Among these
may be mentioned the subject of the following pages,--a
distinguished Italian who entirely corresponds to Count
Menabrea's description--one who, in the face of the greatest
difficulties, raised himself to an eminent public position, at
the same time that he conferred the greatest benefits upon the
country in which he settled and carried on his industrial
operations. We mean Charles Bianconi, and his establishment of
the great system of car communication through out Ireland.[1]
Charles Bianconi was born in 1786, at the village of Tregolo,
situated in the Lombard Highlands of La Brianza, about ten miles
from Como. The last elevations of the Alps disappear in the
district; and the great plain of Lombardy extends towards the
south. The region is known for its richness and beauty; the
inhabitants being celebrated for the cultivation of the mulberry
and the rearing of the silkworm, the finest silk in Lombardy
being produced in the neighbourhood. Indeed, Bianconi's family,
like most of the villagers, maintained themselves by the silk
culture.
Charles had three brothers and one sister. When of a sufficient
age, he was sent to school. The Abbe Radicali had turned out
some good scholars; but with Charles Bianconi his failure was
complete. The new pupil proved a tremendous dunce. He was very
wild, very bold, and very plucky; but he learned next to nothing.
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