208 Memoir of the Life of Eli Whitney. 



my young friend, you propose studying the law ; make my house 

 your home — ^your room your castle, and there pursue what studies 

 you please. He accordingly commenced the study of the law un- 

 der that hospitable roof. 



Mrs. Greene was engaged in a piece of embroidery in which she 

 employed a peculiar kind of frame called a tambour. She complain- 

 ed that it was badly constructed, and that it tore the delicate threads 

 of her work. Mr. Whitney, eager for an opportunity to oblige his 

 hostess, set himself at work and speedily produced a tambour frame 

 made on a plan entirely new, which he presented to her. Mrs. 

 Greene and her family were greatly delighted with it, and thought it 

 a wonderful proof of ingenuity.* 



Not long afterwards, a large party of gentlemen came from Augus- 

 ta and the Upper country, to visit the family of Gen. Greene, consist- 

 ing principally of officers who had served under the General in the 

 Revolutionary army. Among the number were Major Bremen, 

 Major Forsyth, and Major Pendleton. They fell into conversation 

 upon the state of agriculture among them, and expressed great regret 

 that there was no means of cleaning the green seed cotton, or sepa- 

 rating it from its seed, since all the lands which were unsuitable for 

 the cultivation of rice, would yield large crops of cotton. But 

 until ingenuity could devise some machine which would greatly fa- 

 cilitate the process of cleaning, it was in vain to think of raising cot- 

 ton for market. Separating one pound of the clean staple from the 

 seed was a day's work for a woman ; but the time usually devoted to 

 picking cotton was the evening, after the labor of the field was over. 

 Then the slaves, men, women and children, were collected in circles 

 with one, whose duty it vs^as to rouse the dozing and quicken the in- 

 dolent. While the company were engaged in this conversation, 

 " gentlemen (said Mrs. Greene,) apply to my young friend Mr. Whit- 

 ney — he can make any thing." Upon which she conducted them 

 into a neighboring room, and showed them her tambour frame, and 

 a number of toys which Mr. W. had made, or repaired for the chil- 

 dren. She then introduced the gentlemen to Whitney himself, ex- 



* Several years afterwards, his partner, Mr. Miller, writes to Mr. Whitney, "I 

 presume your skill in mechanics is likely to ^ive you employment enough with 

 the ladies; for your name is often coupled with work frames, needles, &c. &c.; so 

 that I apprehend you will ultimately be compelled to become ignorant and uilskill- 

 ful in these things, in your own defence." 



