Chapter III: The Coming of Machinery: Kay to Arkwright 72-91

I.--Modern cotton industry dates from great inventions;
inventions relate especially to spinning
and preparatory processes, but earliest successful
efforts in weaving; “Dutch” loom introduced into
Manchester district in early eighteenth century;
John Kay invents “flying-shuttle” (1733); first
used in woollen industry; other inventions of Kay;
Robert Kay effects improvement in hand-loom
(1760); more complicated loom introduced for
figured goods; discrepancy between spinning and
weaving, 72-74; types of spinning-wheel in use--“Jersey”
wheel, “Brunswick” wheel; methods
of cleaning and carding cotton; Lewis Paul’s
patent for roller-spinning (1738); and for carding
(1748); lack of success; carding-machine introduced
into Lancashire (1760), 75-78; need for
improved spinning-machine; Society of Arts
offers reward for invention (1761); inventions of
the “spinning-jenny” (patented 1770) and the
“water-frame” (patented 1769); description of
spinning process by the spinning-wheel, the jenny,
and the water-frame; Arkwright erects factory at
Cromford (1771) and takes out “carding” patent
(1775), 79-81; attacks upon new machinery by
workpeople; not fully explained by effects of its
introduction, 82-83.

II.--Outbreak of Seven Years’ War ushers in century
of unrest in England due mainly to political causes;
unrest frequently broke out in riots; conditions in
sixties and seventies of eighteenth century; efforts
of Parliament to cope with rising food prices;
agitation against trading middlemen; attack
made upon jenny during period of industrial
depression and high prices at close of Seven Years’
War; and upon Arkwright’s machinery when
American War of Independence dominated the
situation; workpeople state their case against
machinery to Parliament; counter-petition by
manufacturers; decision of Parliamentary Committee,
83-91.