The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-02 00:00:00

THE CULTIVATION OF COTTON.

The Anglo-American gimes says :
The following interesting letter from General
R. V. Richardson, Vice-President of the United
States Cotton Company, to Judge Thompson, Pre-
sident of the American Central Railway, was not
intended for publication, but the information it
contains is of so valuable a nature that it has been
placed at our disposal :

London, England, Aug. 21, 1867.
Judge T. S. Thompson, President of the American Central
Railway.

DEAR SIR,—I cannot express too strongly my gratifica-
tion at the prospect of building your road under auspices
so favourable to energetic progress and speedy completion.
Running on an air line from the Mississippi River to Fort
Wayne, thence by the shortest route to the cities of Phil-
adelphia and New York, when completed it must bo
the great thoroughfare of cotton to the spinneries in
the States of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, New York, and the New England
States. The great cotton zone of North America
extends from the Atlantic Ocean west to the Rocky Moun-
tains, between the parallels of 30 deg. and 36 deg. 30 min.
north latitude. The Mississippi River cuts this zone on
its middle line from north to south, and the largest por-
tion constitutes what is called the valley of the Missis-
sippi; and this valley of the cotton zone contains a trans-
verse belt, about forty miles wide, of alluvial lands, called
the bottom or delta of the Mississippi River, extend-
ing from the mouth of the Ohio to Baton Rouge, a
distance, with the course of the river, of about eight
hundred miles. This delta is the richest body of
lands on the globe, and the best adapted by soil, sunshine,
and showers, to the cultivation of -the Green seed and
Upland varieties of cotton. Here these varieties attain
their best development and make their greatest yield. The
soil of this delta is of recent alluvial formation, and is of
surpassing fertility to a depth of forty feet. It is so rich
that it could be imported into England to be used as
a fertiliser with good profits. In climate and soil
this delta is superior to those of all other countries
for the production of good merchantable cotton. This
delta produced in 1860 about one-half the crop of that
year, which was over 5,000,000 bales, weighing each 400
pounds. This delta is likewise highly favoured in having
that magnificent "inland sea"—the Mississippi River—to
pass through it. Indeed, this groat river is the father of
this delta, since it has been formed by the action of his
waters, and ho is therefore the great. aqueous channel of
commerce through, from, to, and bAween this delta and
the world. There are two principal cotton marts upon
this river, situated respectively at the southern and
northern verges of this cotton zone. New Orleans is the
elder and larger market, having the advantage of being
situated 120 miles from the mouth of the great river, and
also being the'entrepot and depot for the foreign and coast
trade of this valley. Memphi i is a young, prosperous city,
enjoying the advantage of an equable and genial climate,
and centeetl continental position. Under the old regime of
water communication culy New Orleans was thepeerless
queen of commerce for this magnific Int valley, but since the
great interior bosom of the Continent has been interlaced
with rails ays, Memphis, situated at the Upper or Northern
verge of this cotton zone, has steadily grown to be a cotton
mart. The spinners of the States mentioned have been
discovering that it was their best policy to buy supplies of
raw cotton at Memphis, because it was so much nearer
and accessible to them at all seasons of the year. Hence
the largest portion of cotton heretofore for the last ten
years received at Memphis has been purchased by these
spinners, and has been transported up the Mississippi and
Ohio Rivers to St. Louis, Cairo, and Cincinnati, thence taken
by railroads and carried eastward into the States mentioned.
These lines have been zigzag, and therefore long, tedious,
and expensive. The great desideratum has been, and is,
to carry the cotton on steamboats to some point on the
Upper Mississippi River to a point about the latitude of
Philadelphia and New York, there place it on a line of
railway that runs, as the crow flies, to these cities. Thus
we save distance, circuitousness, delay, and cost in the
transportation of cotton from those who make to those
who spin. The American Central line, leaving the Upper
Mississippi at New Boston, thence by Fort Wayne, Pitts-
burg, Harrisburg, branches to Philadelphia and the city of
New York by lines of nearly equal distances, supplies
this great want. The Mississippi is at all times navigable
except when impeded above the mouth of the Ohio
with ice in the winter. The distance from Memphis
to Now Boston is about 650 miles by the river. A
line of steamboats could be organised to ply between
Memphis and New Boston, touching at intermediate
places, carrying bales of cotton already compressed for
ocean shipment to be freighted over your road east-
ward, and these boats returning could carry coal, taken
from the end of your road, the product of mines on your
line to Memphis and intermediate places. In 1860 the
receipts of cotton at Memphis were about 500,000 com-
mercial bales, and over one half was shipped up the Mis-
sissippi for interior consumption. This line of boats having
a certain return cargo of coal, beside thei r coasting trade,could
afford to carry cotton from Memphis to New Boston for
$1 per bale, Each bale of 4001b5., by the use of improved
presses, could be compressed into 40 cubic feet. Estimat-
ing the cubic contents of a car 50 feet long, 8 feet wide,
and 10 feet high at 4,000 feet, we shall find it capable of
holding 100 bales of cotton, weighing 20 American tons.
If the car can support this weight, the capacity to hold is
sufficient. The freight, at my latest advices from New
York, for a bale of cotton from Memphis to the former
city by either of the two lines now usually employed is
lc. the pound, or $4 per bale. The routes are the one
down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, thence by gulf
and ocean ; the other by rail through Tennessee,
Mississippi State, Alabama, and Virginia to Norfolk,
thence by ocean to the city of New York. A
third route, which is now a little more costly
than either of the others, is up the Mississippi
and Ohio, and thence by present railway facilities to
New York. By your road the cost will be about as fol-
lows : —By boat to New Boston for each bale, $1; the hire
of a car to carry .100 bales at $5O per day for two days
(that being the time it would take to load and carry the
load over your part of the line), $1; and for ono more day
to destination, 50 cents, making total freight on a halo of
cotton from Memphis to New York $2 59c., saving $1 50c.
per bale. Now when you remember that the American
cotton spinners consume each year over 1,000,000 bales of
cotton, much of which, and more, is grown in this great
delta, you can see in a moment a complete revolution in
the transportion of cotton, as to lines and routes, from the
producers of this great Mississippi Valley to these spinners
of the States mentioned. The larger number of the spin-
neries aro situated many miles interior from the Atlantic
seaports, so that the cotton going to them by ocean must
after it roaches the seaports take river, canal, and rail, to
reach its destination; whereas the cotton which goes up the
Mississippi River, thence by your road, intended for these
interior spinners, would not go to any seaport at all, but
would roach its destination before getting to any
seaport whatsoever. But as I have shown that your
line will be the cheapest to the seaports of New
York and Philadelphia, so I show that the cotton
raised in the delta of the Mississippi, designed for ship-
ment abroad, would also seek your line. Let us suppose
1,000,000 bales of cotton produced in this delta to pass
over your road to supply the domestic and foreign demand,
this would give you -100,000,000 pounds or 200,000 Ameri-
can tons of freight, requiring 10,000 cars, carrying 20 tons
each, to move it over your road. The distance from
New Boston to New York is about 800 miles. Your
freight for moving this quantity would be about
$1,000,000. All the shipping points on the Mississippi
River, even from New Orleans up, would contribute
this freight. The principal points, however, would be
Vicksburg, Napoleon, Helena, and Memphis. This groat
delta, and an immense country adjacent to it, is
destitute of miaoral coal deposits, so far as yet known.
It now draws its supply of this mineral fuel from the coal-
fields of Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Illinois. I under-
stand that a superior article of bituminous coal underlies
much of your road, and that valuable mines are now ready
t 9 be worked are 000 n you can givo outlot to market.

The boats carrying the cotton to New Boston could return
loaded with coal for the use of the people in this delta
and adjacent country. Large quantities of coal aro con-
sumed every year at Memphis and on and along the
Mississippi River. I understand, likewise, that your coal
could be mined and delivered on boats at New Boston for
82 50c. per ton. It would find a ready sale at Memphis for
86 per ton, leaving $3 50c. per ton to pay for transporta-
tion and profits to dealers. Thus you see how intimately
blended ought the interests be of the two enterprises
managed respectively by you and myself.
Tho United States Cotton Company has its principal
office in the city of New York, and its principal agency at
Memphis. Its object is to stimulate and promote the cul-
tivation and increase of cotton by a judicious system of
loans of money to resident cotton planters, at good rate
of interest, secured by bowls and mortgages created
by the planter on their unencumbered real estates ;
employing the money in the production of cotton,
and they to consign tho crops when ready for market to
my co:np.uoy for transp,rtation and sale in the domestic
and foreign markets. In this way we shall direct the
transportation of cotton to such lines as we find best.
Having perfected your financial plans, you can aid me by
giving mo your influence in the sale of the bonds of my
company for ten years, bearing 7 per cent. interest per
annum, secured by a mortgage upon the real estates of the
company. These bonds and the interest are payable in
gold. The real estates consist of 6,000 acres of sea island
cotton lands in South Carolina, about 500 acres beingcul-
tivated this year in Sea Island cottonl; and 10,000 acres in
Georgia, on the line of the Maconand Brunswick Railroad.
—Yours truly, R. V. RICHARDSON,

Spirit of the American Press.

(From the IVatton.)

The Mexican paper Libertad has been attempting
a justification of the Mexican dislike of foreigners,
to which Escobedo has recently been giving such
brutal expression, and alleges truly that foreigners
have been the cause of a considerable portion of the
Mexican troubles, owing to the attempts of their
Governments to interfere on their behalf for the
redress of their grievances of one sort or another.
Now if the Libertad will consider a little, it will
find that there is no such perfect guarantee against
foreign interference, and against all troubles from
the presence of foreigners, as good government, in-
cluding a good police, sensible legisiation, and a
pure administration of justice. It is this, far more
than physical strength—this, and not savage procla-
mations and decrees, plunderingsand slayings, which
preserves weak states from the meddling of power-
ful neighbours. Poland fell because she had one of
the worst Governments the world ever saw, and not
because Russia and Prussia were greedy ; Turkey
is for ever under the thumb of the foreigner because
she has neither police nor courts of justice; but
Switzerland and Holland, though weak states, and
surrounded by powerful ones, have never to com-
plain of foreign meddling, or to propose to cut
foreign throats. If Mexicans would put Escobedo
to hard labour in macadamising roads, hang her
brigands, collect her taxes, and establish tolerable
courts of justice, we warrant there will be little talk
anywhere of regenerating her from the outside.

(From the Springfield Republicdn.)

The general aspect of public affairs is not alto-
gether pleasant to contemplate. During the war
the patriotic devotion of the people elevated the tone
of politics, and led to the hope that they had been
lifted permanently out of the slough of small part-
nership and personal self-seeking. But disappoint-
ment has fallen upon these hopes, and at this
moment we seem to be in danger of sinking back
into worse degradation than that from which the
war lifted us. The contest between President and
Congress is not wholly wanting in earnest convic-
tions as to principle and policy on either side, but
the means and the spirit in which the controversy is
waged shame the moral sense of the country. What
more monstrous could be conceived than public
charges against the President of the United States
by members of Congress that he procured the
assassination of his predecessor ; or the hurling
back by the President of counter charges that these
men have been trying to suborn false witnesses to
fix the terrible crime upon him. And all this for
party ends, and against the peace and honour of the
Government and the country. The disgraceful
violence connected with the close of the Surratt
trial, and the spirit of partisanship so often seen
cropping out in the trial itself, are smaller exhibi-
tions of the same degeneracy, which seems to mark
everything at the national capital.
Yet we must not despair of the Republic. In
spite of all perversions and hindrances, the
restoration of the national unity is assured, and
with it eventually the freedom and equality of
all citizens. The scum that always comes to the
surface in troublous times will be thrown off and
leave the body politic sounder and purer. The
people are quiet, but they are not indifferent spec-
tators of events ; when their forbearance reaches
its limit they will move with irresistible force, and
sweep away at once the whole swarm of plotters,
of whatever party, who would keep the country in
perpetual turmoil in order to promote their petty
ambitions or gratify their personal revenges. These
are dog-days iu Washington politics—and the
dirtiest dogs must have their day ; but the cool
breezes of autumn will drive away the fog and fetor,
and bring clean and invigorating air once more.
Deep in the heart of the people there is a sound
basis of honour and patriotism, and while that lives
the Republic cannot die.

SARA7OGA DURING THE RACE WEEK

Saratoga has lately been unusually gay, as the
racing week ended on the 10th instant. The sport
was good, the prizes generally being closely con-
tested. Mr. Jerome's famous thorough-bred Fleet-
wing was advertised fur a three mile dash against
any horses that might enter the lists for a purse of
$l,OOO. None took up the challenge. Nor did
Kentucky appear, as expected, to attempt his
famous running match against time, of seven miles
in seven minutes twenty seconds. The admission
to seats on the stand is high, being from two to
three dollars. Several grand balls have been given,
and the season, although late, appears to have been
a profitable one to hotel keepers and others.
The correspondgnt of the Springfield Republican
says :—" The Union Hotel has 700 guests, the
Clarendon 400 or 500, and the American, Colum-
bian, Marvin, and one or two others, from 150 to
200 each. Among the notables here are Com-
modore Vanderbilt and August Celmont, Governor
Swann of Maryland, ex-Mayor Opdyke of New
York, with his family, A. B. Medina, secretary of
the Peruvian legation at Washington; MM. Bassano
and Brumdeth, attaches of the French legation, and
Major Gen. Allen. Twoother military gentlemen are
also here, whose presence is attended with less per-
sonal hazard than it might have been a year or two
since, when their acts of rebellion were more recent,
and treason less thoroughly abashed in the presence
of victorious loyalty. They are General Magruder,
who defeated Ben Butler at Big Bethel, the first
battle of the war, and afterwards the hero of
M'Clellan's Yorktown campaign, and General Tom
Taylor, a staff officer in the early days of the rebellion.
Both are men of good personal presence, more credit-
able than their reputations, but not that which con-
veys the idea of thorough manliness nor honest
loyalty. Congressman John Morrissey is stopping
at the Union House, and is a constant attendant at
'the races. He appeared to-day in an immaculate
suit of white duck and flannel, with a generous
amount of straw hat, looking altogether well worthy
the questionable honour which he has lately secured
from his constituents. Mr. Morrissey is a gentleman
in his address and appearance, courteous and af-
fable, and popular in the extreme among his friends
and fellow-townsmen at his native city of Troy.
The reports of his appearance have not done him
justice, and many better men, I am positive, have
voted for worse-looking representatives. Webster
and Murray are not standard authorities with Mr.
Morrissey, but he does not lack words nor the method
of their forcible expression without the rules of these
venerable dogmatists."

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