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143+ Memoir of the Lifé of Mr. Cartwright.[March

his reſolution to make the experiment himſelf. This caſual con- verſation gave birth to his firſt mechanical invention, à loom working by machinery.

[t may be ſaid, indeed, to have given birth to every fubſequent one, as it dire&ted the current of his thoughts into that particular channel in which they had never flowed before.

As ſoon as he had brought the. above piece of machinery to its

‘requiſite degree of perfection, one of the firſt houſes at that times

in Mancheſter, contracted with him for five hundred looms, and éreâted a mill for their reception, one hundred and thirty ſix yards în one extent; the largeſt manufa@uring mill, we believe, that has yet been cre&ted, As ſoon as it was underſtood what the mill was deſigned for, anonymous letters were written, threatening its deſtru@tion, and which, indeed, took place in leſs than Aa month; but whether by accident, or deſign, never was aſcer- tained.

Were we to give all the particulars of this gentleman's hiſtory 4s a mechanician, it would much exceed the limits that can be aſſigned to this biographical ſketch. We muſt not however omit mentioning, that maſter-piece of mechanical ingenuity, his ma- chine for combing wool; which, whether we conſider the mecha- niſm of its parts, the extent of its application, or the originality of the conception itſelf; we ſhall not heſitate to pronounce one óf thefirſt and moſt important diſcoveries of modérn times. We 2re- ſorry to learn, that the introduGion of this invaluable

_ machine, has been much impeded i the combinations of the dt

w ool-combers, on the one hand, and the piracies of unprincipled

on the other. In the improvements he has made

on the ſteam-engine, he ſeems to have accompliſhed every thing that ſtupenduous power is capable of, by taking away the greatett part of its friCtiorn, and making a perfe vacuum. In doing theſe, he has ſo ſimplified the conſtruétion of the engine, as to make it manageable by a common ſervant.

In the early part of life, this gentleman was as eminent for literary attainments, as he has ſince been for thoſe leſs ſplendid, though not leſs valuable, ones, which intitle him to 2 place in theſe pages. That hé ſhines, no leſs as a poet, than as a mecha- nician, muſt be-admitted by every one who has read his celebrated poem, Armine and Elvira, a legendary tale; a poem which has gone through more editions, and has had more imitators, than moſt performances of that kind.

In a work profeſfing to have the intereſts of agriculture, as one of it&principal obje&s, it is incumbent upon us to notice that Mr. Cartwright has paid much attention to the theory and prac- tice of this moſt uſeful of all arts; and has been very ſucceſsful in trying many valuable experiments, as in inventing ſeveral agri- cultural machines, and improving others.