The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-03 00:00:00

COTTON.

The prospects of the Cotton Crop are so deeply
interesting to most of our readers, that we willingly
give space to the following private correspondence
on the subject. The first letter is from an exten-
sive mercantile firm in New York, not directly in-
terested in Cotton :
NEW Yortx, 19th May 1857.—According to our latest
despatch, the falling off in receipts amounts to' 49%000
bales, and this decrease has continued so steadily that it
is fair to assume that the last crop will be less than three
millions of bales. The export to Great Britain is now
diminishing a good deal also, and it may not be unreason-
able to assume that the reduction in consumption with you
will be of rather a temporary character, as by reduced
production the old stocks in second and third hands will
be cleared out, and finally requiie replenishment
at the full former rates. It hardly appears likely,
with present full wages, that the actual consumption
will be much decreased on account of a rise of id. to ld.
per yard in common goods. The main point now is the
coming crop. Between now and maturity much time has
to elapse, and, if everything goes as planters could wish,
the mischief thus far • done may be materially reduced ;
still it is worth considering, that until now everything
has been as much against the growing crop as well could
be. What with very late severe frosts, very unseason-
able weather since, and very extensive inundations on the
bottom lands; we hardly know how the chances of the
growing crop could have been more unpropitious., We
never knew a later spring; the present weather being by
no means too warm for March. The navigation at Buffalo
was freed from ice only a week ago. It strikes •us that
the weather last season was, thus far, much more favour-
able, yet the crop turned out a short one. Should the
weather henceforth be only an average, the prospects are
certainly in favour of-another small crop.

The following is from a large _Charleston Cotton
buying house, dated

CHARLESTON, May 15, 1857.—0ar senior who has been
absent for the past three weeks, returned ion the. 13th
inst. During his absence he has made an extensive tour
through the Cotton region, having travelled hence to
Memphis (Tennesse) through the chief portion of the
cotton growing districts of South. Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, and Mississippi. He has, therefore, enjoyed
the opportunity of judging in person",in regard to the
position of the growing crop, and the prospects of the
• yield next season.
In addition to his present impression of the crop, he
has made it a point to seek information regarding the
i‘ crops of Arkansas, Texas, and those portions of the Cotton
growing states which he did not reach. After this very
extended observation, he has arrived at the conclusion
that there is no possibility of a largo crop next
season, even with future favourable seasons, and that
a late frost would not give us a yield materially
above the present crop. This opinion is based upon the
barren appearance of all the Cotton fields. In some scat-
tered and small places, the plant is above ground, but at
nearly every point the fields are bare of vegetation, present-.
ing an appearance like mid-winter. In numerous sections
planters are engaged either in ploughing up and replanting
with cotton, wherever seed could be had, -or corn, the
various April frosts having generally cat down the plant.
In addition to this there has been an unprecedented over-
Wow of the rivers in Alabama, and all the plantations on
the borders of the Alabama, Warrior, and Bigbee Rivers
are under water, and the crops of Corn and Cotton upon
them entirely destroyed, It was reported that the waters
of he Alabama and Bigbee had met up some fifty miles,
and covered everything ; personal observation satisfies us '
that this was correct to the extent of about twenty miles.
Under the most favourable future circumstances, we eon-
sider.that the next crop must prove extremely moderate,
Whilst the plant is in that position, that anything like a
wet summer, or early frost, would give us even a less crop
than the present one.
The following_ is from one of the first Cotton
houses in New Orleans, dated oth May, 1857:
The main object of this letter is to assure you of the
bad prospects of the new Cotton crop. Besides the un-
favourable weather known to you while here, requiring
replanting in so many cases, the plant has again suffered
seriously by unusually heavy rains in the country
throughout the past week. Where sloughing was needed
for replanting after the killing frosts, it could not be
done, and must be postponed until the sun shall have
time to evaporate and absorb the excessive wet. Where
replanting was recently done, and the plant was not
above the ground, or just sprouting, it is feared the seed
will be washed away or rot in the soil. Some planters
have replanted three times already, and being out of
seed, have ordered a supply from this city. The amount
of injury must depend upon the extent of ground which
has thus been affected, and of this, unfortunately, we
have no full data yet.. We know, however, that in a
straight line from Natchez to Mobile, an unprecedented
quantity of rain water has fallen. At Vidalia, opposite
Natchez, the plantations are compared to lakes. in
Mobile city the gas-works . were submerged, and the
bridges floated away. The streams along the sea coast,
Wolf River, and Biloxi Bay, rose six and seven
feet from rains in the vicinity, and large stores and ware-
houses were removed from their foundations by the mass
of water runtang'at their base. The sea coast is cut into
a thousand ravines, which all the hurricanes hitherto
known have failed to produce. .
In stating these facts, my object is not to alarm or to
create excitement in the minds of operators, much less in
your own; but to deduce therefrom, that we must pre.
pare for another short crop, unless a late season should
repair what I fear is irreparable. The crop is backward
not less than seven weeks in this valley ; and when we
reflect that; in consequence, both cotton and corn must be
worked simultaneously.-:-that corn is the main crop,
almost or equally important, we must infer that an
abundance of either is not to be looked for.

BIRKENHEAD GAS AND WATER BILL

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES

Sir,—We have all, no doubt, read and well con-
sithred your report of the disclosures made before
the parliamentary committee upon the Gas and
Water Bill, submitted to them by the so-called
company.

But there is, I know, considerable anxiety to be
informed what is to be the next move. We generally
hear, as we walk along, " Surely, the House of
Commons can never allow matters to stand as they
do now ;" that " there must be an investigation
into the conduct of one of its members," the
charges against whom I need not here recapitulate
It appears to me that the inhabitants, or rate-
payers (who should take the initiative), are losing
time, and I would suggest, as the best plan for
putting the wheels in motion, that the town clerk
be desired by the commissioners to draw up a
petition to the House of Commons, for immediate
presentation, calling for inquiry with a view to
place the members in possession of all the facts,
for them to deal with as they deem proper for the
protection of the reputation and character of the
assembly.—l am, sir, your obedient servant,

AN INHABITANT OF BIRKENHEAD.
2ud June, 1857.

We have been requested to publish the follow-

inc.; :
THE IDLE MAN: " WHY DIDN'T HE DIE ?'