Note 361 — Chapter V · THE MULE AND THE RISE OF A NEW COTTON MANUFACTURE

Infra, p. 168. Accepting a view held by Crompton’s descendants that Arkwright paid a surreptitious visit to Crompton intent upon discovering his secret, French (ibid., pp. 79-80), referring to a passage similar to the above in one of Crompton’s letters, suggests that in it there is a hidden reference to Arkwright as “Cromford, where Arkwright then resided, is about sixty miles from Bolton.” May not the proverb, “Give a dog a bad name ...” do something to explain some of the statements made regarding this man?