OF MEN OF GENIUS. 



311 



1858, and following up by experiments, until in September, 

 1862, I had my prepared rheea fibre spun on cotton 

 machinery, by the Messrs Birley Brothers, cotton-spinners in 

 Preston, a difficulty that the spinners of cotton in Manchester 

 thougli it impossible to get over. Thomas Bazley, Esq., M.P. 

 for Manchester, wrote me in 1881 to say, my material, rheea, 

 &c, &c, sent (by the advice of the Earl of Derby) to the 

 Manchester Chamber of Commerce, " would never come in 

 for the industry of Lancashire, but it might be, of great 

 advantage and used by Flax-spinners," but in June, 1862, 

 I informed him of having it spun by Messrs. John 

 Crossley and Sons, on their cotton machinery in Halifax. 

 See his, Mr. Bazley' s letter of congratulation on my success 

 at the end of this book, dated 28th .June, 1862. Believing 

 that the time will come when the rheea fibre will in a great 

 degree take the place of cotton, because of its not only being a 

 stronger, and an equally fine material, but not so expensive in 

 producing as cotton, inasmuch as once it is planted it requires 

 no labour or looking after for twenty years, further than to cut 

 it as we do basket-willows, and carry the rods to be stripped 

 by the machinery, I now finish so far the labour of years, 

 on the fibre subject by introducing from the work of my late 

 friend, Dr. F. Royle, what will no doubt be interesting to those 

 who desire to see our great Indian Empire more prosperous by 

 their supplying us with fibres, that will clothe our people, in 

 place of our depending on the slave-grown cotton of America, 

 a matter so ruinous to the owners of property in Lancashire 

 and the working classes of that great manufacturing district of 

 this country during the years of 1862, 1863, and 1864. 



