Note or diary page by Marc Brunel, 12 August, no year - Thames Tunnel and French Revolution
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Object number2014.03175
TitleNote or diary page by Marc Brunel, 12 August, no year - Thames Tunnel and French Revolution
Creator Marc Isambard Brunel (author)
DescriptionPage of a diary or loose note in Sir Marc Brunel's handwriting, dated 12 August.
He has inspected the tunnel, which is 'remarkably clear all the way', but there is a lot of water 'overflowing at the lowest level' from one of the gutters, which is 'very bad!'. He comments on the pump in the tunnel, which is improved but still has issues.
He goes on to comment on how this day, August 12, is the anniversary of when he was involved in saving 'the Swiss from the mob' in France, in 1792. He had 'a very narrow Escape' in Rouen. There were Swiss who had escaped from Courbevoie or the Tuilleries; he says that in trying to help save the Swiss, he and others were surrounded 'so close by [thousands?] that we would not have escaped if they had closed upon us', but fortunately they were 'intimidated' by the arrival of some of the National Guard. This seems to have been part of the immediate aftermath of the insurrection of 10 August 1792.
Transcript available.
Object namediary sheet
Object categorypersonal record
Materialpaper
Techniquehand written
Dimensions
- height: 110 mm
width: 121 mm
Credit line“Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from Clive Richards OBE DL and allocated to the ss Great Britain Trust, 2017”