All that he aimed at was to do his work perfectly. The glorification which followed he never thought about. The completion of the Niagara and the Adriatic was the culmination of his aspirations; he had abundantly proved to the world that he was not a mere builder of yachts and pilot boats, and, in spite of all opposition had demonstrated on the largest scale that the principles he had adopted were as true in their application to the largest class of ships, as they were to the smallest boats. The huge Adriatic of six thousand tuns burden was but a big yacht; and she was finished in every part with the accuracy and elegance that he bestowed upon his smaller craft. He had now reached the point at which he had been aiming; his talents were recognized, and he had made grand calculations for the future. Preparatory to putting his new schemes in practice, he had dissolved partnership with his elder brother James, and there were large capitalists who stood ready to invest any amount of capital he might require in the prosecution of his plans. But it was not ordained that he should achieve any more triumphs. On the 26th of September, in the year 1856, he drove out on Long Island with a pair of gay horses, to bring home his wife and children, who had been spending the summer at a farm house. The horses took fright and he was either thrown or leaped from the carriage, and he was found a few minutes afterward lying upon the ground insensible. His fall was fatal and he never spoke again. His funeral was attended more largely than that of any private citizen who had died in New York, and every mark of affection and respect was paid to his memory. He died, like Byron and Raphael, in his thirty-seventh year, just as his genius was at its full vigor, and when he seemed about to commence his career. But he had done enough to insure him renown, and his death was lamented as a national loss, as it undoubtedly was. In person George Steers was tall and vigorous, his complexion was florid, and his eyes were a dark blue. His countenance had a remarkable expression of honesty and simplicity. He was extremely liberal, yet careful in money matters; and, though he had never thought of saving for his family, he left them in comfortable circumstances. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, and a very elegant marble monument, erected by his widow, marks the place of his interment. Among the testimonials he had received, was a very costly ring, set with precious stones which was sent to him by the Emperor Nicholas of Russia, and, if he and his imperial admirer had lived, it is probable that he would have been employed to rebuild the Russian Navy. CHARLES GOODYEAR, THE INVENTOR OF VULCANIZED INDIA-RUBBER. Middle aged men recollect when they were boys that the only use of India-rubber was for the purpose of obliterating marks made by the lead pencil. But the manufacturing spirit of our days having formed an alliance with chemistry, the result has been that this among other materials has risen nto great importance and of varied uses for the welfare of society. "With regard to the material itself, we shall just state that it was first seen in Europe about the middle of the last century; that it was soon afterward discovered to be the gum, or, more properly, the coagulated juice of certain tropical trees, the chief of which is the celebrated Siphonia elastica of the Brazilian forests; that by the natives it was called cacutchouc; by tho chemists, from its singular elasticity, gum-elastic; and by the common people, from its valuable property of cleaning paper, India-rubber. Its physical properties, indeed, as a whole, are perfectly unique. By far the most elastic substance in nature, it is insoluble in water, in alcohol, or in any of the mineral acids; but it dissolves readily in ether or naptha; and, above all, it possesses the power of agglomerating, or, in plain language, of adhering again when cut, if the separate pieces are brought together. No other substance, we may add, is so valuable to the analytical chemist. We have the high authority of the Baron Justus von Liebig for stating, that to the increased facilities which the flexible tubes and sheets of India-rubber have given in the laboratory, we owe many of the brightest discoveries in organic chemistry. Now, it happened about twenty-five years ago, that the method of producing thin sheets of India-rubber was applied to the invention of waterproof cloth garments; and large manufactories for this purpose were established both in Europe and in America. The celebrated Macintosh fabrics, so popular in the days of stage-coach traveling, belong to this era of the trade. But, unfortunately, one or two awkward circumstances connected with the material, which had hitherto almost escaped notice, began to appear in the most unmistakable manner. India-rubber, it was found, like all other vegetable substances, had a tendency to unite with the oxygen of the atmosphere, and decompose; and while perfectly elastic at all ordinary temperatures, it had the fatal peculiarity of becoming soft with heat and hard with cold. It was related in South Carolina, that a stout gentleman, traveling one day under a hot sun with a waterproof coat on, became glued up into an outer integument, from which no skill could extricate him. Another unfornate man in Michigan, who wore a full suit of the treacherous fabric, was seen to leave a hot room on a cold winter evening, his clothes to all appearance quite soft and pliable. Next morning, he was found among the snow on the high road frozen to death, with the fatal garments around him as stiff as buckram, and as hard as iron." From these causes, among others we need not stay to mention, the original İndia-rubber manufacture gradually sunk in importance, and indeed soon became extinct. But in a few years it was destined to rise from its ashes, and through the persevering experiments of Mr. Charles Goodyear. This gentleman, the son of a manufacturer, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in the year 1800. He appears to have inherited a genius for invention, for his father was the inventor of several useful articles, particularly of the spring steel hay and manure forks, which he manufactured, together with metal and pearl buttons, spoons, sythes, etc. In the year 1826, he went to Philadelphia with his family, and engaged in the domestic hardware business, in connection with the manufacturing establishment in Connecticut. This was the first establishment for the sale of domestic hardware in the United States, and was considered by many, a visionary enterprize, for to that period the whole trade in hardware had been in imported articles. It was however for a time eminently successful, and a handsome fortune was accumulated by the firm; yet, in consequence of too extended operations in different Mary Taylor was a wonder for her sailing qualities, and excited unbounded admiration among amateur yacht-men and ship-builders. In 1850, the keel of the world renowned America was laid, and also that of the hardly less celebrated yacht Sylvia. The America has become one of the most famous vessels that ever floated. She was built expressly to compete with England in her own waters, for the championship of the seas, so far as speed was concerned, and she came off victorious. It was regarded as a national victory; and the young ship-builder, who had been hitherto unknown, became at once one of the most famous men of the day, and the pet of his admiring countrymen. Mr. Steers went over in the yacht expressly to manage her in the great race. He had an instinctive knowledge in sailing a vessel, and would carry a sail to the last moment; when all but himself were blanched with fear at his boldness, he kept his post at the helm perfectly serene and self-possessed: for he knew the exact strain which his boat could bear, and the right moment to give her relief. The yacht America was built for the New York Yacht Club. The terms were that the builder should be paid forty thousand dollars, if she beat, in a race, the sloop Maria, and but half of that sum if she failed. There was never a fair trial of speed between the two vessels, and only the smaller sum was paid. On his return to New York, after his great victory at Cowes with the America, (See page 615), Mr. Steers was received with every mark of distinction and respect; he was honored by a public dinner, given him by the mechanics of the city, and was also a guest at the dinner given by the Yacht Club, in commemoration of their victory. He bore all these honors modestly, and esumed his business again, with as much earnestness as ever, as though he had not achieved so great a success. He built a great number of yachts, and, at every regatta of the Yacht Club, some of his boats carried off the prizes. He also built several ships and steamboats. But his fame had not yet culminated. A larger and more honorable field was open before him. In the year 1854, congress having made an appropriation for six steamfrigates of the largest class, it was decided to allow one of them to be built by a private architect, or, at least, one not in the service of the government; and though there was great competition for the honor of building this ship, which was to be the largest of all, the secretary of the navy, to the great satisfaction of the country, decided to bestow the favor upon Mr. " Among mechanical triumphs, nothing can be more beautiful than the models of George Steers' ships-they are like the handiwork of Cellini for delicacy of execution, and yet, like the torso of Angelo, suggest mighty results. It was in the closet-in the retiracy of his modest work-shop, that Steers solved the mighty problems which enter into naval architecture, and speculating, like another Franklin or Laplace, upon the laws of nature, studied to overcome friction in propelling the weighty argosies through the great deep; and so perfectly did he enter into the arcana of nature's inmost temples, that every step of progress he made was through means sublimely simple, and accomplished amid a halo of the most perfect beauty. His ships, like all master works of art, seem to be born of inspiration-the intense labor which produced them is entirely lost sight of in the suggestion that they are the result alone of a creative power" Steers. It was a proud distinction for the young mechanic, and most nobly did he justify the choice of the secretary. The superb Niagara, the largest and fastest man-of-war afloat, was the result. No opportunity has yet been offered for thoroughly testing the capacity of this magnificent ship; but enough has been done to establish her superiority over every other vessel in our own navy. She, as is well known, was the vessel selected to assist in laying down the telegraphic wire across the Atlantic. The launching of this huge vessel was a triumph of mechanical skill, and as she slid gracefully and swiftly from her ways into the water, her excited architect leaped from the ground in exultation at his success. "And then, the next moment," says a friend, who was with him, "as the united cheers of ten thousand rent the air, the modesty of the simple-hearted man received such a shock, that he at once shrank from observation, and became personally lost in the crowd of heaving, exultant human beings that surounded him. Relieved from the presence of observers, and standing on the deck of the newly-born ship, he walked over the vast area, pointed out the advantages he calculated would be gained by her construction, imagined the stars and stripes floating aloft, and then coming to the immense embrasures, in his glowing imaginings, he ran out the tremendous guns intended for the Niagara's armament, and asked, with a proper glow of pride, what vessel could successfully dispute her supremacy on her ocean home? It was a sublime spectacle thus to witness the great commander triumphant upon his own deck-it was a new thing to behold a victory so complete, so mighty in its results, unaccompanied by the shedding of blood, uustained by a single aggressive act. We admired, nay, venerated, the man, and inwardly thanked Heaven that among all our national blessings we could Ieckon the wealth of the constructive mind of George Steers, who was so eminently adding luster to our acknowledged supremacy of the seas, and thus collecting under our glorious flag not only the largest marine in the world, but also adding the additional graces of specimens unsurpassed in excellence of shape, and unapproached in speed." But this monster ship did not engross all his thoughts, nor all his time; while she was in process of construction he modeled and built another beautiful yacht the Widgeon, and took the contract for the steam ship Adriatic, for the Collins' line of steam-packets. The model of this ship has been pronounced nearer perfection than that of any other vessel afloat, while she is the largest wooden ship that has ever been built; the iron ship, Great Eastern, alone excelling her in dimensions. The Adriatic was his last work. She was launched in the presence of the greatest crowd that was ever assembled on a similar occasion. It was a splendid triumph for the self-reliant, self-taught mechanic. After the launch, the proprietors of the line gave a banquet, at a hotel in Broadway, in honor of the occasion, to which, of course, the builder of the ship was invited, and was expected to be the principal guest. But, when all the company were assembled there was the vacant chair at the head of the table; all eyes were watching for the entrance of the man in whose honor the feast was given; but he did not come. He was sent for, and found in his ship yard directing his workmen, not having deemed it worth his while to attend the festival. This was a characteristic trait of his modest nature. All that he aimed at was to do his work perfectly. The glorification which followed he never thought about. The completion of the Niagara and the Adriatic was the culmination of his aspirations; he had abundantly proved to the world that he was not a mere builder of yachts and pilot boats, and, in spite of all opposition had demonstrated on the largest scale that the principles he had adopted were as true in their application to the largest class of ships, as they were to the smallest boats. The huge Adriatic of six thousand tuns burden was but a big yacht; and she was finished in every part with the accuracy and elegance that he bestowed upon his smaller craft. He had now reached the point at which he had been aiming; his talents were recognized, and he had made grand calculations for the future. Preparatory to putting his new schemes in practice, he had dissolved partnership with his elder brother James, and there were large capitalists who stood ready to invest any amount of capital he might require in the prosecution of his plans. But it was not ordained that he should achieve any more triumphs. On the 26th of September, in the year 1856, he drove out on Long Island with a pair of gay horses, to bring home his wife and children, who had been spending the summer at a farm house. The horses took fright and he was either thrown or leaped from the carriage, and he was found a few minutes afterward lying upon the ground insensible. His fall was fatal and he never spoke again. His funeral was attended more largely than that of any private citizen who had died in New York, and every mark of affection and respect was paid to his memory. He died, like Byron and Raphael, in his thirty-seventh year, just as his genius was at its full vigor, and when he seemed about to commence his career. But he had done enough to insure him renown, and his death was lamented as a national loss, as it undoubtedly was. In person George Steers was tall and vigorous, his complexion was florid, and his eyes were a dark blue. His countenance had a remarkable expression of honesty and simplicity. He was extremely liberal, yet careful in money matters; and, though he had never thought of saving for his family, he left them in comfortable circumstances. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, and a very elegant marble monument, erected by his widow, marks the place of his interment. Among the testimonials he had received, was a very costly ring, set with precious stones which was sent to him by the Emperor Nicholas of Russia, and, if he and his imperial admirer had lived, it is probable that he would have been employed to rebuild the Russian Navy. CHARLES GOODYEAR, THE INVENTOR OF VULCANIZED INDIA-RUBBER. Middle aged men recollect when they were boys that the only use of India-rubber was for the purpose of obliterating marks made by the lead pencil. But the manufacturing spirit of our days having formed an alliance with chemistry, the result has been that this among other materials has risen nto great importance and of varied uses for the welfare of society. "With regard to the material itself, we shall just state that it was first seen in Europe about the middle of the last century; that it was soon afterward discovered to be the gum, or, more properly, the coagulated juice of certain tropical trees, the chief of which is the celebrated Siphonia elastica of the |