Birth of Mr. Brunel, April 9, 1806--Sir Marc Isambard Brunel--The Block Machinery--Mr. Brunel’s School Life--The Thames Tunnel--Sinking of the Rotherhithe Shaft--Description of the Shield--Extracts from Sir Isambard Brunel’s Journals from the Commencement of the Thames Tunnel to the date of the Second Irruption of the River, January 12, 1828--_Note A_: The Bourbon Suspension Bridges--_Note B_: Experiments with Carbonic Acid Gas......1 CHAPTER II. _THE CLIFTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE._ A.D. 1829--1853. ÆTATIS 24--48. Origin of the Undertaking--The First Competition, November 1829--Description of Mr. Brunel’s Plans--Mr. Telford’s Decision as Umpire--Mr. Telford’s Design--The Second Competition--Mr. Brunel appointed Engineer, March 1831--Commencement of the Works, August 1836--Description of the Design--Abandonment of the Works, 1853--Formation of a New Company and Completion of the Bridge, 1864--_Note_: The Hungerford Suspension Bridge.....46 CHAPTER III. _EARLY HISTORY OF THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY._ A.D. 1833--1835. ÆTATIS 27--30. Sketch of the History of Railways in England prior to 1833--The Stockton and Darlington--The Liverpool and Manchester--The London and Birmingham--Proposed Railway between London and Bristol--Mr. Brunel appointed Engineer, March 7, 1833--Survey of the Line--Unsuccessful Application to Parliament in 1834--Successful Application in 1835--Reminiscences of Mr. Brunel, 1833-1835--Extract from Mr. Brunel’s Diary, written at the close of 1835.....61 CHAPTER IV. _RAILWAY WORKS._ A.D. 1835--1859. ÆTATIS 30--54. Construction of the Great Western Railway--The Box Tunnel--The Bath and Bristol Stations--The Paddington Station--The Great Western Hotel--Branches and Extensions of the Great Western Railway--The Bristol and Exeter Railway--Railways in Devonshire and Cornwall--Railways to Basingstoke, to Weymouth, and to Salisbury--In South Wales--In Ireland--In Italy--In India--Supervision of Works--Mr. Brunel’s Engineering Staff--His Reputation as a Witness--Reminiscences of Mr. Brunel, 1835-1838.....79 CHAPTER V. _THE BROAD GAUGE._ Origin of the Ordinary Gauge of Railways--Adoption by Mr. Brunel of the Broad Gauge on the Great Western Railway--Reasons for its Adoption--The Permanent Way--Reports of Mr. Nicholas Wood and Mr. John Hawkshaw, 1838--_Extract from Report of Directors of Great Western Railway Company_ (December 20, 1838)--Extension of the Broad Gauge System--Break of Gauge--Royal Commission on the Gauge of Railways, 1845--_Letter of Mr. Brunel on the Broad Gauge_ (August 6, 1845)--Gauge Act of 1846--The Mixed Gauge--Report of Railway Commissioners, 1847--Northern Extensions of the Great Western Railway--Advantages of the Broad Gauge--Partial Abandonment of the Broad Gauge.....99 CHAPTER VI. _THE ATMOSPHERIC SYSTEM._ A.D. 1840--1848. ÆTATIS 35--43.