The Express.
London, England, 1849-09-27 00:00:00

THE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF

COTTON.

The news from the United States relating to the
cotton crop of 1849, is sot yet of such a nature as to enable
us to say whether the yield will be large or not. The specu-
lator. affirm that the crop will not be above 2,000,000 belts,
while other parties say that there is nothing to prevent it
from reaching 2,300,000 bales. In the absence of precise
information, we are left entirely to conjecture, and thou who
seek to read the future in the put flnd very little data on
which to found an estimate. Thou who take a
gasman' view of the nutter, point to the fact that,
during the last thirty years, the production of cotton has been
Inereulng at en average rate of six per cent. per annum, and,
sksealore, they say, even after making a reasonable allow.
uses fee loss, owing to the lateness of blooms this year, there
may sell be as large a crop es there was in 1847, which was
2,347,634 belee. Oa the other head, the croakers tell us
that we have never more than two good crops together; and,
as thou of 1847 and 1848 were both above the average, they
infer teat this year's will be considerably under en avenge.
In order that our readers may judge for themselves, we give
the following table of the American cotton crops for the last
sixteen years :
Years.

Bake.-
1333
1334
1833
1834
1837
1838
1839
1340
1811
1842
1843

1844
1848 ...—. ;HMV
1846 .»...1.780.479 very bed.
1847
1841

This table furnishes a sufficient reply to those who affirm,
with regard to the cotton crop, that • we have a series
of two consecutive abundant years together." The five
years ending in 1837 were all good, not only as regards
one another—each successive year showing a considerable
advance over the preceding one—but compared with the
average crops previous to the period at which the above
tab.. commences. During the five years ending to 1832,
the ge annual cotton crop was only 982,230 bales; dur-
ing the five years ending in 1837, the average annual crop
was 1,418,974. For the last twenty-one years the Menem
appears to have been pretty /regular, when we take an
'swage of five or sir years—thus, if we take the five years
ending in 1832, 1837, 1842, and the six years ending in
1848, we find that each period bas given the following
average :
-

Tears aiding Balm
992,230
1837
1852
1858
The increase of the latter period over the average production
of 1832 is about 126 per mat. This is mach greater than
the increase which has taken place in the consumption of
cotton in Great Britain during the hut sixteen years.
In 1832 we consumed 868,434 bales; in 1848, the total
quanity taken for emanmption was 1,609,000 bales,
showing an increase of little more than 76 per cent.
over that of 1832. In the United States, the progress of
consumption has been proceeding at a muck quicker
rate, as will be seen by compering the quantity of cotton
consumed at the two periods-1832, 173,000 bales; 1848,
600,000 bales. Here we ham an increase of nearly 200 per
cent. in America, against one of little more than 76 per cent.
in Great Britain. At the same rate of increase in both exam
trigs respectively, *apposing it to go on for the next thirty.
two years, the United States will by that time be consuming
near y as large a quantity of cotton as we shall be doing.—
Manchester Emottinsr.