Memoir of the Life of Eli Whitney. 211 
State, and so great was the excitement on the subject, that multitudes 
of persons came from all quarters of the State to see the machine ; 
but it was not deemed safe to gratify their curiosity until the patent 
right had been secured. But so determined were some of the pop- 
ulace to possess this treasure, that neither law nor justice could re- 
strain them; they broke open the building by night, and carried 
off the machine. In this way the public became possessed of the 
invention; and before Mr. Whitney could ‘complete his model and 
re his patent, a number of machines were in successful opera- 
tion, constructed with some slight deviation from the original, with 
he hope of evading the penalty for violating the patent right. 
As soon as the copartnership of Miller & Whitney was formed, Mr. 
Whitney repaired to Connecticut, where as far as possible, he was 
to perfect the machine, obtain a patent, and manufacture and ship for 
Georgia, such a number of machines as would supply the demand. 
Within three days after the conclusion of the copartnership, Mr. 
Whitney having set out for the north, Mr. Miller commenced his 
long correspondence relative to the Cotton Gin.* The first letter an- 
hounces that encroachments upon their rights had already commenced. 
“Tt will be necessary (says Mr. Miller) to have a considerable num- 
ber of gins made, to be in readiness to send out as soon as the patent 
8 obtained, in order to satisfy the absolute demands, and make peo- 
jle’s heads easy on the subject; for I am informed of two other 
imants for the honor of the invention of cotton gins, in addition to 
‘hose we knew before. 
On the 20th of June 1793, Mr. Whitney presented his petition for 
“patent to Mr. Jefferson, then Secretary of State; but the preva- 
lence of the yellow fever in Philadelphia, (which was then the seat 
of 5vernment,) prevented his concluding the business relative to the 
Patent until several months afterwards. ‘T'o prevent being anticipated, 
© took however the precaution to make oath to the invention before 
the Notary Public of the city of New Haven, which he did on the 
“oth of October, of the same year. RE. 
Mr. Jefferson, who had much curiosity in regard to mechanical in- 
"entions, took a peculiar interest in this machine, and addressed to 
~ © Inventor an obliging letter, desiring farther particulars respecting 
"and expressing a wish to procure one for hisown use. Mr. Whit- 
wy *ecordingly sketched the history of the invention, and of the con- 
* . 
This name Was hot applied by the inventor, but became such by popular ues 
s 
