left hand of the distaff spinner draws it from the distaff, the second pair supplied the place of the right hand and stretched it to the proper fineness. From the second pair the thread passed to a spindle in front of the machine; this twisted the thread and wound it upon a bobbin. The different revolutions of the rollers were regulated by brass wheels or clock-work, and the spindles were turned by strings from a drum. See plates 8 and 9. Highs employed Kay to make this machine, giving him a model in wood, which Kay executed in metal, and soon after it was completed Kay went to live at Warrington, his former place of residence before he lived at Leigh. This second machine, now called the Water Frame, or Throstle, requires considerable power to put it in motion, and can only be worked to advantage in factories, which, before the application of the Steam Engine, as a moving power, were turned by water falls, and hence came the name of Water Frame. The Yarn spun on the Water Frame is much harder twisted than yarn spun on the Jenny, and on that account is more peculiarly adapted for warps. Until the introduction of the Mule, the yarn or twist for warps was spun from cotton in the Water Frame factories, whilst the weft was spun by the families of the weavers, on the Jenny, which requires no power but the hand of the spinner, and which is equally well calculated for the factory or the cottage.

Highs kept the Water Frame as secret as possible; it was his favourite invention, and he promised himself much future advantage from it. The Jenny he made public; but the Roller Spinning he endeavoured to keep to himself, until he could raise money sufficient to establish a factory. In his evidence, given in the Court of King's Bench, in the trial of the King against Arkwright, in June, 1785, he says he did not follow up the invention because he wanted means, being poor and having a large family, but thought to follow it up when he became a little abler, and could get a friend to assist him.

The interview at the Inn, at Manchester, between him and Arkwright, described in his simple and unassuming manner, is highly pathetic and interesting. See Appendix No. 3.

The Carding Engine.

The invention of the Jenny and Water Frame caused an increased demand for cardings and rovings, and the carders were soon unable to furnish the necessary supply. Stock Cards were introduced. In this improvement the cards are double the size of hand cards. One is fixed to a stool or stock, and the other combed against it with both hands-but these did not afford an adequate quantity, the difficulty, however, was finally obviated by the invention of the Carding Engine.

The Carding Engine was not invented at once, nor by any particular individual, but was the result of a succession of improvements, made at various times, and by different persons. In this machine a wooden cylinder, covered with cards, turning on an horizontal axis, revolves immediately under a concave cover; this cover is also lined with cards, and the teeth of the cards on the cylinder and of those on the cover, are nearly in contact. Originally, the cotton was spread upon the cylinder, and the cylinder by its revolutions carded the cotton against the teeth on the cover: the cotton was then taken off the cylinder by hand cards held against it. A great improvement was afterwards made by adding a second cylinder, which took the cotton off the first as fast as it was carded, and a roller, fluted longitudinally, and turning on an horizontal axis, pressed against this second cylinder and rubbed off the carded cotton in stripes. The inventor and improver of this machine are unknown.

In 1772, John Lees invented the Feeder. In this improvement the cotton is spread upon an endless piece of cloth, stretched upon two rollers; as the rollers revolve the cloth moves nearly in contact with the first cylinder, which takes the cotton from the cloth. Other improvements have been added: the cotton is now taken from the Feeder by two small rollers; these pass it to another small

roller, which last delivers it to the cylinder. See plate 10, fig. 2. The fluted roller, in rubbing off the cotton, injured the cards, and was in other respects awkward and inconvenient.

In 1772, James Hargrave, the improver of the Jenny, invented the Crank and Comb, a curious and most ingenious contrivance for taking the cotton off the cylinder. A thin plate of steel, toothed at the edge like a tennant saw, is worked in a perpendicular direction by a crank, and striking at short intervals against the cylinder, shaves off the cotton in fleeces or cardings. See plate 10, figs. 2 and 3. The cards were nailed on both cylinders in longitudinal stripes, each stripe of card being placed parallel to the axis of the cylinder. These stripes were five or six inches broad, and from twelve to twenty inches long, according to the length of the cylinder. In the circumference of the second cylinder there were eight or ten stripes, and as the spaces between these stripes did not act upon the carded cotton, the fleece was broken off at each interstice; these broken fleeces were by the Crank and Comb, divided into four or more cardings, each carding being about an inch in diameter and twelve or twenty inches long.

In 1773, Thomas Highs, and in 1774, a Mr. Wood, obtained a perpetual or endless carding, by nailing the cards on the second cylinder circularly, instead of longitudinally. Highs used two cylinders equal in size; Mr. Wood's second cylinder was smaller than his first. In this improvement the stripes of card go round the cylinder, instead of being placed parallel to its axis, and as there is no break, space, or interstice in the circumference of the second cylinder, it takes the cotton from the first in a uniform and unbroken fleece. See plate 10, figs. 4 and 5. Hargrave's Comb separates this fleece from Mr. Wood's cylinder without destroying its continuity, and it afterwards passes through a funnel, and between two rollers into a tin can. See plate 10, figs. 1, 2 and 3. The cardings are then taken to the Roving Frame; the Roving Frame consists of a system of rollers and spindles similar to those in the Water Frame; the rollers draw the cardings out of the can and lengthen them, and the necessary twist is given by the spindles. See plate 11, figs. 1 and 2.

Mr. Arkwright, in his Roving Frame, used a can revolving on a vertical axis; this can had the same effect as the spindles in twisting the rovings, and was used for that purpose as early as 1759, by Benjamin Butler. See plate 11, fig. 3.

Some Account of the Life of Sir Richard Arkwright.

Sir Richard Arkwright was a rare instance of one, who from a very inferior situation in life, by dint of indefatigable perseverence, unity of object and able management of the men he had to deal with, amassed a large fortune and raised himself to great eminence. With no original invention to boast of in the department of mechanics, to which he devoted himself, he possessed unwearied zeal and patience in obtaining the discoveries of others, and great skill in combining them and turning them to his own purposes. Whether he had a natural turn for the mechanics, or whether he had sharp sightedness and sagacity enough to discover the land of promise through the haze which surrounded him, and was thus induced to seek after inventions for spinning, does not appear; but he had the same appaling obstacle to surmount which Highs himself had-the res angusta domi-nothing could be done by either, without capital. The modest spirit of Highs shrunk from the humiliation of soliciting partnerships or patronage; he was incapable of dressing up his projects and expectations in the pomp of promise and the alluring colours of confident prediction and plausible calculations-a quality much more necessary to a projector than the real merits of his scheme. Highs' proper arena was in his garret, among his wheels and machines; it was here that his peaceful successes were achieved; but the sphere of Arkwright was in the world and amongst men. It was there that his bustling activity was in its proper element, and there that his successes equalled those of Highs in his garret. Arkwright succeeded very unaccountably in finding fresh partnerships, though former ones were dissolved in consequence of their not answering, and he always came richer from the misfortune, like Anteus, who in his falls gained strength from his mother earth.

Richard Arkwright was born at Preston, in the county of Lancaster, on the 23rd of December, 1732.* In the year 1760, he lived at Bolton-le-moors, in the same county. At this time he was a barber, but soon after he travelled through the country buying human hair. He possessed a valuable chemical secret for dying it, and when it was dyed and prepared he sold it to the wig makers. Mr. Richardson, hair dresser, of Leigh, tells me that Arkwright's hair was esteemed the best in the country.

In 1761, Arkwright married Margaret Biggins, of the township of Pennington, and parish and town of Leigh, and his marriage brought him acquainted with Highs and his inventions. His knowledge of them, however, was not obtained from Highs himself; he went to work in a more crafty and circuitous manner. Having learnt that Kay, who then resided in Warrington, had been Highs' workman, he introduced himself to Kay in the summer of 1767, by employing him to turn some brass, or wheels, and when he had called two or three times on Kay, he took him to a public house and treated him with wine, telling him that he was endeavouring to discover the perpetual motion, and that the turned brass was for a machine on that principle. Kay dissuaded him from the attempt, and advised him to turn his attention to making a machine for spinning cotton. Ah! said Arkwright, that will never be brought to bear; several gentlemen have almost ruined themselves by it. Kay replied he could bring it to bear. This was exactly what Arkwright wanted, and the following morning, early, he went to Kay's bedside, reminded him of their last night's conversation, and eventually succeeded in procuring from him a model of Highs' machine, the Water Frame, or Throstle. In this model Arkwright found the perpetual motion he wanted, as well as the philosopher's stone.

* The following certificate is copied from the Parish Register of Preston Church:-"Christen"ings in December, 1732. Richard, son of Thomas Arkwright, born 23rd, baptized 31st." The above is truly copied from the Register of baptisms for the Parish of Preston, for the year 1732. Witness my hand, this seventh day of August, 1823,

Anthony Hammond, Curate.

The following certificate is copied from the Parish Register of Leigh Church:-"Banns of mar"riage. Richard Arkwright, of the Parish of Bolton, Barber, and Margaret Biggins, of this Parish of "Pennington, Spinster, were married in this Church, by licence, with consent, this twenty-fourth day of "March, in the year one thousand seven hundred and sixty-one, by me Ja: Hartley, Curate. This mar"riage was solemnized between us, Richard Arkwright, Margaret Biggins. In the presence of S. "Simpson, Lawrence Brandwood. No. 100."

A true copy, taken from the Parish Register, by me Samuel Whittle, Parish Clerk, March 6, 1822.