240 Memoir of the Life of EH Whitney, 



ment made advances to the contractor,) the final balance due Mr. 

 Whitney, was only two thousand four hundred and fifty dollars. 



During the ten years Mr. Whitney was occupied in perform- 

 ing this engagement, he applied himself to business with the most 

 exemplary diligence, rising every morning as soon as it was day, and 

 at night, setting every thing in order appertaining to all parts of the 

 establishment, before he retired to rest. His genius impressed it- 

 self on every part of the manufactory, extending even to the most 

 common tools, all of which received some peculiar modification 

 which improved them in accuracy, or efiicacy, or beauty. His 

 machinery for making, the several parts of a musket, was made 

 to operate with the greatest possible degree of uniformity and pre- 

 cision. The object at which he aimed, and which he fully ac- 

 complished, was to make the same parts of difi:erent guns, as the 

 locks for example, as much like each other as the successive impres- 

 sions of a copper plate engraving. It has generally been conceded 

 that Mr. Whitney greatly improved the art of manufacturing arms, 

 and laid his country under permanent obligations by augmenting her 

 facilities for nadonal defence. So rapid has been the improvement 

 in the arts and manufactures in this country, that it is difficult to con- 

 ceive of the low state in which they were thirty years ago. To this 

 advancement the genius and industry of Mr. Whitney most essentially 

 contributed, for while he was clearing off the numerous impediments, 

 which were thrown in his way, he was at the same time performing 

 the office of a pioneer to the succeding generation. 



In the year 1812, he entered into a new contract with the Uni- 

 ted States to manufacture for them fifteen thousand stand of arras ; 

 and in the mean time he executed a similar engagement (we 

 know not how extensive) for the State of New York. Although his 

 resources enabled him now to proceed with much greater despatch, 

 and with far less embarrassment, than in his first enterprise, yet some 

 misunderstanding arose with one of the agents of the government, 

 which made it necessary for him to bring his case before the Secre- 

 tary of war. The following testimonials, which he obtained on this 

 occasion from the late Governor Tompkins, and from Governor 

 Wolcott, will serve to show in what estimation he was held by those 

 who knew him best, and who were most competent to judge of his 

 merits. The letters, dated May, 1814, are both addressed to Gen- 

 eral Armstrong the existing Secretary of war. Governor Tompkins 

 observes as follows : " I have visited Mr. Whitney's establishment at 



