The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-25 00:00:00

INDIAN COTTON.

(From the Englishman of Sept. 14.)

It is early yet to speculate even as to the quantity of cot-
ton whic'e, England may expect to receive from India, the
produce of the crop grown in the present season. That the
demand for cotton so loudly made from Manchester will be
responded to there can be no doubt ; but to what extent, it
is at pres ent, and will be for some time, impossible to deter-
mine. The seed is as yet but barely in the ground in those
districts in which the south-west monsoon is most severely
felt ; and, as the fall of rain this season has been unusually
heavy, sowing has in a measure been retarded. Neverthe-
less, the reports from the provinces are favourable, inasmuch
as the area already sown, and that set apart for cotton cul •
tivation, is said to be unusually extensive ; in some districts
double the quantity of land hitherto devoted to this object
having been laid down with cotton. One great difficulty to
be overcome is the feeling of distrust inherent in the native
of India which is roused by any attempts made to induce him
to eatend his cultivation of any particular crop. Reports are
no .t wanting, and from trustworthy sources, of whole fields
-having been rooted up immediately on inquiry being made
as to the probable out-turn of cotton in some particular dis-
tricts—the ryots looking upon all such inquiries as precursors
of additional and heavy taxation. This is a feeling which
must and will wear out, but for the time it is attended with
unfortunate consequences, as it tends, in some measure, to
limit the supply of the staple so urgently demanded. These
remarks apply more particularly to districts in which the
ryot cultivates his land entirely at his own risk and charges.
In those districts where the cultivator receives advances for
his crop, before he even turns the soil preparatory to its re-
ception of the seed, no such distrust is felt, for, so long as
payment for his crop is secured, it is a matter of indifference
to him what that crop maybe, always provided it is the most
profitable which the soil of his field will produce. In Dhar-
war, the Raiepore Doab, and 'Western Berar, on one side of
India; in the North-West,and some parts of Bengal on the
other, great efforts are being made, and not unsuccessfully,
very greatly to extend the cultivation of cotton this season.
What the result will be lies yet within the womb of futu-
rity. It is not a question of price which will influence in-
creased cultivation, at least not so far as the cultivator him-
self is concerned ; cotton pays him as well as any other
crop he can raise on the same soil. The difficulty lies in
the great risk .of transport to the coast, and the expenses
attendant thereon. These are the great drawbacks to the
production of cheap cotton in India, and it is to the im-
provement of the communications between the coast and
interior, and thereby lessening the risk and expense of trans-
port, that the Cotton Supply Assocation and those inte-
rested in its produce must turn their undivided attention
and exert their best energies. With these difficulties over-
come there is no reason why India should not produce as
good and as cheap cotton as the Slave States of America.
Moreover, in the districts whence cotton is derived Man-
chester may establish the additional market for her wares
she so much requires. The same ways, whether rail, canal,
or river, by which cotton will be drawn from the places of
its growth, will convey into the interior the produce of
Manchester mills, and, provided she can produce coarse
fabrics of a quality similar to the native home-spun cloths,
and sell them to the ryot at a low figure, Manchester need
fear no dearth of cotton; the entire yield of the cotton
fields of India will be at her disposal.
Tho Punjab with its five rivers, all affording means of
speedy and safe transport, appears to possess 'great advan-
tages for the cultivation of cotton. It numbers among its
various works of public utility very heavy irrigation works,
which, for the production of cotton of the finer staples in a
climate such as that of the Punjab, are highly desirable, if
not absolutely requisite. It has a numerous agricultural
population, and is admirably administered—the former a
sine qua non, the latter most advantageous—when capital
has to be invested in the soil, and advances made for the
fruits it has yet to yield. In the past year, 1860-61 the
cotton produced in the several divisions of the Punjab and
its dependencies amounted to 43,316,8001 b., of which about
4,000,0001 b. found their way to the coast. The quantity
therefore absorbed in the country itself was in round num-
bers 39,000,0001 b., a very large portion of which might with
good management and a judicious outlay of capital have
been taken in exchange for the products of Manchester mills,
instead of being devoted as it was to the manufacture of
cloths, which Manchester ought to be able to supply at a
figure which should defy competition on the part of any
native hand looms. The Lieutenant-Governor gives it as
his opinion that the production of cotton might be in-
definitely increased, but that to this end it will be neces-
sary for English speculators to have their agents in the
country ready to pay at once for the crop and to give
directions regarding the method of cleaning it; he further
adds that it is his belief that a greater breadth of cotton has
been sown this year than last.