Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Jardine, James
JARDINE, JAMES (1776–1858), engineer, was born at Applegarth, Dumfriesshire, on 30 Nov. 1776. Having shown great aptitude for mathematics at the Dumfries academy he made his way in 1795 to Edinburgh, with a letter of introduction to John Playfair, professor of mathematics at Edinburgh University from 1785 to 1805. He was warmly befriended both by Playfair and by Dugald Stewart, and obtained many mathematical pupils, including Lord John Russell and Henry John Temple (afterwards Lord Palmerston). About 1806 he began, by Playfair's advice, to practise the profession of a civil engineer, and soon found abundant employment. He introduced the Crawley water into Edinburgh, constructed the Union Canal, and, having been employed in 1809 to take a series of levels in the Firth of Tay, he was the first to determine, by observations of the tides over a great extent of coast, the mean level of the sea. He did valuable work on the commission appointed in 1825 to determine the proportions borne by the old Scottish weights and measures to the imperial standard, and was subsequently engineer of the Dalkeith railway. ‘All Jardine's works,’ says Professor Rankine, ‘are models of skilful design and solid construction.’ Jardine died at Edinburgh on 20 June 1858. He was a friend of Stephenson and Telford.
[Notice by Professor W. M. J. Rankine in Imperial Dict. of Univ. Biog. vol. xii.; Glasgow Courier, 24 June 1858; information kindly supplied by Professor Ball of Glasgow.]