29 



gine. A plant is found bearing a wooly substance. — 

 Whitney invents a machine, which on turnino a crank, 

 separates the seed from the wool. A Hargraves in- 

 vents a spinning jenny; a Cartvvright ihe power loom. 

 What effect have these things had on the population, 

 the wealth, the trade, the coiTxfort of the world? 



In 1790, one steam engine was erected at Manches- 

 ter in England; in 1824, there were two hundred in 

 operation; and in the British empire in 1837, 668 

 steam vessels. In 1807, one steam boat, "The North 

 River," built by Fulton, ran on the Hudson m New- 

 York. In 1838, there were 800 steam boats in the 

 United States. The Mississippi valley alone employs 

 now, six hundred steamboats, having an aggregate ton- 

 nage of 130,000 tons, and navigated by 21,000 men. 

 These boats are not worth less than $10,400,000, and 

 are navigated at an annual expense of $12,000,000, 

 while the value of merchandise embarked in them is 

 not less than $200,000,000 annually. In 1831, steam 

 was applied to locomotives on rail roads in this coun- 

 try. In 1838, it was applied to vehicles on 1500 miles 

 of rail way. The power of 501,898 men is now sup- 

 plied by this power. In 1784 eight bales of cotton 

 sent from America were seized at Liverpool, through 

 distrust of their being produced here: in 1837 the Uni- 

 ted States exported 444,211,537 pounds. In 1814 

 there was not a single power loom at Manchester; in 

 1824 there were 30,000 — and the total value of cot- 

 tons manufactured in Great Britain now, is 34,000,000 

 pounds sterling annually; of which 10,000,000 are paid 

 for wages, 4,000,000 for the raw material, and 20,000,- 

 000 for machinery, edifices, &c. In 1764 the popu- 

 lation of Manchester w^41,032 , in 1831 it was 187,- 



alUl,63^ 



