/3 Biographical Sketch of Mr. George Mar gets t 



After his marriage Mr. Margets continued to apply to 

 his adopted profession with that perseverance and assiduity 

 which characterizes the attachments of eager and enter- 

 prisino- niind?, and which with humbler talents is respected 

 as the virtue of industry. His attention was chiefly directed 

 to the injproveuicnt of his machines, which from the pe- 

 culiarity and elegance of their construction became articles 

 of exportation to India, and were sought after for that pur- 

 pose with sucli an increasing demand, that his pecuniary 

 circumstances were in consequence gradually benefited. 

 About the year 17S0 or 17 SI, however, when the political 

 affairs of llmdostan were so much distracted as to affect all 

 interested in the Indian trade, his stock of goods began to 

 swell in his possession, and his customers to diminish ; by 

 which he found himself compelled to solicit the assistance 

 of some friends, who very readily granted him a considera- 

 ble accommodation on his own bfind. But unfortunately 

 their friendship was rendered, in the end, of very vexatious 

 consequence to them as well as to him, by the chicanery of 

 an unprincipled attorney, who persuaded them to put the 

 bond in suit, and to sell off the stock of Mr. Margets' shop, 

 the proceeds of wliich he kept to himself. 



Mr. and Mrs. Margets at this time retired to private 

 lodginris, where he persevered in his business v.'ith unre- 

 mitted zeal, occasionally occupying the intervals with the 

 composition of those longitude and horary tables that have 

 proved the speculation of his thoughts to have been superior 

 to mere mechanical ingcnuitv. His longitude tables were 

 published about the year 1 790, and were immediately re- 

 cognized and acknowledged by the most distinguished na- 

 vigators and mathematicians. M. de Lalande mentions them 

 several times in very flattering terms of approbation; and 

 several of the boards and public companies of this country 

 patronized and extended their use both bv subscription and 

 recommendation. Soon after, he completed his horary ta- 

 bles, which, with the ottiers, form the best assistance to 

 mariners for finding the longitude bv astronomical observa- 

 tions that has been offered to the public. Besides these 

 tables, he invented n^anv little mathematical machines, 

 which, as they were rather subjects of amusement than 

 studv, are scarcely deserving; of particular enumeration. 

 From the epoch of his author>hip till the sunnijer of 1804, 

 he had no very important object in view, and continued to 

 enjoy the emoluments of his business and publication with 

 respect, and a growing reputation: indeedj the intenseness 



of 



