The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-04 00:00:00

be laid upon the table as soon as the result of the last nego-
tiations had been received.
RECOGNITION OF THE SOUTHERN F".l ATES.
In reply to Mr. ROEBUCK,
Sir G. GREY said his noble friend (Lord Palmerston)
would be in the House on Monday in all pro! ability, and
then the time for taking the adjourned deb e e on the hon.
gentleman's motion could be arranged.
THE SUPPLY OF COTTON.
Mr. CAIRD then rose to call attention to the supply of
cotton, and to move for a select committee to inquire
whether any further measures could be taken, within the
legitimate functions of the Indian Government, for increas-
ing the supply of cotton from that country. The hen.
gentleman expressed his belief that the abolition of slave
labour would increase the price of cotton, though cotton
would still be the cheapest article for clothing for probably
a very long period. America had hitherto supplied about
four-fifths of our demand, and India nearly the other fifth,
and for 30 years past India has kept her ground in supply-
ing cotton against cheap labour and competition, Brazil
had decreased, but the supply from Italy had considerably
increased, It was very remarkable, as an indication of in-
creased production in fresh channels, whereas in 1861,
the total import, including that from America,
amounted to 9,267,000 cwt., the quantity this year, when
America had sent almost nothing, was 6,622,000 cwt. In
Egypt the price of an acre of cotton was lately £s—it was
now £2O. In three months of 1861, the supply from that
country was 218,000 cwt., and in three months this year it
was 2,295,000 cwts. This year it was expected that 260,000
bales would be shipped from Egypt. From Smyrna we had
had 50,000 bales last year, from which place we had previ-
ously had none. In Italy, great exertion had been used, and
last year the produce in cotton had,in some instances,actually
exceeded the original value of the fee-simple of the land it was
grown upon. The cotton-growing was under the superin-
tendence of Signor Vincenzi, who had charge of the Italian
department in the Exhibition of last year, and he believed
great progress would shortly be made. The quality of the
cotton was very good, and there was an easy command of
labour and land admirably suited for its cultivation.
The Italian farmer was able successfully to grow beans,
barley, and cotton in the same year. Spain was pursuing
the same course, and in Malta every suitable acre of land
was being laid out in cotton. From those sources half a
million of bales of cotton might be at the least expected ;
and, if the prices continued remunerative, they might rea-
sonably expect its cultivation to increase to one million bales
hereafter. They must, however, still look to America and
India for the remaining supply required for this and other
countries. The American supply depended, of course,
upon the result of the war, for the Southern States possessed
greater advantages for the growth of cotton than any other
portion of the globe. It was, however, delusive to imagine
that negro cultivation was more costly than free labour. In
consequence of slavery, no country was able to grow good
cotton so cheaply as the Southern States. It was by that
system self-supporting, and a well-managed slave cotton
estate was all profit. There were also great facilities of ex-
port. India, however, did not stand in so favourable a po-
sition for the growth of cotton as America in either of those
respects, neither did India possess the extension of new
and uncultivated land required, because no crop so soon
and so much exhausts tho land as cotton. If the Southern
States should be victorious in the contest, they might expect
cotton to be soon plentiful again, with no additional cost
than would repay the war expenses. If, on the contrary,
the Southern States should be shut up to the eastward of
the Mississippi, the power of western extension so necessary
in slavery would be diminished, and they must expect a
largely increased population. But if the South be subdued,
and a gradual emancipation of the slaves follow, then there
would be for some years an increased cost of production of
American cotton. In Louisiana and Tennessee free labour
had been tried by giving wages to the blacks, and it was but
right to say that so far it had worked extremely well, the
despatches of Federal governors speaking of it in high terms.
In many of the free States successful attempts had been
made to grow cotton, and in Illinois cotton had been pro-
duced equal to middling New Orleans. If Vicksburg should
fall half a million of bales would find their way to the North,
and already 200,000 bales were on their way to the Northern
States. The war, he thought, must shortly terminate, and
the cotton cultivation be resumed with a moderate increase
of price, in which case they might look to America for one
half of our former average supply, to which must be added
the million bales from other sources beside India, so that
he thought there was no occasion for alarm about the ex-
tinction of the cotton industry of this country. Every
month was producing fresh supplies, though the Secretary
of State for India had discouraged the efforts made for the
supply of Indian cotton. Looking through the Blue Book
of 500 pages, he failed to find a single intelligent suggestion
with reference to the increased cultivation of cotton in
India on the part of the right hon. gentleman (Sir C.Wood).
Why had he not sent out instructions to Lord Canning's
Government respecting the land tenure and the law of con-
tracts, instead of diecreditceg the course taken by Lord
Canning when all was over ? However, in spite of the discou-
ragement and the lukewarmness of the Home Government,
there were sufficient grounds for believing that a great
deal might be done for improving the quality and increas-
ing the quantity of cotton grown in India. Mr. Saunders,
the special commissioner appointed by the Indian Govern-
ment to report as to the north-western provinces, showed
clearly that by superior cultivation the quality and the
quantity of the cotton could be improved. It appeared by
the Blue Book that the average yield of cotton in India was
631 b, to the acre, and upon that calculation it would take
between six and seven acres of land to produce a bale of cot-
ton. If that was the case, they must give up all idea of
obtaining increased supplies of cotton from India, for no
cheapness of labour could compensate for the smallness of
the yield per acre. India exported last year upwards of
1,000,000 bales of cotton ; and at that rate between 6,000,000
and 7,000,000 acres of land must have been occupied in the
production. In Egypt, America, and Algeria, 1,000,000
acres might have sufficed to produce the same quantity.
However, he believed the statement as to the yield per acre
in India was a fallacy on the part of the Indian officials. In
America the produce varied from 1001bs. to 2,0001b5. per
acre; and in Italy and Algeria 631bs. per acre would not
pay for the expense of picking. According to the Secretary
of State the natives of India had nothing to learn in the art
of agriculture. Well, if that was so, they were very much
in advance of every other people. Mechanically and chemi-
cally, the cotton soil of India was precisely the same as that
of America ; the only difference was that the soil of America
was fresher, and consequently the yield was much larger.
The hon, member then referred seriatim to the several dis-
tricts of India which were adapted to the production of cot-
ton, stating that in the Doab alone there were 12,000,000
acres suited for the purpose, with a population more dense
than that of China. He also referred to the establishment of
railways throughout the whole of the cotton districts as an-
other strong element in the calculation, and cone luded by
strongly condemning the Secretary of State for the recall
of Mr. Laing—an error so grave as to lower the authority
of the right hen,
gentleman upon all questions connected
with India. He begged to move for a select committee, in
accordance with the terms of his motion. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. BAZLEY, although believing that the hon. member
took too sanguine a view of the question, considered that the
Government would be very much to blame if the supplies of
cotton from India were not very much augmented. No
:fore the disturbances
in America, the average
doubt, at the present moment thepros prospects of the manufac-
turing
districts were most gloomy. B
consumption of cotton in thistit
country was 50,000 bales per week, and of that
42,000 bales, or 85 per cent. of :the whole, came frognauanAmey-
rim Egypt and other countries supplied 8 per cent., and
the East Indies 7 per cent. It was true that i the supplies
from India had of late increased—bat then the stocks were
exhausted, and the hand spinners of India were left desti-
tute, and there was reason for believing that the quantity
of cottonproduced in that country was not greater than it
was three
er four years ago. Both Earl Russell and the
Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs were entitled to the
highest encomium 3 for their promptitude in addressing
Foreign Governments on the :subject of cotton supplies--
but he should like to know whether the Indian Governmen
had done anything to stimulate the productions of India. I t
was gratifying to find that there was a prospect of increased
supply of cotton in various quarters, thanks to the exertions
of Earl Russell. Turkey, Italy, and Spain were beginning
to grow cotton. Even from Morocco there was a prospect of
obtaining supplies, while China had sent some very beauti-
ful and excellent cotton to aid in relieving the present
dearth. It was absurd to expect the manufacturers of Lan-
cashire to grow cotton as well as to spin and weave it. If
proper facilities were afforded to people in our colonial pos-
sessions, he believed ample supplies would be provided. The
hon. gentleman contrasted the inducements which had been
held out to persons to emigrate to America by grants of land
as compared with our Australian colonies. He referred
to the efforts that were being made by the French Govern-
ment to establish cotton cultivation in Algiers, and said he
wished to see the same activity shown by our own Govern-
ment. Denying the statement that the Lancashire trade
had not exerted itself much in this question, he referred to
the efforts of the Cotton Supply Association, which for 30
years had been enforcing on the Government the necessity
of diminishing its dependence on the States of America for
the supply of cotton. Though cotton might be obtained
both in the West Indies and Africa, it was chiefly to our
Australian and Indian possessions that we should have to
lock for large supplies. He deprecated the unwillingness of
the Indian Government to take up this question, and said
that if they had done so at the period when the hon. member
for Birmingham (Mr. Bright) had agitated the question of
cotton supply, 14 years since, Lancashire would have been
spared the overwhelming crisis which had now supervened,
Great responsibility rested on the Indian department of the
Governmeat, which did not lack information, and only re-
quired energetic action. In this view he believed that great
good would result from placing gentlemen of agricultural
knowledge upon the Indian Council. He believed that the
difficulty of producing cotton in India arose from circum-
stances which would be told in a few words from a commu-
nication which he had received from Calcutta only a week
since, the writer of which stated, "I am convinced that
India could compete with America in growing cotton, but
no great undertaking can be carried on without Govern-
ment support. The Government itself is well disposed to
develop the resources of the country, but cannot control its
subordinates, by whom European settlers are still regarded
as interlopers." (Hear, hear.) With proper attention on the
part of the Government we need not look to America at all