LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA! V .* .**'# v^ Wa JN (\ ,y\\ V MEMOIR DK. EDMUND CARTWRIGHT. A MEMOIR THE LIFE. WRITINGS, AND #lec6anical Enbentions;, OF EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, D.D. F.R.S., INVENTOR OF THE POWER LOOM, ETC. ETC. LONDON ' SAUNDERS AND OTLEY, CONDUIT STREET. 1843. SENERAL 4 • ")> T5 «0 TO I Cio V THE RIGHT HONOURABLE >^ THE LORD JOHN RUSSELL, , which has a re- volving motion (produced by a pair of cranks) in a plane at right angles, or nearly so, to the plane of the principal comb, so as that once in every revolution it strikes through the wool of that comb, and clearing it out, leaves it in a fit state to be drawn ofi" by the delivering rollers, £. These rollers are so placed, that by the revolving motion of the principal comb the wool with which DK. CART WRIGHT. 101 it is filled is successively brouglit witliiii their bite, or grasp, and with the additional action of a pair of callender rollers, F, is thus formed into a long and continuous sliver. Thus the principal members of the comb- ing-machine, as delineated in the plate, are, A^ the circidar comb-table ; BB^ the crank-lashers; CC, the feeding-rollers; Z>, the clearing-comb ; EE^ the delivering- rollers ; FF^ the callender-rollers. The manner in which power is here applied and communicated, so as to produce at the same time not only several motions, but motions of a totally difterent character, is strikingly ingenious; and this machine, including its subordinate parts and accom- paniments, which in this explanation are omitted, may fairly be accounted one of the most beautiful, as it is, unquestionably, one of the most original, instances of mechanical 102 MEMOIR OF contrivance.* The inventor liaving pos- sessed only a slight knowledge of mechanical principles, and yet attaining, within a very sliort period of time, so extensive a mastery over their application, this instance of his ingenuity is the more remarkable. How far the principles suggested by Mr. Cartwright in this particular branch of manufacture have since been applied, might, by diligent inquiry, be ascertained ; but the features of the original invention, rather than its present applicability, form the object which we have chiefly in view. For more than fifty years tlie utmost ingenuity of man has been at work to make the most * A beautiful model of this machine, belonging to Dr. Cai'twriglit's grandson, George Cartwright, Esq., may be seen in the Adelaide Gallery of Art and Science, where it is deposited for the gratitica- tion of the curious. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 103 of every previous suggestion, and in new modifications and fresh improvements the original source is frequently lost sight of. Yet although the inventor's name had been forgotten, Mr. Cartwright's loom was known for many years at Manchester by the name of the " Doncaster patent loom ;" and even at the present day the machine used at Leeds for combing wool, is called " Big Ben," the name originally applied to Mr. Cartwright's machine by his workmen at Doncaster. In the space of seven years he had accom- plished two inventions, which promised to lead to most extensive eifects on the com- merce and manufactures of this coimtry. He had taken out no fewer than nine patents within that period, and these not only for improvements in the two principal arts of weaving and wool-combing, but also includ- ing improvements in spinning, callendering 104 MEMOIR OF linens, cntting of velvet pile, as well as an entirely original macliine for making ropes.* Mr. Cartwright having tlms completed liis macliine for combing wool, the novelty and ingenuity of the contrivance attracted the attention of men of science and distinc- tion, as well as of persons connected with the manufacturing classes. Several of the latter began now to consider this invention, from its prodigious saving of labour, likely to become no less advantageous than that of the loom; and notwithstanding the vast expenses he had incurred in taking out patents both in England and Scotland, and above all, in bringing his machinery to per- fection, there now seemed every rational prospect of ample remuneration, from the acknowledged excellence of the inventions. Such, indeed, was the encoui'agement he * See Appendix (D). DR. CARTWRIGHT. 105 had met with from those who were supposed to be best acquainted with the state of our manufactures at that time, that several of his friends and immediate connexions were induced to enter into speculations, of which his new discoveries were to form the basis.* Full of hope and expectation, Mr. Cart- wright continued to prosecute his mechanical experiments; and although he became fre- quently annoyed by attempts to pirate his * At this period of hope and exultation Mr. Cai-twright indulged liimself" in giving an entertain- ment to liis workmen. They amused themselves with a procession, in honour of Bishop Blaize, the tutelary patron of wool-combers ; and on this occa- sion, Matthew Chaidton, one of the workmen of the fiictory, composed a song, which being set to music by Dr. Millar, became for several years a favourite and popular air among the lower classes in the town and neighbourhood of Doncaster. It is neces- sary to mention, that the combing-machine obtained the name of " Big Ben," a noted boxer of the day, f3 106 MEMOIR OF inventions, be considered such attempts as acknowledgments of tlieir importance, and trusted that long before the expiration of his patent rights, his own claim to originality would be sufficiently established to secure the reward which he might reasonably ex- pect from them. from the action of the crank-lasher, which was thought to resemble the strokes of the pugilist • — SONG-. — New Bishop Blaize. I. Come all ye master combers, and hear of new Big Ben, Hell comb more wool in one day than fifty of yom* men, With their hand-combs and comb-pots, and such old- fashion'd ways ; There'll be uo more occasion for old Bishop Blaize. II. Big Ben was made at Doncaster, that place of great renown. And is a noble fellow, supported by the Crown : Whenever you shjill see him he'll put you in amaze, And make you praise the inventor, our new Bishop Blaize. DK. CARTWRIGHT, 107 Towards the latter end of the year 1791, a favourable prospect opened for the intro- duction of his loom into the cotton manufac- ture of Manchester. Messrs. Grimshaws, of that place, had contracted with Mr. Cartwright for the use of four hundred of his looms, and built a mill calculated to III. Our triumpla then this clay there's nothing shall pre- vent, For know, our great mechanic by Providence was sent For the good of mankind, boys — atrophy, then, we'll raise To our Bxitish Archimedes, our new Bishop Blaize. IV. The hungry he gives bread to ; the naked, too, he clothes ; May health and joy and riches, attend him as he goes: Then fill your glasses high, boys ! and give him three huzzas ; Here's our good and worthy master — our new Bishop Blaize ! 108 MEMOIR OF receive and work that number. Very soon after the building Avas completed, and -when about four-and-twenty of the looms were set to work, the whole of the edifice was burnt to the ground; and from the threatening letters that had been received by the owners, and other indications of hostility shewn towards this novel establishment, no doubt was entertained at the time of its having been intentionally destroyed. For reasons best known to the parties most nearly concerned, the circumstances attending the destruction of this mill were not very diligently inquired into. The object of the perpetrators unquestionably was efiected — no other manufacturer ven- tured on repeating so hazardous an experi- ment, and the consequences to Mr. Cart- wright Avcre ruinous. His contract with Messrs. Grimshaws of DK. CARTWRIGHT. 109 course became void, and as the hostility manifested towards his weavino; would in all probability extend to his combing- machiue, it seemed hopeless for him any fiu'ther to prosecute his works at Doncaster, which, for the reasons akeady stated, had been carried on rather for the purpose of proving the merit of his inventions, than from any hope of profit or advantage arising from the croods there manufactui'ed. Mr. Cartwright's resources from his own private fortune were beginning to be ex- hausted, and the severe check now given to his hopes and prospects brought upon him, as might be expected, demands which it required the utmost of his available means to satisfy. After an ineffectual struggle to contend with the tide of prejudice that Avas now turned against the adoption of his machinery, and to meet the difficulties that 110 MEMOIR OF were accumulating upon him, Mr. Cart- wright found himself obliged to relinquish his works at Doncaster. In the latter part of the year 1793, he assigned over his patent rights to his brothers, Jolm and Charles Cartwright, Esquires, in consequence of the share they had taken in the concern, and as being in circumstances better able to contest the infringements to which, in spite of the outcry raised against them, his inven-' tions were continually subject. That Mr. Cartwright felt, and deeply felt, the disappointment of his expectations, cannot reasonably be doubted ; but it was much less for himself than on account of others, whom his influence and example had encouraged to enter into concerns for which their previous habits and education rendered them wholly unfit, but who might not equally be able to follow his example in fortitude; DR. CARTWRIGHT. Ill With the self-confidence of conscious ability, he still believed that time would prove what he was himself convinced of — the value of his inventions, — and so far from entertaining any feelings of envy towards those more successful introducers of new machinery, who were already realizing splen- did fortunes, his sanguine spirit, deriving only encouragement from their example, abated nothing of its elasticity and vigour. The following sonnet was composed by Mr. Cartwright, at the close of this disas- trous year : — SONNET. With sails expanding to the gales of hope, My venturous bark pursued her leading star j Hers was a voyage of no common scope, A voyage of Discovery, distant far ! To bright Invention's intellectual clime, In search of Useful Arts, 'twas mine to roam; I reach'd the object of my views sublime. And richly freighted, bore my cargo home. 112 MEMOIR OF My friends expectant fill the crowded strand; But ere I gain the shore, what storms ai'ise! My vessel founders e'en in sight of land! And now a wreck upon the beach she lies! With firm, unshaken mind that wreck I see, " Nor think the doom of man should be reversed for me." DR. CART WRIGHT. 113 CHAPTER IV. It might perhaps have been expected that Mr. Cartwright, after he had experienced so discouraging a check in his mechanical career, would naturally have returned to that peaceful mode of life, and those literary piu'suits, in which he had passed the best and happiest of his years; but it was now too late to retrace his steps and relinquish a path still attractive, though beset with diffi- culties. He had, indeed, missed the sources of worldly wealth, but he had opened on so 114 MEMOIR OF rich a vein, in his own mind, of new and ingenious perceptions, conducive, apparently, to the benefit of his fellow-creatiu'es, that benevolence and philanthropy came in aid to sanction the indulgence of his inclination, and in continuing to piu'sue his mechanical discoveries, he judged that he might not unworthily employ the talent he was en- trusted with. In the summer of 1796, Mr. Cartwright removed with his family* to London, as being a situation more favourable than a distant provincial town, for the cultivation of scientific pursuits. He rented a small house in Marylebone Fields, of Mr. James Wyatt, the late celebrated architect, who had given considerable encoiu'agement to a * His first wife died in 1785, and in 1790 lie married Susannah, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Dr. Kearney. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 115 new invention by Mr. Cartwright, for which he had taken out a patent the preceding year. This was for an improvement in the form of bricks, by means of which, an arch might be supported on a wall of the usual thickness, and consequently might be em- ployed with advantage in many cases where the thickness of the support required to sus- tain an arch built in the common method is an objection to its use. In order to ascer- tain the efficiency of this invention, an arched room Avas built with these geometrical bricks, in addition to the house Mr. Cart- wright occupied. The height of the arch is not now remembered, but being somewhat Hat, it gave no unpleasing appearance to the apartment, which was used as a dining-room. An untoward circumstance occurred in the outset of this experiment, that would have discouraged most men from proceeding 116 MEMOIR OF further; but Mr. Cartwright never seemed to lose sight of Lord Bacon's consolatory- reflection, "that no man ought to be dis- couraged if the experiments he puts in practice answer not his expectation, for what succeeds pleaseth more, but what suc- ceeds not, many times informs no less." Owing to the negligence of the workmen, in removing the centres before the work was dry, and an error in the construction of the wall, in no way referable to the principle of the invention, the fii'st trial had failed, but the building being resumed, with the advantage of experience, the plan was found completely to answer, and Mr. Cartwright continued to reside in the house to which the addition above described was made, until October, 1801. When the Kegent's Park was laid out, some years afterwards, it became neces- sary to pull down the house in question. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 117 which stood very nearly on the site of the present Coliseum. The building was found to be so exceedingly compact and strong, that it required more than ordinary labour to destroy it. As this invention was well known to architects and engineers, engaged in works for which, to all appearance, it was peculiarly calculated, and as the most eminent amongst them did not at that time point out any probable objection to its use, it seems extra- ordinary that in no instance, as for as is known, save in the solitary one above recorded, (and in which its entire success had been unequivocally proved,) has it been adopted; even where strength and security from fii'e were objects of such paramount importance as to render the mere difference of expense between the patent and the com- mon bricks a matter of very inferior con- sideration. 118 MEMOIR OF In the " Repertory of Arts," edited by W. H. Wyatt, vol. iii. p. 84, will be found a full description of the geometrical bricks. "It is obvious that arches on this principle, having no lateral pressure, can neither expand at the foot, nor spring at the crown, therefore they will want no abutments, re- quiring only perpendicular walls to rest on ; and they Avill want no incumbent weight to prevent their springing up — a circumstance of great importance in building bridges. Their greatest advantage is security against fire."* The expense of making the geometrical bricks, in consequence of the precision they require, may seem an objection to their use for common purposes. From a drawing found amongst Mr. Cartwright's papers, he appears to have had a plan for making them * These bricks arc described in the Appendix (E). DR. CARTWPJGHT. 119 by machinery, which wouhl greatly have facilitated their construction, and contri- buted to their exactness ; and now that such rapid advances are daily making in the application of power, it is not too much to expect (since the principle of the invention seems unobjectionable) that a means may be discovered of removing the only objection to the use of these bricks, by lessening the expense of making them. In October, 1797, Mr. Cartmight took out a patent " for an incombustible substi- tute for certain materials commonly used in constructing dwelling-houses." The inven- tion consisted in applying tiles made of fii'e- clay, instead of laths, reeds, or boards, in making ceilings, partitions, and floors. The tiles were made long enough to reach from centre to centre of the spars or joists, to which they were fastened by nails or cramps 120 MEMOIR OF driven tlirough notches made in each end of the tiles, the joints being closed by mortar or cement. For floors, no further process was required; but fur walls and ceilings a coat of plaster was added, which it was pro- posed to render more adhesive by means of grooves on the surface of the tiles. It does not appear to what extent this very simple invention was adopted in prac- tice, but there can be no doubt that a plan is here suggested, the general use of Avhich would greatly diminish the frequency of those dreadful conflagrations which render a residence in large towns perilous both to property and life. Another of his inventions, about the same period, is described in the second volume of the " Eepertory of Arts." It is a method for applying the treadwheel to the working of cranes. There can be no doubt, that in DR. CARTWRIGHT. 121 all cases where it is requisite to produce a rotatory action by human labour, the tread- wheel presents the simplest and most effectual means of applying the power. The muscles of the lower extremities being in the human subject much more strongly developed than those of the arms and thorax, it is evident that a machine worked by means of the legs must have much greater power than the common winch-handle, which is worked by the upper portion of the body only. More- over, the action of walking being one for which the human frame is especially adapted, the application of this action to mechanical purposes is far less likely to be injurious to the health than any more constrained and artificial motion. In the plan before us, the treadwheel communicates the motion to the windlass of the crane, not by cogs, but by a worm or screw upon its own axis, which G 122 MEMOIR OF obviates all risk of the wheel running back, in consequence of the weight overcoming the power of the man who works it. At the other end of the axis of the treadwheel is a winch, and the weight having been raised, the treadwheel is disconnected by means of a coupling-box, and the weight is then low- ered by turning the winch in an opposite direction. It has been already stated that Mr. Cart- wright had entertained some ideas relative to improvements in the steam-engine, as early as the year 1786. But it is not known whether the scheme he then formed was ever attempted in practice. His first patent for a steam-engine was obtained in 1797. A description of this engine, accompanied with a beautiful engraving, forms the first number of that excellent work, the " Philoso- DR. CARTWEIGHT. 123 pliical Magazine," edited by the late Mr. Tilloch, and first pnblislied in June, 1798; and a further account of this invention is introduced in tlie " Descriptive History of the Steam-engine," by Mr. Stewart, who bears a most liberal testimony to its inge- nuity. An extract from the former of these works will explain the principles upon which Mr. Cartwright proposed to remedy the defects to which the most improved engine was subject. " These defects, as every one knows, are an imperfect vacuum, much fric- tion, and complicated construction of parts ; liable, without great care and attention, to be frequently out of order. It is to these points Mr. Cartwright has immediately, and we may add, successfully, directed his atten- tion. His fii'st object seems to have been to obtain, as nearly as may be, an absolute vacuum ; which, in consequence of the elas- g2 124 MEMOIR OF tic vapour that separates from water injected in the nsual mode of condensation, no one in the least conversant with the philosophy of the steam-engine need be told is impossible. The condensation in his engine is performed by the application of cold to the external surface of the vessel containing the steam. Mr. Cartwright is not, however, the fost who tried this method; the same has been attempted by several, but with so little suc- cess, that one of our first engineers in this line has been heard to give it as his opinion, that were a pipe to be laid across the Thames, the condensation would not be quick enough to work a steam-engine with its full effect. The manner in which Mr. Cartwright manages this business is by ad- mitting the steam between two metal cylin- ders, lying one within the other, and having cold water flowing through the inner one, DB. CARTWRIGHT. 125 and inclosing the outer one. By these means a very thin body of steam is exposed to the greatest possible surface. But this is not all ; — by means of a valve in the pis- ton there is a constant communication at all times between the condenser and the cylin- der, either above or below the piston, so that, whether it ascends or descends, the conden- sation is always taking place. To reduce the friction of the piston, which, when fresh packed in the common way, lays a very heavy load upon the engine, ]\Ii\ Cartwright makes his solely of metal, and expansive. There is a fuither advantage in this method, from the saving of time and expense in the packing, and from the piston fixing more acciu'ately, if possible, the more it is worked. Mr. Cartwright has been equally atten- tive in simplifying all the other parts of the 126 MEMOIR OF engine — his engine having only two valves ; and those are as nearly self-acting as may be. But what will probably be esteemed one of the most important circumstances attend- ing these improvements, is the opportunity they afford of substituting ardent spirit, either wholly or in part, in the place of water, for working the engine. For as the fluid with which it is worked is made to cir- culate through the engine without mixture or diminution, the using alcoliol, after the first supply, can be attended with little or no expense; on the contrary, the advan- tage will be great, probably equal to the saving of half the fuel. Wlien, indeed, the engine is applied, as Mr. CartT\Tight occa- sionally purposes, both as a mechanical power and as a still at the same time, the whole fuel will be saved. A further advan- tage of this invention is its applicability to DR. CART WRIGHT. 127 purposes requiring only a small power, and for which any other engine would be too complicated and expensive." — Sec " Phil. Mag.," June, 1798. Mr. Stewart observes, that the details of this engine " are con- structed with uncommon ingenuity, and that the whole apparatus may be considered more simple and efficient than any other combina- tion which had been proposed of the parts of the condensing engine." He concludes a very clear and interesting explanation of its construction, by further observing, " that the machine, from its refined simplicity, appears excellently adapted as a first mover on a small scale. It has never, however, had a fair trial. The objections which were urged against the condensing vessels, at the time of the invention, have always appeared to us more specious than solid. To the great merit in the arrangement and simpli- ^ 128 MEMOIR OF ficatiou of parts sliewn in this engine, must be added one of immense importance to engines on every construction — the metallic piston. Mr. Cartwi'ight constructed his of two plates, between which were placed de- tached pieces of metal ; instead of the usual packing, these pieces were acted upon by a spring, so as always to be kept equally tight, whatever might be the wear of the piston. The manner of connecting the piston-rod and procui'ing a rotatory motion is a beauti- ful specimen of mechanical invention." — Stewart^ p. 157. The following references to the plate, re- presenting a section of the steam-engine, will enable the reader to understand the method by which the condensation is performed, as well as the extraordinarily ingenious contri- vance of the metallic piston, with its springs. A^ the cylinder ; J5, the piston ; /, the pipe DR. CARTWRIGHT. 129 which conducts the steam to C, the con- denser, being a double cylinder, between which the steam passes into the pump Z>, that serves for retiu'ning the condensed fluid back into the boiler; E^ the air-box, with its valve. The pipe from the pump, through which the condensed fluid is returned into the boiler, passes thi'ough the air-box. The air, or elastic vapoiu*, that may be mixed with the fluid, rises in the box till the ball which keeps the valve shut falls, and suffers it to escape. F^ the steam- valve ; G, the piston- valve. When the piston B reaches the bottom of the cylinder A^ the tail or spindle of the valve G being pressed upwards, opens the valve and forms a communication between the upper side of the piston and the con- denser ; at the same moment the valve F is pressed into its seat by the descent of the g3 DR. CARTWRIGHT. 131 cross-arm on the piston, Avliicli prevents tlie fuither admission of steam from tlie boiler, thus allowing the piston to he di'awn np to the top of the cylinder by the momentum of the fly-wheel 0; H H^ two cranks, upon whose axles are two equal wheels working in each other, for the purpose of giving a rec- tilinear direction to the piston-rod ; M^ the box that contains the condensed water. K^ plan of the piston, shewing the metal rings, which by the springs are forced out- wardly against the inside of the cylinder, so that the piston can adapt itself to any inequality that may arise. In the same patent that j\Ii*. Cartwright obtained for the above engine he also pro- posed a modification of the rotatory engine, described by lh\ Watt in 1782. See *' Repertory of Arts," vol. x. p. 7. By his removal to the metropolis, Mr. 132 MEMOIR OF Cartwright enlarged the sphere of his ac- quaintance amongst men of ingenuity and science; and his house again became the resort of projectors of various merits and pretensions. His own manners were pecu- liarly calculated to make his society coveted where his talents were admired. No man who knew so much was so little pertinacious in conversation ; he had a thorough contempt for arrogance; and though satire was a weapon he could occasionally wield with no small effect, he was conscientiously forbear- ing in the use of it : but the quality that of all others recommended him to that descrip- tion of persons who principally sought his society, was his remarkable openness, and freedom from jealousy towards rival and contemporary projectors. Amongst other ingenious characters who frequented 'Mr. Cartwright's house, may be DR. CARTAVRIGHT. 133 noticed one who was then deeply engaged in pursuits similar to his own, but whose claims to originality of invention have not been very willingly admitted on this side of the Atlantic. This person was Eobert Ful- ton, well known in America as being the &st engineer who navigated a steam-boat in that country, and not altogether unknown in Europe for his experiments in submarine navigation. He was a native of New Jer- sey, in the United States, and had come to England with the intention of studying painting under his countryman, West. Having abandoned painting as a profession, he applied himself to civil engineering, and in that line of business had been noticed by Earl Stanhope, with whom he had had com- munication on the practicahility of moving vessels by steam, as early as the year 1796. At tliis time, also, navigating by steam was 134 MEMOIR OF one of Mr. Cartwriglit's favourite projects, and lie conceived that liis newly invented steam-engine might he made applicahle to that purpose. It may appear superfluous, where so much originality of invention can he suhstantiated, to allude to any claims that may he considered douhtful; it is, however, well known that Mr. Cartwright did construct the model of a hoat, which heing wound up like a clock, moved on the water, so as to prove the experiment in a manner satisfactory to the inventor ; though, as this little model was afterwards given away as a toy, and has long been destroyed, there are no means of ascertaining how the machinery was adjusted, or Avhat resemblance it might bear to the method since adopted in the working of steam-boats. The coincidence of their respective views, |)roduced, instead of rivalship, intimacy and DR. CARTWRIGHT. 135 frienclsliip between the two projectors, and Mr. Fulton's vivacity of character and original Avay of thinking rendered him a welcome guest at Mr. Cartwright's house. The practicability of steam navigation, with the most feasible mode of effecting it, be- came a frequent subject of discourse. The writer of these memoirs has now to regret, amongst many other neglected opportunities of acquiring knowledge, that, from the care- lessness of youth, such a degree of attention was not given at the time to these discus- sions as might have thrown considerable light upon a subject, since become of such universal interest. Who could then con- template, when Mr. Fulton was drawing the plans of his paddle-wheels, and Mr. Cart- wright contriving how his steam-engine should act upon them, that speculations apparently so chimerical should have been 136 MEMOIR OF realized to theii' present wouderM extent! It is not assumed that Mr. Fulton, even with Mr. Cartwright's assistance, had at that time brought his plan of a steam-boat to any great degree of maturity ; but it is believed that neither of these gentlemen were then aware of any other person having advanced towards steam navigation as far as themselves. Nor will this appear improba- ble, when it is considered that it was then a mere project, a chimera entertained only by a few projectors, who might be carrying on their respective schemes in distant parts of the kingdom, without any knowledge of each other's contrivances, although in aiming at the same project, and through the same means, they might hit upon the same mode of applying those means. An instance of this kind of coincidence is alluded to by Mr. Fulton, in his Treatise on Canal Navi- DR. CARTWRIGHT. 137 gation, in whicli he candidly acknowledges having been anticipated in a contrivance that he had conceived to be original ; but a more striking instance of a revived inven- tion, possessing all the merit of originality, is that of Mr. Watt, who cannot be said to owe the great improvement that rendered his steam-engine so eminently applicable to the purposes of machinery, to Mr. Jonathan Hulls, although Mi\ Hulls had suggested the same idea many years before.* If a * " Although Mr. Jonathan Hulls did not originate any novelty in the construction of the atmospheric engine, he is entitled to the honourable notice of having proposed the application of paddle-wheels moved by a steam-engine, to pi-opel ships, instead of wind and sails. In this scheme it was necessary to convert the alternate rectilineal motion of a piston-rod into a continuous rotatory one, and which he ingeni- ously suggested might be accomplished by means of a crank. This is now, with justice, considered to 138 MEMOIR OF person hit upon an invention that he never heard of, it is original in him ; and if it he the result of patient study, or a hahit of observation, he may he allowed to he a meritorious, if not a fortunate inventor; hut if, by his energy and spirit of enterprise, he succeed in introducing into practice what others, perhaps, had only contemplated in theory, he is entitled to additional credit, without disparaging that of his predecessors. In 1797, Mr. Fulton went to France, at be that invention whicli introduced the steam-engine as a first mover of every variety of machinery. Hulls Avas unable to interest the public in his pro- jects; and his mode of applying the crank was so completely forgotten, that at its revival, about forty yeai's after this period, a patent was obtained for the invention, and the merit of the application was also claimed by the celebrated Mr. "Watt, evidently with- out any knowledge of Hull's suggestion." — Stewart, Hist. Steam- Engine, page 8. DR. CART-WRIGHT. 139 that period under the government of the Directory, and did not return to England until the latter end of 1802, or beginning of 1803, having passed a portion of the intervening time in America. From his correspondence Avith ^Ir. Cartwright, such passages may be selected as appear to have reference to those mechanical subjects on which they were both deeply engaged. He writes from Paris, July, 1797 : — " After being detained at Calais three weeks, waiting for a passport, I made a cir- cuit of about three hundred miles ; and on arriving at Paris, I found the Directory had given a special order for my passport, which was sent to Calais after my departure ; thus there is every symptom of my remaining here in peace, although the Americans are by no means well received or suffered to rest in quiet. 140 MEMOIR OF " The country through which I travelled is like a continued field, in excellent cultiva- tion, and all the districts of France are said to be in an equally good state ; thus plenty will relieve the burthens of war. But what do I say of war f In Paris one would suppose they had never heard of it, for all is gay and joyous. As to business, I cannot yet say much ; but I have reason to believe there will be good encouragement to men of genius, and improvement will be rapid on the termination of the war. Please to let me know the state of your ideas relative to the steam-boat, &c. "E. Fulton." "Paris, Sept. 20tli, 1797. "My dear Sir, — I have not had an oppor- tunity of answering your letter of the 20tli August till now. I am much pleased with DR. CARTWRIGHT. 141 yonr mode of making houses fire-proof, and should be happy to see it extended to America; but I do not think that Mr. ****QP *^*^ would answer your purpose; because whoever takes up such subjects must be active, and have the busi- ness at heart. On these points I have men- tioned to you, that providing me with descriptions and powers, I shall be happy to do my best for you in America ; but if you could sell the invention for a reasonable sum, I should think it advisable. My idea of many of those things, which may be con- sidered as only the overflowings of your onind, is to convert them into cash, and adhere firmly, even without partners, to some of your more important objects, such as the steam-engine, boat moving by steam, or cordelier. I have a great objection to partners. I never would have but one if I could help it, and that should be a wife.'' 142 MEMOIR OF "Paris, Nov. 28tli, 1797. " I have received joiivs of the 12th instant, and am happy to hear of the success of your steam-engine, and other improve- ments, for the extension of which I will en- deavour to make an arrangement when I have the pleasure of seeing you. In this country there are but few engines, and the principal are at the collieries, near Valen- ciennes. I am well acquainted with the proprietor, who informs me there is little hope of introducing such improvements into France till the termination of the war; but when peace retui'ns, I conceive every encou- ragement will be given to the arts, and France will rise, like a phoenix, from the ashes of war." "Paris, Feb. 16th, 1798. " Dear Sir, — I have received yours of December 11th, at which time you could ^ ^ OF TrI-- \ OF • / DR. CARTWRIGHT. 143 not have received my last letter, which was dated December 8th. You speak of ex- pecting my return, but that, I fear, is very doubtful, in consequence of the delays at the patent-office, the approaching period when I must necessarily return to America, and the difficulty of obtaining a passport from hence to England. Should these causes prevent me from again seeing your family, in whose short acquaintance I took much delight, and whose taste for science flattered me with the prospect of much pleasure on my return; yet I hope we shall keep up the acquaint- ance which the art of writing may preserve ; and believe me, I shall ever feel interested in the progress of science or fortune in your family. Hitherto I have been like a wan- derer in life — but in America I hope to become reasonably stationary, where, assem- bling a few friends around me, I may pursue 144 MEMOIR OP my plans of public improvement with patient industry. Works of magnitude, I find, can- not be hurried. It would give me much pleasure to make the produce of your mind productive to you. You will, therefore, consider what part of your inventions I may be intrusted with. The steam-engine, I hope, may be made useful in cutting canals, and moving boats, so that it will be directly in my line of business. By the bye, I have just proved an experiment on moving boats with a fly of four parts, similar to that of a smoke-jack; thus, I find this apply the power to great advan- tage, and it is extremely simple.* The * It is very interesting to remark, that in this, the earliest of Mr. Fulton's schemes for steam navi- DE. CARTWRTGHT. 145 patent law is now altering, but I fear the price will not be reduced, yet the payments will, perhaps, be made easy, by being 20/. per year for three years. My small canals are making many friends ; which business I shall leave under the guidance of a comj)any. The celebrated Montgolfier has just made a great discovery in hydraulics ; it is a means of raising water from the beds of rivers by the simple movement of the stream, without either pump or Avheel. I know him well, and have seen his model frequently at work. It is forty feet high, and consisting of only two tubes, extremely simple. I also have been contriving a curious machine for mend- ing the system of politics, and applying gation, we see the principle of the " Archimedes screw," which, though for many years superseded by the " paddle-wheel," is now likely to come into uni- versal use. H 146 MEMOIR OF manual labour to advantage. Of these two inventions I will send you sketches before my departure. Believe me, &c., " RoBT. Fulton," " Paris, June 20th, 1798. "My dear Sir, — Still I continue in France, and thus take the opportunity of writing to you by my friend, Mr. Gilpin, who will convey to America anything you have to communicate to me on mechanical subjects. In a long letter I wrote to you on mechanics, on March 5th, I mentioned some ideas of a machine for making ropes, the model of which is now finished, capable of making a rope one inch diameter. By Mr. G. I send you a piece of rope fabricated on the engine, by which you may judge of its state of perfection. But still I conceive you have superior ideas on the movement of such DR. CARTWRIGHT. 147 an engine, particularly the means of giving equal tension to all the strands. " I shall hope for a very particular letter on mechanics when Mr. G. arrives in America, with sketches, if not models, of, 1st, steam-engine; 2nd, steam-boat, 3rd, cordelier, &c. &c." At this time Mr. Fulton was engaged in prosecuting his experiments in submarine navigation; but that he also pursued his projects of moving boats by steam appears by the following letters to Mr. Cartwright, whose recent invention seemed peculiarly applicable to Mr. Fulton's purpose : — "Paris, 10th March, 1802. " My good Friend, — Be so kind as to let me know how you have succeeded in your steam-engine. To what state of perfection h2 148 ME5I0IR OF have you brought it ? What will one of a six-horse power, making a three or four foot stroke, cost? Hoav much will it weigh? How much space will it require when ren- dered as compact as possible ? What weight and value of coals will it consume per hour ? and how soon can it be made ? I think you once mentioned to me your intention to use spirits of wine, and that you could obtain a power of at least 301bs. to the square inch. Have you succeeded in these great objects? The object of these inquiries is to make part of an examination on the possibility of moving boats of about six or seven tons by steam-engine, and your engine I conceive best calculated for such a work ; partipularly as the condenser may ahvays have the ad- vantage of cold water without adding much to the weight of the boat ; and having the advantage of cold water may enable you to DR. CARTWRIGHT. 149 work with ardent spirits, and produce the desired elasticity of steam with one-half the heat, — hence, in calculating the weight of the whole apparatus, the weight of the con- densing water will be trifling, it is therefore the IV eight of the engine and the fluid in the boiler which are to be calculated. For this object I believe the engine should be double, with the steam acting on the top and bottom of the piston, or in two cylinders, the one ascending while the other descends. For the particular case, where such a boat is wanted, I believe it is of more importance to have a light and compact engine, than to have too much regard to the economy of fuel, un- less the additional weight of the fuel to go twenty miles would be more than the addi- tional weight of the engine to economize the heat. To gain power in a small space, how would it answer to make the boiler suffi- 150 MEMOIR OF ciently strong to heat the steam to two atmospheres, or 30 pounds to the square inch ? — thus, a cylinder of six inches would give a purchase of 300 pounds; that is, 900 pounds' constant purchase, which is about the sum of my demand, — as for exam- ple, three pounds will draw a piece of timber 20 feet long, which presents a butt-end of one foot square, at the speed of 1 mile per hour. 12 pounds, 2 ditto - ditto. 48 „ 4 ditto - ditto. 96 „ 6 ditto - ditto. 120 „ 7 ditto - ditto. Now, supposing my boat to be 40 feet long and five feet wide — boat, passengers, and engine, weighing six tons — it will present a front of about six feet resistance, or 720 pounds' pui'chase, to run such a boat seven miles per hour. DR. CART WRIGHT. 151 Suppose the boat to weigh 2 tons, 30 passengers, with their baggage 3 „ "5 one ton is left for the engine and machinery. From this calculation you will be able to judge what can be done by your invention ; and if by your means I can perfect my plan, I have got a good opportunity of rendering your engine productive to you, and it will give me pleasure to do so. You will be so good as write to me as soon as possible, an- swering, in a particular manner, the ques- tions stated, with any observations you think proper and will be so good as to make on my proposed attempt. " EoBT. Fulton." Mr. Cartwright's reply to the above in- quiries was, doubtless, given under a strong impression of the value of his invention, and 152 MEMOIR OF produced the following letter from his san- guine correspondent : — "Paris, 28tli March, 1802. '' My dear Sir, — It is with great pleasure I have received your flattering account of your steam-engine; and although attach- ment to you makes me believe everything you say, yet such belief is merely a work of faith, for I cannot see the reason why you have 13 J pounds' purchase to the square inch. Is this in consequence of the friction taken off the piston by your circles ?* How have you found that mode to answer? Is it that, by your mode of condensing, the water becomes deprived of its air, and that the steam may be heated four, five, or more pounds per inch above the atmosphere? If * The metallic rings — an invention of acknow- ledged ingenuity and usefulness. (See page 131, supra.) DR. CARTWRIGHT. 153 the engine can be made so light as you men- tion, and give only ten pounds to the square inch, it will answer my purpose; but it must be a double engine, making thirty double strokes, or sixty single strokes, per minute, of thi*ee feet each; that is to say, three feet per second. As I can afford to give five feet by six for the engine, it will not be necessary to place the cylinder in the boiler. If it stands outside of the boiler, repair's can be made with more ease; but when we have decided on the engine, I will give a sketch of the mode in which I propose it should stand, to give movement to the machinery which is to drive the boat. If, for my case, you propose to condense with- out injection, the condensing vessel may be a long cylinder or tube, with another tube through its centre, through which a current of water will pass with a velocity equal to h3 154 MEMOIR OF the speed of the boat, and thus carry oiff the caloric very quick. I do not see how the engine, water in the boiler, and fly included, can weigh so little as a ton, and, say, a half. What will be the weight and diameter of the fly? Another important consideration — is it permitted to send such engines out of the country? the design is to America. The smoke-jack flyers will not answer for a quick movement. Reduced to two arms, thus, it answers admirably for my plunging-boat, where the velocity is not more than two miles per hour, between two water's, and where oars cannot be used. I was so pleased with it in that experiment, that I last summer built a pinish* thirty-six feet long and five feet wide, extremely light, and * Gommonly written pinnace.—^Y^j). DR. CAKTWRIGHT. 155 of the best workmanship. I phiced in her quadi'uple cranks, from bow to stern, thus, r~r~i-r to each of which were six men, total twenty- foiu' of the best seamen of the fleet. The multiplication from the crank to the flyers was at first fourteen to one ; the flyers, four feet diameter; angle, thirty degrees. We could not make more than four miles per hour. I reduced the multiplication to seven for one. "We went about four miles, but with less fatigue to the men. I changed the diameter of the flyers from four down to two feet, and the angle from forty down gradually, five degrees at a time, to fifteen degrees. Still our speed was never more than about four miles per hoiu". When the boat gains a certain velocity, the water run- 156 MEMOIR OF ning quick past the flyers, tliey lose their purchase ; and multiplying them to a velo- city so as to overtake the boat, or strike the running water sufficiently quick, causes a friction, which consumes much of the power. However, I have found an excellent mode of taking my pui'chase on the water in all pos- sible velocities, and where the whole power will be applied to advantage. The question now is only to find the best steam-engine to put it in movement ; and I sincerely hope it will be yours. For political reasons, I have never yet confided to but one perso7i the combination of my plunging-boat, and com- mitted the whole to di'awing and explana- tions, in case of any accident happening to me ; hoAvever, it Avill be satisfactory to you to know that the experiments have been very successful. I was very fortunate in surmounting some great difficulties ; and DR. CARTWRIGHT. 157 navigating under water is now easy to be performed, and without risk." In the " Annual Register" for 1802, is an account of Mr. Fulton's diving-boat, taken from the relation of citizen St. Aubin, a man of letters at Paris, and member of the Tri- bunate, which confirms the inventor's own statement of the success of his experiment. *' I have," says Monsieur St. Aubin, "just been to inspect the plan and section of a nautilus, or diving-boat, invented by Mr. Fulton, similar to that with which he lately made his curious and interesting experiment at Havre and Brest. The diving-boat, in the construction of which he is now em- ployed, will be capacious enough to contain eight men, and provision enough for twenty days, and will be of sufiicient strength and power to enable him to plunge one hundred 158 MEMOIR OF feet under water, if necessary. He has con- structed a reservoir for air, which will enable eight men to remain under water for eight hours. When the boat is above water, it has two sails, and looks just like a common boat. When she is to dive, the mast and sails are struck. In making his experiment at Havre, Mr. Fulton not only remained a whole hour under water, with three of his companions, but kept his boat parallel to the horizon at any given depth. He proved that the compass points as correctly under water as on the surface; and that, while under water, the boat made way at the rate of half a league an hour, by means 'con- structed for that purpose." — Vol. xliv. Whatever might be the ingenuity of the contrivance, or merit when effected, of the bateau plongeur, it is certain that Earl Stanhope, no incompetent judge of mecha- DR. CARTWRIGHT. 159 nical and scientific subjects, entertained a formidable idea of its efficiency, and earnestly endeavoured to impress upon the English government a sense of the danger that might arise to this country, in consequence of the French nation having taken the American, Mr. Fulton, under their protection. In the following year (1803) his lordship again referred to Mr. Fulton's contrivance for blowing-up ships under water, and stated in the House of Lords that he had himself given a plan to the Admiralty, for preventing the effect of an invention, which he considered of so formidable a natui'e. It is evident that the art of navigating under water might convey an awful power into the hands of any one who possessed it ; and consequently the British ministry did not think it unworthy of inquiry how far Mr. Fulton's pretension to success, in so for- 160 MEMOIR OF miclable an art, was well founded or not. Mr. Cartwrigbt, who was probably in full possession of Mr. Fulton's secret, and no less impressed than Earl Stanhope with the no- tion of its dangerous extent, was consulted in this inquiry. On the renewal of the war, Mr. Fulton's neutrality, at least, was con- sidered worth the purchase; and Mr. Cart- wright was appointed one of the arbitrators to settle the terms upon whicli Mr. Fulton consented to the suppression of his secret. The terms of the award were probably satis- factory to Mr. Fulton. He returned to America not long after the arrangement alluded to, and in the following summer (1807) he had the satisfaction of seeing accomplished his long-cherished and favour- ite project of launching a steam-boat in his native country. As Mr. Fulton's name is introduced into this memoir solely with a DR. CARTWRIGHT. 161 reference to his intimacy with Mr. Cart- wright, it is not necessary to enter more at length into the question of the extent to which he might, or might not, have availed himself of the inventions of others. It is certain that he owed much to his own inge- nuity for the success that attended his first experiment at New York ; and still more to that activity of mind and spirit of enter- prise, which enabled him so to establish steam navigation in America, that its obvi- ous advantages there should have led to its extended adoption, not only in this country, but in every part of the civilized world. This ingenious and enterprising man died at New York, in the year 1815, in the forty-ninth year of his age. 162 MEMOIR OF CHAPTER V. In November, 1798, Mr. Cartwright became a member of the " Society for the Encourage- ment of Arts, Manufactures, &c.;" and in October of the following year, he was re- commended by his friends to offer himself as a candidate for the situation of secretary to the society, recently become vacant by the death of Mr. Samuel Moore. The candi- date being on this occasion required to pre- sent a memorial of his pretensions, Mr. Cartwright, on the 18th December, read DR. CAKTWEIGHT. 163 before the society an addi-ess, from which the following extracts are taken : — " The qualifications more particularly looked for in the person who is to fill the important office of secretary to this society, are, I understand, practical knowledge and experience in those matters which are its leading objects. These are, chemistry, the polite arts, agriculture, manufactures, and mechanics. It is expected, also, that he should know something of the modern lan- guages. The only living languages I ever was acquainted with, are the French and Italian, and though disuse for a long series of years has nearly obliterated them from my recollection, I do not feel, however, as if I should have much difficulty in recovering them, and, in the meantime, I should take care that the society should experience no inconvenience on that account. Of che- 164 MEMOIR OF mistry, thoiigli I am not ignorant of its elementary principles, my knowledge is mucli too limited to speak of it with any degree of confidence. In this department, therefore, I am free to confess you will not find my acquirements of that service to you I could wish, and yet I flatter myself you will not find them altogether useless. That they have not been altogether useless to the world, I need only appeal to that most in- valuable discovery — the method of adminis- tering, in the form of yeast, the carbonic acid gas ; a discovery which, not only in this island, but in various parts of the globe, has already, in innumerable instances, proved an inestimable benefit to the human race. You will perceive I am alluding to the almost invariable success with which this remedy has been administered in cases of putrid fever, and as a specific in that cruel disease. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 165 the sea scurvy. Those only who have ex- perienced that sublimest of enjoyments, the pleasure of benefiting mankind, can appre- ciate the satisfaction I have had in its dis- covery." " But of all the objects which engage the attention of this society, the principal, and, without dispute, the most important, is agriculture; an art which, at the present awful period, more, perhaps, than at any former one, requires the exertions of every enlightened mind to bring it to its highest stage of practical perfection. That much is to be done, it is unnecessary to observe, for till such time as every field shall be a gar- den, agriculture has certainly not arrived at its acme. That this is no ideal point of improvement to look forward to, Ave need only advert to the state of this art amongst the Chinese, and the manner in which they 166 MEMOIR OF are at once compelled and enabled to prac- tise it by an overflowing population. With us, the great mass of population being diverted into other channels, other means are to be resorted to. The combined ener- gies of various arts must be employed; chemistry must lend her inexhaustible stores — mechanics, her hundred arms. The one, by calling into action the latent principles of nature, gives to vegetation renewed life and increase of fertility; the other, by furnishing man with multiplied ability, giving to a pigmy the powers of a giant. But no combination of science in agriculture will avail without practical knowledge; and in no art, so indispensable as this, is practical knowledge required from your secretary. On every other subject, information or assistance, in a city like this, may be met with in every street, and at DR. CARTWRIGHT. 167 every hoiu' ; for here is the resort of genius and talents in every department of science, not only because they are here most encou- raged, but because they are here also most conveniently cultivated. With agriculture and its professors it is otherwise. Agricul- ture is not to be practised in cities, nor has a city life allurements for a mind devoted to its pursuits. On this subject, therefore, more frequently than on any other, must your secretary depend on the stores and resoui'ces of his own mind. These stores are not to be collected from books or theory, nor from the speculative opinions of artists, mechanics, chemists, or philosophers; they must be the result of real practice and re- peated observation, under different circum- stances, and at different seasons. On this ground I feel to tread with confidence ; for during nearly thirty years of my past life 168 MEMOIR OF my constant residence has been in the coun- try, and for a considerable part of that time those hours which were not occupied by tlie duties of my profession, or devoted to lite- rary pursuits, were chiefly employed in the practice and study of agriculture. I may truly aflirm there are few experiments in that most useful and interesting pursuit which I have not either tried myself, or witnessed the trial of by others. " Respecting manufactures and practical mechanics, it will be no boast in me to say, — what, indeed, so many here present can probably confirm, — that few men have had greater experience than myself; still fewer, I should hope, have purchased that expe- rience at so dear a rate. The manufactures I am most immediately acquainted with, are those extensive ones of cotton and wool; every process of which I am acquainted DR. CAPtTWRIOrHT. 1G9 with, from the raAV state of the article till perfected in the loom. " There are several other manufactures, also, of which you will not find me ignorant. " That I may not detain you too long by recitins: all the different mechanical inven- tions of magnitude and importance that I have at various times brought forward, I shall enumerate only three ; and these three, as you will perceive, are in departments of invention totally distinct from each other. These are, the method of combing wool by machinery ; the geometrical principle of con- structing arches, so as to have no lateral pressure ; and the late improvements I have made in the steam-engine. By that single invention of combing wool by machinery, the manufacturers are at this moment saving at least 40,000/. a year, and in a short space of time will annually save between I 170 MEMOIR or one and two millions. By the geometrical principle of constrncting arches, so as to have no lateral pressure, buildings may be erected at as little expense as they now are, and be perfectly secure from fire. And by my improvement on the steam-engine, I have so added to its power, and reduced its expense, that it may not only be employed in manu- factures more extensively than it has hitherto been, but may be made also a most powerful and profitable agent in husbandry, as will, I hope, be exhibited on an extensive scale in the course of next summer. " There are many other circumstances in a long, and, I may say, useful life of unwearied exertion, which might, with propriety, have been brought forward ; but I have confined myself to those chiefly which, being of public notoriety, the public, if anything has been stated unfairly, has the means of confuting. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 171 " Permit me to trespass on your time one moment longer. Since the death of Mr. Moore, a very unusual number of new mem- bers, I am told, has been admitted into the society; many, it is possible, for the mere purpose of voting at the ensuing election. There are, I trust, no friends of mine who have gained admittance from any such motive. If they have, I must request they will either not vote at all, or bestow their votes on some other candidate. For myself, I should feel it a disgrace to owe that to private interference which it would be my ambition to obtain by the public voice. If I am to succeed I will succeed only by fair and honourable competition." This memorial was received with so much favour by the society, that little doubt was entertained of Mr. Cartwright's success, had he been inclined to continue the contest. I 2 172 MEMOIR OF He, however, withdrew his pretensions in favour of Mr. Charles Taylor, to whose merit lie bore the most liberal testimony, in a speech delivered before the society on the 29th January, 1800. Mr. Charles Taylor was elected secretary to the society, in which situation he re- mained until his death. It is somewhat remarkable, that in the memorial from which some extracts have been given, Mr. Cartwright only slightly alludes to his improvements in the art of weaving; and in the enumeration of what he considered his most important inventions, that of weaving by machinery is altoge- ther omitted, although it ultimately proved to be the only one that ever returned any portion of the expense incurred in bringing it to perfection. But it was unknown to him that the poAver-loom was gradually and DR. CART WRIGHT. 173 secretly coming into use; and ulthougli lie might not despair of its ultimate introduc- tion, yet his patent-right being expired, all remuneration to himself for that invention seemed nearly hopeless. The frequent invasions of his patent for combing wool, as Avell as tlie petitions that had been presented to parliament, as early as the year 1796, against the introduction of his machinery, might justly be considered as indications of its increasing importance, and rendered it, to all appearance, much more likely to prove advantageous than the weaving machine. But the difficulty of de- tection, as well as the expense of procuring redress, had paralyzed the eftbrts of his assignees, and had hitherto prevented them from pursuing inquiry in many cases in which they were morally convinced that great infringements on his patent-right were 174 MEMOIR OF practised. A most flagrant instance, how- ever, having come to their knowledge, in whicli the parties not only used machinery on Mr. Cartwright's principles themselves, but fabricated combing-machines for the use of other manufacturers, an action was brought, in the names of Major Cartwright and his brother Charles, against the persons thus offending. In this cause, which came on to be tried after Trinity term, 1799, the plaintiffs were nonsuited; but this check, although an addition to their expense and trouble, in no way aftected the principles on which they sought redress. It appeared that when Mr. Cartwright, in 1793, had assigned over his patent-rights to his brothers, a suit was then pending between him and another person (on a question of invasion of patent-right), and in the deed of assignment it was stipu- DR. CARTWRIGHT. 175 lated that Mr. Cartwrightsliould be held as legal owner of the patents, in trust for the assignees, until the suit in question shoidd be legally determined. This suit had, in fact, terminated, not in a legal trial, but in one of those compromises to which the exi- gency of his affairs had but too fi'equently compelled Mi*. Cartwright to agree ; and his assignees, considering this compromise as having the same effect as if the matter had been determined by law, had consequently proceeded to act according to the different provisions of the assignment. The defend- ants, however, objected, that as no fresh assignment had taken place subsequent to the determination of the depending suit, the legal interest, not being vested in the plain- tiffs, still remained in Edmund Cartwright, and therefore the defendants were entitled to recover. The learned judge (Rooke) 176 MEMOIR OF being of tliut opinion, directed a nonsuit. But on the IStli November, of the same year, Serjeant Kunnington having moved to set aside the nonsuit, the judge jidmitted, that on a further consideration of the eifect of the deed tluui was given to it at Nisi Prius, he ^vas convinced "■ that tlie legal interest vested in the plaintiffs inniiediately on the determination of the suit that was then depending at the time when the inden- ture was executed." The rest of the court having expressed an opinion to the same effect, the nonsuit was set aside, and in the foUoAving spring the cause was brouglit for- ward again, and tried before Lord Chief Justice Eldon, in the Court of Common Pleas. The hardship of My. Cartwright's case, so strongly appearing in the i)ains that had been taken to evade his patents, and defeat DR. CARTAVRIGHT. 177 his efforts for protecting them, had awakened a general sympatliy in his favour. The novelty and ingenuity of the machinery, of which he was clearly proved to be the in- ventor, with the great display of talent and knoAvledge on the part of those scientific persons who had been called upon as wit- nesses to distinguish between artful inuta- tion and original invention, rendered this trial (John and Charles Cartwright v. Aniatt and others) one of the most curious and interesting suits relative to the invasion of patent-right that had ever been brought forward in any court of justice. After a laborious investigation, which occupied the court two days, a verdict was given for the plaintiffs, with a thousand pounds damages. The patient attention shewn by the Lord Chief Justice Eldon throughout the whole of this investigation, in which his lordship I 3 178 MEMOIR OF took infinite pains to make himself master of the mechanical part of the subject, was always duly and gratefully acknowledged by Major Cartwright and his brother. So favourable an issue to this important trial was natiu-ally hailed by Mr. Cartwright and his friends as the turning of the tide in the state of his affairs. It was discovered, that in mills in several different parts of the kingdom, his wool-combing machine had been surreptitiously introduced and worked ; and now that he had legally substantiated his claim to the invention, he might reason- ably expect some pecuniary advantage from its general adoption. But, strange as it may appear, no pecuniary benefit ever did accrue to him connected with this invention, either immediately, in Consequence of this trial, or subsequently, on obtaining an ex- tension of his patent-right. It cannot be DR. CARTAVRIGHT. 179 denied that Mr. Cartwriglit had, in the late trial, obtained the justice he was entitled to ; but the expenses and difficulties attend- ing it were such as to deter him from again seeking the same mode of redress. Major Cartwriglit, indeed, by his indefatigable perseverance, had succeeded in detecting fresh instances of piracy ; but, ui most in- stances, the assignees were induced to enter into compromise with their opponents, rather than incur the cost and vexation of another lawsuit; and in these compromises, it is hardly necessary to remark that Mr. Cart- wright and his brothers were not likely to have the advantage. By this time, ten years of the patent-right (relative to wool-comb- ing) were expired ; and there seemed so little prospect of deriving a reasonable remunera- tion from it during the four remaining years, that Mr. Cartwright was advised to apply 180 MEMOIR OF to parliament for an extension of tlic term — an indulgence, which, though rarely granted, was not without example. He accordingly presented a petition, to that effect, to the House of Commons, on the 17th March, 1801, the substance of which is contained in the following document, which, us it ex- hibits in a succinct form, the causes of his past and then existing difficulties, as well as the grounds on which he sought parlia- mentary reliel', is inserted nearly at full length. " The Case of Edmund Cartwright, of Marylebone Parish, Clerk, Master of Arts. " Mr. Cartwright, who now seeks the protection of the legislature, is the author of various mechanical inventions, of great utility to the manufactures of his country ; but hitherto the labour of many anxious DE. CARTWRIGHT. 181 years, fruitful in benefit to the public, hath brought him no other reward than barren reputation, accompanied by ruined fortunes, a situation bitterly aggravated by his having been obliged to behold many scandalous in- vasions of his property, without the means of resistance ; and he might even have had torn from him the honour of having been the inventor of the art of combing long wool by machinery, had it not been for the assist- ance of friends, by whose means he was en- abled to vindicate, in a court of law, the originality of that invention. " Mr. Cart Wright dates the origin of his misfortunes from the burning of a mill, which, in the year 1792, had been erected at Manchester, for the working of five hun- dred looms of his invention, Avhicli burning there was strong reason to believe had been tlie premeditated act of evil-minded persons. 182 MEMOIR OF Be this, however, as it may, it had the effect of deterring other manufacturers from at- tempting to adopt the use of the patent looms; notwithstanding the invention was such, that with the loom in question, one child of ten years old could execute as much as two experienced men, and in a style superior to any hand-weaving, which, at the best, is only an approximation towards correctness, whereas the patent loom gave the same number of threads to every yard of work, with mathematical accuracy. " Notwithstanding, Mr. Cartwright, by the misfortune above mentioned, was totally defeated in his hope of advantage from an invention he was some years in bringing to perfection; yet the invention is still in possession of the public, and when the ne- cessity of economy shall bring it into general use, the national profit, from its abridg- DR. CARTWRIGHT. 183 ment of laboiu', and superiority of work, cannot be less than one million and a half sterling per unnum y especially as it will be the means, whenever universally adopted, of working up at home all that cotton twist and yarn, which now seeks a market in Saxony and other countries. " But to come to the immediate subject of his present application to the legislature, ]\Ii\ Cartwright has to state, that although we derive from high antiquity the art of converting wool into jersey, by means of the ordinary comb, no one has recorded any improvement whatever, either upon the art or the implements, until they became the subject of his study and contemplation — a fact which affords no slight presumption of the inherent difficulty of the task. " In the year 1790, Mr. Cartwright, how- ever, after some abortive attempts, had the 184 MEMOIR OF happiness to strike out a practicable mode of combing wool by machinery ; and for the combing machinery he then invented, to- gether with other inventions, he obtained his Majesty's patent for England, &c. Pushing his experiments and discoveries, he made successive improvements, taking out a second patent in December of the same year ; and a third patent, for combing machinery, and other inventions, in the month of May, 1792, besides one in De- cember, ] 792, for Scotland. " Fortunately for Mr. Cartwright, not only the originality of his invention for combing wool has been established upon a rock, but its great national utility also has been proved beyond contradiction, in the course of the late laborious trial (Avhich, for two Avliole days, occupied the Court of Com- mon Pleas), before the Kight Honourable DE. CAETAVrJGHT. 185 Lord Chief Justice Eldou, mid u special " As besides tlie presence of the Chief Justice, that trial was attended by a noble lord of the upper house, as a witness, and liy an honourable member of the House of Commons, as a barrister ; there are thus, in both houses of parliament, honourable and noble persons, to whom an appeal can be successfully made for the correctness of this statement. As the whole proceedings on that trial are very voluminous, Mr. Cart- wright is printing, and means to publish, the summing up only, transcribed by ]\Ir. Gurney, from his oavu short-hand notes, and the manuscript has been submitted to the Chief Justice for his correction. Therein will be seen the opinion Lord Eldon enter- tained, and frequently expressed, of the merit and utility of the invention. On the 186 MEMOIR OF trial alluded to, it was proved, that by the use of each single set of Mr. Cartwright's patent combing machines, the saving in labour was more than one thousand one hundred pounds per annum; from which fact, combined Avith the estimate of the quantity of combing wool produced in Eng- land, it results tiiat whenever the patent combing machine shall be universally adopted, the total saving to the nation can- not be so little as a million sterling a-year. " Mr. Cartwright will not load his case with a detail of all those complicated causes which have hitherto prevented his deriving benefit from the invention in question ; but leave them to the imagination of the reader, who will easily conceive the difficulty of stemming the tide of prejudice, rivalship, and injustice, by a man of ruined fortunes. " Suffice it then to say, that after em- DR. CARTWRIGHT. 187 ploying himself indefatigably for several years in his mechanical pursuits and dis- coveries, and failing to meet with that remuneration which could alone enable him to support the expense, he in the year 1793 sunk under a burthen too great for him to bear ; surrendering for the benefit of his creditors, not only his whole estate, but assigning also all his patents themselves to trustees for the same purpose ; and although the only rightful owner of the only valid patents for combing machines, he had the mortification to find himself, for seven years more, sinking deeper and deeper in debt, before even those patents could be put out of danger by the decision of a court of law. " Why those patents, intrinsically of so much value as hath been stated, have not yet in any degree amended his pecuniary 188 MEMOIR OF situation, is only to be iiccountud for from causes already touched ui)on, but the fact is certain, that the expense incurred in their preservation from that destruction of them that was attempted, has hitherto very far exceeded the prolits they have brought in, so that by the necessary accumulation of a debt when there is not the means of keeping doAvii the interest, the patentee is at this moment much deeper in debt than when he first surrendered his estates; Avhereas, had his patent combing machinery above mentioned, been adopted so early and so generally as he might reasonably have ex- pected, he must long, ere noAv, have been in a state of affluence. The whole of his actual loss from prosecuting his mechanical inventions, Avhen the debt thereby is taken into the account, much exceeds the sum of thirty thousand pounds. Seeing that the DR. CARTWRIGHT. 189 patents which inchided his Avool-comhiiig macliinery are respectively drawing near to their expiration, while yet the degree in which the machines have been adopted is far too small to flatter the patentee with even a hope of paying the interest of his debt, unless the legislature shall generously take him under its protection; he has resolved to make the present application for an extension of the patent terms, so far as relates to the combing and preparing of wool. And he most humbly and earnestly hopes, that if his claims shall be found deserving, he shall receive from the indi- vidual and collective wisdom of parliament, that indulgence which other patentees, on similar applications, though not under cir- cumstances of such peculiar hardship, have in many instances received from the legisla- ture of their country." 190 MEMOIR OF The petition from Mr. Cartwriglit was favourably received by the House of Com- mons, and being referred to the considera- tion of a committee, different witnesses were examined, whose evidence went to prove not only the truth of all the allega- tions contained in the petition, but many additional circumstances calculated to strengthen the claims of the petitioner. It appeared by the evidence given on the occasion, by Major Cartwright, that by reason of the distressed state of the peti- tioner's affairs, he had not the means of appealing to the laws of his country for redress, but that he (the witness), as trustee for his brother's patent rights, had in the year 1799 commenced an action at law against certain invaders of those rights, which action was concluded in April, 1800, by a verdict in favour of the patentee. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 191 Before it was convenient to him to advance money in defence of the said patents, he had fonnd himself under the necessity, for promoting the interests of the patentee and his creditors, to make a compromise with persons who had taken out two patents for wool-combing machinery, although he knew, and the parties themselves have since acknowledged to him, that their patents were for machinery that infringed on the patents of the petitioner. It was also stated by Major Cartwright, that his brother had been compelled, by the exigency of his aifairs in 1793, to desist from a suit, and enter into a compromise with another person who had taken out a patent, which the witness, having seen both the machinery itself and a specification of it, was convinced was not a valid patent, but an infringe- ment of that of the petitioner. In conse- 192 MEMOIR OF qiience of tliese forcod compromises, and of the inability, on the part of the inventor, to vindicate in all cases of infringement the originality of his invention, the pnhlic remained in snspense as to what machine for wool-combing might be legally and most advantageonsly nsed ; and this witness was fnrther of opinion, that unless the term of the present patent-right should l^e reason- ably prolonged, it would not be prudent for the patentee, or his trustees, to enter into any fresh lawsuit for the purpose of vindi- cating his rights. In addition to the above evidence, was that of another witness, who had been em- ployed for seven years in a mill, where six sets of the combing machines were used; and who estimated the profits arising from each set at 1100/. per annum. This witness mentioned also some other mills DR. CARTWRIGPIT. 193 wliere this machinery was employed, and was of opinion that, had it not been for the invasion of the patent, tlie original machine wonld have been in general nse. The report from the Committee, which was delivered the 13th April, by Mr. Spen- cer Stanhope, having proved satisfactory to the Honse, leave was given on the 8th IMay, to prepare and bring in a Bill, for the pnr- pose of prolonging Mr. Cartwright's patent right, as far as regarded wool- combing, for the term of fourteen years. Whilst this Bill was in progress, several counter peti- tions were presented to the House from certain persons, who conceived that its ope- ration would affect those agreements, or compromises, which Mr. Cartwright had been induced to enter into with them, as well as tend to check the ingenuity that K 194 MEMOIR OF might be beneficially exercised in improving upon the invention in question. These petitions being referred to the consideration of the Committee appointed to inquire into Mr. Cartwright's claims, and leave being given to the respective peti- tioners on both sides of the question to be heard by counsel, the matter was argued with all the acuteness that might be ex- pected from some of the most eminent legal characters of the day. On this occasion, Mr.Cartwright conceiving himself personally aggrieved by the observations of one of the counsel for the opposing party, prepared a reply to these offensive observations, which, to judge from the sketch found amongst his papers, appears to have been drawn up with his usual perspicuity and clearness, though somewhat partaking of that indignant style, DR. CARTWRIGHT. 195 which, when roused by insult, it was well- known he could assume. The case of Mr. Watt, to whom an extension of patent right was granted in the fifteenth year of George III., having been alluded to, with an invidious comparison between his superior claims and those of Mr. Cartwright, the latter observed in reply, " It was admitted by the learned counsel of my opponent, that in extending the patent of Mr. Watt, Parliament was justified. Perhaps if the learned gentleman had known the whole of the two cases, he would not in the same breath have approved of the one extension, and condemned the other. The steam-engine is doubtless a machine of immense value, but Mr. Watt did not invent the steam-engine. That was a discovery of a former age. It had been known and used a great part of a century at the time when Mi\ Watt fii'st exercised k2 19G MEMOIi; OF his invention upon it, and his invention went no further than to an improvement. I do not mean to arrogate too much to myself, but I certainly have a right to say, that not only the first machines for combing wool were of my invention, but that I in- vented the very ART itself of combing by machinery, which till that time was utterly unknown, and in which I did not derive a single ray of light from any human inge- nuity of a former date ; and it will be kept in mind that the combing of avooI is the very basis of the gi-eat supereminent manufac- ture of this country." On the 5th June, the Bill was read a third time, and passed the House of Commons. It received an amendment in the House of Lords, providing for the security of such persons as had pre- viously entered into compromise with Mr. Cartwright, and on the 2nd July, the Bill received the Roval Assent. DR. CART\YRIGHT. 197 This great object being attained, Mr. Curtwright, in having fourteen years of se- cured possession to look forward to, seemed placed in so advantageous a position, that it might reasonably be expected lie should in future be able to treat with his opponents oil more equitable terms, and compel those who employed his machinery to ackno"\vledge a right thus sanctioned by an especial act of the Legislature. But the deficiency of pecu- niary means to follow up the necessary inquiries, still continued; and in addition to this impediment, the activity of his mind became diverted toAvards a variety of other objects, from some of Avhicli he probably hoped to derive more inunediate benefit. Whatever the causes of failure might be, it is certain that no advantage did accrue to him from the renewal of his patent right, nor indeed did he ever reap any pecuniary 198 MEMOIR or gain from an invention of such acknowledged ingenuity.* * That the wool-combers had taken alarm at the introduction of the machine in question, was evident from the circumstance of there having been between fifty and sixty petitions to Parliament against its use as early as the year 1796. The number of wool-combers was estimated at fifty thousand. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 199 CHAPTEE VI. In the interesting memoirs of Mr. Crabbe, tbe author, speaking of Dr. Cartwright, has, with great felicity of expression, noticed "the expanding versatility of his mind." This opinion was formed on the report of no common observer ; and, indeed, the faci- lity with which he could apply his mind to small, or rather familiar objects, was remark- able, and denoted its elasticity no less than its power. Frequent intercourse with men of ingenuity like himself, had led him into 200 MEMOIR OF a greater variety of s})eculatioiis and experi- ineiits than it is necessary here to enumerate. In tlic most common* arts of life, he could seldom abstain from attempting some con- trivance to reduce manual labour; at the same time that he was far from being one of those ingenious triflers who amuse themselves in puerile contrivances, merely to exercise their ingenuity without aiming at any useful result. In agriculture, which had always been one of his favourite pursuits, he was continually devising some improvement, or attempting some experiment. And that he * In his own house bread was made by a machine, and not miinj years since, an old friend of the family going into a biscuit-maker's shop in Leeds, noticed a machine that the man, Avho had been a navy biscuit- maker, used for beating his dough. The man stated that the machine was invented by a Mr. Cartwright, of Doncaster, and that he should not know how to get on with his business without it. DR. CARTTVRlGHT. 201 had at the same time an enlarged, and wliat will probably be found to be, a just view of the results of machinery, will appear from the following extract from a letter addressed to Sir John Sinclair, at that time President of the Board of Agriculture, as early as the year 1793, on the subject of a reaping- machine which he was then engaged in con- structing : — " 1 am fully apprised that to many well- intentioned men, looking only on the surface of things, the invention 1 am preparing to bring forward will appear as of an inju- rious tendency to the interests of the labour- ing poor. Were it possible to persuade myself this would really be the case, it Avould require no great stretch of benevolence to suppress an invention of such pernicious tendency ; but unless the application of me- chanism to the purposes of agriculture K 3 202 MEMOIR OF should operate in a manner totally different from what it has uniformly done in manu- factures, such apprehension must be ground- less. It is a fact, indisputably ascertained by experience, that whatever facilitates labour multiplies the calls for it. Hence it is rea- sonable to conclude that reducing the ex- pense, or giving expedition to the operations of industry, is eventually contributing to bring lands, hitherto uncultivated, into a state of cultivation, and occasioning those already in cultivation, to be cultivated more highly. Thus in agriculture, as in manu- factures, it will be fomid that to enable one man, by the intervention of machinery, to do the work of ten, is not to throw nine men out of employment, as many would errone- ously suppose, but on the contrary, it is to give one man ten pair of hands ; and (which is of still greater consequence) with his DR. CARTWRIGHT. 203 powers of exertion, enlarging at the same time the field of his activity." In June, 1801, he was adjudged a prize from the Boai'd of Agriculture, for an Essay- on Agriculture, composed with perspicuity and elegance; and Avhich, though chiefly unfolding the general principles of the art, shews, at the same time, that the writer pos- sessed an ample acquaintance with its detail. About this period, a plan was in contem- plation for establishing an experimental farm in the neighbourhood of London, under the direction of the Board of Agriculture, and Mr. Cartwright had been pointed out as a suitable person to superintend the manage- ment of it. Such an occupation would have been peculiarly agreeable to him, and Ms disappointment would have been great when the scheme was ultimately abandoned, had he not, shortly afterwards, received an ofler from Francis, Duke of Bedford, to un- 204 MEMOIR OF dertake tlie direction of an experimental farm that he was about to establish on his own estate. His invention of the geometri- cal bricks had attracted the Duke's attention as early as the year 1797, and the interest he appeared to take in subjects connected with agi'iculture, had still further recom- mended Mr. Cartwright to the notice of his Grace, who was then distinguished as being one of its most liberal patrons. In the autumn of 1801, he entered on his new engagement at Woburn; but in the following spring, he had the misfortune of losing his noble friend, whose untimely death, not only cast a heavy gloom on Mr. Cart- wright's own prospects, but contributed to check that encouragement of agriculture, of which his Grace had given so eminent an example. The farming arrangements begun by the late Duke at Woburn, were, however, carried on by his successor, and Mr. Cart^ DR. CARTWRIGHT. 205 Wright continued to reside there until the spring of 1807. During his residence in Bedfordshire, his time and attention were chiefly applied to subjects connected with agriculture; but tliat pursuit, when con- ducted on a liberal scale, leads to a variety of other objects which natiu'ally bring in- quiring minds into contact with each other. The short period of peace which Eiu'ope at that time enjoyed, facilitated the communi- cation amongst each other of men of science in different countries, and Mr. Cartwi-ight had the gratification of finding that his name was not unknown to persons of that descrip- tion on the continent, several of Avhom soualit his acquaintance, on taking advantage of the peace to visit England. In 1803 he was adjudged the silver medal from the Society of Arts, for the invention of a three-furrow plough. In 1804 he was chosen an honorary member of the Board 206 MEMOIR OF of Agriculture, caiicl in 1S05 received the gold medal from the same society. The essay for which the Board of Agri- culture had awarded him the medal, contains a minute detail of some curious experiments on the application and fertilizing effects of different substances used as niannje ; and as the experiments were conducted with great exactitude, the author seems fully justified in the inferences he derives from them. But feeling some degree of diffidence as to the cor- rectness of his own conclusions, he appears, from the following letters, to have submitted his manuscript to the revision of that emi- nent philosopher, Sir Humphry Davy : — MR. CARTWRIGHT TO SIR HUMPHRY DAVY. " My dear Sir, — I herewith send you a detail of the experiments I have been trying on manures. I fear you will find it very imperfect. Business, which was not to be DR. CARTWKIGHT. 207 dispensed with, and ill health, which, in the course of last summer, blotted out nearly thi'ee months of my existence, have com- pelled me to compress what I have written into a very small compass. 1 say not this, however, as an apology to you, to whom a word will sufficiently explain my mean- ing, but many words are required to make even the clearest ideas intelligible to com- mon apprehensions. " Verhum sapienti^ insipienti volumen.'^ As I mean this paper, in some shape or other, and at no very distant period, to meet the public eye, you will have the goodness to look it over for the rectifying any error, whether che- mical or not, which you may perceive in it. I will thank you also for any observations which the perusal of it may suggest to you. " You will observe I have not mentioned to whom I have been indebted for the analyzing the earth, as I do not think it justifiable to 208 MEMOIR OF speak of private communications without permission. I hope, however, that I shall have your permission, not only to mention this, but many other valuable communica- tions I shall receive from you. As soon as you have had time to look over the MS. and to note down your remarks on the blank pages, 1 will thank you to return it, &c. " Edmund Cartwright." sir humphry davy to mr. cartwright. " Dear Sir, — I have perused your trea- tise twice with very great pleasure, and I hope you ^vill soon make it public. "The only point of tlieory in which 1 difier from you, is wlierc you attribute the effect of salt to its power of attracting moisture from the air. This agency must 1)e very slight, and I should rather conceive tliat the benefit derived, must depend upon the saline matter being taken into the organs DR. CARTWPvIGHT. 209 of the plants. Muriate of soda is found in a great number of plants, and it may be one of the substances contributing to their healthy organization. " I have not the slightest objection to your bringing forward the analysis on my autho- rity. And I feel proud in having beeii able, even in so slight a degree, to assist your very important researches. " I am, dear Sir, &c., "H. Davy. "Loudon, Feb. 21, 1805." That portion of the experiments above re- ferred to, which relate to the efficacy of salt as a manure, are described in a paper ub- lished in the " Philosophical Magazine,'' vol. xxiii. p. 16. But as the application of chemistry to agricidture is a subject which attracts much attention at the present day, it has been thought advisable to print the entire essay. [See Appendix (F).] Inde- 210 MEMOIR OF pendently of the great care with which these experiments appear to have been conducted, the treatise derives a further value, from the notes appended to the original MS. by Sir Humphry Davy, and now first published. In 1806, he also received from the Board a silver medal for an essay on the culture of potatoes. In the same year he took the degree of Dr. in Divinity, and officiated as domestic chaplain to the Diike of Bedford. In 1807 he published a small volume of letters and sonnets addressed to Lord John Russel, whose character and talents even at an early age, had engaged Dr. CartAvright's sincere admiration and esteem. Tlie sonnet seemed always to have been a favourite form of composition with him, and he gives in the introductory letter this humorous and characteristic reason for his preference, that it is " a species of composition admir- ably suited to the resources of a super- DR. CARTWRIGHT. 211 annuated poet, whose brains will not bear more than fourteen strokes of the poetical pump, before the reservoir is exhausted." With greater justice than he measures to himself, it may be allowed that the sonnet entitled Sympathy, indicates no exhaustion of feeling, any more than the Climacteric Thoughts do, the approach of superan- nuation. SYI^IPATHY. That law of nature well may we admire, Which gives to matter sympathies profound: Touch but the simple string when duly wound, An echo answers from its kindred wire. But greater reverence must that law inspire, "Which mind obeys, when rightly tuned and sound, Each selfish tone in Sympathy is drown'd, That makes the heart her animated lyre. If sympathy, her kindred touch impart, What chords of passion vibrate through the heart ! "What notes within her diapason lie ! No strain of woe too deep, of joy too liigh! She tunes in unison each mental strife, And hence the moral harmony of life. 212 MEMOIR OF CLIMACTERIC THOUGHTS. Now threescore year? and three ha\e jias.s'd away, And time and care have turn'd these locks to grey; Old age, and death, with slow, yet certain pace, Creep on to terminate my mortal race; And lo! to make their visit more severe, Wliat horrid pliantoms in their train appear! What dire diseases press upon my view, Of every shapeless form and squalid hue I See Fever, gasping with volcanic breath, And Ague, colder than the hand of death ! Erodiiig Cancer, that evades the light, And Dotage, drivelling on in mental night! "With agonizing throes, see Plirenzy rave. And Dropsy struggling in a watery grave! Her helpless victim stretch'd upon the rack, With ruthless hlade, see Gout prei)ares the attack I To every vital part she turns the point, And drives a fiery wedge thro' every joint. Last in the gloomy rear see Palsy stand. With trembling grasp to shake life's lingering sand! All these, and more, alas! too well I see On human life attend by Heaven's decree. May then, that Heaven to wliose decree I kneel, Teach me to bear what all arc born to icel; Give me, as hitherto, thro' trials past, A patient mind, unshaken to the last! DK. CART WRIGHT. 213 CHAPTER VII. It has l)een already stated, that Dr. Cart- wrisht, even during; the existence of liis patent right, had retained but little expec- tation of deriving any pecuniary advantage from his invention of weaving; and when his latest patent had been several years expired, the prospect of remuneration ap- peared entirely hopeless. He might be aware that his loom was coming into use, but he had now so little communication with the manufacturing districts, tliat he could form no idea of tlie extent to Avhich 214 MEMOIR OF it was adopted. Weaving by machinery was, however, beginning to make consider- able progress, and was even then preparing for him the only compensation that he ever received for years of anxiety, and great pecuniary loss. This progress was con- nected with the circumstances of the times, by which an extraordinary impulse had been given to the British manufactures in general, and which rendered the beginning of the present century a far more favourable period for the introduction of machine weaving than that in which Dr. Cartwright had first attempted it. The great improve- ments that had been effected in the art of spinning, had, with other causes, occasioned a vast accumulation of cotton yarn, which on account of the disturbed state of the Continent, could no longer be disposed of in the foreign market, neither could hands DR. CARTWRIGHT. 215 (which, in consequence of a long protracted war, were become less numerous than they had been) be found sufficient to work it up at home. At the same time, the demand for English cotton piece goods was greatly increasing, and the manufacturers found themselves called upon to devise some means of answering a demand which want of hands and want of looms prevented their being able to supply.* The only ex- pedient that seemed to present itself, was the adoption of the hitherto rejected power- loom: thus literally justifying the hypo- thetical suggestion of its author, in that remarkable conversation which had first turned his attention to the subject of mechanics.! From the year 1792, when Messrs. Grimshaw's mill had been destroyed, * See Radcliffe on Cotton vSpinning, p. 12. f See p. 56, stipra. 216 MEMOIR OF and Mr. Cartwright's establishment, at Dojicaster, as well as some utliers connected witli it, was abandoned, it does not appear til at any manufacturer had ventured openly to employ his loom, liable as he would in that case have been to a payment for its use during the existence of the patent right. The machine, however, had not l)een lost sight of, and on its becoming open to the public by the expiration of the patent; several manufacturers sought to adapt it to their own purposes. Great improvements it doubtless did receive from that ingenuity and spirit of enterprise, Avhich were called into action by the circumstances of the times, but rather unfairly towards Dr. Cartwright,* some of these improvers as- * Mr. Peter Mavsland was a most honourable exception to this remark; though he had been him- self a great improver of the power-loom, yet he was DK. CARTWRIGIIT. 217 sumed to themselves the whole merit of the invention, and thongli his machine formed the basis, as it still does, of all tlie power-looms that have hitherto been found eifective, his claim to the original inven- tion was far from being generally I'ecognised. In some instances the invention had been ascribed to persons who had formerly worked looms under a licence from Dr. CartAvright, but who, either from want of capital, or the then unfavourable state of the trade, had not succeeded in their undertakings, and yet had retained so decided a conviction of the value of the machine as to be induced to revive it under more encouraging auspices. The improved quality of the yarn had also contributed to render machine weaving so fully satisfied of the justice of Mr. Cartwright's claim, that his name stands first in the memorial presented to Government in his favour. L 218 MEMOIR OF less difficult, as well as the fabric produced by it, of a more perfect quality than when Dr. Cartwriglit first undertook it. The ex- traordinary advances that had been made in the application of mechanical power, by improvements in tlie steam-engine &c., doubtless facilitated the extension of the power-loom ; but in justice to a most inge- nious man, it must be acknowledged that Mr. Eadcliffe's admirable contrivance for dressing the warp* before it is put into the loom, by which means time and attendance are saved, contributed probably beyond any other improvement to render it completely available.! About the year 1806, Dr. * That is, applying paste to render the tlireads smooth. f " The great obstacle to the success of the power- loom was, that it was necessary to stop the machine frequently in order to dress the warp as it unrolled from the beam, which operation required a man to DR. CARTWRIGHT. 219 Cartwright was induced to make some inquiries respecting the state of the cotton manufacture in general, but more especially in the neighbourhood and town of Man- be employed for each loom, so that there was no saving of expense. This difficulty was happily removed by the invention of an extremely ingenious and effectual mode of di'essing the warp before it was placed in the loom." — Baines' History of the Cotton Manufacture, p. 231. It should appear, however, that Mr. Radcliffe's mode of dressing the warp is equally applicable to the hand-loom. In liis " Origin of Power-loom Weav- ing," p. 30, he says, " Though at that time I was obliged to bring such a number of boys and girls into the factory to work the looms, yet when the hands had been taught to work them, it was my intention to disperse all these looms into the cottages of the weavers throughout the country, in lots pro- portioned to the number of children in the families, delivering them the warps ready dressed^ and pre- pared ready for weaving off the beam, and their weft in cops ready for the shuttle, without previous winding." l2 220 3[EM0iR or Chester, and found that machine-weaving was ah'eady practised to a mucli greater extent than he had anticipated, and that considerable profit was accruing, not only to individuals, but to the country at large ; fi'om discovei'ies which to him had been productive of nothing but loss and dis- appointment. In a letter to his friend Dr. Bardsley, senior, an eminent physician in Manchester, he could not refrain from ex- pressing the bitterness of his feelings on the subject, and this letter being communicated to some highly respectable and influential gentlemen of that place, they were so much struck by the hardship of Dr. Cartwright's case, as to express their willingness to con- cur in any application to Parliament that he or his friends should think proper to make, for the purpose of obtaining some remuneration from the public. In conse- DR. CARTWRIGIIT. 221 queiice of the encouragement given by these gentlemen, Dr. Bardsley, with a warmth of friendship most truly appreciated by him in whose favour it was exerted, applied himself to obtain the information that was required, in order to shew the grounds on which Dr. Cartwright might have a claim to public gratitude, and also what was no less material, to satisfy the minds of the manufacturers that he really Avas the original inventor of the machine in question, which so many of tlieni were in the habit of using. The result of these inquiries tended to shew, that the power loom was already em- ployed to a considerable extent, and tliat its use was rapidly increasing ; but no stronger proof could be recpiired of tlie importance that was attached to its progress by those best jicquainted Avith, and most deeply con- cerned in the trade, than the fact, that a 222 MEMOIR OF memorial, in Dr. Cartwright's favour, was signed by fifty of the most respectable and influential gentlemen of the town and neigh- bourhood of Manchester, and presented to Government in August, 1807.* This memo- rial was followed, in the spring of 1808, by a petition from Dr. Cart^vright, to the House of Commons ; and the house having agreed to take his claims into consideration, a com- mittee was appointed to that effect ; and on the 4th and 7tli March, and on the 12th April, evidence was examined in support of his allegations. He was fortunately enabled to bring forward a very mate- rial witness in Mr. Joseph Taylor, who had not only been his own engineer at the outset of his mechanical career, but had also been the superintendant at Messrs. Grim- shaw's factory, at Knott Mill, at the time * See Appendix G. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 223 when its destruction by fii'e had given so severe a check to the introduction of the power-loom. In Mr. Baines's interesting His- tory of the Cotton Manufacture, is a passage relative to Messrs. Grimshaw's connection with Dr. Cartwright, which might lead to a very different inference from what really was the fact, and which can only have found a place in a work of so much candoui* and liberality, in consequence of some defective information. It is here stated, that " about 1790, Messrs. Grimshaw, of Gorton, under a licence from Dr. Cartwright, erected a weaving factory at Ivnott MiUs, Manchester, and attempted to improve the power-loom^ at great cost to themselves. They did not succeed^ and the factory being burnt down, they abandoned the undertaking." — p. 231. Now, Messrs. Grimshaw had certainly been at a great expense, but that was incuiTed in 224 MEMOIR OF erecting a factory, -which was to contain 500 of Dr. CartAvright's looms ; and as only about four-and-twenty of the looms were actually set to work, before tlie mill was destroyed, no just estimate could be formed of the probable success of the undertak- ing, although it appears from Taylor's evidence, that the looms (which there is no ground wliatever for supposing Messrs. Grimshaw had been at any cost to improve,) Avere found to do tlieir work remarkably well. The substance of Mr. Taylor's evidence was to this effect. He stated, that he was acquainted Avith Dr. CartAvright's invention, in 1784, even before the first patent Avas taken out ; that he had then seen a trial of it, and, in his judgment, it Avas calculated to ansAver the purpose of Aveaving. In 1791, he had accompanied Mr. Grimshaw, Avho DR. CARTWPJGHT. 225 AVHS a master check-manufacturer, in great business, to Doncaster, where he then wit- nessed the improvements Mr. Cartwright had effected since the taking out of his first patent. Mr. Grimshaw having en- tered into an agreement to employ a certain number of Mr. Cartwright's looms, i)ro- ceeded to buikl a large mill for that pur- pose ; the expense of which, independently of the steam-engine and machinery, which would be nearly 3000/. additional, was es« timated at 5700/. Of the four-and- twenty looms that were completed, twelve were set to work, at weaving check, which had been ]\Ir. Grimshaw's peculiar line of business* These looms worked exceedingly well ; they wrought tlie work for half the amount of wages which they were then paying to hand weavers; the weavers, in consequence, threatened to destroy the mill, and the t 3 226 MEMOIR OF owners received anonymous* letters to that effect. On receiving these letters, a con- siderable part of the property, especially the yarn, was removed out of the mill ; and in about a month afterwards, in March, 1792, it was burnt down. From the rapidity with which the building was consumed, it pro- bably was fired in different places, and Mr. Taylor was confirmed, in his conviction, of its being by design, from the circumstance of there not having been, to his personal knowledge as manager, any fire employed within the mill during three preceding days. * One of these letters (copied from the advertise- ment issued under the signature of the Right Ho- nourable Henry Dundas, then one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, dated Whitehall, March 22nd, 1 792, offering a reward to discover the offender), was in the following terms : — " Sirs — We have sworn together to destroy your factory, if we die for it, and to have your life for ruining our trade ; and if j^ou go on, you know the certainty, which comes unknown to my companions." DR. CARTWEIGHT. 227 Messrs. Grimshaw, who had ensured their property to the amount of 12,000/., did not venture to re-build their mill at Manchester, and had tried in vain in other places. It also appeared in evidence, that the alarm, in consequence of this untoward event, and continued threats on the part of the hand- weavers, had become so general, that no one ventured openly to use the loom within the period of Dr. Cartwright's patent right. One passage in Mr. Taylor's evidence seems particularly deserving of notice, as it shews, if his opinion be correct, tliat this machine is not necessarily chargeable icith all the evils that have fallen on the hand-loom weavers^ and that if they had availed themselves of its advantages^ instead of obstinately setting themselves against itj the great manufacturers might not have been driven to adopt the mill system to the 228 MEMOIR OF extent they have done: and that the hand- iceavers might still have retained such a portio7i of business in their own hands as icould have enabled them better to meet those fluctuations which every description of trade and manufactures is liable to, and which legislative interference cannot jxre- vent, and only very imperfectly remedy. On being desired to state to the committee whether the unavoidable effect of this in- vention is to crowd the persons together who are employed in it, Mr. Taylor replied, that " the machinery may be worked with equal advantage without crowding people together, by the weaver having looms in his own family and turning them by hand ; six looms may be turned by one man, by which means he may employ little childi*en, and superintend them himself, and will have six looms at once, instead of one, and every loom DR. CARTWRIGHT. 229 would do as much work as one weaver would do at a common loom." It was also stated by Mr. Taylor, that cloth, Avoven by machinery, was of a better quality and bore a higher price than that woven by hand ; a statement fully confirmed by the fact, that cloth woven by hand is frequently stamped as power-loom cloth, and sold as such to all parts of the world.* * See Radcliffe, Origin of Power Loom Weaving. " The superiority of machine cloth may easily be accounted for. The best hand- weavers seldom pro- duce a piece of uniform evenness ; indeed, it is next to impossible for them to do so, because a weaker or stronger blow with the lathe immediately alters the thickness of the cloth ; and after an interruption of some hours, the most experienced weaver finds it difficult to re-commence with a blow of precisely the same force as the one with which he left off. In steam looms the lathe gives a certain steady blow, and when once regulated by the engine, moves with the greatest precision from the beginning to the end 230 MEMOIR OF The next evidence was that of Mr. William Radcliffe, of Stockport, a gentle- man of great practical experience and know- ledge in every branch of the cotton trade, and whose opinion as to the probable in- crease of the use of the power-loom, has been completely justified by the event. Until applied to by Dr. CartAvi'ight's solicitors, it does not appear that Mr. Radcliffe knew who was the inventor of the power-looms, though he had himself employed them ; but the circumstance of these looms being known by the name of the Doncaster loom, suffi- ciently identified the inventor, and Mr. Radcliffe came forward, with the utmost of the piece. Cloth made by these looms, when seen by those manufactures who employ hand- weavers, at once excites admiration and a conscious- ness that their own work cannot exceed it." — Guest's Hist. Cotton Manufacture, p. 46. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 231 liberality and candour, to do justice to their merit. His evidence, in the fii'st place, went to shew that the inveterate opposition of the hand-weavers had been the means of deterring the manufactiu'ers from adopting the use of machinery, until the trade had now become such that the hand-weavers themselves were interested in producing a sufficient supply of cotton goods at home to answer the increasing demand for them, as well as to work up the siu'plus quantity of yarn. " During a period of about nine years," Mr. Eadcliffe said, "from 1793 to 1802, the machinery for spinning cotton yarn, with the ingenuity, practical know- ledge, and persevering industry of the per- sons concerned in this branch, became so perfect as to enable the spinners to produce more yarn than could possibly be made into cloth by all the weavers Great Britain coidd 232 MEMOIR OF collect for the purpose. The demand for cotton cloth was equal, during this period, to take oif the whole produce of the spindle, if weavers could have been found to have made it into cloth; but this being impos- sible, the spinners began to export the surplus to the manufacturers abroad — into France, Germany, Kussia, Switzerland, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, &c., countries possessing a midtitude of weavers formerly employed in weaving linen, silk, stuffs, &c. &c., whose labour was to be had at half the price Avhich was paid for such labour in this country. The consequence of which has been, that these foreign nuuiufac- turers began to furnish their neighbours with such cotton cloths as heretofore they could only obtain from this country : hence, by degrees, the British manufacturers and the East India Company lost nearly all their DR. CARTWRIGHT. 233 trade for piece goods to those countries before mentioned, wliicli is the sole cause of all the distress which is now heard of in the cotton trade." Mr. Eadcliife proceeded to state, that " this invention of Dr. Cart- wright's, coupled with some other improve- ments that have been lately discovered for preparing and dressing the cotton twist ready for the loom, is particularly calculated to remedy this evil speedily, by working up a great part of their siu'plus yarn, and that not into fabrics that will interfere with the cotton goods heretofore made by our weav- ers, but into vast quantities of strong stout cotton goods for shirting, sheeting, &c." He also stated, that he knew many spinners who were ready to appropriate part of their mills to weaving by machinery, on Dr. CartAVi'ight's principles, when any demand for piece goods should spring up ; and that 234 MEMOIR OF if it should be generally adopted, the trade for piece goods would immediately revive, and by degrees the markets would not only open again for cotton goods manufactured in Great Britain, but also for those imported by the East India Company, who had suf- fered very greatly by the foreigners making from our twist, goods similar to what they used to purchase at the Company's sales, which had answered their purpose abroad as a substitute for India cloth." Mr. Eadcliffe added, " that he considered the invention of Dr. Cartwright as so important to the pros- perity of the Manchester trade, that were it suppressed, or its application no further ex- tended, the cotton trade woidd be chiefly confined to spinning, and the weavers on the continent, in the end, become the sole manu- facturers." On being asked what were the number of mills in which these looms were DE. CARTWRIGHT. 235 set up, lie replied that he knew of twenty- eight, or thirty, and there might be more of which he did not know ; and also gave it as his opinion, that it had been necessary for Dr. Cartwright to establish a manufactory, and to have a num])er of looms actually at work, in order to shew their operation, and to try diflferent experiments for the pui'pose of bringing them to perfection. We cannot close this portion of our sub- ject without some expression of sympathy for the hard lot of the unfortunate JVIr. Ead- cliffe. His great ingenuity and services to the country deserved a better return than the neglect and discouragement he expe- rienced; and he, alas! was one of those instances of unrewarded talents that have solely contributed to the aggrandizement of others. The author was in correspondence, some years since, Avith Mr. Radcliffe, on the 236 MEMOIR OF subject of this memoir, and Avas much grati- fied by tlie candour and liberality Avith ■which he did ample justice to the value of Dr. Cartwright's invention. It was painful to learn that he had himself reaped so little advantage from improvements that had greatly facilitated the use of the power- loom ; and it Avas no less painful to feel con- scious of tlie utter inability to forward and assist his claims to national remuneration. From other evidence brought forAvard, it appeared that Dr. CartAvright had expended betAveen thirty and forty thousand pounds in prosecuting and bringing his mechanical inventions to perfection. In the folloAviug year, a grant of ten thousand pounds Avas made, on the part of His Majesty's government, to Dr. CartAvright, " for the good service he had rendered the public by his invention of Aveaving." DR. CARTWRIGIIT. 237 It cannot he inconsistent with a liberal economy for a government to encourage ingenuity, which for want of support might be lost to the public ; at the same time a government ought not to be called upon to indemnify individuals for losses and expen- diture incurred in speculations, which (though eventually advantageous to the public) had been undertaken solely with a view of profit to themselves. But in the instance of Dr. Cartwright, compensation, rather than remuneration, was the prin- ciple on which he sought the attention of the legislature. A system of intimidation, against which the laAvs of his country had failed to protect him, had, for a series of years, prevented a fair trial being made of his machinery for weaving ; and, in addition to the disappointment of his reasonable ex- pectations of gain, a prejudice had also been created against the invention itself, which 238 MEMOIR OF notliing but an extraordinary combination of circumstances could finally have over- come. This prejudice had a tendency to deprive him of the credit of the invention. It had been hastily concluded that the machine was inefficient, because it had not been adopted ; and when, on being tried, it was found to succeed, its success was attri- buted wholly to the alterations engrafted upon it. Indeed, there is great reason to believe, that but for this public recognition from the legislature. Dr. Cartwright's claim, even to the invention of the power-loom, would not have been generally admitted, although at the time of his application to parliament there does not appear to have been the slightest attempt made to invali- date his claim to originality on the part of those to whom the chief merit of the inven- tion has subsequently been ascribed. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 239 Admitting, however, that the grant to Dr. Cartwright was conferred as a reward to ingenuity, it ought, in justice to those members of His Majesty's Government who proposed it, to be observed, that it was not incautiously or lightly made. It was not until two years after the presentation to the first lord of the Treasury, of the memorial from Manchester, that Mr. Perceval pro- posed in the House of Commons any remu- neration to Dr. Cartwright ; and he, in the meantime, had been required to produce satis- factory evidence in support of his allegations, whilst to his rivals, or opponents, ample op- portunity had been given to rebut them. The gratitude with which Dr. Cartwright received this act of justice, Avas heightened by the reflection that he owed it to the liberal feelings of a ministry, to whose lead- ing members he was personally unknown, 240 :\n:MOiR of Init to wliom it was not unknown that his principal associates and connexions were chiefly amongst their political opponents. The event has more than justified the view which the legislature of 1809 was led to form of the importance of the invention of the power-loom. The warmest advocate for mechanical enterprise, the most sanguine believer in its success, could hardly have anticipated that more than one hundred thousand power-looms should be employed in the island of Great Britain alone. Yet such, at the present time, is the astonishing fact ; and these looms, now brought, by the incessant application of ingenuity, to an extreme degree of perfection, are producing yearly millions of pieces of almost every variety of fabric that can be applied to the useful or ornamental clothing of mankind. DR. CAPvTWRIGHT. 241 CHAPTER YIII. Having received the sum awarded by parlia- ment, and being now sixty-six years of age, Dr. Cartwriglit was anxious to pass the remainder of his life in retirement and tran- quillity ; and having decided on settling in Kent, he purchased a small farm at Hol- landen, situated between Sevenoaks and Tunbridge. At this place he spent the last years of his existence, amusing himself with various experiments in agriculture, chemis- try, and mechanics, and occupied, to the M 242 MEMOIR OF utmost of liis ability, in promoting the wel- fare of his fellow-creatures. To the poor he was always a kind and judicious adviser, and as a magistrate, able and enlightened. His friendly assistance in the church was always at the service of the neighbouring clergy ; and we may be allowed in this place to remark, that his manner of performing his clerical duties was truly solemn and impressive. In society no man was ever more popular ; his conversation, full of information, con- veyed in a lively and pleasing manner, was entirely free from assumption or dogmatism ; and the kindness and simplicity of his de- portment made his company agreeable to all, especially to the young, for whom, in com- mon with many other men of superior genius and attainments, he had a particular predi- lection. In the " Life of Crabbe," (vol. i. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 243 pp. 135, 136,) there is a very appropriate description of Dr. Cartwright, which is the more remarkable, as it shews the impression he made on the writer, then a child of six or seven years old : — " During my father's residence at Stratherne," says the Eev. George Crabbe, " and also at his other coun- try places, he very rarely paid or received visits except in his clerical capacity; but there was one friend, whose expanding ver- satility of mind and rare colloquial talents made him a most welcome visitor, and he was a frequent one. I allude to Dr. Edmimd Cartwright, a poet and mechanist of no small eminence, who at this period was the incumbent of Goadby, and occasionally lived there, though his principal residence was at Doncaster, where vast machines were worked under his direction. Few persons could tell a good story so well — no man could M 2 244 MEMOIR OF make more of a trite one. I can just re- member him; the portly, dignified old gentleman of the last generation — grave and polite, but full of humour and spirit." About 1809, Dr. Cartwright communi- cated to the Board of Agriculture an account of some experiments on the efiects of sugar in fattening sheep. He gave to fifteen sheep four ounces of sugar each per diem, mixed with other food, and in the short space of twenty-eight days found that, on the average, they had increased one-fifth in weight, and that two of them had gained upwards of one-fourth. He suggested that the duty might be deducted on sugar thus applied, and that to protect the revenue, the sugar might be rendered useless for other purposes by mixing it with linseed, palm, or train oils, assafoetida, charcoal, or other sub- stances, which, though nauseous to the DR. CARTWRIGHT. 245 liuman palate, were found not to diminisli the zest with which the sheep devoured the sugar. He thus sums up his conclusions : — "1. That sugar may be given with great advantage to sheep, if not confined, especially if they have access to green food, however small in quantity. " 2. That sugar may be given to them, with every prospect of a beneficial effect, in the quantity of four ounces per day to each sheep. "3. That sugar, supposing it to be pur- chased at 4d. per lb. (which it might be, if duty free), would, at the rate of four ounces per day, be paid for in a return of llesh, exclusive of the advantage of expeditious feeding, and the benefit to be derived from the manure. " 4. That six ounces per day to each sheep exceeds the maximum that can be given with the best advantage. 246 MEMOIR OF " 5. That the advantage of stall-feeding sheep altogether npon sugar and dry food, of whatever nature that food may be, is extremely problematical." From this period of Dr. Cartwright's residence at HoUanden, his mechanical pur- suits were chiefly speculative, and his habits those of a retired rather than a practical philosopher; yet there is abundant proof that the rust of old age never settled on his brilliant faculties, and a few extracts from his letters wiU shew the constant vigour and activity, as well as that singular elasticity and cheerfiUness of spirit, which years of disappointment and anxiety had failed to extinguish or repress. Among his chief correspondents was his old friend. Dr. Pearson, an eminent physi- cian, particularly distinguished for his knowledge of chemistry, to whom he ad- i)R. CAPtTWRIGHT. 247 di'essed the following playful invitation, which, like all his poetical effusions, was composed with a readiness and facility almost entitling them to he considered as extemporaneous : — "4th June, 1812. "For one short day the world forego, Its noise and cares and foUies flee — That short unclouded day bestow On friendship, solitude, and me. " For you my Susan shall provide A bai-n-door fowl, a brace of fish, And, what was once old England's fai"e, Eoast beef on a galvanic dish. " Though with no costly viands graced. Disdain not then my board to share; Wine, suited to your classic taste, Shall compensate for homely fare. " The Teian grapes' nectarious juice That once Anacreon quaffed, is mine : "Were mine the power, I would produce Anacreon's wit as well as wine. 248 MEMOIR OF "And yet, who knows what wine may do? Wine might Anacreon's wit supply; Tipsy, he might have rivall'd you — When sober, been as dull as I." " TO DR. PEARSON. " 1st Jan. 1814. " As you tell me you set a value on what I send you, here then, nostrorum candide judex^ follows — "A BIRTHDAY SOLILOQUY at SEVENTY. " To fame and to fortune adieu ! , The toils of ambition are o'er ; Let folly these phantoms pursue, I now will be cheated no more. "Resignation be mine, and repose. So shall life be unclouded at last; And while I prepai-e for its close I will think, with a smile, on the past. " Yet, as to this world must be given Some part of life's limited span, The thoughts that ascend not to Heaven I'll Q:ive to the service of man." DR. CARTWRIGHT. 249 " TO THE REV. GEORGE CRABBE. « 30th Aug. 1817. " My dear Sir, — In rummaging over an old magazine, I learned that your son, and, I presume, my godson, was married to one of the belles of Trowbridge. I need not say, that both he and you, and the lady of his choice, have all of you my best wishes and congratulations. I had lately a letter from my old friend and neighbour, Thomas Shaw, of Waltham, Avho tells me his family consists of seven children, all doing and likely to do well, and that they have presented liini with as many grandchildren. I have at present ten, and expect an increase every day. You will be reckoning your treasures of this sort soon ; as such riches increase, we may be permitted to set our affections upon them. I saw, by the papers, that you were one of the officiating priests of Apollo M 3 250 MEMOIR OF at the apotheosis of Kemble ; the ode which was recited, and which contained a few bril- liant stanzas, was attributed to Campbell. I have seen two or three short extracts from Lalla Kookh, which were exquisite ; the whole poem, I shall probably not see ; two guinea volumes are above my purchase, and I live so retired and unconnected with lite- rary society, that I see no books but what I buy. Have you published anything lately ? If you have, let me know it. I have made great additions to my prophetic epistle ; but before I have an opportunity of publishing it, the events it foretels will become matter of history." " TO SIE STAMFOKD RAFFLES. "Feb. 2, 1819. " Availing myself of the permission you gave me, in the letter I had the honour of DR. CARTWRIGHT. 251 receiving from you on your departure from Portsmoutli for Sumatra, I again address you, on the subject of transporting into your own country tlie seeds of such plants as there is a probability of being naturalized here, and as are likely to be useful in the garden, especially the cottager's garden, or in agricultui'e. And here I must observe, that the seeds of plants already known and cultivated will be acceptable, as they may be the means of introducing new and im- proved varieties, even though they be the seeds of plants originally transported from Europe. Vegetables, like animals, after a very few years of naturalization, will acquire from their new situation new habits and propensities, which, as it may happen, will be more or less valuable than the parent stock that they were derived from. This I know from experience. Four or live years 252 MEMOIR OF ago I was indebted to the kindness of Lord Charles Somerset for some garden seeds from the Cape, almost all of which were evidently of European extraction, and yet the greater part of them differed, and most of them for the better, from those of the same family here. Early ripening, in arti- cles of field culture, is a great desideratum in this climate, in Avhich the hopes of the agriculturist are frequently disappointed by a late and protracted harvest. Precocity, I have observed, is one of the properties wliich plants generally acquire by having had a removal into a warmer climate than that of which they are natives, and which they retain after they are brought back. Again, even those plants which are common to every country, and partake of the same nature, will arrive at maturity at an earlier or later period, accordingly as they are cul- DK. CARTWRIGIIT. 253 tivated in a climate and soil more or less genial ; and this disposition they will retain, for a few years at least, nnder very unfavonrahle circumstances. These con- siderations make me wish for specimens of wheat, peas, beans, vetches, &c., if such are to be met with ; as also seeds of such grasses as appear to be hardy and productive, and thrive in cool situations. You will now perceive, sir, what my ideas and wishes are relative to the matters I have stated. You will confer a lasting obligation upon me, and eventually, I trust, on the public, in whose service I am labouring, by furnishing me with a very small packet of seeds (a pint of each, more or less, would be sufficient) of such plants as you think may be beneficially introduced into the British Isles. " I am well aware that by most men in your situation, a request like the present 254 MEMOIR OF would be deemed both obtrusive and imper- tinent ; but I am under no such apprehensions from you, and if I rightly understand youi* character, it will be some satisfaction to you to contribute to the innocent gratification of an individual, even though a stranger to you. Wishing, however, to be in some degree known to you, not personally — my advanced age precluding that expectation — yet by something, at least, that I have done, I have some pleasure in acquainting you, that in the course of my agricultural experi- ments last summer, I had the singular good fortune to discover an absolute remedy for the mildew in wheat — cheap, and of easy application. I need not point out to you the incalculable benefit this discovery must be of, both to the growers of Avheat and to every individual consumer of that indispen- sable article of human food; our defective DR. CARTWRIGHT. 255 crops being more frequently occasioned by mildew than by all other causes combined. " The intelligence of your spirited re- monstrances and protest against the aggres- sions of the Dutch reached England a few posts ago, and were yesterday the subject of discussion in the House of Lords. That your conduct, on this occasion, has added to the great estimation in Avhich your name is already held, you will learn from higher authority than mine. From the loose man- ner in which our diplomatists have di^awn up the treaty between this country and the Netherlands, there is reason to fear that the native princes of Java will no^t be suffered to realize the prospects of happiness and independence which your humane and en- lightened policy had taught them to look forward to. " I am. Sir, &c. &c., " Edmund Cartwright. 256 MEMOIR OF " P.S. — Since you left England, the for- gery of bank-notes has increased to an alarming degree, in consequence of which, during the last session of parliament, a committee was appointed to inquire into the best means of preventing it. I, amongst others, suggested an idea to them, which I thought might answer the purpose. My suggestion was, for the Bank to send a con- fidential paper-maker of their own into the East Indies, Avho, combining his own know- ledge and secrets of the art with the practice of the East, operating upon materials un- known in Europe, might produce a paper most difficult of imitation, and wliich would differ so much from paper manufactured here, as to be distinguishable from it at fii'st sight." DE. CARTWKIGHT. 257 " TO MAJOR CARTWKIGHT. « 24th April, 1819. " My dear Brother, — In a letter which I received some time ago, from a friend in London, I was told that he had lately seen you, and that he thought you did not look so well as usual ; but as I have received two or three letters from Frances, who always gave a good account of you, I presume my correspondent was mistaken. I this day entered my seventy-seventh year, in as good health and spirits, thank God, as I have done on any one birthday for the last half century. I am moving about upon my farm from- eight o'clock in the morning till four in the afternoon, without suffering the least from fatigue. I sent in my claim to the Board of Agriculture for their premium for a cure for the mildcAv on wheat, but do not yet know whether it is admitted. I do not 258 MEMOIR OF know whether I ever mentioned to you a machine for dibbling or planting wheat, which I have brought to great perfection. I have a very material improvement on the stocks, respecting ploughs and wheel car- riages, but of this I shall say nothing till I have brought it to the proof, which I hope to be able to do very shortly, when you shall be immediately apprized of the result, whether favourable or not. " Have you seen Lord John Russell's let- ter to Lord Holland ; and what do you, and other judges, think of it? The first time you go by Harding's, No. 36, St. James'- street, I shall thank you to desire he will send me ' KatclifF's Survey of Flanders,' as soon as published. " I am, dear Brother, " Affectionately yours, " Edmund Cartwright." DR. CARTWRIGHT. 259 "TO DR. PEARSON. " Sept. 4th, 1820. " My DEAR Sir, — Though the complaint which I mentioned in my last is happily removed, I have had a return of the bile, as you will see by the following epigram : — "EQUAL JUSTICE. " If sucli criminal acts have her conduct pervaded As are charged on the Queen, let her e'en be de- graded; Yet this will I say — neither treason nor slander — What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander. The remainder of my letter I shall devote to something more important than epigrams or Attic salt, should they contain any. You may recollect the experiment that I made two years ago with salt, as a remedy for the mildew on wheat.* I have this year * See " Philosophical Magazine," vol. Ivi., p. 395. 260 MEMOIR or repeated it with the most unequivocal suc- cess, and tliis in one instance under cir- cumstances Avhicli probably may never recur. Last year I discovered a few ears of wheat which appeared to be a new and improved variety. These I saved; and by dibbling them in, grain by grain, they ex- tended over a bed four feet Avide and nearly one hundred yards long. Wishing to force as good a crop as possible, the ground was previously manured very highly ; and in Spring, it was dressed over more than once with a thick coat of soot. The consequence was, it grew as luxuriously as you may have observed wheat that has accidentally grown on a dunghill, and which is always mildewed in the extreme, so as to rot on the ground without bringing a single grain to maturity. As soon as I perceived the mildew, Avhicli was at a much earlier period than it usually DE. CARTAVRIGHT. 261 appears, for the straw Avas quite in a green state, I dressed it with salt and water, which immediately checked the disease. Fearing, however, that it might be too malignant for a single dressing, the remedy was repeated. I am happy to say the crop is completely saved, and I have no doubt will produce as marketable corn as the rest of the field. As I look upon this discovery as most highly important, I wish to give it all possible publicity. If yon think the Royal Society would give attention to the subject, though it does not fall within the general scope of the matters discussed by that body at the present day, I will furnish you with a more detailed account of the business, and of the process by which the remedy is applied. Since the reduction of the duty on salt for agricultural purposes, the expense is a mere nothing." 262 MEMOIR OF "to dr. PEARSON. "Oct. 21st, 1820. "It is a received opinion, I am told, that Sir Hnmpliry Davy will be the new President of the Hoyal Society. Should that be the case, I should feel an ambition to become one of its members, which I should not do, were the person placed at the head of it elevated to the situation chiefly from his rank. Will you instruct me how I am to proceed in offering myself a candi- date? I must be proposed, I presume, by two or three of the members. Were I to choose who should propose me, it should be Sir Humphry Davy, Mr. Davies Gilbert, and yourself. My title to offer myself as a candidate is founded on my discovery of the remedy for the mildew on wheat, without exception one of the most important dis- coveries of modern times, and in a pecuniary DR. CARTWEIGHT. 263 view, as it respects the coimtry at large, without comparison the most important. Had this discovery fortunately been known and acted upon in the years 1795 and 1800 (emphatically called tlie years of scarcity), the distresses of those years would probably never have been heard of." In the latter end of the year 1 820, Dr. Cartwright had the satisfaction of receiving the following interesting letters from Sir Stamford Raffles : — " TO THE REV. EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, D.D. " Fort Marlbro', 8th April, 1820. " Dear Sir, — It was only on my return from Bencoolen, that I had the pleasure to receive your letter of the 2nd February, 1819 ; and I lose no time in assuring you, that it will afford me infinite pleasure to 264 MEMOIR OF meet your wishes, and contribute all that lies in my power to the success of your views and speculations. In the present state of Sumatra, of which so large a portion still remains in a state of nature, there is a far wider field for the naturalist than the horti- culturist; and I could with greater ease send you twenty new and undescribed plants, than a pint of any well-known seed. I will, however, do my best, and send you by every opportunity a small parcel of those most likely to interest you. The present oppor- tunity was not foreseen, and the ship only remains a few hours, therefore you must be content with my present communication, as an earnest or indication of what may come hereafter. " So little seems to be known in Europe respecting the culture of dry rice, and as it is not impossible this important grain may DK. CARTWRIGIIT. 265 be introduced into the British Isles, I take the liberty of sending you a small quantity for seed. It is grown on the hills, and generally on lands recently cleared from primitive forest ; the ground is not ploughed, but on the approach of the rainy season small holes are made with a stick, and two grains of seed thrown in ; the rice is then left to itself, until reaped. It is the prin- cipal cultivation of Sumatra, particularly in the mountains, where the soil is richer and the climate colder than below. The soil is generally enriched by the ashes of the newly- cleared forest burnt on the spot. I also send you a specimen of the rice : it is con- sidered full twenty per cent, better than the lowland, or irrigated rice, and bears a pro- portionate high price ; it is far more nutri- tious, and less likely to perish. " Of wheat, barley, or oats, we have N 266 MEMOIR OP none ; nor am I aware of any grasses which are cultivated by seed. In these rich and hixuriant countries we find more trouble in restraining and checking nature, than in nursing and improving the gifts which she spontaneously presents to us. I will, how- ever, endeavour, at some future period, to collect the seeds of the grasses we most esteem. " Of vetches and oil-giving plants we have an extensive variety; few of them have yet been cultivated in England; the French bean may be an exception. " I have taken measures for sending you, from the upper provinces of Bengal, collec- tions of wheat, oats, peas, &c. ; and though these may be long in coming to hand, they will, I hope, be acceptable. I shall also re- quest a friend of mine at the Cape to send you, by the present opportunity, whatever DK. CARTWRIGHT. 267 is likely to interest you from thence. I am aware you have already received supplies from that quarter through Lord Charles Somerset, but duplicates will, no doubt, be useful, and there may be yet many plants there which you would desire to have. " I am here amid groves of nutmegs, cloves, cassia, benzoin, camphor, &c. ; and if any of these exotics are likely to prove interest- ing, pray say so. " I beg you to accept my best acknow- ledgments for your highly flattering, but no less acceptable notice of my exertions in re- pelling Dutch aggression. Our government certainly made a sad mistake in giving up Java at all. " Next to Great Britain, Java is, with- out exception, the finest island in the world — almost a fairy land. All we can do now is to prevent the Dutch from going even beyond n2 268 MEMOIR OF what was intended to be restored by that convention ; fortunately, they evinced their disposition and greediness too soon, and we may be able to save something out of the wreck. You will, no doubt, have heard of my noAV establishment at Singapore, empha- tically called by the natives, the Poosab, or navel of the Malay countries ; it secures all our commercial interests at little or no ex- pense; and I am happy to say, that this decisive measure has had its full eflfect in checking our rivals. They have been di'iven out of Palembang and Ehio, and the island of Banca is nearly independent of their authority. Their establishments on Borneo are in a precarious state, and if our mi- nisters do not make a second blunder at home they will soon be confined within their proper limits, Java and the Moluccas. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 269 •' I shall take an early opportunity of writing to you respecting your plan for bank notes. The subject requires some at- tention, and I have not a moment to spare at present. The present opportunity of writing direct is by the ship ' Borneo,' the first and only ship built on the island so called. She was constructed during my administration in Java, and I once hoped she might have excited the attention of our government, and induced the English to patronize and protect that important country. She is 450 tons burthen, and Avas built some miles inland, in the forest where the timbers were supplied. The commander. Captain Ross, no builder by profession, and without scientific or European assistance, raised her from the stocks. As long as she floats and bears hei' present name, she will, I think. 270 MEMOIR OF remind us of what we have lost, if not of our folly in losing it. " I remain, my dear Sir, "Yours faithfully, " T. S. Raffles." " TO DR. CARTWRIGHT. « Bencoolen, 12th April, 1820. " My dear Sir, — I Avill now reply to that part of your letter respecting the means which this country may aflford in aid of your plan for preventing forgery on the Bank. The idea appears to me a good one, and capable of easy application. In Java we have a very excellent material for paper in the Morus papyrifera ; but as the plant is extensively cultivated, and that colony is now in other hands, we could not answer for the quantity that might be introduced into Europe. The same objection may, perhaps. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 271 apply to the various materials used for the purpose in China; but the plant recently discovered in Nepaul, and described by my friend, Dr. Wallich, may, I think, answer the purpose well. The enclosed paper con- tains Dr. Wallich's observations on the plant, and the valuable material it furnishes for paper. Being a native of the highest regions of India, and not yet generally culti- vated, it would be an easy matter for the East India Company to monopolize the whole of the produce, and to prevent the material from falling into other hands than that of the Bank. The paper which is made from this material is remarkable for its toughness ; and that you may judge of its superiority in this respect, I enclose an en- graving of the flower on the paper itself. It is intended, with the accompanying de- scription by Dr. Wallich, for publication in 272 MEMOIR OF the next number of the ' Asiatic Eesearches,' but its receipt by you may be interesting.* I understand Dr. Wallich had it in contem- plation to send a quantity of the paper, as well as of the material for making it, home to the Court of Directors, and if you apply at the India House, you may possibly obtain fui'ther information on the subject. " Yours, very truly, " T. 8. Kaffles." * Lord Amherst, on going out to India about three years afterwards, kindly undertook to procure some of the seeds of this plant for Dr. Cai'twright, who was desirous to ascertain, by experiment, whe- ther a plant wliich flourishes in those parts of Nepaul where snow lies, and where oaks are produced, might grow well in our own country. Dr. Cartwright liad requested that the seeds might be packed in raw sugar, as the best means of preserving their vegeta- tive quality; and this method appears to be of tried efficacy. The plant in question is a Daphne, closely allied to D. cannabina of Loureira. DR. GARTWRIGHT. 273 CHAPTER IX. Dr. Bardsley's zealous and friendly exer- tions in beliall' of Dr. Cartwright's claims to parliamentary remuneration have been already mentioned. It will not, therefore, he matter of surprise, that one whose heart was so warm and generous should not only feel the obligation, but delight to own it; for Dr. Cartvv'riglit, though very apt to for- get the favours he bestowed on others, could never forget those which he had received himself. N 3 274 MEMOIR OF In a letter addi'essed to this gentleman on the 20th Nov. 1820, Dr. Cartwright says, " The world is more your debtor than you are aware of; the leisure and indepen- dence, for which I was mainly indebted to your friendship, will enable me, as I hope, to benefit the public to an extent which I could never have foreseen." He then men- tions his experiments in the application of human power, and proceeds to inform his correspondent of his success in using salt and water as a remedy for mildew. " There are two methods," says he, "in applying it.* Two men to spread the mixture, and one to supply them with it, will get over four acres * Objections have been made to the difficulty of this operation J but those who have witnessed the easy method of distributing liquid manure over the fields in Germany and vSwitzerland, will not, perhajis, be inclined to raise this objection. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 275 in a day; six or eight bushels of salt are sufficient for an acre, the expense of which is trifling at the price for which it can be procured for farming purposes. It is paid for in the improvement of the manure made from the salted straw. The mildew on wheat is ascertained to be a parasitical plant, of the fungus kind. The principal constituent in the composition of fungi being water (witness the manufactory of mushi'oom catsup), when brought in contact with the salt, their aqueous particles are absorbed by the salt, and the fungi immediately die. Salt has no effect upon the wheat at the time the mildew is upon it, as the straw is then fibrous, and on fibre, whether vegetable or animal, salt acts rather as a preservative than otherwise." In 1819, Dr. C. had communicated to the " Philosophical Magazine," (vol. liii. 276 MEMOIR OF p. 425,) an account of a locomotive carriage which he had constructed, to be worked by human power. On the axle of the driving wheels were two cranks, connected with treadles, worked by each foot of the driver alternately. By means of shoulder-straps affixed to the carriage, the operator could, when necessary, apply a considerable mus- cular force, in addition to his absolute Aveight, to the propulsion of the vehicle. During the three following years. Dr. Cart- Avright employed this carriage for the con- veyance of necessaries from the neighbour- ing market towns, and, occasionally, even from London. Indeed, it would appear, from the following letter, that he had brought it to a considerable degree of per- fection. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 277 " TO DR. BARDSLEY. " April 24tli, 1822. " This is a memorable day with me, and I tlierefore dedicate part of it to you, to whose friendship my latter years are in- debted for a considerable share of their comfort and independence. " On this day I enter my eightieth year. This, however, I do, in common with thou- sands ; but what makes it particularly me- morable is, that on this day I have completed my invention of a carriage to go without horses, which I call a centaur carriage. Two men took a cart from my house (the cart and its load weighing sixteen cwt.), a distance of twenty-seven miles in a day, and up two very long and steep hills. Since then I have greatly improved upon it. It it) now so constructed) that I can give it 278 MEMOIR OF what speed I please. Its greatest advan- tage, I am of opinion — for I have not yet had the opportunity of absolutely ascertain- ing it — will be in going fast ; for the exertion of the men is the same, whether the carriage goes fast or slow, its speed depending on its internal mechanism. This carriage will be particularly useful in mercantile situations. " My youngest daughter is a good litho- graphist, and when I go to town I will get her to make some drawings of the cai'riage, to explain its mechanism, a copy of which I will send you, and which you may put into Joe Taylor's hands ; it may possibly be of use to him. " Some little time ago, when I was labouring at tliis business, the following lines occurred to me, by which you Avill see that, though the powers of body and mind DR. CARTWRIGHT. 279 may be giving way, my perseverance is not materially abated: — *' Since even Newton owns, that all he wrought ' Was due to industry and patient thought j' What shall restrain the impulse that I feel To forward, as I may, the public weal; By his example fired, to break away, In quest of truth, thi'ough darkness into day? He tried, on venturous wing, the loftiest flight — An eagle soaring to the fount of light; I cleave to earth, to earth-born arts confined, A worm of science of the humblest kind ! Our powers, though wide apart as earth and heaven, For different purposes alike were given; Though mine the arena of inglorious fame, Where pride and folly would the strife disclaim, With mind unwearied, still will I engage, In spite of failing vigour and of age, Nor quit the conflict till I quit the stage; Or if in idleness my life shall close. May well-earned victoiy justify repose. • " Have you heard anything of a new Eoyal Society, instituted by the King, to which he gives, or has promised to give, annually^ 2 so MEMOIR OF 1000/. It is called the Royal Society of Literature. I am a member of it; our president is the Bishop of St. David's. There are premiums given of one himdi'ed guineas for the best poem, one for the best dissertation on the Greek language, and another for the best dissertation on the character of Homer. Seventeen candidates, I hear, have started for the two others. The poetical premium was last year awarded to Mrs. Hemans ; the subject, in every sense, I should have thought a barren one; but her poem, I am told — for it has not yet reached me — is very beautiful. In your next letter you will, I hope, give a better account of yourself than you did in your last. It will give you pleasure to hear that it has pleased God to continue to me the same good health that I have enjoyed for years past, with little or no sensible abate* DR. CARTWRIGHT. 281 nient. Mrs. C. sends her kindest remem- brances, and I am, dear sir, " Most faithfully yours, ; " Edmund Cartwright." In September, 1822, Dr. Cartwright visited Dover, and writing from thence to Dr. Bardsley, he says, " I am not a little gratified by the partial view you take of my endeavours to make myself useful to the world so long as it shall please God to continue me in it. I came here for the benefit of warm sea-bathins:, havin": been much unhinged by the hot weather in Au- gust. I have only bathed twice, and am now as stout again as ever. In a conver- sation I had with the bath man, I learned that to fill his cistern in a given time was full work for two athletic men ; I told him of my principle of exerting human power. 282 MEMOIR OF and that if he would furnish me with a workman, I would shew him how to apply it to his pump. In the course of a day the work was finished, and now an active lad will do the business in half the usual time, and, comparatively speaking, with very little fatigue. If the success of this expe- riment should lead to the building of a vessel to be navigated upon the same prin- ciple, you will have the opportunity of going next year to Calais without the risk of fire or explosion, or the danger of being sunk or overset; for if the vessel is con- structed as I propose, to sink or overset it will be, morally speaking, impossible. Mrs. Cartwright and I are delighted with the prospect of shewing you what a comfortable spot your kindness has contributed to place us in. It will not be more than twenty miles out of the direct road from London DR. CARTWJRIGHT. 283 to Dover, and I am willing to believe you will find the air of HoUanden of great benefit to Mrs. Bardsley and yourself; of its salubrity, as far as I am concerned, I can speak in the highest terms, and I do not think, considering the delicate state of health Mrs. Cartwright has been in for some years, that she could have been better anywhere else. The other friend to whom I feel indebted, jointly with yourself, for the ease and comfort of my present existence, was Hawkins Browne, whose weight and influence carried the business of which you laid the foundation stone through the House of Commons. A posthumous work of his has lately been published, entitled ' Essays, &c.,' printed for Cadell. I sent for it, merely for the purpose of keeping it as a memorial of a dear and valued friend. To my most agreeable surprise, I found 284 MEMOIR or it a work of superlative merit. If you have not seen it, I would recommend it to your perusal. It is the best connected chain of reasoning on the subject of morals and religion I ever met with. "A few weeks ago I sent in a paper to the Royal Society, of which I am a member. It has been read, and, I hear, been complimented on its profundity and acuteness; but as it is considered purely theoretical, it is not admissible into their transactions, which are confined to absolute facts, or truths that can be substantiated by mathematical de- monstration, which mine certainly cannot, at least by me. " It is a new theory of the planetary sys- tem, as far as relates to the power by which the planets are impelled round the sun. As soon as I get home, I will send you a coi)y of the paper. You will, I hope, make all due alloAvance for it, as being an initiatory DR. CARTWRIGHT. 285 treatise of a young philosopher just com- mencing his philosophical studies and career.* "A steam vessel arrived this morning from Ramsgate on a party of pleasure, the pas- sengers above 300. They returned after an early dinner. Just as they were ready to set off, two others arrived from France : they had all bands of music on board. The day was uncommonly fine, the pier crowded by spectators ; it was a most splendid sight, and I must own I felt no little gratification in reflectins: on the share I had in con- tributing to the exhibition. You probably do not know that Fulton, who first brought steam navigation forward, was a most inti- mate friend of mine, and of course I lent him all the assistance in my power, of which • In January, 1823, Dr. Cartwright received the thanks of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester, for a paper on this subject, which was read before the society. 286 MEMOIR OF I believe there is one proof still in exist- ence — I mean, a model, to shew how the power of steam might be applied. When I went to Woburn, I gave it to Lord John Russell, then about ten or eleven years old, as a plaything: it went by clock-work. His lordship used frequently to amuse him- self with setting it afloat on the stew-ponds in the garden. If it is not worn out, his younger brothers may possibly amuse them- selves with it to this day." "TO DR. BARDSLEY. « 24th April, 1823. " My dear Sir, — I have this year com- pleted my eightieth year. In looking back upon the events of my past life, and making a fair estimate of its joys and sorrows, it would be ungrateful to the Author of all good, not to acknowledge that the good DR. CARTWRIGHT. 287 has greatly overbalanced the evil; neither can I forget for how much of that good I have been, and still am, indebted to your exertions. If you should feel induced to become a member of our new society, en- titled the Royal Society of Literature, I should be proud to propose you. It does not, however, appear clearly, to me at least, what good it will do. Literature in the present day wants no stimulus; I rather incline to the opinion that another Caliph Omar is more wanting, to burn nine-tenths of the books we already have. " I lately amused myself in drawing up what may be called a bird's-eye view of literature, taking my documents from the ' Dictionary of Living Authors,' from which it appears that at the time it was compiled (1816), there were between five and six thousand authors then in existence, and 288 MEMOIR OP that tlie family of living poets, of which I have been for these twenty years the father, consisted of no fewer than 704 !" Hitherto the subject of tliese memoirs had enjoyed, as he himself gratefully ac- knowledges in the preceding letter to Dr. Bardsley, an extraordinary exemption from the usual infirmities of age. To this ex- emption, it is probable that early rising, and the temperate habits of his life, had mainly contributed. His fine intellectual countenance still beamed with undiminished intelligence ; his benevolent and placid cha- racter retained all its natural cheerfulness ; while his firm step and healthful complexion seemed to promise many years of prolonged usefulness and activity. But we are now approaching the period when his robust constitution began to shew symptoms of increasing weakness, and not- DR. CARTWRIGHT. 289 withstanding the watchful attention and solicitude which Mrs. Cartwright bestowed on his declining health, it was evident that the failure was rapid, and that no human power could arrest its progress. Surely, in this case, the sudden transition may be considered as a merciful dispensation, when we compare it with those instances in which imbecility, fretfulness, and suffer- ing accompany a lengthened existence, and when, as the great moralist expresses it, " Superfluous lags the veteran on the stage." * Not so our veteran mechanic, who in July 1823, within three months of his lamented death, writes thus to Dr, Pearson : — " My dear Sir, — Since I wrote last to you, I have luckily discovered a method of working an engine by explosion, in a * See " Johnson's Vanity of Human Wislies." 290 MEMOIR OF way to be perfectly secure from danger, and completely effectual. You will be sur- prised when I tell you it is by gunpowder. To give continuous action to that which is instantaneous — or, in other words, to con- trol the velocity of such an exploding body as gunpowder, so as to produce steady and equable movement, hie labor hoc opus. This, my dear sir, I have (in theory) ac- complished; and by a contrivance, equally certain as it is simple — more simple, indeed, than the lock of a common gun. As soon as a model of it is made (which, though it will not be one hour's work, I may probably not get these three days) you shall know the result. Were gunpowder a dearer article than it is, yet as the heavy expense of fuel would be saved, my mode of working an engine may possibly be as cheap, power for DR. CARTWRIGET. 291 power, as steam. The weight of the engine, an object for my purpose of great impor- tance, as well as the prime cost, and the space it would occupy, would not, I appre- hend, be more than one fourth of Perkins's. In my engine there will be this advantage — its power may be increased or diminished at pleasure, merely by regulating the feed of powder ; and as the stress upon the engine will lie in a small compass, that particular part might be made to sustain any pressure without inconvenience, and without any addi- tional load of metal worth speaking of. Should my ideas on this business be, as I have every reason to think, correct, the discovery will be one of the greatest im- portance. I had a vast deal more to have written to you about, one thing or other, but in truth I am downright tired, and I 02 292 MEMOIR OF must walk out for a little fresh air into my hay-field." In another letter to Dr. Pearson, written about this time, Dr. Cartwright thus pur- sues the subject. " You are aware," says he, "tliat if a suihcient quantity of gun- powder to make a complete stroke of the piston were to be fired ofi" at once, tlie explosion would not only be highly dan- gerous, but, from its instantaneous effect, equally useless. Now, by giving a subdued and continuous action, the engine would be perfectly under command, and its action steady and equable. I will endeavour to explain how this is produced. Supposing it would require sixty grains of powder to make a comple stroke of the piston, instead of firing off the whole at once, it is to be delivered by a contrivance something like the drill-box of a sowing machine, only, we DR. CARTWRIGHT. 293 will say, three grains at a time, and at equal intervals, so that each individual ex- plosion would be but the one-twentieth part of the whole. Supposing, therefore, the stroke of the piston and its return to occupy two seconds of time, there would be ten minor explosions in a second, which, though individually feeble, compared with the mass of powder, yet the aggregate expansion and force would be the same; but by being subdivided, and the explosions following in succession, the action of the engine would be uniform and steady. In addition to what I have said above, I will further observe, that the engine will be so con- structed as to make it next to impossible that the powder should explode improperly ; and even if it should, it will be so contrived, that such an accident, supposing it to hap« pen, will be attended with no danger. I 294 MEMOIR OF intend to call my engine, jmr excellence, the safety machine. You know very well, my dear sir, that some of the most deadly poisons, if administered judiciously, and in small doses, become remedies both safe and judicious. I am only applying those prin- ciples and practices to mechanical bodies which you have so often successfully applied to bodies that are animated." "to dr. bardsley. " September 8th, 1823. "My dear Sir, — I was glad to see by the Manchester paper, which came to my hand a few days ago, that you had with- drawn yourself from part of your professional labours, which I hoped might be a prelude to your withdrawing yourself altogether from the whole of them, and that we shall shortly see you in the south. My friend DR. CARTAVRIGHT. 295 Taylor, I observe, lias lately taken out a patent. Most sincerely do I wish the worthy old man may benefit himself by it. I am not quite certain that I may not follow his example,* having made a dis- covery of substituting gunpowder, in the place of steam, for working engines. The * Notwithstancliug this intention, Dr. Cart- wright's opinion does not seem to have been favour- able to the protection afforded by patent rights. This opinion, which was unfortunately derived from his own experience, is thus humorously expressed in a former letter to Dr. Bardsley, in September, 1822: — " A patent is a feeble protection against the rapacity, piracy, and theft of too many of the manu- facturing class. There is scarcely an instance, I believe, of a patent being granted for any invention of real value, against which attempts have not been made to overthrow or evade it. It might be sup- posed that whatever was confessedly original, and wliich had never been heard or thought of before, would have some chance to escape the attacks of the invader. No such thing. Were that eminent sur 296 MEMOIR OF whole contrivance is simplicity itself. I was afraid, a few days ago, that old age was rapidly advancing upon me, as for the space of forty-eight hours I felt uncommonly weak and debilitated. I thank God, those feelings have entirely left me." A return of these symptoms induced Dr. geon and anatomist, Mr. Carpue, who, it is said, has hitely furnished some of his patients with supple- mental noses, to discover a method of putting an additional pair of eyes into a man's head, and to take out a patent for the discovery, I should not be sur- prised if forty witnesses were to come forward to swear that it was not a new invention, ' for that they had seen forty people, with forty extra pair of eyes in their heads, forty years ago.' Far be it from me to insinuate that forty pair of lawyers could be found who would try to persuade a jury to give credit to such evidence. As there are, however, many very honourable men among the great body of manufac- turers, several indeed within my OAvn knowledge, whom I would wish to benefit, I recommend this discovery to their notice." DR. CARTWRIGIIT. 297 Cartwriglit to try the effect of change of air and warm bathing. He accordingly re- moved to Hastings, on the 8th of October, 1823; but he no longer derived the same benefit which he had experienced from his excursion to Dover in the preceding year. Yet though the powers of life were thus rapidly sinking, his mind was as strong as ever; and it was afterwards remarked by his nephcAV, the Rev. Henry Hodges, that Avhile occasionally sitting with his uncle on the beach at Hastings, he was equally charmed by the vigour and cheerfulness of his conversation, and could scarcely bring himself to believe that the hour was at hand, when that harmonious voice would be mute for ever. Aware of his own precarious state, Dr. Cartwriglit bore his illness with that sweet- ness and submission which might haVe been 3 298 MEMOIR OF expected from the character which we have been endeavouring thus faintly to delineate, and humbly resigning himself to the will of his God and Saviour, he expired on the 30th of October, 1823. His remains were interred in the church at Battle, in Sussex.* * Of Dr. Cartwright's children, (all of whom were by his first wife,) the following survived him — viz., 1, Edmmid Cartwright, M.A,, F.S.A., Rector of Eai-nley, author of the " Topographical History of the Rape of Bramber, in "Western Sussex," deceased in 1833; 2, Mary, the wife of Henry Eustatius Strickland, Esq. ; 3, Elizabeth, wife of the Rev. John Penrose, well known imder the name of " Mrs. Markham," as the author of several pojiular works for young persons — viz-, Histories of England, France, Poland, &c., deceased in 1837 ; and, 4, Frances Dorothy, author of the " Life and Corres- pondence of Major Cartwright." His eldest brother, Captain George Cartwright, was a man of strong and original cast of mind. A DR. CART WRIGHT. 299 Several brief notices of Dr. Cartwright have already appeared in print — viz., intlie Annual Obituary for 1823, in the Gentle- man's Magazine for December in the same year, in the Monthly Magazine for January, 1824, in the Dictionnaire desContemporains, and in the Algemeine Deutsche Real En- journal which he kept dui'ing a residence of many years on the coast of Labrador, was published in three volumes, 4to, in 1792. It is wi'itten in a pure and manly style, and gives a ciu'ious picture of the hardsliips, voluntary on his part, of a himter's life, relieved by very interesting anecdotes of those inoffensive and unsophisticated people, the Esqui- maux. Of his much attached brother John, well known as Major Cartwright, we will merely observe, that the same purity and disinterestedness influenced his pri- vate life that had guided his public conduct. In his own family, from youth to age, he had been the steadiest of friends and most affectionate of bro- thers. 300 MEMOIR OF cyclopiidie, or Conversations Lexicon, pub- lished in 1827.* A short account of Dr. Cartwright has also been published in a volume of the Library of Entertaining Knowledge, as well as another notice in the Gallery of British Portraits. There is a brief account of his discovery of the power-loom in two articles in the Edinburgh Eeview for June, 1827, and October, 1833, and also a sketch of his life in the Penny Cyclo- paidia. The following letter was written soon after Dr. Cartwright's death, by Dr. Bards- ley, to Samuel Oldknow, Esq., but the suggestion it contained was not carried into effect : — * While travelling in Switzerland, in June, 1838, one of Dr. Cartwright's daughters had the pleasure of finding at Berne, a short, but correct biography of her father in the Pfennig Encyclopadie, .published at Leipzig, by C. E. Kolhuan. DR. CARTWRIGHT. 301 Nov. 25, 1823. "Dear Sir, — It is probable you will have been informed by the public papers of the rather sudden death of my excellent friend, Dr. Cartwright. His varied talents, his general acquirements, his inventive ge- nius, his gentleness and humility, have scarcely ever been surpassed. Such a man should not go down to the grave without a public memorial of his worth ! I find it is the intention of his London friends to erect a monument by subscription, setting forth his various and useful discoveries, and his constant endeavours to benefit mankind during a long and active life. Messrs. Smith, the bankers, in London, have warmly entered into this plan; and it is wished by them that the names of some of the leading commercial men of Manchester shoidd grace the list. Those gentlemen who kindly 302 MEMOIR OF petitioned parliament for a remuneration for his inventions and improvements, espe- citdly in regard to tlie power-loom, might have no objection to promote the erection of such a monument to departed genius. K this proposal meet with youi' approba- tion, perhaps you will do me the favour to acquaint me with your intentions, and lend your assistance to augment the sub- scription in your town and neighboui'hood. " I remain, dear Sir, " Yours, very respectfully, "S. A. Bardsley. " It is intended that the Manchester gen- tlemen should head the list." With this appropriate testimony of respect to Dr. CartAvright's memory — a testimony as creditable to the venerable writer, whose zeal thus extended beyond the grave, as DR. CARTWRIGHT. 303 it is just to the object of his unwearied friendshi]), we close this brief and, we fear, imperfect memoir of one of the most inge- nious and amiable of men. In a case where natural partiality may be supposed to bias the judgment of the writer, it seems almost presumptuous to guide that of the reader ; and yet we hope we may be pardoned for pointing out, that what appears particularly worthy of admi- ration in the character of Dr. Cartwi'ight, and which ought to be held out as deserving of imitation, is that generous self-devotion, that constant benevolence of purpose, which, from youth to age, never lost sight of the smallest available opportunity of promoting the benefit of others. APPENDIX. A. ARMINE AND ELVIRA . A LEGENDARY TALE. (See p. 17.), The preceding Memoir has been chiefly devoted to the history of Dr. Cartwright's mechanical and scientific labours. But as some of our readers may wish to be further informed as to his poetical powers, we have been induced to republish one of his early productions, which, though enjoying great popularity in its day, has been long out of print. The reader will perceive that it belongs to the refined and classic school of the last century, before poets had ventured on those brilliant but eccentric flights which attract so much favour at the present day. PART I. A hermit on the banks of Trent, Far from the world's bewildering maze, To humbler scenes of calm content Had fled from brighter, busier days. If haply from his guarded breast Should steal the unsuspected sigh, And memory, an unbidden guest. With former passions fiU'd his eye ; 306 APPENDIX. Then pious Hope and Duty praised The wisdom of th' Unerring Sway ; And while his eye to heaven he I'aised, Its silent waters stole away. Life's gayer ensigns once he bore — Ah ! what avails the mournful tale ? Suffice it, when the scene was o'er, He fled to the sequester'd vale. " What though the joys I loved so well, The charms," he cried, " that youth has known, Fly from the hermit's lonely cell ! Yet is not Armine still my own ? " Yes, Armine, yes, thou valued youth ! 'Mdst every grief thou still art mine ! Dear pledge of Winifreda's truth. And solace of my life's decline ! " Though from the world and worldly care My wearied mind I mean to free, Yet ev'ry hour that Heav'n can spare, My Armine, I devote to thee. " And sure that Heaven my hopes shall bless, And make thee famed for virtues fair, And happy, too, if happiness Depend upon a parent's prayer. APPENDIX. 307 " Last hope of life's departing day, In whom its future scenes I see ! No truant thought shall ever stray From this lone hermitage and thee." Thus, to his humble fate resign'd, His breast each anxious care foregoes ; All but the care of Armine's mind, The dearest task a parent knows ! And well were all his cares repaid ; In Armine's breast each virtue grew. In full maturity di^play'd To fond Affection's anxious view. Nor yet neglected were the charms, To polish'd life that grace impart ; Virtue, he knew, but feebly warms, 'Till Science humanize the heart. And when he saw the lawless train Of passions in the youthful breast, He curb'd them, not with rigid rein, But strove to soothe them into rest. " Think not, my son, in this," he cried, " A father's precept shall displease : No — be each passion gratified That tends to happiness or ease. 308 APPENDIX. " Nor shall th' ungrateful task be mine Their native generous warmth to blame, That warmth if lleason's suffrage join To point the object and the aim. " This suffrage wanting, know, fond bo}^, That every passion proves a foe : Though much it deal in promised joy, It pays, alas ! in certain woe. " Complete Ambition's wildest scheme ; In Power's all-brilUant robes appear ; Indulge in Fortune's golden dream ; Then ask thy breast if Peace be there : " Xo : it shall tell thee, Peace retires If once of her loved friends deprived ; Contentment calm, subdu'd desires, And happiness that's self- derived." To temper thus the stronger fires Of youth he strove, for well he knew, Boundless as thought though man's desires, The real wants of life were few. And oft revolving in his breast Th' insatiate lust of Wealth or Fame, He, with no common care opprest. To Fortune thus Avould oft exclaim : APPENDIX. 309 " O Fortune ! at thy crowded shrine What wretched worlds of suppliants bow ! For ever hail'd thy pow'r divine, For ever breath'd the serious vow. " With tottering pace and feeble knee, See Age advance in shameless haste ; The palsied hand is stretched to thee For wealth he wants the power to taste. " See, led by Hope, the youthful train, Iler fairy dreams their hearts have won ; She points to what they ne'er shall gain. Or dearly gain — to be undone. « Must I, too, form the votive prayer. And wilt thou hear one suppliant more ? His prayer, O Fortune, deign to hear. To thee who never pray'd before. « O may one dear, one favour'd youth. May Aniline still thy pow'r disclaim ; Kneel only at the shrine of Truth, Count Freedom Wealth, and Virtue Fame." Lo ! to his utmost wishes blest The prayer was heard ; and Freedom's flame. And Truth, the sunshine of the breast. Were Armine's wealth, were Armine's fume. 310 APPENDIX. His heart no selfish cares confined, He felt for all that feel distress, And, still benevolent and kind. He blest them, or he wish'd to bless. For what though Fortune's frown deny With wealth to bid the sufferer live ? Yet Pity's hand can oft supply A balm she never knew to give : Can oft with lenient drops assuage The wounds no ruder hand can heal, When Grief, Despair, Distraction, rage, While Death the lips of Love shall seal. Ah ! then, his anguish to remove. Deprived of all his heart holds dear. How sweet the still surviving love Of Friendship's smile, of Pity's tear ! This knew the sire : he oft would cry — " From these, my son, O ne'er depart ! These tender charities, that tie In mutual league the human heart. " Be thine those feelings of the mind That wake at honour's, friendship's call ; Benevolence, that unconfined Extends her liberal hand to all. APPENDIX. 311 " By Sympathy's untutor'd voice Be taught her social laws to keep ; Rejoice with them that do rejoice. And weep loith them that weep. " The heart that bleeds for others' woes, Shall feel each selfish sorrow less ; His breast who happiness bestows, Reflected happiness shall bless. " Each ruder passion still withstood That breaks o'er Virtue's sober line. The tender, noble, and the good, To cherish and indulge be thine. " And yet, my Armine, might I name One passion as a dangerous guest ? Well may'st thou wonder when I blame The tenderest, noblest, and the best. " Nature, 'tis true, with Love design'd To smoothe the race our fathers ran, The savage of the human kind By Love was soften'd into man. " As feels the ore the searching fire. Expanding and refining too. So fairer glow'd each fair desire. Each gentle thought so gentler grew. 312 APPENDIX. " How changed, alas ! those happier days ! A train how different now succeeds ! While sordid Avarice betrays, Or empty Vanity misleads. " Fled from the heart each nobler guest, Each genuine feeling we forego ; What Nature planted in the breast, The tlowers of love, are weeds of woe. " Hence all the pangs the heart must feel Between contending passions toss'd, Wild Jealousy's avenging steel, And life and fame and virtue lost ! " Yet falling life, yet fading fame, Compared to what his heart annoy Wlio cherishes a hopeless flame, Are terms of happiness and j 03'. " Ah ! then, the soft contagion fly ! And timely shun th' alluring bait !" The rising blush, the downcast eye, Proclaim' d — The Precept was too late. APPENDIX. 313 PART n. Deep in the bosom of a wood, Where Art had form'd the moated isle, An antique castle towering stood ; In Gothic grandeur rose the pile. Here Raymond, long in arms renown'd, From scenes of war would oft repair; His bed an only daughter crown'd, And smiled away a father's care. By Nature's happiest pencil drawn. She wore the vernal morning's ray : The vernal morning's blushing dawn Breaks not so beauteous into day. Her breast, impatient of control, Scorn'd in its silken chains to lie. And the soft language of the soul Flow'd from her never silent eye. The bloom that open'd on her face Well seem'd an emblem of her mind, Where snowy innocence we trace. With blushing modesty combined. P 314 APPENDIX. To these resistless grace impart That look of sweetness form'd to please, That elegance, devoid of art, That dignity that's lost in ease. What youth so cold could view unmoved The maid that every beauty shared ? Her Armine saw — ^he saw, he loved, He loved — alas ! and he despair'd ! Unhappy youth ! he sunk oppress'd ; For much he labour' d to conceal That gentlest passion of the breast. Which all can feign, but /eit) can feel. Ingenuous fears suppress'd the flame. Yet still he own'd its hidden power; With transport dwelling on her name, He soothed the solitary hour. " How long," he cried, " must I conceal What yet my heart could wish were known ? How long the truest passion feel. And yet that passion fear to own ? " Ah ! might I breathe my humble vow ! Might she, too, deign to lend an ear ! Elvira's self should then allow That Armine was at least sincere. APPENDIX. 315 " Wild wish ! to deem the matchless maid Would listen to a youth like me, Or that my vows could e'er persuade, Sincere and constant though they he ! " Ah ! what avails my love or truth ? She listens to no lowly swain ; Her charms must bless some happier youth, Some youth of Fortune's titled train. " Then go, fallacious Hope ! adieu ! The flattering prospect I resign ; And bear from my deluded view The bliss that never must be mine ! " Yet will the youth, whoe'er he be. In truth or tenderness excel ? Or will he on thy charms, like me. With fondness never dying dwell ? "^ Will he with thine his hopes unite ? With ready zeal thy joys improve ? With fond attention and delight Each wish prevent, each fear remove? " Will he, still faithful to thy charms, For constant love be long rever'd ? Nor quit that heaven within thy arms By every tender tie endear'd ? p2 316 APPENDIX. " What though his boastful heart be vain Of all that birth or fortune gave ? Yet is not mine, though rude and plain, At least as noble and as brave ? " Then be its gentle suit preferr'd ! Its tender sighs, Elvira, hear ! In vain — I sigh, but sigh unheard ; Unpitied falls this lonely tear !" Twice twelve revolving moons had past. Since first he caught the fatal view ; Unchanged by time his sorrows last, Uncheer'd by hope his passion grew. That passion to indulge, he sought In Raymond's groves the deepest shade ; There Fancy's haunting spirit brought The image of his long-loved maid. But hark ! what more than mortal sound Steals on Attention's raptured ear! The voice of Harmony around Swells in wild whispers soft and clear. Can human hand a tone so fine Sweep from the string with touch profane ? Can human lip, with breath divine, Pour on the gale so sweet a strain ? APPENDIX. 317 'Tis she — the source of Armine's woe ! 'Tis she — whence all his joy must spring ! From her loved lips the numbers flow, Her magic hand awakes the string. Now, Armine, now, thy love proclaim — Thy instant suit the time demands ; Delay not ! Tumult shakes his frame, And lost in ecstasy he stands ! What magic chains thee to the ground ? What star malignant rules the hour — That thus, in fix'd delirium drovni'd, Each sense intranced hath lost its power ? The trance dispel ! Awake ! arise ! Speak what untutor'd love inspires ! The moment's past — thy wild surprise She sees, nor unalarm'd retires. " Stay, sweet illusion, stay thy flight ! 'Tis gone ! Elvira's form it wore. Yet one more glimpse of short delight ! 'Tis gone ! to be beheld no more. " Fly, loitering feet, the charm pursue That plays upon my hopes and fears ! Ha ! no illusion mocks my view ! 'Tis she — Elvira's self appears ! 318 APPENDIX. " And shall I on her steps intrude ? Alarm her in these lonely shades ? O stay, fair nymph ! no ruffian rude, With base intent, your walk invades. " Far gentler thoughts" — his faltering tongue, By humble diffidence restrain' d, Paus'd in suspense — but thus, ere long. As love impel!' d, its power regain' d. " Far gentler thoughts that form inspires ! With me, far gentler passions dwell ; This heart hides only blameless fires, Yet burns with what it fears to tell. " The faltering voice, that fears control, Blushes, that inward fires declare, — Each tender tumult of the soul In silence owns Elvira there." He said; and as the trembling dove. Sent forth t' explore the watery plain, Soon fear'd her flight might fatal prove, And sudden sought her ark again — His heart recoil'd, as one that rued What he too hastily confest ; And all the rising soul, subdued, Sought refuge in his inmost breast. APPENDIX. 319 The tender strife Elvira saw, Distress'd ; and as some parent mild, When arm'd with words and looks of awe, Melts o'er the terrors of her child, Reproof prepar'd, and angry fear. In soft sensations died away ; They felt the force of Armine's teai-, And fled from pity's rising sway. " That moumfal voice, that modest air. Young stranger, speak the courteous breast ; Then why to these rude scenes repair, Of shades the solitary g-uest ? " And who is she whose fortunes bear Elvira's melancholy name? O may those fortunes prove more fair Than hers who sadly owns the same."' • " Ah, gentle maid ! in mine survey A heart," he cries, " that's yours alone ! Long has it own'd Ehara's sway, Though long unnoticed and unknown. " On Sherwood's old heroic plain, Elvira graced the festal day ; There, foremost of the youthful train. Her Armine bore the prize away. 320 APPENDIX. " There first that form my eyes survey'd With future hopes that fill'd my heart ; But ah ! beneath that frown they fade — Depart — vain, vanquish'd hopes, depart !' He said ; and on the ground his eyes Were fix'd abash'd : th' attentive maid, Lost in the tumult of surprise. The well-remember'd youth survey'd. The transient colour went and came. The struggling bosom sunk and rose ; The trembling tumults of her frame, The strong-conflicting soul disclose. The time, the scene, she saw with dread. Like Cynthia setting, glanced away ; But scatter'd blushes as she fled — Blushes that spoke a brighter day. A friendly shepherd's neighbouring shed. To pass the live-long night, he sought ; And hope, the lover's downy bed, A sweeter charm than slumber brought. On every thought Elvira dwelt — The tender air, the aspect kind. The pity that he found she felt, And all the ana:el in her mind. APPENDIX. 321 No self-plumed vanity was there, With fancied consequence elate ; Unknown to her the haughty air That means to speak superior state. Her brow no keen resentments arm ; No swell of empty pride she knew, In trivial minds that takes th' alarm, Should humble love aspire to sue. Such love, by flattering chai'ms betray'd, Shall yet, indignant, soon rebel ; And, blushing for the choice he made, Shall fly where gentler virtues dwell. 'Tis then the mind, from bondage free, And all its former weakness o'er. Asserts its native dignity, And scorns what folly prized before. The scanty pane the rising ray On the plain wall in diamonds threw, The lover hail'd the welcome day. And to his favourite scene he flew. There soon Elvira bent her way. Where long her lonely walks had been ; Nor less had the preceding day. Nor Armine less, endear'd the scene. p3 322 APPENDIX. Oft, as she pass'd, her rising heart Its stronger tenderness confess'd ; And oft she linger'd to impart To some safe shade her secret breast. " How slow the heavy hours advance," She cried, " since that eventful day, When first I caught the fatal glance That stole me from myself away ! " Ah, youth beloved ! though low thy birth, The noble air, the manly grace,— That look, that speaks superior worth. Can fashion, folly, fear erase ? " Yet sure from no ignoble stem Thy lineage springs, though now unknown ; The world, censorious, may condemn, — But, Armine, I am thine alone. " To splendour only do we live ? Must pomp alone our thoughts employ ? All, all that pomp and splendour give Is dearly bought with love and joy ! " But oh ! the favour'd youth appears ! In pensive grief he seems to move ! My heart forebodes unnumber'd fears ; Support it Pity, Virtue, Love ! APPENDIX. 323 '' Hither his footsteps seem to bend — Come, Resolution, to my aid ! My breast, what varying passions rend ! Averse to go — to stay, afraid." " Dear object of each fond desire That throbs tumultuous in my breast, Why vdth averted glance retire ? At Armine's presence why distress'd ? " What though he boast no titled name, No wide extent of rich domain ? Yet must he feel a fruitless flame. Must truth and nature plead in vain ?" " Think not," she said, " by forms betray'd. To humbler worth my heart is blind ; For soon shall every splendour fade. That beams not from the gifted mind. " But first thy heart explore vvdth care, With faith its fond emotions prove ; Lurks no unworthy passion there ? Prompts not ambition bold to love ?" " Yes, lovely maid," the youth replies, " A bold ambition prompts my breast ; The tow'ring hope that love supplies. The wish in blessing to be bless'd. 324 APPENDIX. " The meaner prospects I despise, That wealth, or rank, or power bestow ; Be yours the grovelling bliss ye prize, Ye sordid minds, that stoop so low ! " Be mine the more refined delights Of love, that banishes control ; When the fond heart with heart unites, And soul in unison with soul." Elvira blush'd the warm reply, (To love a language not unknown,) The milder glories fill'd her eye, And there a softer lustre shone. The yielding smile that 's half suppress'd, The short, quick breath, the trembling tear, The swell tumultuous of the breast. In Axmine's favour all appear. At each kind glance theii' souls unite, While love's soft sympathy imparts The tender transport of delight That beats in undivided hearts. Respectful to his lips he press'd Her yielded hand ; in haste away Her yielded hand she drew, distress'd. With looks that witness'd wild dismay. APPENDIX. 325 " Ah ! whence, fair Excellence, those fears ? AVhat terror unforeseen alarms ?" " See, where a father's frown appears !" She said, and sunk into his arms. " My daughter ! Heavens, it cannot be ! And yet it must — Oh, dire disgrace ! Elvira have I lived to see Clasp' d in a peasant's vile embrace ? " This daring guilt let death repay !" — His vengeful arm the javelin threw ; With erring aim it wing'd its way. And far by Fate averted flew. Elvira breathes — her pulses beat. Returning life illumes her eye ; Trembling a father's view to meet. She spies a reverend hermit nigh. " Your wrath," she cries, " let tears assuage — Unheeded must Elvira pray ? O let an injured father's rage This hermit's sacred presence stay ! " Yet deem not, lost in guilty love, I plead to save my virgin fame ; My weakness, Virtue might approve, And smile on Nature's holy flame." 326 APPENDIX. " Oh ! welcome to my hopes again, My son !" the raptured hermit cries, " I sought thee sorrowing on the plain," — And all the father fiU'd his eyes. " Art thou," the raging Raymond said, " Of this audacious boy the sire ? Curse on the dart that idly sped, Nor bade his peasant soul expire !" " His peasant soul !" — indignant fire Flash'd from the conscious father's eye, " A gallant Earl is Armine's sire, And know, proud Chief, that Earl am I. " Though here, within the hermit's cell I long have lived, unknown to fame ; Yet crowded camps and courts can tell — Thou, too, hast heard of Egbert's name !" " Ah ! Egbert ! he whom tyrant rage Forced from his country's bleeding breast ? The patron of my orphan age, — My friend, my warrior, stands confess'd ! " But why ?" — " The painful story spare, — That prostrate youth," said Egbert, " see ! His anguish asks a parent's care, — A parent once who pitied thee !" APPENDIX. 327 Raymond, as one who, glancing round, Seems from some sudden trance to start, Snatch'd the pale lovers from the ground, And held them, trembling, to his heart ! Joy, Gratitude, and Wonder, shed United tears o'er Hymen's reign. And Nature her best triumph led, — For Love and Virtue join'd her train. 328 APPENDIX. B. LETTERS FROM SIR W. JONES. (See p. 45.) Amongst the letters from Sir W. Jones to Dr. Cart- wright, which are inserted in the Life of the former by Lord Teignmouth, there are two, of which portions only are published by his lordship. As the suppressed passages tend to throw light upon Sir William's character and opinions, they are here published entire, and distinguished by italics. Friday night, 8 Sept. 1780. Dear Sir, — Your last favour I have this instant re- ceived, and am obliged to answer it in the greatest haste. I hope you have by this time received my letter, in which I informed you that I had declined a poll at Oxford, but was as much obliged to you and my other friends as if your kindness had been attended with the most brilliant success. I saw an advertisement also, in the paper, that Dr. Scott had declined. / rejoice that our sentiments coincide; but, indeed, our sentiments are not much in fashion. I have been told that the very Ode to which you are so indulgent lost me near twenty votes : this, however, I am unwilling to believe. I am, with high respect and gratitude, Your ever faithful servant, W. Jones. Lamb Buildings, Temple, 12 Nov., 1780. Dear Sir, — You have so fully proved the favourable opinion which you do me the honour to entertain of me, that I am persuaded you acquit me of any culpable neglect APPENDIX. 329 in delaying, for more than two months, to answer your very obliging letter. The truth is, that I had but just received it when I found myself obliged to leave England on very pressing business, and I have not long been returned from Paris. The hurry of preparing myself for so long a journey, at such a season, left me no time for giving you my hearty thanks, which I now most sincerely request you to accept, both for your kind letter and for the very elegant Sonnet with which you have rewarded me abund- antly for my humble labours in the field of literature. I give you my word, that your letters and verses have greatly encouraged me in proceeding, as expeditiously as I am able, to send abroad my Seven Arabian Poets ; and I propose to spend next month at Cambridge, in order to finish my little w-ork, and to make use of a rare manuscript in the library of Trinity College. My own manuscript, which was copied for me at Aleppo, is very beautiful, but, unfortunately, not very correct. You may depend on receiving a copy as soon as it can be printed. In these rambles into the wilds of Arabia, I so/ten the anguish which I feel, whenever I reflect on the melancholy times in which we live — times when many of the best men I know have actually resigned their seats in parliament, from a fvll con- viction that no exertions whatever can preserve our free constitution, and that there is no room left in this country for honest ambition. How happy I shall be, if I should be able to wait upon you in Leicestershire, or to see you in London ; and assure you in person, that I am, with the greatest sincerity, dear sir, your much obliged And ever faithful servant, W. Jones. 330 APPENDIX. C. PORTION OF IMR. CAETWRIGHT'S POWER -LOO]\I, AS DESCRIBED IN HIS PATENT OF 1790. (See p. 67.) A. The lathe, or frame which carries the reed. B. The crank which moves the lathe, having a wheel upon its axis, which receives motion from C, a wheel on the principal axis, a a. The pickers, b b. The picker strings, passing over pulleys, at c c, to the springs. d. A hook, or radius, turning with its axis at e, which axis passes through the lathe, and also forms the axis of an- other hook, y, expressed by dotted lines, which rises up through the fly. The picker, as it is driven back by the shuttle, depresses the hook z, and consequently depresses the point of the hook, or radius, g ; and this hook being connected with the hook d, by means of a wire passing from above the centre of the hook, or radius, g, to below the centre of the hook d, the point of the hook d is ele- vated or receives an oblique direction when the hook i is depressed, in the same manner as when the hook /, upon its own axis, is depressed. k. A spring which keeps the hook rf in a perpendicular direction, when the pickers are not driven or put back ; in which case, when the lathe comes to, a lever, struck by the hook d, disconnects the loom from the moving power, and causes it to stop. C. A wheel giving motion to the axis on which are the tappets for treading the shed, m m. Tappets for working the shuttle -springs, n n. The shuttle-springs. APPENDIX. 333 o. A worm or wheel for giving motion to the calender- rollers, that wind off the cloth. p. A wheel receiving motion from a wheel of the mill. D. CORDELIER, OR ROPEIVIAKING IVIACHIXE. (See p. 146.) Among the various mechanical contrivances which Mr. Cartwright reduced to practice in his mill at Don- caster was a machine for rope-making, to which he gave the name of the " Cordelier." This invention was thought very highly of by ISIr. Fulton, — who had also turned his thoughts to the same object, as is shewn by his letters inserted pp. 141, 146. An engraving of Mr. Cartwright's Cordelier is given in the frontispiece, and is thus de- scribed in his specification of ]\Iay 15, 1792. A, the axis ; B, the top, having holes through it for the strands to pass, and which serves for a gudgeon for the machine to turn upon ; C, D, pulleys fixed to the axis ; E E E, jacks, or spole frames ; F, dead wheel wdthin which the axis revolves ; G G G, counter wheels upon the pulley D ; H H H, the jack, or spole frame wheels ; I I I, delivering rollers, receiving motion by means of a wheel upon the axis of one of them from K K K, hollow worms, within which they respectively revolve. The gudgeons of the jack, or spole frame next the top, are hollow, through which the strands are delivered to the top. L L, drawing rollers. 334 APPENDIX. E. ME. CAKTWEIGHT'S PATENT BRICKS. (Seep. 118.) The principle of these bricks consists in making the two opposite sides of a brick with a groove or rabbet in the middle. The groove must be a little more than half the width of the side of the brick, to allow room for the mortar. (See fig. 1.) Fig. 1. This is the simplest form of these bricks, but the prin- ciple will be preserved, though the form of the groove or rabbet may vary, provided the opposite side of the brick vary in proportion, so as to fit together when buUt into a wall. (See figure 2, where A and B are the two opposite sides of a brick.) Fig. 2. A. B. APPENDIX. 335 For the purpose of breaking the joints in the depth of the wall, bricks may be made of different lengths, though of the same width. Buildings constructed with these bricks will require no bond timbers, as the walls can neither bulge nor crack without breaking through the bricks themselves. In applying this principle to arches, the sides of the grooves and the shoulders should be radii of a circle of which the arch is a segment, though if the circle be very large, a minute attention to this point is scarcely neces sary. When the arch is very flat it may be well to have the shoulders dovetailed, to prevent the arch from cracking across, as is seen in figure 3. Fig. 3. B. When the bricks are as wide at the bottom as at the top, the manner of dovetailing them is obvious, but when they are wider at the top, the sides of the shoulders must be parallel on one side of the brick (Fig. 3, A.) and the side of the groove on the other. (B.) The appearance of the bricks in the face of an upright 336 APPENDIX. wall, and also on both surfaces of an arch (when not dove- tailed) is shewn in figure 4. Fig. 4. 1 1 _J 1 t 1 1 r __ J f 1 4 .4 ^ L_. ,.,.! 1 1 LJ The mode of constructing an arch is shewn in figure 5. Fig. 5. APPENDIX. 337 F. MR. CARTWRIGHT'S PRIZE ESSAY OX MANURES. (See p. 206.) With Notes by Sir Hurapliry Da%'y. There are few arts of practical application in Avhich more experiments have been tried than in agriculture. In that department of it which relates to the article of manures alone, they have been almost innumerable. The theories on which they have been founded, or have given rise to, have been nearly as numerous as the experiments themselves. Yet it mil be admitted, that the experiments on manures have not been hitherto so diversified as the nature of the subject might demand; their object being, for the most part, merely confined to the comparison of one manure with another. The result of such experi- ments often proves very fallacious, from the manner in which each respective manure produces its effects not being taken into consideration, and by not adverting to the peculiarities of the different soils on whicli they mio-ht have been tried. Hence a manure which under one set of experiments is found to be valuable, under another is con- demned as useless ; and that which is esteemed useless by the first experimenter, in the liands of the next is con- sidered as the reverse. This benefit, however, has arisen from these experiments, imperfectly conducted as thev have been : they furnish reasonable data for estimatino- the quantum of one manure as equivalent to the quantum of another of the same class, so as to make it a matter of Q 338 APPENDIX. mere pecuniary calculation, according to local circum- stances, which is to be preferred. There are many facts yet to be ascertained respecting the nature of manures, on which the general opinion is by no means agreed ; and even from those facts which are already ascertained, the conclusions are not always uniform. This uncertainty seems in part to have arisen from not considering the manner in which the different substances used as manures act under different circumstances. AVere all substances so used, the immediate food of plants, their operation, in proportion to the quantity of nutriment which each substance might afford, would, under all cir- cumstances of variation of soil, be nearly the same ; but this we find is by no means the case. Hence the con- clusion is, that there are substances used as manures whose beneficial effects proceed fi-om other causes than the mere furnishing sustenance to the growing vegetable. To investigate these causes has been the object of the ex- periments detailed in this essay. As there has been no set of experiments, as far as I know, for the express pur- pose of elucidating this view of the subject, familiar as the ideas it suggests are to every one who has paid any atten- tion to the philosophy of manures, I thought I might ren- der some small service at least to the cause of agriculture by stating them. The substances employed as manures are, mineral, vegetable, and animal, or animalized matter:* of these, * I do not know that animalized matter is different from animal matter, — H. D. APPENDIX. 339 some appear to produce their effects 01119%, if not alto- gether, by their mechanical operation on the soil itself, by altering its texture ; others, by their chemical agency on the different substances contained in the soil ; others, by furnishing nutriment or stimulus to the assimilating or (if I may so express myself) the digestive organs of the plants themselves. The method which I have adopted, as being that which appeared the most obvious for arriving at the deductions I was in pursuit of, has been, first, to try the manures in each class separately, which might furnish the opportunity of remarking their simple operation, and then to use them in combination, from whence might be deduced their chemical influence on each other. The mineral substances I have employed are — lime, gypsum, sulphuric acid, and common salt. The vegetable substances are — peat, peat-ashes, wood- ashes, decayed leaves, saw-dust, malt-dust, alkaline salts, and (though not strictly in all cases a vegetable produc- tion) soot. The animal substances are — bone-dust and chandlers' gi'aves. The animalized matters are stable and fold-yard dung. The vegetable and animal, or animalized matters, that might have been used as manures, are almost infinite ; but as I consider them as respectively the same in their component parts, only varying as one or other component part may chance to be more or less concentrated, and to predominate, I confined myself to such as can be most easily obtained. Having appropriated half an acre to each set of experi- q2 340 APPENDIX. ments, I divided it into sixty equal parts, which were manured (the first excepted) as follows : — 28. Lime, sulphuric acid, salt. 29. Lime, salt, peat. 30. Lime, salt, dung. 31. Lime, peat, dung. 32. Lime, salt, gypsum, peat 33. Gypsum, dung. 34. Gypsum, peat. 35. Gypsum, graves. 36. Gypsum, bone-dust. 37. Gypsum, wood-ashes. 38. Gypsum, leaves. 39. Soot, dung. 40. Soot, peat. 41. Soot, salt. 42. Wood-ashes, dung. 43. Wood-ashes, peat. 44. Wood-ashes, salt. 4.5. Wood-ashes, decayed leaves. 46. Wood-ashes, bone-dust. 47. Wood-ashes, malt-dust. 48. Saw-dust, dung. 49. Saw-dust, salt. 50. Malt-dust, salt. 51. Peat, dung. 52. Peat, salt. 53. Peat, decayed leaves. No Quantities. 1. No manure . 2, Sulphuric acid - 3oz. 3. Sea-salt - - - ipeek. 4. Lime - - - - 1 bush. 5. Gypsum - - - ^peck. 6. Soot - - - - 1 peck. 7. Wood-ashes - - 2 pecks. 8, Saw-dust - Shush. 9. Malt-dust - - 2 pecks. 10. Peat - - - - 3 bush. 11. Decayed leaves - 3 bush. 12. Fresh dung - - 3 bush. 13. Rotted dung - 1 bush. 14. Bone-dust - - 1 peck. 15. Chandlers' graves, 9 lb, 16. Lime, sulphuric acid.* 17. Lime, sea-salt. 18. Lime, soot. 19. Lime, wood-ashes. 20. Lime, saw-dust. 21. Lime, malt-dust. 22. Lime, peat. 23. Lime, leaves. 24. Lime, dung. 25. Lime, bone-dust. 26. Lime, chandlers' graves. 27. Lime, pond-mud. * In this and the following numbers the quantities of each ingredient are the same as when used singly. APPENDIX. 341 No. No. 54. Peat, bone-dust, salt. 58. Peat-ashes, salt. 55. Decayed leaves, salt. 59. Peat-ashes, lime. 56. Decayed leaves, dung. 60. Chandlers' graves, salt.* 57. Peat-ashes, dung. On the 14th of April, 1804, the whole was planted with potatoes; and that the experiment might be conducted with all possible accuracy, each part received the same number of sets. On the 14th of May, a few days after the plants appeared, No. 9, malt-dust, was perceptibly the most vigorous, next to which, in succession, were the following : — No. No. 15. Chandlers' graves. 1. No manure. 26. Lime, chandlers' graves. 7. Wood-ashes. 21. Lime, malt-dust. 10. Peat. 34. Gypsum, peat. 13. Rotted dung. 35. Gypsum, chandlers'graves. 14. Bone-dust. 40. Soot, peat. 16. Lime, sulphuric acid. 47. Wood-ashes, malt-dust, 18. Lime, soot. 32. Lime, salt, gypsum, peat. 22. Lime, peat. 60. Chandlers' graves, salt. 23. Lime, decayed leaves. 50. Malt-dust, salt. 25. Lime, bone-dust. 11. Decayed leaves. 27. Lime, pond-mud. 6. Soot. 28. Lime, sulphuric acid, salt. 0. Gypsum. 24. Lime, dung. 3. Salt. 31. Lime, peat, dung. 2. Sulphuric acid. 36. Gypsum, bone-dust. * I am sorry to see metallic matters omitted ; such as green vitriol, or sulphate of iron ; oxyde of iron, or ochre, &c.— H. D. 342 APPENDIX. No, 37. Gypsum, wood-ashes. 38. Gypsum. 39. Soot, dimg. 41. Soot, salt. 42. Wood-ashes, dmig. 43. Wood-ashes, peat. 44. Wood-ashes, salt. 45. Wood-ashes, decayed leaves. 46. Wood-ashes, bone-dust. 51. Peat, dung. 52. Peat, salt. 53. Peat, decayed leaves. 54. Peat, bone-dust, salt. 55. Decayed leaves, salt. No. 4. Lime. 8. Saw-dust. 12. Fresh dung. 17. Lime, salt. 19. Lime, wood-ashes. 20. Lime, saw-dust. 24. Lime, dung. 30. Lime, salt, dung. 33. Gypsum, dung. 48. Saw-dust, dung." 56. Decayed leaves, dung. 57. Peat-ashes, dung. 58. Peat- ashes, salt. 59. Peat-ashes, lime. 49. Saw-dust, salt. It will be necessary here to observe, that from No. 9 to No. 3 inclusive, the gradation of excellence was obviously perceptible. From No. 2 to No. 55 inclusive, there was little or no perceptible difference. From No. 4 to No. 49 the plants were considerably inferior to those included in No. 2 and No. 55. It is worthy of remark that, in this stage of the busi- ness, the experiment is in favour of malt- dust, soot, and graves ; and the reason why it is so seems to be apparent. Sugar,* mucilage,f and carbon, | being the principal in- * I should say, because saccharine matter is probably more nutritious than any other vegetable matter, or than any animal matter. — H. D. t Chandlers' graves, I suppose, are beneficial because the mucilage is in the fittest state for speedy or immediate ab- sorption. — H. D. X This experiment seems to shew, what has not been done APPENDIX. 343 gredients and constituent parts in the composition of vegetables, it is natural to suppose that those substances which are most readily disposed to putrefy, or which pre- sent themselves in a state of the nearest assimilation to the plant which is to be fed by them, will be more immediately imbibed than such as must previously be decomposed either by their own internal fermentation or by the action of external causes. On the 28th of May, the apparent vigour of the plants was in the following order : — 9. Malt-dust. 15. Chandlers' graves. 26. Lime, chandlers' graves. 21. Lime, malt -dust. 40. Soot, peat. 47. Wood- ashes, malt-dust. 13. Rotted dung. 6. Soot. IS. Lime, soot. 59. Peat, bone-dust. 10. Peat. 31. Lime, peat, dung. 32. Lime, salt, gypsum, peat. 34. Gypsum, peat. 35. Gypsum, chandlers'^ graves. 36. Gypsum, bone-dust. 37. Gypsum, wood-ashes. 38. Gypsum, leaves. 39. Soot, dimg. 41. Soot, salt. 43. Wood-ashes, peat. 46. Wood-ashes, bone-dust. 50. Malt-dust, salt. 51. Peat, dung. 52. Peat, salt. 53, Peat, decayed leaves. 55. Decayed leaves, salt. 60. Chand- lers' gi'aves, salt. 1. No manure. 2. Sulphuric acid. 3. Salt. 5. Gypsum. 7. Wood-ashes. 11. Decayed leaves. 14. Bone- dust, 19. Lime, wood-ashes. 22. Lime, peat. 23. Lime, de- cayed leaves. 25. Lime, bone-dust. 27. Lime, pond-mud. 28. Lime, sulphuric acid, salt. 29. Lime, salt, peat. 33. Gypsum, dung. 42. Wood-ashes, dung. 44. Wood-ashes, salt. 45. Wood-ashes, decayed leaves. 58. Peat-ashes, salt. before, — that carbon in the state of a subtle powder, as in the sublimate called soot, is really absorbed with facility, and accordingly either nourishes or stimulates more speedily. — H. D. 344 APPENDIX. 12. Fresh dung. 4. Lime. 54. Peat, bone-dust, salt. 57. Peat-ashes, dung. 56. Decayed leaves, dung. 49. Saw-dust, salt. 48. Saw-dust, dung. 20. Lime, saw-dust. 30. Lime, salt, dung. 24. Lime, dung. 17. Lime, salt. 16. Lime, sul- phuric acid. 8. Saw-dust. The variations between this table and the former are worthy of observation. In the first table, sixteen of the experiments take place of No. 1, in this, twenty-eight have the superiority. The same reason which is applied to the former table may at^sist us in accounting for the results of this. The different manures begmning now to develop themselves, and to be decomposed, give out (though as yet in moderate proportion) the requisite aliment to the plants they are to sustain. On the '2nd of July, Nos. 26 and 2 1 had taken the lead of No. 9 ; and on the 24th of the same month No. 35 had visibly outstripped them all. On the 21st of September, when the roots were taken up, the order of precedence was as follows : — No. Prodnce. 35. Gypsum, graves - - - - - 250 lbs. 41. Soot, salt 240 21. Lime, malt-dust 239 18. Lime, soot 231 39. Soot, dung 228 40. Soot, peat 225 34. Gypsum, peat 222 15. Graves 220 26. Lime, graves 219 44. >Vood-ashes, salt 219 APPENDIX. 345 No, 37. 43. 16. 45. 47. 42. 46. 33. 36. 38. 13. 32. 30. 3. 56. 60. 31. 14. 6. 12. 25. 50. 24. 7. 55 19. 58. 9. 29. 51. 57. 48. Produce. Gypsum, wood-ashes - - - - 218 lbs. Wood-ashes, peat 217 Lime, sulphuric acid - - - - 213 Wood-ashes, decayed leaves - - 213 Wood-ashes, malt-dust - - - - 213 Wood-ashes, dung - - - - 210 Wood-ashes, bone-dust - - - - 208 Gypsum, dung ----- 207 Gypsum, bone-dust . - - - 206 Gypsum, dry leaves - - - - 205 Rotted dung 201 Lime, salt, gypsum, peat . . - 201 Lime, salt, dung 199 Salt 198 Decayed leaves, dimg - - - - 198 Graves, salt - - - - - - 195 Lime, peat, dung 19-1 Bone-dust 193 Soot 192 Fresh dung 192 Lime, bone-dust ----- 190 Malt-dust, salt 189 Lime, dung ------ 188 Wood-ashes ------ 187 Decayed leaves, salt . - - - 187 Lime, wood-ashes - - - - • 185 Peat-ashes, salt 185 Malt-dust 184 Lime, salt, peat - - - - - 183 Peat, dung 183 Peat-ashes, dung 183 Saw-dust, dung 180 q3 346 APPENDIX. No. Produce. 49. Saw-dust, salt 180 lbs. 22. Lime, peat 17a 5. Gypsum - - - - - -178 54. Peat, bone-dust 178 11. Decayed leaves - . - - 175 28. Lime, sulphuric acid, salt - - 175 53. Peat, decayed leaves - - - - 172 23. Lime, decayed leaves - - - - 171 52. Peat, salt 171 59. Peat-ashes, lime - - - - -171 2. Sulphuric acid - - - - - 170 17. Lime, salt 167 20. Lime, saw-dust 166 10. Peat 159 1. No manure -.---- 157 8. Saw-dust 155 4. Lime 150 27. Lime, pond-mud - - - - - 150 The final result of these experiments not only tends to ascertaui some doubtful facts, but leads, it is presumed, to some important conclusions. The first article used as manui'e is sulphuric acid. The use of this substance was first suggested, if I mistake not, by the late ingenious Dr. G. Fordyce ; whether it ever was brought to the test of experiment, I am not able to ascertain. It appears, however, that its effects are bene- ficial ; but whether those effects are produced by its assisting in the decomposition* of animal or vegetable matter in the soil, by stimulating the organs of the plant, or by supplying it with oxygen, are questions which I * Not by decompounding but by stimulating. — H. D. APPENDIX. 347 will not take upon me to answer. Dr. George Fordyce, if I remember right, leans to the latter opinion.* In experiment No. 16, where the sulphuric acid is com- bined with lime, my object was to try the effect of an artificial gypsum, in which, however, the lime very much predominated. A reference to the foregoing table wUI shew that it may be used with considerable efficacy. The expense of gypsum in many parts of the kingdom, remote from where it is found, admitting not of its being applied to agricultural purposes, it occurred to me that a factitious gypsum might be a valuable succedaneum. In experiment No. 28, the sulphuric acid being diluted with a sufficient quantity of water, and the salt mixed with it, the whole was thrown upon the unslaked lime ; by this commixture of sulphuric acid and salt, I was of opinion that the marine acid would fly off, leaving the soda; and that the heat and effervescence excited by slaking the lime might possibly assist in the operation. If we compare this experiment with No. 4, it certainly is not without a beneficial effect ; but whether in conse- quence of the expulsion of marine acid, it may be difficult to determine. Opinions have been long divided on the subject of sea- salt as a manure. From this set of experiments, at least, there is reason to conclude it possesses considerable activity. It is matter of observation, that in thirteen dif- ferent combinations of salt -with other substances, four only are superior to salt used alone — namely, No. 32, * His experiments with sulphuric acid will be found among the papers of the Board of Agriculture during the reign of Sinclair. — H. D. ^48 APPENDIX. 41, 30, and 44; and in eight out of thirteen the salt added to the efficacy of the matters combined with it ; — as, for example, No. Produce. 4. Lime alone gives . - . . - 150 lbs. Combined with salt, No. 17, the produce is 167 Superiority - - 17 22. Lime and peat give - - - - 179 29. Ditto, with the additiou of salt 183 Superiority - - 4 6. Soot 192 41. Soot and salt 270 Superiority 48 44. Wood-ashes and salt - - - - 219 7. Wood-ashes 187 Superiority 32 8. Saw-dust - - - - - -155 49. Saw-dust and salt - ~ - - - 180 Superiority - - 25 9. Mall-dust 184 50. Malt-dust and salt 189 Superiority - - 5 11. Decayed leaves . - - - - 175 55. Decayed leaves and salt - - - - 187 Superiority 12 24. Lime and dung - - - - - 188 30. Lime, dung, and salt - - - - 199 Superiority 11 In four instances, the salt appears to have done harm : 16. Artificial gypsum 213 28. Artificial gypsum and salt - - - 175 Superiority - - 38 APPENDIX. 349 No. Produce. 16. Artificial gypsum 213 lbs. 32. Lime, peat, gypsum, and salt - - - 201 Superiority - - 12 14. Bone-dust 193 54. Bone-dust and salt - - - - - 178 Superiority - - 15 15. Graves 220 60. Graves and salt 195 Superiority - - 25 In the two last of the above experiments, possibly the antiseptic quality of the salt might retard the putre- factive process, so as to render the bone-dust and graves less efficacious than they would have been had the salt been omitted. Were I to hazard a conjecture on the general good effect of salt in these experiments, I should attribute it, in a considerable degree, to its property of attracting moisture; for I observed that those parts of the field where the salt was applied were for a considerable time visibly moister thixn the rest, — I mean, so long as the dry weather continued ; after the rains fell, that distinction, of course, wa& obliterated. But in none of these experiments have theory and prac- tice been so at variance as in the application of lime and its different combinations. The general good effect with which lime is applied led me to expect that, though the simple application of it might not prove strikingly b6ne- licial, yet combined with other manures, and those so dif- ferent in their qualities, its effects could not but be obvious. 350 APPENDIX. No. 4, lime alone, and No. 27, combined with pond- mud, are the least productive. In sixteen experiments it does not appear to have been particularly efficacious, except in four instances ; Avhen applied by itself, it does harm rather than good, producing only 1501b. The produce of No. 27, when mixed with the pond-mud, is the same. This latter fact is rather curious.* The soil on which the experiment was tried was a loose ferru- ginous sand, but was brought to its present texture by a very thick covering of pond mud ; so that it received no accession of fertility by the additional quantity that was given to it, nor did the lime meet with anything to operate upon in that additional quantity, which was not in the soil before. Gypsum, though used with great success on the Con- tinent and in America, has not hitherto been considered as a very efficacious manure by the English farmer. My experiments, however, induce me to think very favour- ably of it, especially when combined with other sub- stances. No. Produce. 5. Gypsum .._--- 178 lbs. 1. No manure ------ 157 Superiority - - 21 32. Lime, salt, peat, and gypsum - - - 201 29. Lime, salt, and peat - - - - 183 Superiority - - IS 33. Gypsum, dung 207 12. Dung - - 192 Superiority - - 15 * Probably the mud was little else than clay or sandy matter ; and if so, -would be harmful. — H. D. APPENDIX. 351 No. Produce. 39. Gypsum and peat 222 lbs. 10. Peat 159 Superiority - - 63 35. Gypsum and graves .... 250 15. Graves 220 Superiority 30 36. Gypsum and bone-dust - - - - 206 14. Bone-dust 193 Superiority - - 13 37. Gypsum and wood-ashes - - - - 218 7. Wood-ashes 187 Superiority 31 38. Gypsum and dried leaves, not decayed - 205 11. Decayed leaves - - . ^ - 175 Superiority - - 30 To these instances v^^e may add No. 16, factitious gpsum. The most striking of these experiments is No. 35 ; and it is to be remarked, in general, that previous to the middle of July, the plants where the gypsum had been used gave no indication of superiority ; their subsequent vigour can be accounted for on no other ground than on the supposition that the septic quality of the gypsum had not, till then, produced its effects in the decomposition of the substances (the wood-ashes excepted) which the gyp- sum was combined with.* * Or that the gypsum impeded the absorption of the mucilage in the graves, although it continued to stimulate ; for in this case we had two kinds of manures— 'viz., a stimu- lating and a nutritious one. — H. D. 352 APPENDIX. Of soot, the most remarkable circumstance is its efficacy in combination with salt, in experiment 41, and this efficacy I am disposed to attribute to a property in salt taken notice of before — namely, its attraction of moisture ; a property which could not fail of being beneficial when the salt was combined with so hot and dry a manure as soot^ which, from its acrid nature, requires to be much diluted. It was expected that wood-ashes, from the power which alkaline salts have of decomposing animal and vegetable matter, would have been more efficacious than they appear to have been by these experiments. By referring, how- ever, to the foregoing table, it will be seen that they have in no instance been applied without efficacy. The article of which I had the greatest doubt was saw- dust, from its known effect of destroying weeds -when spread tolerably thick on gravel Avalks. In the first stages, indeed, of the business, it was very unpromising. The plants at first were very backward and sickly; by degrees, however, they recovered themselves, which I attributed to the acid, or tanning principle in the saw-dust being spent or washed out by the subsequent rains. That the saw- dust, even after it had lost its tanning principle, should have no material operation on the soil the first year is not to be wondered at, as the carbon, which is its principal ingredient, will remain for some time in a state of great insolubility. There can be little doubt of its effects being very apparent at a future season. It will be seen, by referring to the former tables, that malt-dust is very immediate in its operations ; but from the last table it would appear that its effects are not so APPENDIX. 353 permanent as some other manures of slower dissolution, and which require longer time before they can be decom- posed and become soluljle in water. Though malt- dust may possess no durable property, yet its immediate and powerful operation in promoting a rapid vegetation points it out as a valuable manure, espe- cially when it can be used as a top-dressing to plants in an advanced state of growth. In this mode I have used it, in a set of experiments unconnected with the present, with the greatest success, applying it to the potato crop immediately before earthing up. The peat in the part of the country where these expe- riments are tried containing a considerable proportion of oxyde of iron, I was not very sanguine in my expectations of any very powerful effect from it, in whatever form it might be applied, on a soil of which the iron it already contains constitutes about a fifty-seventh part. Leaves, in a state of imperfect decay, bearing no very remote re- semblance to peat in its simple state, uncombined with iron or sulphur, I wished to compai'e them together. I had, however, another object in view in introducing leaves into the experiment, which was, to recommend a practice, too much neglected, of collecting them in the autumn, (when it can be conveniently done,) either to be laid in a heap to ferment and rot, or to be mixed with dung ; or which, perhaps, is a better way still, to furnish litter for the fold-yard, mixuig with them a due proportion of straw or stubble. When singly applied, the advantage in this experiment is in favour of decayed leaves ; in combination with other substances, they appear nearly upon a par. It is usually calculated that three, if not four, loads of 354 APPENDIX. fresh dung from the fold-yard will be required to make one load after the dung has undergone the putrefactive process. I wished, therefore, to institute a comparison between them in these two different stages, with a view to ascertain the advantage or disadvantage of the usual method of not laying on dung till it is completely or nearly rotted. In this comparison I tried only three bushels of fresh dung against one of rotted dimg. No. Produce. 13. Rotted dung* 201 lbs. 12. Fresh dung 192, Superiority in favour of rotted dung - 9 The experiment, however, does not termmate here: their comparative effects must be pursued through subse- quent seasons till the soU requires to be renovated afresh. It is reasonable to conclude that the dung which is now laid on fresh will continue its efficacy after the rotted dung is exhausted. Dung combined with soot, No. 39 ; with wood-ashes, No. 42 ; and wth gypsum. No. 33, seems to have been benefited by the combination ; but its greatest effects are to be looked for in the succeeding crop. Bone-dust being of difficult dissolution, it was natural to suppose its effects would be considerably augmented by combination with such substances as would assist in its decomposition. The justice of this opinion will appear by * It must be a most wasteful custom to keep dung till it is further putrefied, because the sole use of the putrefactive pro- cess is to break down the texture to fit the matter for disso- lution and absorption, in which state fresh dung is already. Straw is not so ; it should be rotted ; so should saw-dust. — H.D. APPENDIX. 355 comparing the effect of bone-dust when used by itself, and when in combination with gypsum, or wood-ashes.* No. Produce. 36. Bone-dust and gypsum - . - - 206 lbs. 14. Bone-dust - 193 Superiority - 13 46. Wood-ashes and bone-dust - 208 7. Wood-ashes - 187 Superiority - - 21 Bones are a manure as efficacious as permanent, and consequently they should be collected wherever they are to be met with — a practice, however, which is never attended to by the farmer, except in situations where there are mills for grinding them. Of the same nature with bone-dust are chandlers' graves ; but from their more rapid tendency to become putrid and soluble in water, their operation as manure is also more rapid. Of the fifteen simple manures, chandlers' graves stand first, as they do also in combination ; though soot, in com- bination, is scarcely inferior. The operation of every manure must, in a greater or less degree, be influenced by the quality of the soil on which it is applied. That every possible light may be thrown on the subject of these experiments, I have subjoined an analysis of the soil on which they were tried.f Four * The superiority was from the stimulating quality of the gypsum and wood-ashes. — H. D. ■f These analyses were made by Sir H. Davy, as appears from the letters between him and Mr. Cartwright, at p. 206. — Editor. 356 APPENDIX. hundred grains gave of siliceous sand of different degrees of fineness about — Grains. 280 Of finely divided matter, whicli appeared in the form of clay 104 Loss in water - - - - - - -16 400 The 104 grains of finely-divided matter contained Of carbonate of lime 18 Oxyde of iron -------7 Loss by incineration, most probably from vegetable decomposing matter 17 Remainder principally silex and alumine. There was no indication of gypsum or phosphate of lime. This analysis accounts, not unsatisfactorily, for two at least of the phenomena in the foregoing experiments — namely, the great activity of gypsum, and the inutility of peat-ashes. The soil, containing in itself no gypsum, re- ceives from the application of that mineral an accession of active power which it wanted ; and having already more than a necessary share of iron in. its composition, it be- comes, by the addition of peat-ashes, supersaturated with that which in certain proportions is an invigorating stimu- lant, but when too abundant, operates as a poison. Two sets of experiments, and with the same proportion of manures, were tried, on a soil of a very different nature, with buck-w^heat and turnips. As my object in these two sets of experiments was to try the intrinsic effects of APPENDIX. 357 manures, unaided by any vegetating principle in the soil, I chose the poorest I could meet with. Of its poverty judgment may be made by the following analysis :- • Grains. 400 grains gave, of siliceous sand ... 320 Of finely divided matter, which appeared as broAvn mould - 68 Loss in water 12 400 The finely divided matter lost nearly half its weight by incineration, which shews that it contained a gi-eat deal of vegetable matter. The residuum was principally a mix- ture of aluminous and siliceous earths, coloured red by oxyde of iron, and containing very little calcareous matter. There was no indication of either gypsum or phosphate of lime. The detail of these experiments will be short. July 6th, 180.1, I sowed one piece with turnips, the other with buck-wheat. On the 26th of the same month, each piece was examined minutely. Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 49, 50, 54, 58, 60, shewed little or no marks of vegetation. The rest were only in the seed leaf. On the 16th of August, one-half of the turnips and about two- thirds of the buck-wheat were dead. From that period to the 15th of September, after a few alternations of health and sickness, the turnips all died away, except Nos. 12, 18, 21, 24, 25, 26, 30, 35, 39, 42, 47, 56. On these experiments I have to observe, generally, that where the manures made use of, whether stimulant or nu- tritive, (as, for instance, salt or malt-dust, did not contri- 358 APPENDIX. bute in some degree to the texture and consistence of the soil, the plants scarcely got into the seed leaf; and that what little health and vigour they afterwards possessed seemed to depend more on the texture and consistence which the soil acquired from the respective manures, than on any other circumstance. Hence the beneficial effects of lime on these soils, as also of clay and argillaceous marls. It may not be foreign to the purpose of this essay to observe, that adjoining to the piece where these experi- ments were tried is a field of the same original quality, which within these few years has been reclaimed from a state of nature, and brought into a state of cultivation and fertiUty, chiefly by improving its texture by a thick coat of marly clay. Enough has been said, it is presumed, in the detail of the foregoing experiments, to shew the general nature and properties of manures. Respecting their application, I have to observe, that the circumstance of most importance to attend to is the texture of the soil ; where it is too loose, such manures should be applied as will add as much as possible to its solidity and consistence, such as marly clay, lime, thoroughly digested dung, graves, or any other unctuous and fertilizing substance which is of little bulk, and which, when reduced to its first principles by decom- position, will not increase the openness and porosity of the soil. For stronger soils I should recommend, not only semi- digested dung, but dung or litter even in as fresh a state as it could conveniently be applied. Decayed leaves, also, are an excellent manure for strong land ; being of APPENDIX. 359 very slow dissolution, when once mixed with the soil it is a long time before they permit it to resume its natural tenacity. Lime, also, is beneficially applied to strong as well as light land ; being more open in its texture and less adhesive than clay, and less open in its texture and more adhesive than sand, it is applied with equal benefit to soils of either description. I am speaking now merely of its mechanical agency, but of all ameliorating applications to strong land, perhaps sand is the best. The reason is too obvious to insist upon. Besides a general knowledge of the nature and properties of the manures he employs, the farmer should also be ac- quainted with the component parts of the soil he intends they should operate upon ; otherwise he may be in danger of aggravating its defects, or, at least, wasting his efforts to no purpose. As a general rule it may be observed, that no mineral manure should be applied to a soil abounding in the same mineral already. As mineral manures appear to operate more by their chemical agency than in any other way, their principal use seems to be to correct and neutralize what is noxious in the original composition of the soil, and to assist in the decomposition of those substances which, in their present state of insolubility, are useless. For the purpose of preparing fold or stable manure for the field, it has been proposed to manufacture it (if I may so express myself) under covered buildings, with a view of defending it from the influence of the elements. In this there is certainly more of refinement than practical utilit}'. Add to this the inconvenience of having to carry the ma- nure perhaps a mile or two, at a time when, if it were even 360 APPEXDIX. laid in the very field where it is wanted, the farmer can hardly find time to spread it before the seed ought to be in the ground. It is needless to dwell upon the expensiveness of this plan. Landlords already find the providing and keeping in repair such buildings as are of unavoidable necessity a tax sufficiently heavy, without incumbering themselves with others, which, perhaps, their tenants would not thank them for. The most advantageous, and in the end, perhaps the cheapest way, is, to form the dunghill, or compost heap, as near to the field where it is to be used as conveniently may be. It is true, more labour is required in the first in- stance ; biit labour is of different value at difierent seasons. The farmer can better appropriate four days, at some seasons of the year, to the leading his dung from the fold- yard to the field, that it may be ready against the time it is wanted, than he can spare one day in the hurry of seed time. In forming a dunghill, it is of more importance than is commonly imagined to mix a certain portion of soil with it. When dung is formed into a heap by itself, it is exposed on all sides to the rain and to the exhaling influence of the sun and wind ; by mixing and covering it with soil, these inconveniences may in a great measure be prevented. But this is not all ; a dunghill thrown up in a common Avay loses, by unavoidable drainage and evaporation, a greater proportion of its fertilizing principles than can be well calculated. "What it loses by drainage is, indeed, obvious to the eye ; and it is eas}'' to conceive what it must lose by evaporation, by only observing the steam which is perpe- APPENDIX. 361 tually rising from it during its fermentation. But when soil is mixed with it, the drainage is prevented, and the gaseous fluid and volatile alkah, which would otherwise flj oft", are prevented from escaping ; or, if they quit the dimghill, are absorbed and retained by the soil. To ascertain how far soil, when only laid upon a dung- hill, absorbs and retains those fertilizing principles which would otherwise be lost in the atmosphere, I took from an old hot-bed, which had been employed through the winter in forcing asparagus, as much soil as would fill a trench one foot deep and six feet square. From the same heap of earth whence this soil was taken, but which had been fallow through the winter, I filled another trench of the same dimensions. I planted the two with lettuces, all, as nearly as possible, of equal size and vigour. When fiiU grown, I drew and weighed them. The produce of the first trench was 42 lb. ; of the latter, 33 lb. If the increased fertility of soil is so great from merely lying on the surface of a dunghill, what must it be when generally mixed with it? To this it may perhaps be objected, that by mixing soil with dung you impede or retard its fer- mentation. This, however, ought to be no objection; unless the farmer is hurried in point of time, as dung can- not ferment too slowly. In forming a compost heap, the farmer cannot bring together too many or too discordant ingredients, as they will all mutually assist in the decomposition of each other. Amongst other articles, I particularly recommend bones, unless where there is a bone-mill. These should be laid in the middle of the heap, where the fermentation is greatest. When the heap is removed, the bones are to E 362 APPENDIX. be taken out and put into the next compost heap that may be made, as they will undergo a partial dissolution in every heap which they are put into ; each heap will, as far as that dissolution goes, be benefited by them, till at length the bones are totally dissolved. Before I conclude this essay, it may be necessary to observe, that it has been my endeavour (and in which I am willing to hope I have succeeded) to express myself in such terms as to be intelligible, not only to the theoretical and scientific, but to the mere practical farmer. I have endeavoured also to avoid, as much as possible, indulging in theory and hypothesis. Though the inferences which I have occasionally drawn seem warranted by the facts that have presented themselves, yet are they offered with the greatest diffidence. Sensible of the uncertainty attendant on experiments, liable not only to the influence of latent, and perhaps inscrutable, causes in the element in which they have been tried, but subject also to every variation of the atmosphere, it would have been rashness and pre- sumption to have spoken with absolute decision on points which possibly may yet require many years, if not ages, to determine. APPENDIX. 363 G. MANCHESTER ItlEMORIAL, AUGUST, 1807. (See p. 222.) To His Grace the Duke of Portland, First Lord, and the other Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury. The Memorial of the undersigned inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood of Manchester, Sheweth, — That the great advantages which have arisen to this country from the increase of its manufactures, and the consequent extension of its commerce, have been chiefly derived from the application of the powers of water and steam to the operations of spinning and weaving, which before were performed by the slow, expensive, and less effectual strength of man. That the Reverend Edmund Cartwright, D.D., by his various useful inventions to render the process of weaving practicable by the above powers, as well as by his ma- chines for combing wool, and other mechanical inventions for the improvement of British manufactures, has ren- dered most essential services to this country. That the continued application of Dr. Cartwright to the discovery and improvement of these inventions, has not only deprived him of the pecuniary advantages which he might have derived from them, but has caused him to ex- pend a large private fortune in bringing to perfection his valuable inventions. 364 APPENDIX. That, under these circumstances, your Memorialists humbly hope that Government will be pleased to reward his important services with some substantial mark of their favour and the gratitude of the country. Peter Marsland. Samuel Oldknow. John Marsland. Hen. and J. Barton & Co. B. H. Green. John Fisher. Nathaniel Gould. Samuel Greg. Peter Ewart. J. Jackson. Richard Rushford. J. Gill. W. Potter. Roger Holland. Horrocks & Co., Preston. J.Watson & Sons,Preston. Paul Cotterall and Co., Preston. Sidgreaves, Leighton, and Co., Preston. Riley,Paley,&Co.Preston. Robert and W. Jarrett. Ottiwell Wood. John Lowe. Josephus Smith. Thomas Tipping. James Heald. Henry Fielding & Brothers. William Starkie. G. Philips. John Atkinson. John Close. Thomas Drinkwater. Ch. Fred. Brand & Co. R. and J. Jackson. Charles Wood & Co. Samuel Peel. James Touchet. Joshua Barnsley. William Mitchell. Entwistles & Steirtivant. W. Myers and Nephew. Joseph Siddon, borough- reeve of Manchester. APPENDIX. 365 H. LIST OF DR. CARTWRIGHT'S PATENTS. 1. A machine for weaving, April 4, 1785. 2. Improvements m the same, October 30, 1786. 3. Further improvements, August 1, 1787. 4. Further improvements, November 13, 1788. 5. "Wool-combing machine, August 22, 1789. 6. Further improvements in wool-combing, April 27, 1790. 7. Further improvements, December 1 1 , 1790. 8. For manufacturing wool, hemp, flax, &c., into yam, twist, ropes, &c., May 15, 1792. 9. Improvement in the form of bricks, April 14, 1795. 10. Incombustible material for dwelling-houses, October 11, 1797. 11. Steam-engine, November 11, 1797. 12. Improvements in steam-engines, February 5, 1801. r2 INDEX. Agkicitltube, Mr, Cartwright's Essay on, 203. Archimedes screw applied by Fulton to propelling vessels, 144, 154. Arkwright, Sir R., introduces machine spinning, 55. Armine and Elvira published, 1 3, 305. Arts, Society of, Mr. Cartwright's memorial to, 162 ; he ob- tains a medal from, 205. Baines' History of Cotton Manufacture quoted, 2 1 9, 223. Bardsley, Dr. S. A., his exertions in Dr. Cartwright's fa- vour, 220; his correspondence with Dr. C, 274, 277, 294 ; his letter to S. Oldknow, Esq. 299. Bedford, Francis, Duke of, 204. Big Ben, name given to Mr. Cartwright's wool-combing ma- chine, 103, 105. Biographers, advice to, 101. Bishop Blaize, 96 ; feast in honour of, 105. Board of Agriculture adjudges prizes to Mr. Cartwright, 203, 206, 210. Boat, Diving, Mr. Fulton's, 157. Borneo, importance of, 269. Bread-making machine, Mr. Cartwright's, 200. Bricks, Mr. Cartwright's patent, 115, 334. Browne, Hawkins, his " Essays" noticed, 283. INDEX. 367 Carriage, Locomotive, Dr. Cartwright's, 276. Carfwright family, history of, 4, 298. Cartwright, John, (afterwards Major,) letter from, 10; his action for invasion of patents, 174; his evidence before Parliament, 190 ; letter to, 257. Cartwright, Edmund, birth of, 4 ; entered at University Col- lege, Oxford, 6 ; publishes poems, 9, 13, 305 ; marries, and resides at Brampton, 18 ; cures fevers by yeast, 22 ; removes to Goadley, Marwood, 29 ; contributes to the Monthly Review, 30 ; Corresponds with Sir William Jones, 45, 328 ; intimacy with Mr. Crabbe, 47 ; his atten- tion turned to mechanics, 54 ; constructs his first power- loom, 58 ; makes further improvements, 64 ; sends a specimen of cloth to Jlrs. Crabbe, 70 ; removes to Don- caster, 70; erects a factory there, 76; letter from Dr. Thurlow, 77; encounters opposition, 80; publishes a new edition of his Poems, 89 ; first ideas for improving the steam-engine, 92 ; first patent for wool-combing, 96 ; further improvements in, 98 ; agrees with Messrs. Grim- shaws for power-looms to be used at Manchester, 107 ; misfortunes, 109 ; gives up his works at Doncaster, 110 ; his sonnet thereupon, 111 ; removes to London, 114; his patent bricks, 115, 334; incombustible material for houses, 119; application of the treadwheel to cranes, 120 ; his patent steam-engine, 122 ; improved rotatory engine, 131 ; constructs a model of a steam-boat, 134 ; corres- pondence with Mr. Fulton, 139 ; arbitrates respecting Mr. Fulton's diving-boat, 160; candidate for secretaryship of Society of Arts, 162; invasion of his patents, 173 ; trials respecting, 174 ; petitions Parliament for extension of his patents, 180 ; this object obtained, 196 ; letter to Sir J. Sinclair, 201 ; obtains a prize for an Essay on Agricul- ture, 203 ; removes to Woburn, 204 ; obtains a medal 368 INDEX. from Society of Arts, 205 ; and from Board of Agricul- ture, 206, 210, 337 ; correspondence with Sir H. Davy, 206 ; takes degree of D.D., 210 ; publishes sonnets, 210 ; great increase of power-looms, 213 ; memorial from Manchester in his favour, 222, 361 ; obtains a grant from Parliament, 236 ; retires to HoUanden, 241 ; fattens sheep with sugar, 244; correspondence with Dr. Pear- son, 246 ; Mr. Crabbe, 255 ; and Sir Stamford Raffles, 251 ; remedy for mildew, 259, 274; elected F.R.S., 263 ; correspondence with Dr. Bardsley, 274, 277 ; his loco- motive carriage, 276; his theory of the planetary system, 284 ; his explosive engine, 289 ; declining health, 296 ; decease, 297 ; notices of his life, 298. Gibber's Lives of the Poets, 34. Climacteric Thoughts, Poem on, 212. Cordelier, Mr. Cartwright's, 333. Crabbe, George, author of the " Candidate," 38 ; intimacy with Mr. Cartwright, 47 ; letters from, 50, 68, 75 ; ex- tract from his " Life," 243; letter to, 255. Cranes, Mr. Cartwright's application of the treadwheel to, 120. Davies, Mr. Thomas, his letter to ]Mr. Griffiths, 32. Davy, Sir H., Mr. Cartwright's correspondence with, 206 ; his notes on manures, 336. Diving-boat, Mr. Fulton's, 157. Doncaster, Mr. Cartwright's mill at, 76; relinquished, 110. Dry rice of Sumatra, how cultivated, 265. Durham, Bishop of, his letter to Mr. Cartwright, 77. Engine, explosive, Dr. Cartwright's plan for, 289. Factory system not necessarily demoralizing, 88, 228. Fever, putrid, cured by yeast, 22. INDEX. 369 Forgery of bank-notes, suggestion for preventing, 256, 269. Fulton, Robert, his plan for steam -navigation, 134, 144, 154 ; correspondence with Mr. Cartwright, 139 ; his rope- making machine, 146 ; his diving-boat, 157 ; negotiations •with government, 160. Fly -shuttle invented by Mr. Kay, 63. Griffiths, Mr., his correspondence with Mr. Cartwright 30, 90. Grimshaws, Messrs., agree with Mr. Cartwright for use of his power-looms, 107, 223; their factory burnt down, 188, 226. Gunpowder, engine to be worked by, 289. Hand-loom described, 60. Hasledine, Dr., his letter to Mr. Cartwright, 9. Hulls, Jonathan, his plan of steam-navigation, 137. Incombustible material for houses, 119. Java, cession of, to the Dutch, 267. Jones, Sir W., a candidate for Oxford university, 42 ; his letters to Dr. Cartwright, 45, 328. Langhorne, Dr., his friendship for Dr. Cartwright, 6 ; let- ters from, 12, 20. Literature, Royal Society of, 279. Living authors, number of, 286. Locomotive carriage. Dr. Cartwright's, 276. Loom, Power — See Power-loom. Loom, hand, described, 60. Machinery, its influence upon society, 84 ; increases the demand for labour, 202. 370 INDEX. Manchester, memorial from, in Dr. Cartwright's favour, 222, 361. Manures, Mr. Cartwright's prize essay on, 206, 337. Marsland, Mr. P., 216. Material, incombustible, for houses, 1 19. Mildew in wheat, Dr. Cartwright's remedy for, 254, 259, 274. Monthly Review, Mr. Cartwright writes for it, 30. Montgomery, James, letter to, 1 6. Oldknow, Samuel, Dr. Bardsley's letter to, 299, Paper, East Indian plants used in making, 270, Parliament, Mr. Cartwright's petition to, for extension of patents, 180 ; petitions against it, 193 ; petition to, for remuneration for power-loom, 222 ; grant from, to Dr. Cartwright, 236. Patents, list of Dr. Cartwright's, 365. Patent rights, Mr. Cartwright's action for invasion of, 1 74 ; insecurity of, 295, Patent for wool-combing renewed by Parliament, 196. Pearson, Dr., corresponds with Dr. Cartwright, 247,259,291. Perceval, Mr., proposes remuneration to Dr. Cartwright, 239, Piston, metallic, Mr. Cartwright's, 131, 152. Planetary system, Dr. Cartwright's new theory of, 284. Plough, Mr. Cartwright's three-furrow, 205. Potatoes, Mr. Cartwright's prize essay on, 210. Power-loom, first attempted by Mr. Cartwright, 58, 63; im- provements on, 64, 330; extensive use of, 214; supe- riority of, to hand-loom, 229 ; present amount of, 240. Prince of Peace, a Poem, by Mr, Cartwright, 14. Radcliffe, Mr. W., his machine for dressing warps, 218 ; his evidence before Parliament, 230 ; his misfortunes, 235. IXDEX. 371 Raffles, Sir Stamford, his correspondence ■svith Dr. Cart- wright, 251, 263. Reaping machine, Mr. Cartwright's, 201. Rope-making machine, Mr. Fulton's, 146 ; Mr. Cartwright's, 3.33. Rotatory engine, Mr. Cartwright's improved, 131. Royal Society of Literature, 279. Russell, Lord John, Dr. Cartwright's letters to, 210. Salt, use of, as a manure, 209, 339 ; as a remedy for mil- dew, 254, 259, 274. Scott, Sir Walter, his opinion of Armine and Elvira, 1 8. Shiells, Robert, a contributor to the " Lives of the Poets," 36. Sir J. Sinclair, letter to, 201. Spinning by machinery introduced by Sir R. Arkwright, 55 ; great extension of, 231. Stanhope, Earl of, his apprehensions respecting 3Ir. Fulton's diving-boat, 159. Steam-engine, Mr. Cartwright's first ideas for improving, 92 ; first patent for, 122 ; description of, 128 ; not invented by Watt, 195. Steam navigation, Mr. Cartwright's plan for, 134 ; Mr. Ful- ton's, 134, 144, 154 ; success of, 285. Stewart's History of the steam-engine quoted, 123, 137. Sugar, experiments on fattening sheep with, 244. Sympathy, sonnet on, 211. Tattlor, Charles, elected Secretary of Society of Arts, 1 72. Taylor, Joseph, his evidence before Parliament, 222. Thurlow, Dr., his letter to Mr. Cartwright, 77. Treadwheel, Mr. Cartwright's application of, to cranes, 120. Wallich, Dr., on plants for making paper, 270. Warp, Mr. Radcliffe's machine for dressing, 218. 372 INDEX. Weaving by hand, 60 ; by machinery — see Power-loom. Wheat, mildew in, Dr. Cartwright's remedy for, 254, 259, 274. Woburn, Mr. Cartwright's residence at, 205. Wool-combing machine, Mr. Cartwright's earliest patent for, 96 ; last improvements in, 98 ; patent rights invaded, 174 ; patent rights renewed, 196. Wray, Rev. W. A., letter to, 71. Wyatt, Mr. James, 114. Wyatt, W. H., editor of the Repertory of Arts, 118. Yeast, a cure for putrid fever, 22. ERRATA. Page 5, line II, /or Ayho, read Aynho. 10, — 6, — four, — five. 74, — 11, — in which, — and in the evidence before parliament. 98, — 14, — 25th, — 15th. 103, — 1", — nine, — eight. 193, — 16, — effect, — affect. T. C. SaviU, Printer, 107, St. Martin's Lane. fi *■ .k.-i^: '^Z /?7c^" e^v^:j-^ y/v^*-^~A^- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT UOS ANGELES THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY UNIVERSITY of CALiFC AT LOS ANGELES LIBRARY UC 5,?,4™ERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY A 000 506 220 3