s 
Memoir of the Life of Eli Whitney. 229 
Legislature of South Carolina, that he conceives himself to have been 
treated with unreasonable severity in the measures recently taken 
against him by and under their immediate direction.—He holds that, 
to be seized and dragged to prison without being allowed to be heard 
in answer to the charge alleged against him, and indeed without the 
exhibition of any specific charge, is a direct violation of the com- 
mon right of every citizen of a free government ; that the power, in 
this case, is all on one side, that whatever may be the issue of the 
Process now instituted against him, he must, in any case, be subjected 
to great expense and extreme hardships; and that he considers the tri- 
bunal before which he is holden to appear, to be wholly incompetent 
lo decide, definitively, existing disputes between the State and Mil- 
ler & Whitney. 
“The subscriber avers that he has manifested no other than a dis- 
position to fulfil all the stipulations, entered into with the State of 
South Carolina, with punctuality and good faith; and he begs leave 
toobserve farther, that to have industriously, laboriously, and ex- 
clusively, devoted many years of the prime of his life, to the inven- 
tion and the improvement of a machine, from which the citizens of 
South Carolina have already realized immense _profits,—which is 
Worth to them millions, and from which their posterity, to the latest 
generations must continue to derive the most important benefits, and 
in return to be treated as a felon, a swindler, and a villain, has stung 
im to the very soul. And when he considers that this cruel perse- 
Cution is inflicted by the very persons who are enjoying these great 
benefits, and expressly for the purpose of preventing his ever deri- 
ving the least advantage from his own labors, the acuteness of his 
eelings is altogether inexpressible,” 
At this time, a new and unexpected responsibility devolved on Mr. 
ittey, in consequence of the death of his partner, Mr. Miller, 
Who died on the 7th of December, 1803. Mr. Miller had, in the early 
Stages of the enterprise, indulged very high hopes of a sudden fortune 
bat Perpetual disappointments appear to have attended him through- 
vitthe remainder of his life. ‘The history of them, as detailed in 
“ls Voluminous correspondence, which is now before us, affords an 
structive €xemplication of the anxiety, toil, and uncertainty, that 
quently accompany too eager a pursuit of wealth, and the pain 
and di Ppointments that follow in the train of expectations too highly 
elated. If Mr. Miller anticipated a great bargain from an approach 
M auction of Cotton, some sly adventurer was sure to step in be- 
