TALABOT PAULIN: (1799-1885) French railway and canal engineer, a friend of Robert Stephenson with whom he surveyed ...

TALABOT PAULIN: (1799-1885) French railway and canal engineer, a friend of Robert Stephenson with whom he surveyed a route for a Suez Canal in 1847. A.L.S., Paulin Talabot, two pages, 8vo, Paris, 9th July n.y., to Manby, in French. Talabot states that he is sending his letter by Monsieur de Kuolz, the Inspector General of Railways in France, who is on a mission to England to study the production of coal, and asks Manby to be useful to him. With blank integral leaf. Some light creasing and a few small tears and minor stains to the edges, not affecting the signature, otherwise about VG Talabot's correspondent was most likely to have been Charles Manby (1804-1884), son of Aaron Manby (1776-1850) the ironmaster and civil engineer. Charles Manby was Secretary of the Institution of Civil Engineers from 1839-56 and engineer of the first iron steamer to cross the English Channel. Fluent in French, he installed gas piping into Paris and advised on the construction of the Suez Canal.