324 A BRIEF MEMOIR 



were contributed bv the Swiss and French 

 spinners, who acknowledged his merits and pitied 

 his misfortunes. At the same time his portrait was 

 engraved for his benefit, and a few impressions 

 were disposed of: he enjoyed this small annuity 

 only two years. He died January 26th, 1827, 

 leaving his daughter, his affectionate housekeeper, 

 in poverty. 



With respect to the invention of Mr. C romp- 

 ton, I am aware of the difficulty of delineating 

 from memory the features of a machine, the 

 original of which has been long destroyed, but 

 will state them to the best of my recollection. 



In describing Mr. Crompton*s machine, I shall 

 preface the subject by observing, that a wheel 

 has been employed in spinning ever since the 

 abandonment of the distaff and rock. When 

 the spindle was first put into motion by a revolv- 

 ing wheel, the contrivance thus formed was 

 called simply a spinning wheel, which contained 

 only a single spindle. The worsted wheel, the flax 

 wheel,* &c. are instances of this, and the intro- 

 duction of the Jersey wheel as well as of the distaff, 



* The flax wheel is a German invention, and is called the 

 Saxony or Leipsic wheel. In some instances there were two 

 spindles attached to the same wheel, and the spinner was by 

 this means able to form a thread with each hand. 



