WHITNEY WHIT WORTH. 



of 50,000 dollars a mere " song," to use Whitney's 

 own phrase, " in comparison with the worth of the 

 thing ; but it was securing something." It enabled 

 them to pay the debts which they had contracted, 

 and divide something between them. In the fol- 

 lowing year, Mr Whitney negociated a sale of his 

 patent right with the state of North Carolina, the 

 legislature of which laid a tax of two shillings and 

 sixpence upon every saw (and some of the gins had 

 forty saws) employed in ginning cotton, to be con- 

 tinued for five years, which sum was to be collected 

 by the sheriffs in the same manner as the public 

 taxes ; and, after deducting' the expenses of collec- 

 tion, the proceeds were faithfully paid over to the 

 patentees. No small portion, however, of the funds 

 thus obtained in the two Carolinas, was expend- 

 ed in carrying on the fruitless lawsuits which it 

 was deemed necessary to prosecute in Georgia. 

 In 1803, the entire responsibility of the whole 

 concern devolved upon him, in consequence of 

 the death of Mr Miller. In 1812, he made appli- 

 cation to congress for the renewal of his patent. 

 In his memorial he presented a history of the 

 difficulties which he had been forced to encoun- 

 ter in defence of his right, observing that he had 

 been unable to obtain any decision on the merits 

 of his claim until he had been eleven years in 

 the law, and thirteen years of his patent term 

 had expired. He set forth that his invention had 

 been a source of opulence to thousands of the citi- 

 zens of the United States ; that, as a labour-saving 

 machine, it would enable one man to perform the 

 work of a thousand men ; and that it furnishes to 

 the whole family of mankind, at a very cheap rate, 

 the most essential article of their clothing. Hence 

 he humbly conceived himself entitled to a further 

 remuneration from his country, and thought he 

 ought to be admitted to a more liberal participation 

 with his fellow citizens in the benefits of his inven- 

 tion. But the application was rejected by congress 

 on account of the warm opposition it experienced 

 from a majority of the southern members. Some 

 years before, in 1798, Mr Whitney, impressed with 

 the uncertainty of all his hopes founded on the cot- 

 ton gin, had engaged in another enterprise, which 

 conducted him, by slow but sure steps, to a com- 

 petent fortune. This was the manufacture of arms 

 for the United States. He first obtained a contract 

 through the influence of Oliver Wolcott, at that 

 time secretary of the treasury, for 10,000 stand of 

 arms, amounting to 134,000 dollars, which was to 

 be fulfilled within a little more than the period of 

 two years. This was a great undertaking, as may 

 be inferred from the facts, that the works were all 

 to be erected, the machinery was to be made, and 

 much of it to be invented ; the raw materials were 

 to be collected from different quarters, and the 

 workmen themselves, almost without exception, 

 were yet to learn the trade. The impediments he 

 was obliged to remove were too numerous and great 

 to allow him to fulfil his stipulation as to time, and 

 eight years, instead of two, elapsed, before the 

 muskets were all completed. The entire business 

 relating to the contract was not closed until Jan. 

 1809, when (so liberally had the government made 

 advances to the contractor) the final balance due 

 Mr Whitney was only 2400 dollars. It is univer- 

 sally conceded that his genius and industry greatly 

 contributed to the improvement of the manufacture 

 of arms, and, indeed, ,to the general advancement 

 of arts and manufactures; for many of his inven- 

 tions for facilitating the making of muskets were 



applicable to most other manufactures of iron and 

 steel. In 1812, he entered into a new contract 

 with the United States for 15,000 stand of arms, 

 and in the mean time executed a similar engage- 

 ment for the state of New York. In Jan. 1817, he 

 married the youngest daughter of Pierpont Ed- 

 wards, late judge of the district court for the state 

 of Connecticut. For the five subsequent years he 

 continued to enjoy domestic happiness, a competent 

 fortune, and an honourable reputation, when he was 

 attacked by a fatal malady, an enlargement of the 

 prostrate gland, which, after causing great and pro- 

 tracted suffering, terminated his life on the eighth 

 of Jan., 1825. In person, Mr Whitney was con- 

 siderably above the ordinary size, of a dignified car- 

 riage, and of an open, manly and agreeable coun- 

 tenance. His manners were conciliatory, and his 

 whole appearance such as to inspire respect. He 

 possessed great serenity of temper, though he had 

 strong feelings, and a high sense of honour. Per- 

 severance was a striking trait in his character. 

 Every thing that he attempted he effected as far as 

 possible. In the relations of private life, he en- 

 joyed the affection and esteem of all with whom he 

 was connected. With regard to the results of his 

 genius, we may quote the declaration of Fulton, 

 that Arkwright, Watt and Whitney were the three 

 men who did most for mankind of any of their con- 

 temporaries. 



WHITSUNTIDE. See Pentecost, and Sunday. 



WHITWORTH, CHARLES, earl, descended of 

 an ancient family in Staffordshire, was born in 1754, 

 at Leoburne-grange, Kent, the seat of his father, 

 Sir Charles Whitworth, and was educated at Tun- 

 bridge grammar-school, on leaving which he ob- 

 tained a commission in the guards. He soon quit- 

 ted the army, and, after going rapidly through the 

 usual subordinate diplomatic situations, was ap- 

 pointed, in 1786, minister plenipotentiary to the 

 court of Poland, then the centre of the intrigues 

 which terminated in the dismemberment and anni- 

 hilation of that unfortunate kingdom. (See Pol- 

 and.) In the autumn of 1788, he proceeded, in 

 the same capacity, to St Petersburg, where, in 

 1793, he received the red riband of the Bath, to 

 give dignity to his mission, the object of which was 

 a coalition against the French revolutionary govern- 

 ment. On his return to England in 1800, Sir 

 Charles was created baron Whitworth of the king- 

 dom of Ireland, and was soon after again despatched 

 abroad on an embassy to the court of Denmark, 

 then complaining of the right of search exercised by 

 the British ships. An adjustment, which proved 

 but short-lived, took place through his exertions in 

 the August of the same year. The ambassador ac- 

 cordingly returned home, and, in the April follow- 

 ing, married the duchess dowager of Dorset. After 

 the treaty of Amiens, concluded by lord Hawkes- 

 bury and the marquis Cornvvallis, lord Whitworth 

 was accredited as plenipotentiary to Paris towards 

 the close of 1802. His mission having terminated 

 abruptly in the renewal of hostilities, he quitted 

 the French capital, May 13, 1803. In the spring 

 of 1813, he was made one of the lords of the bed- 

 chamber, and, the year following, took his seat in 

 the house as an English peer, by the title of vis- 

 count Whitworth. In the August of 1814, he suc- 

 ceeded the duke of Richmond as viceroy of Ireland, 

 which dignity he enjoyed till 1817, when, the 

 usual period of office being expired, he returned to 

 England, having been in the interval advanced to 

 an earldom. Lord Whitworth died in 1825. 



