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In 1822 he was appointed a government deputy land surveyor. He
surveyed the upper reaches of the Saint John river to determine the feasibility
of steamboat navigation. This survey sparked his interest in navigation, for he
was involved with the construction of three of the early river steam boats, as
well as the first Saint John harbour ferry, the `Victoria'. He assisted in the
design for the Sand Point Beacon Light, and he spent one year working as the
engineer on the river steamer `Fredericton'.
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In 1825 he opened New Brunswick's first iron foundry.
In 1826 he surveyed the upper reaches of Saint John River. His survey of the Saint John River must have sparked his interest in navigation, for he was involved with the construction of three of the early river steam boats, as well as the first Saint John harbour ferry. While his report focused on navigation, he included a "running summary of the chief kind of rocks, - gneiss, granite, trap, slate, limestone, etc., occurring along the river". He spent one year working as the engineer on the river steamer 'Fredericton'.
In 1838 he established a "School of Arts" which led to the development of the Mechanics' Institute in Saint John. Foulis also instituted a series of public lectures as early as 1823, with a preoccupation for topics on chemistry. His own School of Arts highlighted "Mechanical and Experimental Philosophy" and his lectures at the Mechanic's Institute followed in the same vein.
Unfortunately, little physical evidence of Foulis' life has survived fires and family tragedies. Most of what is known of him has been extracted from newspaper reports and legal documents. Robert was always in debt, for "He was constantly harassed by his creditors, and sheriffs, officers, and constables were frequently at this house...". This could account for his varied business ventures, none of which seemed to have given him much financial profit.
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In
1850 Foulis purchased five mining leases in Hillsborough, Albert County,
N. B. Over the next decade his fortunes with these leases rose and fell. His
early interest in Albert County coal was for the manufacture of gas, which he
patented as his "Illuminating Gas Apparatus" in 1852. He then
converted the Partridge Island lighthouse to gas.
In 1853 he supervised the construction of his gas retort on Partridge Island.
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