The father of Samuel Crompton was a small farmer, residing at Firwood, near Bolton, who, as was the custom in those days, mingled with the business of a farmer the occupations of weaving, carding, and spinning. Samuel was born in 1753; and while an infant, was removed with his family to the scene of his after triumph, Hall i’ the Wood; which even then must have been consigned by its earlier owners to the chances of preservation from needy inmates. We borrow from various sources some particulars concerning the eventful life and important labours of this remarkable man--chiefly from a paper by John Kennedy, Esq., the generous and consistent friend of Crompton. At the age of sixteen, he learned to spin upon “a Jenny” (of Hargreave’s make), and occasionally wove the yarn he had spun. His work, however, being but indifferent, he was led to consider how it could be improved; and the result was, ultimately, though at a far-off distance of time, the construction of “the mule”--a machine which it is foreign to our purpose to describe, but which gave to the cotton manufacture a degree of perfection to which, without it, it could never have attained. Crompton was only twenty-one years old when he commenced the undertaking, which took him five years to effect--at least, before he could bring his improvements to maturity. He experienced much difficulty in consequence of being unable to procure proper tools with his limited earnings, acquired by labour at the loom or jenny. Not being a regular mechanic, and having to learn the use of the few he could purchase, it is matter of surprise that even in five years he succeeded in making his machine practically useful. His greatest trouble appears to have been his inability to enjoy his little invention to himself, in his own room; for the product of his machine obtaining a better price than other yarns of those times, a report was circulated that he had devised some novel mode of improved spinning: people, for miles round the country, gathered about his dwelling; and, in many instances, actually obtained ladders, and climbed up to his window to see him work. To avoid this intrusion, he formed a screen; but the annoyance becoming so great, that he could not proceed with his work to advantage, he at length laid the whole plan before a number of gentlemen, who gave him one guinea each to look at it. These sums amounted to about 50_l._, which enabled him to construct another machine, still farther improved, and of larger dimensions (the first machine consisted of not more than thirty or forty spindles). When relating this little history to Mr. G. A. Lee and Mr. John Kennedy, Mr. Lee having observed, “It was a pity he had not kept the secret to himself,” he replied, “that a man had a very insecure tenure of property, which another could carry away with his eyes.”