born October 1763, Leadhills, Lanarkshire, Scot.
died March 22, 1831, London, Eng.
British engineer.
Educated for the ministry, he became a mechanic instead. He created a working model of a steam-driven road carriage in 1786 and first used steam for marine purposes the following year. In 1801–02 he developed a successful steam-driven paddle wheel and used it to propel one of the first practical steamboat s, the Charlotte Dundas . Though his engine was used successfully on the Forth and Clyde Canal in 1802, cautious managers caused the project to be abandoned in 1803.