CHAPTER XVI.

_MR. BRUNEL’S PROFESSIONAL OPINIONS AND PRACTICE._

Scheme of the Chapter--Mr. Brunel’s Position in relation to the Companies of which he was Engineer--_Letter on the Direction of Railway Works in Italy_ (March 4, 1845)--_Letter on the Position of Joint Engineer_ (October 16, 1843)--_Letter on the Position of Consulting Engineer_ (December 30, 1851)--_Letter on the Position of the Engineer in relation to the Contractors_ (May 26, 1854)--_Letters on the Position of the Engineer in relation to the Directors_ (April 15, 1850, December 6, 1851, January 22, 1857)--Mr. Brunel’s Assistants--_Letters on Interference of Directors with the Assistant Engineers_ (January 19, 1842, January 28, 1842, January 12, 1851)--Mr. Brunel’s Pupils--His Relations with other Engineers--Inventors--_Letter in reply to an Inventor_ (September 17, 1847)--Mr. Brunel’s Views as to State Interference--_Letter on the Royal Commission on the Application of Iron to Railway Structures_ (March 13, 1848)--_Letter on a Proposal to obtain the Recognition in England of Decorations conferred at the Paris Exhibition of 1855_ (February 9, 1856)--Mr. Brunel’s Opinion on the Patent Laws--_Memorandum for Evidence before the Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Patent Laws, 1851_--_Extract from Observations on the Patent Laws, made by Mr. Brunel at a Meeting of the Society of Arts,_ March 26, 1856.....474