Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-06-15


the Hopes. &c.. of Europe. there is not.
has not been, one that could be placed at
all in the cotiipafison. Not ali the mag
nliicent fortunes drawn out Of, with with
all the vast capital remaining still in,
the prisiceiy house of Barring, would
perhaps, all combined, reach to the a.
mount. Not all the splendid capitals
Of all The Rothachilds throughout Eu.
rope together equal, probably. more than
one.halfthe enormous mass Of accumula-
ted boards left behind by the late Mr..
Ark wright.
Out Of Europe the only capitalist who
could approach the comparison would
be Nh Aston of New York, whose name
will be familiar with all travellers from
the massive and magnificent pile Of bull
ding which, as Astor's Hotel, had adj.
mlnistered to their convenence-a bull
ding which for the description and for the
special use, stands unparalleled in the
world; with this palatial Structure it
must be understood that Nj. Astor neith-
er was nor is otherwise connected than
as planner and proprietor, and as form
ing part OF his vast estate: The reports
current about the enormous wealth Gre
ated and accumulated by this extraordi-
nary man carry it as high as sixteen or
seventeen millions OF aeilars-or say
four millions sterling; but of course,
while he is living, this can only be mat
ter Of conjecture, though perhaps not
far from the truth
In allustration of the fact. however,
curious anecdOte has been In circulation
In the United States. During the life
time Of tile late Stephen Girard-who,
from pbof outcast exile from st. Do
mingo, driven out by the former slave
populations, became the great banker and
capitalist of Philidelphia-it was sub
jecs Of something ike rival contention
between the people of Philadelphia and
Netr York, which possessed the greatest
capitalist: that is, which was the more
Vitality man. Girard or Astor. Doubt
lessthe question was not without its in
terest to the money-making parties them-
seles. The death Of One or tie other,
or Of both, could, however, alone solve
tie srecu'ations; and in the former ease,
tlen only to the survivor. According
Il, on the death of Stephen Girard some
years ago, the actual extent Of his wealth
was verified by the publication of his tes-
S.ment, by which, the largest proportion
vas bequeathed for the establishment
And support Of literary and public insti-
fssslens.S When hIr. Astor was inform
ell that The tosss,, : Girasd's sweIsh
reached only some ELEVEN or twease MI
lions of dollars, he is reported to have
exhibited signs of satisfaction, and, in-a an
under tone, as if speaking to himself, I'd
have remarked shat would not do'---
meaning, of cotrse, that it did not come
up to the mark OF his own plodigious
possessions.
The late Richard Arkwright was the
only son of Sir Richard Arkwright, the
founder and father Of the .factory sys-
tenn as it now exists. He succeeded to
all the possessions and numerous spin
ming factories on the death of Sir Rich
ard, 1893, then estimated at the value,
capital stock included, of about half
million sterling. As the profits Of cotton
spinning then. and for years afterwards,
were counted by shillings per pound, IN
stead OF by farthings, as now, except by fl
ner counts, it may be safely asserted that
by his extensive .spinneries in Crawford,
Blackwell, and Manchester alone, he
could not have derived less clear IN
come than 100000 per annum.. The
extensive works at Manchester he dis
posed of some time afterwards, in favor
Of his managers, Messrs. Barton e.
Simpson, who both realized large fort.
unes. He gave Up the spinning works
at Bakewell some five or six years ago
only, to parties who, it is believed, had
been long in his service; but those at
Crawford, near his own residence, he
carried. on, as understood, to the time OF
his death:
Mr.. Richard Arkwright, besides va
riors other concerns highly prosper Gus
for the most part, was the principle, if
not sole. proprietor Of some banking es-
Adjustments in the counties of Derby and
Nottingham. From taste. and not from
lniggardly notions of saving, he lived
without the least ostentati0us displays:
the scale of his household expenditure is
supposed not to have exceeded $4,000
per annum, of which the larger portion
was laid out upon his gardens on which
he prided himself; so that, by the natu-
raj and equitable force Of accumulation
during SO years, even had not one pound
of surplus income been re-invested and
made to bear intetest; he must still have
been possessed of millions.
And, lastly, the late Mr.. William
Radcliffe, Of Stockport, ywhose death &C.
Cured only year age. the inventor of
the dressing machines, and veritablc,
father Of lie power-loom system-for,
until the epoch Of that invention, the
power-loom was powerIess and iImpracti-
cable-perished in almost abject,poverty
a fact rei1ectingno small discredit on the
opuleht manufacturers of Manchester,
who after plundering him Ut his inven-