Trevithick was friendly with George Stephenson when, in 1805, he nursed little Bobby. Twenty years afterwards, when George had comprehended Trevithick's locomotive, and desired his son's return to England to assist him in making it useful, Robert Stephenson, grown to manhood, met his father's friend in the wilds of Central America, both of them having been engaged in mining operations, and both on their return to England. George Stephenson's son made for himself a fortune and a name, his friend earned poverty and neglect. These two men, though well known to the engineering world, had no mutual attraction, and in their native land remained strangers to each other. "MY DEAR SIR, "42, ST. MARY AXE, _January 13th, 1828_. "I had very unexpectedly a letter from Costa Rica this morning by the way of Jamaica, including two for you, which I have the pleasure of transmitting. Mine is from Montelegre, begun on the 25th of August, and finished on the 11th of September, when Don Antonio Pinto, with some people from the Alajuela, was to start by the road of Sarapique on his way to Jamaica. His intention was to find a better route as far as Buona Vista, after which he would probably nearly follow our course to the Embarcadero of Gamboa. "Whether he succeeded in finding a less rugged road to Buona Vista I do not know. That he reached his destination seems clear from our letters having come to hand; but from their old date it would appear that he had either met with difficulties on the road or with considerable detention at San Juan. Montelegre writes me that Don Yonge had effected a compromise on your account with the Castros. Gamboa got back to San José on the 18th August, twelve days after he parted from us, to the great joy of our mutual friends. Mr. Paynter had been unwell after our departure. Both he and Montelegre desire their kindest recollections to you "Yours most sincerely, "J. M. GERARD. "CAPT. TREVITHICK." The newly-discovered track taken by the homeward bound over the Cordilleras soon brought Don Antonio Pinto and others into the field in search of passable roads to the Atlantic. Twelve days required by Gamboa to effect his return to San José, a distance of perhaps sixty miles, indicate the difficulty. Mr. Gerard passed some weeks with Trevithick in Cornwall arranging the best means of getting together a company to work on a large scale the Costa Rica mines. "DEAR SIR, "HAYLE FOUNDRY, _January 24th, 1828_.