144 MR. J. C. DYER ON THE ORIGIN OF 



Witli this latter view the Company sent out to me one 

 of the fillet card-machines (in the year i8i i) to be patented 

 in this country, for the joint account of the Company and 

 myself. I need not describe the state in which the inven- 

 tion was thus " communicated " to me, seeing that a very 

 ftdl and clear specification of the machine, with elaborate 

 drawings of all its separate parts, may be seen as enrolled 

 at the Patent Offices. 



In the following year (1812) a patent card-making Com- 

 pany was formed in London, under the direction of Mr. 

 Henry Higginson (of Boston, then an American banker 

 in London) . After having a number of machines built in 

 Birmingham, Mr. Higginson had them removed to Man- 

 chester, where the first patent wire- card-making works 

 were established on account of the joint patentees. 



In the course of constructing and putting the machines 

 into operation, several alterations and improvements in 

 their working parts were suggested, both by Mr. Higginson 

 and myself, and by our joint labours the machine was 

 made far more simple in several of its movements, whereby 

 it could be worked with much greater safety and speed 

 than in its previous state. The business was then extended 

 to about thirty machines, with their needful appendages, 

 and the experiment seemed to aflFord good hopes of success, 

 when unfortunately the factory, with all the machines and 

 stock in trade, were destroyed by fire in January 18 14. 



We had omitted to ensure the works, so that, when 

 burnt down, it was an entire loss to the Company of some- 

 thing over j66ooo. Under this discouraging state of the 

 concern, the parties in America were unwilling to concur 

 in rebuilding the works, preferring to sell out their in- 

 terests in the English patents, which, having more con- 

 fidence in the prospect of success, I finally purchased, and 

 then became the sole proprietor of the patent ; and Mr. 

 Higginson having left and returned to Boston, I com- 



