About sixty years ago there was a sharp controversy over the origin of this Portsmouth machinery. Partisans of Bentham and Brunel each claimed the entire credit for all of it. The fact is that some of Bentham’s machines were used for the roughing out, but all the finishing work was done on Brunel’s, and there is little doubt that the definite plan of operations and all the more intricate machines were his. Bentham conceived the enterprise and had it well under way. His broad-minded and generous substitution of Brunel’s plans for his own was quite as creditable to him as the execution of the whole work would have been. While Brunel was a clever and original designer, he was not a skilled mechanic. His plans called for a large number of refined and intricate machines which were wholly new and he no sooner began actual work than he felt the need of a mechanic capable of building them. Maudslay had just started in for himself and was working in his little shop on Oxford Street, with one helper. M. Bacquancourt, a friend of Brunel’s, passed his door every day and was interested in the beautiful pieces of workmanship he used to see from time to time in the shop window. At his suggestion Brunel went to Maudslay, explained to him his designs, and secured his help. There could hardly have been a better combination than these two men. Maudslay’s wonderful skill as a mechanic and his keen, practical intuition supplied the one element needed and together they executed the entire set of machines, forty-four in all.[27] [27] For a description of the Portsmouth Block Machinery, see Tomlinson’s “Cyclopedia of Useful Arts,” Vol. I, pp. 139-146. London, 1852. Also, Ure’s “Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines,” Vol. I, pp. 398-402; Seventh Edition. London, 1875; and Rees’ “Cyclopedia,” article “Machinery for Manufacturing Ship’s Blocks.” The machinery was divided into four classes. First. Sawing machines, both reciprocating and circular, for roughing out the blocks. Second. Boring, mortising, shaping and “scoring” machines for finishing the blocks. Third. Machines for turning and boring the sheaves, for riveting the brass liner and finish-facing the sides. In the larger sizes small holes were drilled on the joint and short wire pins riveted in to prevent slipping between the liner and block. Fourth. The iron pins on which the sheaves turned were hand forged in dies, turned and polished. In addition to these there were several machines for forming “dead eyes,” or solid blocks without sheaves, used in the fixed rigging. A detailed description of the entire set would be too long. A brief description of one or two of the machines will serve to give some idea of the others.