The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-19 00:00:00

TEE SUPPLY 0)! COTTON.

The attention which has lately been devoted to
this subject by the English press appears to have
found an echo on the other side of the Atlantic.

Our contemporaries, alarmed lest the present crisis
should interfere with the supply required to feed
the Lancashire manufacturers, urged the develop-
ment of the culture of cotton in India, Asia Minor,

Turkey, Algeria, and other warm countries. The
New cork Herald of Feb. 23 published a very long
and able article, filled with curious information, on
the other side of the question, with a view to show
that cotton cannot be grown on a large scale with
any prospect of success, anywhere but in the
Southern States of America.. It says :—" We pos-
sess the only extensive and reliable cotton re-
gion in the world. All thoughts of rivalry or
hopes of its supplies being superseded by other re-
gions are totally absurd, and are only entertained
by visionary men, or by those who are igno-
rant of its cultivation. We must understand
that there are about fifty various varieties of
the gosypium, or cotton plant, and that out of
the whole number there are only about four culti-
vated for commercial purposes, each of which is an
annual, and requires replanting every year. The
perennial cotton trees of the tropics are wholly use-
less, so far as the quantity or tivality is concerned ;
their pods, or bolls, are small and comparatively
few to the tree, while the fibre of the cotton is
coarse, harsh, and brittle. We must comprehend
the fact that the annual plants cultivated in the
United States are only adapted to a climate where
rain and sunshine alternate, with sufficient heat to
mature the plants, and that they will not stand the
extremes of drought and rain common to all inter-
tropical latitudes, where the only plan which can
be employed in rearing them consists in irrigation—
a method too artificial and expensive ever to be em-
ployed on a large scala. Hence, when we hear that
India, Africa, Algeria, Egypt, or Central America is
to compete with the United States, we know that the
thing is simply impossible. In the United States the
northern limits of the cotton culture are bounded by
34 to 36 degrees north latitude, omitting intervening
mountainous elevations and stripes of sterile soil ;
and by the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf
of Mexico (the latter being in latitudes 28 to 30
degrees) on the south. This cotton region ex-
tends around the Gulf of Mexico through Texas to
the mouth of the Rio Grande on the south-west,
and stretches in a north-easterly and south-westerly
direction from about the longitude of 76 degrees
30 minutes to 99 degrees west of Greenwich. The
main cause of the fertility of the country thus
described is attributable to the great basin of water
known as the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Stream,
which passes out parallel with the shores of the
Southern cotton States. The water of the Mexican
Gulf heated by the rays of a tropical sun, causes
an immense evaporation, which, in expanding or
drifting north, or towards the elevated lands
east and west of the Mississippi, is condensed by
cold air, and produces frequent showers during the
warm mouths of spring and summer, and which
are the life of the cotton plants. A similar process
takes place along the Southern Atlantic States.
The evaporation from the Gulf Stream is con-
densed by the cooler air of the Alleghanies. Thus
we have an immense region of cotton lands over
which nature has established the most wonderful
system of irrigation known in the world, in com-
bination with the proper amount of heat and rich •
ness of soil. When we consider that
physical advantages have been united with enter-
aged b
prise, skill, and slave institutions, Ft a?! 7
American intellect, under free insti utions, all
tending to their development, Prioted by the
only fixed labour suitable to the. culture of cotton,
these great
why the United States enjoy a monoply 11 its pro-
duction.
we shall experience no difficulty in comprehending

DETERMINED SUICIDE OF A TRADESMAN IN
ST. PANCRAS.—Yesterday morning, about eight o'clock,
it was discovered that Mr. Salmon, of Albany-street, Be-
gent's-park, a grocer in a large way of business, bad com
police-constable Limburn 333 S,
witted suicide. His' servant went about eight o'clock. as
was usual, to the stable, to take out the horse, when he
ini.t
the e rope.con"
found the door fastened. He looked through the keyhole
and then observed his master suspended by a rope, Seeingh
stable got over the fanlight of thehedocaloriedanhd cu
A surgeon was sent for, and stated that life was extinct.
No cause can be assigned for the rash act. The previous
night he went to bed not showing any signthat would lead
to a supposition he would commit suicide.
The Boulogne Messenger says : " A bureau for
the transmission of telegraPhie messages was opened at the
railway station on the 10th ult., and will be continued there
for the future."

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The Levant ilerald of March ti, which has jug'l
reached us, contains the following items of news ;---.
"Telegraphic news was received in town yester-
day evening from Galatz, announcing the occur-
rence there of extensive inundations, from the
breaking up of the ice, which have flooded the whole
lower part of the town, invelxing inimetasa loss of
property in the magazines and private houses ;
several of the inhabitants had alsu perished, and
thousands more are houseless through the calamity.
H.M. gunboat Recruit had also lost a large quan-
tity of stores.
" Since the publication of this we have received
the following from our Galatz correspondent :
" ' GAL kTT, March I.—l regret having to report
the occurrence of a dire calamity during the past
week. The inundations, caused by the increased
body of water brought down by the breaking up of
the ice, having inflicted a serious loss on this town,
attended, lam sorry to say, with logs of life. The
exact number of victims I have been unable to
ascertain. The injury done to the lower part of
the town has been very extensive, not only to the
dwellers of the poorer portion of our community,
but to the stores of grain which wet e situated there.
We have had this season a much larger quantity of
corn in store than usual, chiefly purchased. ox
English account. From the information that
has been supplied to me from the best
sources, I am enabled to state that the esti-
mated value of the property destroyed is upwards
of a Tauter of a million sterling. I have not
yet been able to learn particulars from Ibraila and
other districts, but all accounts agree in stating that
the whole of the banks of the Danube have pre-
sented a scene of great desolation, and the aggre-
gate loss will form a very heavy matter. Rapid,
however, as has been the destruction which I have
now reported, the subsiding of the mass of water
which caused so much alarm has been equally so,
and we have now little further trace of the inunda-
tion than the ruin it has left behind, and which
will take some time to repair. In addition to the
loss whick the town has thus sustained. her Ma-
jesty's steamer Recruit, Capt. Spain, has had her
paddlewheels seriously injured, and has also lost a
large quantity of stores in one of the magazines on
shore. Happily, however, none of her men suffered
either in life or limb from the mishap. .
«' I mentioned in a former letter that we had a
number of Hungarians here waiting the opportu-
nity to pass up the Danube ; the number has since
been much increased, and the men have been
divided into two battalions, but unfortunately the
arms which were seized some time ago, and which
have since been given over to the British authori-
ties, are thus rendered of no avail, and further sup-
plies cannot now be introduced. In the uncer-
tainty of the aspect of the political horizon, we
are of course unable to offer any idea as to whe-
ther our Hungarian friends will be afforded the
opportunity of proving their prowees. We have
no political news of any importance at the present
moment.'

"BI RNIIG or THE SARDINIAN LEGATION,—.
About three o'clock on- Sunday morning, a fire
broke out in one of the rooms occupied by
the Sardinian Minister, in the Rue Tepebashi,
and spread,so rapidly, in spite of all efforts to over-
come it, that in a few hours the whole mansion
was gutted from basement to roof. So quickly,
indeed, did the flames engulph room after room
that General and Madame Durand() and the per-
sonnel of the legation had barely time to effect their
individual escape, leaving clothes, furniture, books,
documents, and everything a prey to the devouring
element. In addition to the usual municipal and
other fire engines which arrived speedily on the
spot, the powerful engine of the British embassy
played with admirable effect from the palace gar-
dens, and contributed by the vast volume of water
which it poured into the burning mass to confine
the flames to the scene of its outbreak. Hap-
pily, the house, which belonged to Mr. Zariti,
was of stone, and the mischief was therefore the
more easily kept from extending to the neighbour-
ing buildings, some of which, in the rear, are of
wood. The calmness of the morning also contri-
buted to the same fortunate results

" The origin of the calamity is said to be un-
known, but an investigation will of course be held,
which will probably reveal it."

TRADE DISPUTES.

PROPOSED REDUCTION OF WAGES IN THE COT-
TON TRADE.—At a meeting of the master cotton
spinners and manufacturers of Preston and the
neighbourhood, held on Friday at the Bull
Hotel, it was unanimously resolved that a month's
notice be give at the various mills of the mem-
bers of the association of a reduction of 5 per
cent. in the rate of wages paid to weavers,
winders, and warpers. The present rate of wages
is 5 per cent. above the Preston standard list, and
this 5 per cent , which was added last April, is
proposed to be taken off. At the same meeting a
resolution was come to requesting the committee or
the association to take steps for the formation of a
general association of the masters of North
Lancashire, for the protection of the interests of
the trade.—Preston Chronicle.

THE ASHTON; STALEYBRIDGE, AND HYDE
WEAVERS AND THEIR EMPLOYERS.—A notice of
reduction given by the masters in Ashton, Staley.
bridge, bridge, Dukinfield, Hyde, and Glossop, to the
operatives in their employment, of 71 per cent. on
their present rate of wages, has caused considerable,
excitement during the past week, and the operatives
have held meetings at the respective places named
to consider the notice received. The meeting at
Staleybridge was a crowded one, but no definite
resolution was come to, it being understood that a
general meeting of the district would be called.
On Friday night a very large meeting was held at
Ashton. Mr. John Bolton, a weaver, who presided,
said he believed the contemplated reduction was not
necessary, and he urged that a reduction of the
hours of labour would be much more acceptable to
the operatives. Mr. W. Shawcross moved a resolu-
tion to the effect that the meeting respectfully re-
quest the manufacturers to reconsider their decision,
and that they be requested to work short time, be-
lieving that to be the only remedy to bring about
a better state of trade. The resolution was carried
amidst great applause. A deputation was ap -
pointed to wait on the masters, anti after a vote of
thanks to the chairman the meeting broke up.
LOCK OUT OF THE CONGLETON RIBBON WEA-
VERS.—From the long-continued depression of the
silk trade, it has for some weeks been feared that
many of the masters of Congleton would be com-
pelled to succumb to the increased competition
which they find brought against them, and on
Monday last they communicated to the men that, as
trade did not seem to revive, they must submit to
a reduction of wages. The weavers almost unani-
mously refused to accept what had been offered
them ; hence a lock-out, which commenced on Mon-
day morning and still continues, the weavers
wandering in groups up and down the town,
and preventing the return to work of any of their
number. Owing to the strong combination which
exists among unionists in Congleton there appears
to be little chance of an amicable settlement being
come to at present, unless some concession is made
by one party, the lock-outs naturally looking to the
trade unions in other towns—especially in Derby
—for a return of that support which they rendered
under similar adverse circumstances. The dispute
is rendered doubly perplexing from the circumstance
that the largest ribbon firm in the town—Messrs.
Pearson and Sons—have not considered themselves
at liberty to adopt the same course as that pursued
by the other masters. At present the lock-out
extends to the firms of Messrs. Brown and Ken,
nerley, Lees and Leadbeater, Rowley, Berisford,
Wood, Davis, Cook, Garside, Warrand er, and some
including others. About 300 hands are out, ap-
prentices. Besides the question. of wages, the em-
ployment of apprentices furnishes another bone of
contention, the men contending that the received
regulations of the trade limit the number of ap-
prentices in the proportion of one to every seven
journeymen. This rule was passed at a time when
the trade of the town was in a very different condi-
tion to what it is now. The proportionate number
for a long time has been one to five, but as the men
say this has been infringed upon. they. have pre-
,pprenttees In the lock-
vented the return of any
on the other hand, say
out firms. The employers,
they are compelled to seek c.heaper labour in order
compete with the manufacturers
to enable them to
of Derby, Coventry, and elsewhere, who, since the
reduction in these places, have an advantage over the
Congleton manufacturers by the employment of
cheaper labour. An attempt has been made at ne
gotiation during the week. The masters invited
two of the magistrates, Mr. Hadfield and Mr. Dakin,
and the Rev, J. Oakden, to confer with a deputation
from the men, suggesting that the matter should be
referred to a court of arbitration. These gentle-
men met a deputation from the weavers on Friday,
but no satisfactory result was come to. The met
say they are willing to submit their case to a cork-
pete nt authority, and that any court of arbitrat3.on
which may he appointed shall be presided over, by
a chairman who is well versed in the technicrAlities
and usages of the trade as carried on in Cowgleton.
—Manchester Guardian.

MESSINA,—The Sardinians bombarded the fort
of Messina for four hours only, and not "fors days," as
the ordinary despatches say. It was then the terms of
capitulation suggested by the French were accepte The
town has suffered very little, and not lial&A-ibzen wen
were killed ou either side.