162 



Thus I have also stated at page 121, that while the 

 throwsters of France and of Italy are still content if 

 their spindles do but revolve from 300 to 400 times in a 

 minute, those of the English, where labor is dearer than 

 in any part of the continent, are now performing from 

 2000 to 3000; but by a late improvement of Mr. Rit- 

 son, they are now made to perform 4500 revolutions in 

 a minute; yet the spindles for cotton, which are put in 

 operation by our own countryman, Mr. Pettee, of New- 

 ton, Mass., actually perform about 5000 revolutions, or 

 revolve at the inconceivable speed of eighty rotations in 

 a second of time. 



At the silk establishment of Mr. Cobb, at Dedham, 

 Mass., we have witnessed a boy of 13 years of age, at- 

 tending one hundred spindles ; thus performing, as we 

 were reminded by Mr. Cobb, the same amount of labor 

 which in China is allotted to a hundred laborers. 



For the following very important facts in relation to 

 the surprising progress of the cotton manufactures of 

 our bwn country, I am indebted to the kindness of Dr. 

 Hobbs, who is the agent of the great establishment of 

 the Boston Manufacturing Company at Waltham. It is 

 an extract from a letter received from him, dated Oct. 

 29th, 1836. 



" When the Boston Manufacturing Company estab- 

 lished their works at Waltham, there were no power 

 looms in use in this country, and the yarn spun for the 

 first year or two, was sent to private families to be wo- 

 ven. The price paid for weaving a yard of 37 inch 

 cloth, of No. 14 yarn, varied from eight to twelve cents 

 a yard a price fully equal to that which has been ob- 

 tained for the cloth, on an average, for the last five 

 years. Since the power loom has been in operation, it 

 has been continually undergoing improvements in all its 

 parts particularly in the reeds, harnesses, and shuttles. 

 The price paid for the weaving has varied with the fa- 

 cilities afforded for turning off the cloth. At first, the 

 looms were driven after the rate of from seventy to 



