But though Cugnot’s road locomotive remained locked up from public sight, the subject was not dead; for we find inventors employing themselves from time to time in attempting to solve the problem of steam locomotion in places far remote from Paris. The idea had taken root in the minds of inventors, and was striving to grow into a reality. Thus Oliver Evans, the American, invented a steam carriage in 1772 to travel on common roads; in 1787 he obtained from the State of Maryland an exclusive right to make and use steam-carriages, but his invention never came into use. Then, in 1784, William Symington, one of the early inventors of the steamboat, was similarly occupied in Scotland in endeavouring to develop the latent powers of the steam-carriage. He had a working model of one constructed, which he exhibited in 1786 to the professors of Edinburgh College; but the state of the Scotch roads was then so bad that he found it impracticable to proceed further with his scheme, which he shortly after abandoned in favour of steam navigation. [Picture: Section of Murdock’s Model] The same year in which Symington was occupied upon his steam-carriage, William Murdock, the friend and assistant of Watt, constructed his model of a locomotive at the opposite end of the island—at Redruth in Cornwall. His model was of small dimensions, standing little more than a foot high; and it was until recently in the possession of the son of the inventor, at whose house we saw it a few years ago. The annexed section will give an idea of the arrangements of this machine. It acted on the high-pressure principle, and, like Cugnot’s engine, ran upon three wheels, the boiler being heated by a spirit-lamp. Small though the machine was, it went so fast on one occasion that it fairly outran its inventor. It seems that one night after returning from his duties at the Redruth mine, Murdock determined to try the working of his model locomotive. For this purpose he had recourse to the walk leading to the church, about a mile from the town. It was rather narrow, and was bounded on each side by high hedges. The night was dark, and Murdock set out alone to try his experiment. Having lit his lamp, the water boiled speedily, and off started the engine with the inventor after it. He soon heard distant shouts of terror. It was too dark to perceive objects; but he found, on following up the machine, that the cries proceeded from the worthy pastor of the parish, who, going towards the town, was met on this lonely road by the hissing and fiery little monster, which he subsequently declared he had taken to be the Evil One _in propriá personâ_. No further steps were, however, taken by Murdock to embody his idea of a locomotive carriage in a more practical form.