The Express.
London, England, 1863-01-22 00:00:00

COTTON FROM QUEENSLAND.

A special meeting of the Manchester Chamber of
Commerce was held yesterday morning to receive the Hoe.
R. el. Herbert, secretary to the governmest of Queensland.
The meeting took place in the mayor's puiour at the Man.
chaster Town-hall. The litatoa presided, sad there were
result Sir C. Nicholson, Mr. Ihuley, M.P.. Mr. H. Ashworth,
Mr. J. Cheethem, Idr. Blau, Mr. T. Mosley, Mr. M. Ham,
Mr. H. Haws, tic.

T. Ceunntan stated that the object of the meeting wee
to take assets(' of the presence of the Hoe. Mr. Herbert
ti Msseheater to present an address to the government d
Qeseeshod.
Mr. Fuson, the secretary, then read the following
&dame to Mr. Herbert :

. To his Exosllency the Honourable Sir None Bowen,
Governor of Queensland.

" May it please your Exeellency,—We, the members of
the Manchester Chamber of Commons, in special He
meeting amenabled, avail ourselves of the presenceof the Hon.
IL G. Herbert, government secretary, whom we this day
welcome amongst us, to convey to you the expression of our
great satiefectioa at the rapid progress which the important
inlay of Queensland is now =kiss in thedevelopment of ha
apiculture' sod commercial monies' ; and we observe with
spend interest the great success which has attended the
cultivation of the cotton plant, for which the soil and the
climate of the colony appear to be peculiarly adapted. At
no other period could the visitor to Liussehire be more
strikiugly impressed with the value of that most important
inateriaL He finds the manufactures of this ones busy dis-
trict paralysed and perplexed by the cessation of those
applies which it has long been accustomed to receive from
America, and the community at large looking anxiously for
some new quarter from whence suitable cotton may be ob-
tained. Mr. Herbert will therefore be enabled to inform
you, with the authority of an eve-witness, how great •
sower of wealth appears to present itself to the people of
Queenslerid, should they devote their energise to the exten-
sion aedpmprovement of cotton cultivation. The members
of this chamber have seen with no small 'Amalie, how
faithfully your government has adhered to the liberal policy
of the motheroountry, and they rejoice in the spread of her
free institution, to that remote dependency over which you
preside, destined, as they Lope, to • career of great and pro-
gressive prosperity.—For and on behalf of the Chamber,
..HFSCRY ASHWORTH, President."

Mr. H. Atiswotern, the president of the chamber, said that
upon an occasion of (litter, ouch as that which affected
the district, it was both desirable and recommendable that
ear ery opportunity should be seised whereby the increased
cultivation of cotton could be encouraged, whether in oar
own colonies, or in any other part of the world. When any
one approached the subject of our colonial empire, it would
be remembered that it involved an expenditure of some
fearer lee minims a year, sad was very often full of dis-
appointed hopes and expectations. In fact, the time bad
now arrived when we bad thought it proper to get rid of
some of oar dependencies, namely, the lonian Islands.
And probably for the same reason that commercial people
were accustomed to place a balance-sheet against their own
affairs, we had begun to think it would be jolt
as well were we to hold that commercial plummet
against some of our colonies. Our colonial system
had beep so long neglected that it required to be taken into
better management. (Hear, bear.) It was really quite re-
freshing to see that colonies might be managed not only for
our own advantage but for the welfare of the colonists, and
more particularly our owe countrymen, who were desirous
to possess property and station in i.ome distant country.
The Australian colonies hail been hitherto the most success.
ful and inexpensive. Queensland was the youngest of
our colonies, being only three years old. The population
had rapidly iacressed, their work. and cultivation were
equally prosperous, and cotton had been produced equal to
the best specimens of American cotton. (Hear, bear.) It
was not unreasonable, therefore, to bold ant anything abort
of protection to enable the colonist, to awry out with ewe
ems that which was already so well begun. (Haar, bear.)
Ma HEMBERT, in response, mid it weals* very satisfac-
tory to Sir G. !lowan and the people of Queensland to penes
the address. There was no English community with which
the colonists more syropathiaed than with the business men
of the seats of manufacture. The colonists felt that they
were better understood among that class than among
pence. less immediately oceoucted with the every
day business of life. Since Queensland was es-
tablislied three years ego es a colony separate
from its parent, New South Wales, it bad owed much to
the notion takes of its capabilities by Mr. Bailey and this
chamber ; there hod hue as emigration of mechanics
and others, and as Mee/trout of capital in Queensland,
which would lay the foundation of prosperity to the set-
tler, and an extensive trade with England. He (Mr.
Herbert) bad no very correct data at his disposal with re-
spect to the condition of cotton growing in Queenaluel.
About three yen ago cotes culture was pressed en
the attention of the colonists partly IT the
reprosentatious of commercial bodies in England,
arid pertly because agricultural farming bad not
thriven, aid • new staple of eultivatioo was desired. Pre-
vious experiment had destosseted the superior suitability
of cotton in this respect, and it hocesee the duty of the
government to try to foster its growth. It was hoped tins
to raise up an inteemediate class between the large capi-
talists and the working men—a yeoman else. on which the
stability of the coney must evestuelly depend, supposing
that class could be created. The government, in twvillitl
the land laws of the colony, melt provision whereby •