The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-11-11 00:00:00

COTTON GROWING IN ALGERIA.

A traveller in Algeria gives the following account of the
cotton growing experiments in that colony :—.'As to cotton,
the utmost that the most enthusiastic Frenchman can say
about it is that it is an expensive experiment. I have asked
in vain for those cotton plantations which produced the longue
sole, and the courte sole, and the colon jsune, and the fine
stockings which we saw at the French Exposition. I had been
toll as a fact quite decisive of the cotton question, that the
prize of 20,0001. offered annually by the Emperor, for the best
specimen of longue sole cotton, had been divided in 1855
between a Frenchman and an Arab. This fact suggests the
conclusion that natives and colonists are all striving against
each other to produce cotton, and that all French Africa is
covered with competing co:ton plantations. The fortunate
winner of the 10,000 f. is the Caid Ali Ben Mohamel, whose
plantation is near Guelma. As I had asked in vain for cotton
wherever I have been, I had made preparations to take a two
days' journey on mulehack in order to see this fameue
plantation, when I fortunately met with a distinguished
Arab, who knew both the place and the Caid, and who assured
me that his cotton plantation amounted to about 13 aerei.
Subsequent enquiry confirmed this statement, and I came to
the conclusion that the Guelma cotton plantation was not worth
four days' journey, and the further chance, if the rains should
come on, of being shut up in that country for a month.
Moreover, there is a secret history about this Guelma
cotton. The Caid Ali Ben Mohamed is not a rich
man—few Arabs are. The hest of them have net a
revenue of a thousand a year. This Caid Ali Ben
Mohamed is a sous-lieutenant of Spahis. There was a certain
superior officer of the sub-division of Guelma who had a
desire for the Cross of the Legion of Honour, but had found
no opportunity of earning the distinction. He knew that the
cotton cultivation was a great point with the authorities; so he,
it is said, advanced the funds, obtained the best European as-
sistance, and at great cost produced a crop of fifteen acres of
cotton at Guelma, just as it might be produced at tho Jardint
d'Essai. The cotton was exhibited in the name of the Oak,.
It obtained the moiety of the great prize, and loud was the
exultation that an indigene should have applied himself sd
successfully to the culture of cotton. A commission was sent
to report upon the whole crop, and this commission represented
that much of the success was due to the intelligent zeal of the
officer in question, and so the officer got his cross. Now,
there is nothing in this which is not honourable to all parties con-
cerned, and the officer deserved his decoration for his energy
in carrying out the policy of his superiors. I only tell the
story to show that this is an exceptional ease, and that the
Arabs aro not labouring to turn all their corn stubble into
cotton plantations. A few of the southern tribes do grow a
little cotton, as they always have done since the Spanish
Moors taught them the culture. The plain of Nedroina was
covered with cotton plants in the time of Leo, the African.
Moreover, they work up their scanty crops into shirts and
burnouses; but this is not prize cotton ; it is a short staple
cotton of little worth. In the present year the Caid did
not again Appear as a competitor. The whole the prize
of 20,000 f. was adjudged to Messrs. Masquelier Freres,
St. Maur, and Co., who had divided the prize in
the previous year. Unless the Akhb3r and the
Colonization are misinformed, this company has discovered
that it is impossible to prosper in Algeria, except by employing
native labour. In truth, neither the natives nor the colonists
have the capital to attempt the culture of cotton, except as a
mere garden patch. What cotton is grown is cultivated by
spade husbandry. Tho streets of every town, are placarded
contemned
years temne
theel
with large bills setting forth the prizes, from theEnrperor, s
prize of 20,000 f. (with intermediate prizes, which it would
take half a column to enumerate) down ttohtahtefomr much
three on
in
gold and silver medals of the Society of Mulhouse. The moat
strongestimportanetatndwitlhieprovidethe seedce gratis, itL, and buy up all the
incentive
government
cotton grown at ten prix de fayeur. Yet, with all this forcing,
the sum total of all the land in all Algeria which at the last
published returns was cultivated for cotton is 1,000 acres and
for the produce the government paid 300,000 francs. The
i
cotton is bought n its raw state ;it is sent to France to be
whereof
England uou g o
ct ot worldca
cleaned, and to Rouen to be manufactured. Seeing that the
abouti s, believe,3sodoaoboutth7eroeo,doooeoB
cotton
produce tl hu
not, fear, appear much likelihood of Algeria'bectiming a very
formidable competitor to the United States. The articles
exhibited at London and Paris were in no instance manu-
factured in Algeria. For the most part the cotton was grown
in the government pepin2eres ; the egrenage was done by hands
and the cotton was worked up
with *great care in the looms of
Lilie, Picardy, and Flanders Tho only logical conclusion is,
that it is not impossible that at some future time Algeria may
produce cotton as an article of commerce."

EDUCATION IN IRELAND.-91ite a commotion has been
created among the Irish national and Roman Catholic,
journals, by certain views upon education in its highest
bnr adn
thech
d by Dr. Lyons, before Dr. Newman
Picounde
University, on the opening of the second
and
BC, a
tphroo
session of the Medic.il School. " The statistics," says one
candid, however mortified journal, in the exemplification of
the low state of education in Ireland, "are truly startling,"
and it is
.asked—" Can we wonder that Scotchmen are pre-
p to Irishmen in most places where learning and skilled
every 5,000 of the population,labour are required; when we find that one Scotchman in
is a graduate of some univer-
sity, while in Ireland, only one man in every 20,000 has
re xived a similar proof of high education ! Dr. Lyons
proves by incontrovertible figures, that Ireland is the meat
ignorant of all the civilised nations; and further, that we
cannot plead poverty as our excuse !",