin the world on my own account. My proposal was at
once acceded to. And well do I remember the pride and delight I felt
when I carried to my three shillings a week lodging that night my first
wages. Ample they were in my idea; for I knew how little I could live
on, and was persuaded that by strict economy I could easily contrive to
make the money support me. To help me in this object, I contrived a
small cooking apparatus, which I forthwith got made by a tinsmith in
Lambeth, at a cost of 6s., and by its aid I managed to keep the eating
and drinking part of my private account within 3s. 6d. per week, or 4s.
at the outside. I had three meat dinners a week, and generally four
rice and milk dinners, all of which were cooked by my little apparatus,
which I set in action after breakfast. The oil cost not quite a
halfpenny per day. The meat dinners consisted of a stew of from a half
to three quarters of a lb. of leg of beef, the meat costing 3 1/2d.
per lb., which, with sliced potatoes and a little onion, and as much
water as just covered all, with a sprinkle of salt and black pepper, by
the time I