Havingfinishedhisfiveyears’apprenticeshipatPercyMain，bywhichtimehehadreachedhistwenty-firstyear，WilliamFairbairnshortlyafterdeterminedtogoforthintotheworldinsearchofexperience。AtNewcastlehefoundemploymentasamillwrightforafewweeks，duringwhichheworkedattheerectionofasawmillintheClose。FromthencehewenttoBedlingtonatanadvancedwage。Heremainedthereforsixmonths，duringwhichhewassofortunateastomaketheacquaintanceofMissMar，whofiveyearsafter，whenhiswanderingshadceased，becamehiswife。Onthecompletionofthejobonwhichhehadbeenemployed，ourengineerpreparedtomakeanotherchange。WorkwasdifficulttobehadintheNorth，and，joinedbyacomrade，heresolvedtotryhisfortuneinLondon。Adoptingthecheapestroute，hetookpassagebyaShieldscollier，inwhichhesailedfortheThamesonthe11thofDecember，1811。Itwasthenwar-time，andthevesselwasveryshort-handed，thecrewconsistingonlyofthreeoldmenandthreeboys，withtheskipperandmate；sothatthevesselwasnosoonerfairlyatseathanboththepassengeryouthshadtolendahandinworkingher，andthiscontinuedforthegreaterpartofthevoyage。Theweatherwasveryrough，andinconsequenceofthecaptain’sanxietytoavoidprivateershehuggedtheshoretooclose，andwhennavigatingtheinsidepassageoftheSwin，betweenYarmouthandtheNore，thevesselverynarrowlyescapedshipwreck。Afterbeatingaboutalongshore，thecaptainhalfdrunkthegreaterpartofthetime，thevesselatlastreachedtheThameswithlossofsparsandananchor，afteratediousvoyageoffourteendays。
OnarrivingoffBlackwallthecaptainwentashoreostensiblyinsearchoftheCoalExchange，takingouryoungengineerwithhim。Theformerwasstillundertheinfluenceofdrink；andthoughhefailedtoreachtheExchangethatnight，hesucceededinreachingapublichouseinWapping，beyondwhichhecouldnotbegot。Atteno’clockthetwostartedontheirreturntotheship；butthecaptaintooktheopportunityofthedarknesstoseparatefromhiscompanion，anddidnotreachtheshipuntilnextmorning。Itafterwardscameoutthathehadbeentakenupandlodgedinthewatch-house。Theyouth，leftaloneinthestreetsofthestrangecity，felthimselfinanawkwarddilemma。Heaskedthenextwatchmanhemettorecommendhimtoalodging，onwhichthemantookhimtoahouseinNewGravelLane，wherehesucceededinfindingaccommodation。Whatwashishorrornextmorningtolearnthatawholefamily——theWilliamsons——hadbeenmurderedintheverynexthouseduringthenight！Makingthebestofhiswaybacktotheship，hefoundthathiscomrade，whohadsuffereddreadfullyfromsea-sicknessduringthevoyage，hadnearlyrecovered，andwasabletoaccompanyhimintotheCityinsearchofwork。Theyhadbetweenthemasumofonlyabouteightpounds，sothatitwasnecessaryforthemtotakeimmediatestepstoobtainemployment。
TheythoughtthemselvesfortunateingettingthepromiseofajobfromMr。Rennie，thecelebratedengineer，whoseworksweresituatedatthesouthendofBlackfriarsBridge。Mr。Renniesentthetwoyoungmentohisforeman，withtherequestthatheshouldsetthemtowork。
TheforemanreferredthemtothesecretaryoftheMillwrights’
Society，theshopbeingfilledwithUnionmen，whosettheirshoulderstogethertoexcludethoseoftheirowngrade，howeverskilled，whocouldnotproduceevidencethattheyhadcompliedwiththerulesofthetrade。DescribinghisfirstexperienceofLondonUnionists，nearlyhalfacenturylater，beforeanassemblyofworkingmenatDerby，Mr。Fairbairnsaid，”WhenIfirstenteredLondon，ayoungmanfromthecountryhadnochancewhateverofsuccess，inconsequenceofthetradeguildsandunions。Ihadnodifficultyinfindingemployment，butbeforeIcouldbeginworkIhadtorunthegauntletofthetradesocieties；andafterdancingattendancefornearlysixweeks，withverylittlemoneyinmypocket，andhavingto’boxHarry’allthetime，Iwasultimatelydeclaredillegitimate，andsentadrifttoseekmyfortuneelsewhere。TherewerethenthreemillwrightsocietiesinLondon：onecalledtheOldSociety，anothertheNewSociety，andathirdtheIndependentSociety。Thesesocietieswerenotfoundedfortheprotectionofthetrade，butforthemaintenanceofhighwages，andfortheexclusionofallthosewhocouldnotasserttheirclaimstoworkinLondonandothercorporatetowns。Lawsofamostarbitrarycharacterwereenforced，andtheyweregovernedbycliquesofself-appointedofficers，whoneverfailedtotakecareoftheirowninterests。”*