Produced by Chris Curnow, Anna Whitehead, eagkw and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE BOYHOOD OF GREAT INVENTORS [Illustration: THE EDDYSTONE LIGHTHOUSE. _Frontispiece._] _The Boyhood of Great Inventors_ BY A. FRASER ROBERTSON AUTHOR OF "EARLY YEARS OF SOME NOBLE LIVES" NEW EDITION _LONDON_ JOHN F. SHAW AND CO. 48, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. _UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME._ THE BOYHOOD OF GREAT INVENTORS A. FRASER ROBERTSON. TWILIGHT STORIES CATHARINE SHAW. FOR LOVE AND DUTY FRANK SAVILLE. THE BOYS OF ALL SAINTS MABEL MACKINTOSH. DARING DEEDS FRANK SAVILLE. MIDSHIPMITE CURLY DR. GORDON STABLES. THE DOG CRUSOE R. M. BALLANTYNE. THE SWORD OF THE CAREWS DUNCAN MCLAREN. THE NUGGET FINDERS H. ALGER. ROBIN HOOD & HIS BRAVE FORESTERS S. PERCY. MARTIN RATTLER R. M. BALLANTYNE. THE KING'S MESSENGER L. MARSTON. FOUR, AND WHAT THEY DID H. CAMPBELL. FOR WANT OF A WORD M. MACKINTOSH. FOR ELSIE'S SAKE J. CHAPPELL. CURLEY'S CRYSTAL EMMA MARSHALL. IN SHADOWLAND E. EVERETT-GREEN. ROB AND MAG L. MARSTON. THAT BOY TOM ISMAY THORN. TIM'S TREASURE ALICE LANG. LITTLE BOOTS J. HARRISON. CLEMENT AND GEORDIE EMMA MARSHALL. GOLD THAT GLITTERS E. S. HOLT. PETER'S PROMISES EMMA MARSHALL. MOLLIE WYNTER M. MACKINTOSH. THE SLAVE GIRL OF POMPEII E. S. HOLT. MISS PRIMROSE AGNES GIBERNE. MAB'S BURDENS E. BODDY. BESIDE ALL WATERS M. L. ASTREE. WATCHING FOR THE KING L. MARSTON. NAN, THE CIRCUS GIRL FRANCES STRATTON HOW THE TIDE TURNED S. WATSON. A BROTHER'S RANSOM ALICE LANG. LITTLE EYEBRIGHT AGNES GIBERNE. A LITTLE CURIOSITY EMMA MARSHALL. MADCAP MARIGOLD MABEL MACKINTOSH. THE GOLDEN PAVEMENT E. CHAPMAN. A WAIF OF THE WAVES S. WATSON. CHRISTOPHER'S NEW HOME EMMA MARSHALL. HIRA'S QUEST L. MARSTON. FROGGY'S LITTLE BROTHER BRENDA. LONDON: JOHN F. SHAW & CO., 48, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. CONTENTS. PAGE JOHN SMEATON 9 JOHN FLAXMAN 30 SIR HUMPHREY DAVY 48 SIR RICHARD ARKWRIGHT 67 JOSIAH WEDGWOOD 83 GEORGE STEPHENSON 102 THOMAS ALVA EDISON 118 JAMES WATT 141 THE BOYHOOD OF GREAT INVENTORS JOHN SMEATON.