Memoir of the Life of Eli Whitney. 249 
his complaint, which immediately threatened his life. For three 
weeks the event was very doubtful, during which time he occasion- 
ally suffered paroxysms of pain, of from thirty to forty minutes con- 
tinuance, severe beyond description. These were repeated six or 
eight times in every twenty four hours. For six weeks, he was con- 
fined to his room, at the end of which time, he was able to walk about 
the house, and to enjoy the society of his friends. Early inJanuary, © 
1823, he had to endure another period of suffering, not less alarming 
ew 
or distressing than the former. With such alternations of awful suf- 
fering and partial repose, he reached the 12th of November, 1824, at 
which period his sufferings became almost unremitted until the 8th of 
January, 1825, when he expired,—retaining his consciousness to the 
last, closing his own eyes, and making an effort to close his mouth. 
It was his particular request, that there should be no examination 
of his body with the view of ascertaining the nature of his disease, 
and he desired his funeral to be conducted with as little parade as 
ssible. bs 
The strongest demonstrations of respect and regard, were mani- 
fested by the citizens of New Haven, in committing his remains to 
the earth, and the Rev. President Day pronounced over his grave 
the following eulogy. 
“How frequent and how striking are the monitions to us, that this 
World is not the place of our rest! : 
“Tt is not often the case, that a man has laid his plans for the bu- 
“mess and the enjoyment of life, with a deeper sagacity, than the 
whose remains we have now committed to the dust. He had 
received, as the gift of heaven, a mind of a superior order. Early 
habits of thinking gave to it a character of independence and origin- 
ity. He was accustomed to form his decisions, not after the model 
‘fommon opinion, but by his own nicely balanced judgment. His 
mind was enriched with the treasures which are furnished by a lib- 
‘ral education. He had a rare fertility of invention in the arts; an 
“Xactness of execution almost unequalled. By a single exercise of 
tis powers, he changed the state of cultivation, and multiplied the 
Wealth, of a large srtion of our country. ~He set an example of 
‘ystem and precision in mechanical operations, which others had not 
even thought of attempting. sb ht 
“The higher qualities of his mind, instead of unfitting him for or- 
‘ty duties, were finely tempered with taste and judgment in the 
€ss of life. His manners were formed, by an extensive inter- 
OL, XXI.—No. »e 32 
din 
