The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-21 00:00:00

The Production of Cotton in the Southern

States of America in 1862.

(From the Manchester Guardian.)
We have received from Mr, G. R. Haywood, secretary of
the Cotton Supply Association, the following correspondence
relative to the quantity of cotton at present in the Southern
States of America :

Foreign Office, January 13, 1863.
Sir,--With reference to Mr. Hammond's letter of the
25th of October last, I am directed by Earl Russell to
transmit to you, to be laid before the Committee of the
Manchester Cotton Supply Association, a copy of a further
despatch from her Majesty's Consul at Charleston respect-
ing the quantity of cotton produced in the Southern
States of America during 1862, together with a copy of a
despatch from her Majesty's Consul at Savannah on the
same subject. —I am, your most obedient servant,
(Signed) JAMES Mt RRAY.

British Consulate, Charleston, November 24, 1862.
My Lord,—With reference to my despatch, No. 104, of
the 13th August last, in which I had the honour to submit
to your Lordship certain information on the subject of the
cotton then existing in the Southern States of America, I
beg leave to state that I have taken some pains, now the
crop of 1862 is gathered, to ascertain whether any alteration
is to be made in the estimate upon which my despatch was
based. I find, after careful inquiry, that a quarter of a mil-
lion bales may be added to the amount supposed to be on
hand. It may, therefore, be roughly calculated that there
remain in these States 4,250,000 bales of Upland cotton,
which could be exported in the event of the ports being
opened to trade.

Ibe leave to repeat that the " long," or Sea Island cot-
ton, does not enter into my estimate for the reason given in
my despatch, No. 104.

It should be always borne in mind that the irregularity,
and in some instances total suppression, of communica-
tion between portions of the Southern States, render all
cotton calculations somewhat arbitrary.—.l have tho
honour, &c. (Signed) R. BUNCH.

British Consulate, Savannah, Dec. 6, 1862.

My Lord,—As at this period of the year a tolerably cor-
rect estimate may be formed of the quantity of cotton pro-
duced the last session in the Southern States, I beg to sub-
mit to your lordship, for the information of her Majesty's
Government, the results of my inquiries respecting this
important question, and to report more particularly on the
production in the State of Georgia.

In former years Georgia was the chief cotton-producing
State of the Union, but, as the cultivation of the plant be-
came more extended, Mississippi and Alabama, from the
rich quality of their lands, gradually surpassed her; Mis-
sissippi now holding the first rank, and Alabama the se-
cond.

According to reports made to the Comptroller-General
of this State by the tax collectors, the amount of land
planted in cotton this year in Georgia is about 200,000
acres, yielding in round numbers 60,000 bales of cotton
of 5001 b. each ; ordinarily the production is 700,000 bales
requiring an acre f about 3,000,000 acres. I am, of course,
unable to report as accurately respecting the crops of
other States, but the best information at my command
strongly induces the belief that the entire crop gathered
this year did not exceed 1,000,000 bales; proving the
correctness of the approximate estimate transmitted by your
lordship in my despatch, No. 18, of the 10th May last.
The crop of 1861 was estimated at 4,500,000 bales, de-
ducting from the crops of 1861 and 1862 the quantity of
cotton which has run the blockade, the amount destroyed
to prevent capture by the Federalists, and the quantity used
for home consumption, which, since the commencement of
the war, has enormously increased, being now fully 500,000
bales per annum, will leave in the South not more than
3,500,000 bales. The urgent necessity for the cultivation of
breadstuffs since the Federal occupation of Kentucky and
the best grain growing regions of Virginia, Tennessee, and
North Carolina, and the consequent strong popular opposi-
tion to the planting of cotton, together with other causes of
hardly less importance, such as the entire want of bagging
and rope necessary to put the cotton into merchantable con-
dition, will tend hereafter to prevent any increase of the
stock, possibly to diminish it, while, should the Federals
succeed in making further advances into the interior of the
cotton-growing states, the cultivation of that plant will be
entirely abandoned, and the negroes removed to the moun-
tainous districts, where breadstuffs alone can be raised.—l
have the honour, &c., (Signed) E. MOLYNEUX.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

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LIVERPOOL-TUESDAY.

At our market to-day there was a fair attendance of the
town and country trade. Only a limited demand, however,
for wheat and flour, and prices rather favoured buyers.
Oats a❑d oatmeal in improved demand, and sold at 6d per
load dearer. Barley and peas in retail sale at former rates,
but beans were at fully higher prices. Indian corn was in
brisk sale, at 30s to 30s 6d per 4801 b for prime mixed.