chester he disposed of sometime after his father's death, to his managers, Messrs. Barton and Simpson, who both realized large fortunes. In about 1837—8, he disposed of his spinning works at Bakewell; but those at Cromford, near his own residence, he carried on to the time of his death.
Mr. Arkwright died possessed of not less than thirty-five million dollars! in personal property alone, irrespective of landed estates.
As an individual capitalist, there is not one in Europe at the present time who can approach within half the distance, excepting, perhaps, the excellent, no less than wealthy Mr. Solomon Heine, of Hamburg; who, according to general repute, is estimated to concentrate in his own person the representation of money values to the amount of §20,000,000. It must be remembered, however, that this sum represents the whole property of Mr. Heine, whereas, the late Mr Arkwright was possessed of landed estates to the value of seven or eight millions of dollars, beyond the amount at which the personality is rated.
Immensely wealthy as are the Barings, the Rothschilds, the Hopes, &c., of Europe, there is not, has not been one, that could be placed at all in the comparison; not all the magnificent fortunes drawn off, with all the vast capital remaining still in the princely house of Baring, would reach to the amount; not all the capital of all the Rothschilds throughout Europe together, would equal more than one half the enormous mass of wealth left behind by the late Mr. Arkwright.
The reader will bear in mind that Mr. Arkwright was the son of Sir Richard Arkwright, who, about the year 1778 was a common barber in Preston, Lancashire, shaving for one cent per head. On one occasion the Preston barber had to make his appearance in a court of justice;
