Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin

In Short

This biography recounts the life of Fleeming Jenkin, an electrical engineer and professor who bridged the worlds of technical science and artistic sensibility in the mid-19th century. Through his work on submarine telegraphy and his pioneering sanitary associations, Jenkin emerges as a man of action who thrived on debate and moral rigor. Written by his close friend, the account balances professional achievement with deeply personal anecdotes. It has endured as a study of character, revealing how a man of singular intensity navigated the changing values and social landscapes of his era.

The Story

The narrative begins with an exploration of Jenkin’s ancestry, grounding him in a tradition of military service and colonial administration. His father, a naval captain, serves as the initial anchor of the story, demonstrating the mid-Victorian virtues of duty, discipline, and, at times, controversial pragmatism. This early influence sets the stage for the younger Jenkin’s own trajectory, which is defined by a similar appetite for engagement and a restless, driving energy.

As a young man living in Paris during the revolution of 1848, Jenkin experiences the fervor of political change firsthand. This period acts as a crucible for his character, fostering an early idealism that, while tempered by time, remains a constant thread throughout his life. He is portrayed not as a passive observer, but as a boyish, opinionated, and intensely earnest participant in the intellectual and political currents of the age.

His professional life centers on the rapidly expanding field of electrical engineering, particularly the laying of submarine telegraph cables. This phase of his life is marked by exhausting labor, technical ingenuity, and a profound, often humorous, sense of duty. Whether he is struggling with the logistical failures of a cable expedition or managing the complex dynamics of his own engineering teams, he approaches his work with a blend of scientific curiosity and dramatic flair. He finds joy in the tactile realities of his profession, from the "bright brass scientific instruments" in his office to the challenging physical environment of the open sea.

Beyond his career, Jenkin is depicted as a man deeply engaged with his family and his circle of friends. His marriage is the emotional heart of the latter half of the book, providing a stable foundation for his restless, perfervid mind. The narrative doesn't shy away from his flaws; he is often seen as tactless, prone to heated arguments, and sometimes overly rigid in his moral assertions. Yet, these moments of conflict are consistently softened by his capacity for genuine repentance and his deep, unselfish devotion to those he loves.

The book moves toward its conclusion by reflecting on his later years in Edinburgh, where he throws himself into municipal reform and social causes, most notably the creation of sanitary associations. The final pages shift from the external arc of his career to a poignant account of the end of his life and that of his aging parents. His father passes away with an air of "ancient courtesy," followed shortly by his mother. Jenkin’s own death marks the close of a life that was, by all accounts, a constant exercise in intellectual and moral expansion. The memoir concludes not with a grand summation, but with a quiet appreciation of a life that sought, above all things, to be useful, honest, and brave.

How It Unfolds

The pedigree of character The account opens with an overview of Jenkin’s Kentish ancestors and his father’s naval career, establishing the foundational values of service and integrity. It highlights the elder Jenkin’s controversial decision to return a slave to shore, setting a precedent for the moral complexities that would define his son’s life.

The fires of revolution The focus shifts to the 1848 uprisings in Paris, where a teenaged Jenkin witnesses street clashes and begins to form his lifelong habit of passionate, principled debate. These early experiences reveal a youth who is already "as true as steel" and remarkably unbending in his convictions.

The engineer at work The story transitions into his professional maturity as an engineer, detailing his arduous cable-laying expeditions across the Mediterranean and beyond. Here, the narrative captures his delight in the technical "excitement" of his work and his evolving transition from subordinate to master.

The life of the mind The narrative explores his personal life in Edinburgh, centering on his intellectual range and his penchant for "fierce wrangles" in the parlor. These vignettes depict him as a man who treated every life experience—from literature to domestic management—with the same intensity he brought to his engineering projects.

The final curtain The concluding chapters detail the gentle decline of his parents and the final years of his own life, focusing on his commitment to public health and social organization. The book ends by memorializing the consistency of his spirit, showing him as a man who remained curious and engaged until the very end.

The People

Fleeming Jenkin stands at the center of the work as a man whose primary goal is to live with total intellectual and moral transparency. He is defined by his "unwearied intellectual effort" and a refusal to settle for comfortable, socially accepted opinions. He stands in his own way through his lack of tact, yet he grows throughout the book, learning to value the "mingled characters of men" over his own youthful puritanism.

His father, Captain Jenkin, represents the traditional virtues of the British naval class—courage, duty, and a rigid, yet charming, code of manners. He serves as a mirror for Fleeming, providing a standard of bravery that the younger man spends his life emulating. By the end of his life, the Captain is a figure of quiet grace, his simplicity and cheerfulness serving as a testament to a life lived in accordance with his own internal compass.

The author, Robert Louis Stevenson, acts as both biographer and student, frequently inserting his own perspective to highlight the friction and affection in their friendship. He is the observer who documents Jenkin’s evolution, providing the necessary distance to see that the "falsest form of words" in Jenkin’s arguments usually contained a grain of truth. Together, they represent a dynamic of mutual challenge that forces both to grow.

In Its Own Voice

"His was an individual figure, such as authors delight to draw, and all men to read of, in the pages of a novel."

The author reflects on the inherent qualities of Jenkin’s personality that made him an ideal, if relatively unknown, subject for a biography.

"We are not here to be happy, but to be good."

When a friend lamented her unhappiness, Jenkin offered this striking motto, which became a guiding principle for her throughout her later life.

"The Captain bows to you, my love, across the table."

In one of his final acts, the dying Captain sent this tender, whimsical message to his wife, who was bed-ridden in another room.

What It's Really About

The book is an argument for the inherent worth of an active, engaged life, even when that life is not defined by fame or monumental historical influence. It explores the tension between intellectual rigidity and the necessity of human sympathy, suggesting that true wisdom lies in the ability to evolve without sacrificing one's core virtues. The narrative poses the question of how a person might maintain a "brave attitude towards life" in the face of both professional adversity and the inevitable decay of age. It is a defense of the "commercial of friendship"—the idea that we are defined not by our achievements, but by the quality of our interactions and our willingness to be corrected by those we love.

Why Read It Today

This memoir will appeal to readers who enjoy deep, character-driven studies of people who are as flawed as they are fascinating. It offers a rare, intimate look at the Victorian era not through the lens of political grandiosity, but through the everyday, energetic struggle of a man trying to align his professional work with his moral philosophy. The writing is warm and precise, marked by a genuine affection that avoids sentimentality.

Readers should be prepared for the dense, often Victorian prose style and the occasional inclusion of untranslated French passages and period-specific technical jargon regarding telegraphy and sanitation. The book does not attempt to modernize its subject’s views; you will encounter the attitudes and social hierarchies of the 19th century exactly as they were, which may be jarring for a contemporary audience. However, if you are willing to navigate these period-specific elements, you will find a remarkably honest portrait of a man who fought to be "true as steel." It is a rewarding read for anyone interested in the history of science or the art of biography, as it leaves the reader with a lingering sense of having encountered a person of extraordinary, if complicated, humanity.