The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-26 00:00:00

THE COTTON SUPPLY.

PULLIC MEETING AT HANOVER, IN JAMAICA,
The Jamaica Gee, dian, received by the last steamer, con-
tains an interes lig report of the proceedings of the annual
meeting of he Hanover Society of Industry, on August 1,
the H 11. A. Whitelocke, custos of the parish, and now
ono of the executive government, in the chair. In the
course of his opening speech, the Chairman made the follow-
ing important and interesting remarks :—A ward as to the
movement in regard to the cultivation of cotton in Jamaica.
1 may not be sanguine as some are as to the full and speedy
success of this movement, but I am cm tainly quite disposed
to encourage it, and I am persuaded that, if it should suc-
ceed, it would benefit the country incalculably. There is an
immense amount of labour in the country which, on various
accounts, we shall never get on the estates. Cotton can be
cultivated by people who are physically incapable of culti-
vating cane; and how important it is that some kind of oc-
cupation should be provided for such, for which they may, by
industrious effort, be able to gain a comfortable and civilised
livelihood. 1 wish well, then, to the cotton movement. I
hope it will succeed ; and I shall do everything in my
power, both by precept and example, to encourage it. The
hon. chairman then adverted to the fact that he was one of
five who, long before emancipation, petitioned the Muse of
Assembly that women might not be flogged, and for the
compulsory manumission of slaves under certain regula-
tions. What did the House of Assembly do with that peti-
tion? They threw it out of the window, thus manifesting,
in the strongest manner, their disapprobation and contempt.
I have been 40 years in Jamaica ; I was with my father,
who was a magistrate, in 1812 on the hustings on the occa-
sion of the Manchester massacre, and deeply impressed with
that scene. How different is the state of matters now; the
popular voice is the ruling power in England, and the higher
classes tb ere, the proprietary body, are, to a large extent,
identified with the people. The highest in the land take
the deepest interest in the lowest in the land, and, in ways
innumerable, labour for their good. The people know this,
acknowledge it, and are grateful for it. It is thus that the
safety and stability and prosperity of England are secured.
The Custos then called on William Bourne, Esq , to address
the meeting on the cotton cultivation.
Mr. BOURN, after adverting to the state of America,
and theimprobability of England's obtaining an adequate supe-ti I y
of cotton from thence, spoke as follows :—The attention
of
the English public is directed to Jamaica, among other
places, in the hope that, as our soil and climate' are suit-
able, some part of their needful supply of cotton will be ob-
tained from this country. A Jamaica cotton company has
been already established, and commenced operations. It is
rumoured indeed that a similar company is to be established
in this parish. Mr. Bourne then adverted to the movement*
which had already been made by the Hanover Society of In-
dustry, and the assistance they had derived from the Man-
chester Cotton Supply Association, and said—We have the
hope then that cotton will speedily become an important
article of cultivation and export in this palish. Indeed,
either cotton or some other cultivation, in addition to what
we now have, must be introduced, or it will bo impossible
for the population, rapidly increasing,as it is, to procure
money to purchase the necessaries which civilisation de-
mands. It is well known that we cannot starve. Yams,
and all kinds of ground provisions are plentiful, and are
grown by everybody. But we want something else to export
ti) other countries, so that we may procure in return cloth-
ing, tools, and other articles, which we must have, but
which we cannot ourselves manufacture. The census of this
parish, lately taken, presents us with some important facts,
which prove conclusively the necessity for an additional
staple—and to these facts I now call your attention. We
have enumerated in the returns, under the head of "no
occupation," 8,282 persons. If we deduct 5,937 children,
under 12 years of age, we have 2,345 persons who are re-
turned as having nothing to do. Besides we have enume-
rated 11,799 persons as labourers; making, with the 2,345
already mentioned, 14,144 persons, besides 1,159 tradesmen
and 764 domestic servants, with the planters, merchants,
and those of other occupation. Now, how do these 14,144
persons earn money ? This society last year, at the request
of the Jamaica Society of Arts, procured a variety of statis •
ties relating to the parish, which were published in a small
pamphlet, and circulated in the island and in Great Britain,
and their correctness has never been called in question, and
is undoubted. On referring to those statistics, I find that
the 29 estates in the parish, producing 2,608 hogsheads of
sugar, and 1,435 puncheons of rum, employ 2,760 person- ,
and the ,0 pens or stock farms,with 6,838 heads of stoel, em-
ploy 377 person, making together 3,137 laboure* who are
paid wages. Now, deduct this number from 4,144 able to
work,and you find that 11,007 persons me ~ve wages and de-
pend for their living on growing yam -dnd making sugar for
themselves. But there are only „lout 300 small sugar mills,
producing about 1,100 barrel, of sugar. It would be a very
liberal allowance to tout, that 1,000 persons may be em-
ployed. Now this be;Lig the state of the case, can any one
deny the necessity of some additional staple, for Hanover at
least, to employ the surplus labour of the 10,000 persons in
this parish, who are shown to have nothing else to do but
cultivate provision grounds and small patches of arrowroot
and ginger ? If these 10,000 persons could be induced and
enabled to produce 20,000 bales of cotton every-year—a sup-
position which is by no means extr,,vagant or beyond their
ability—would not the parish be vastly benefited ? It is
impossible to calculate the increase of prosperity and com-
fort which would be thus secured. (Applause.) And would
the twenty-nine estates be injured by the employment of
these 10,000 persons in cotton cultivation ? We sincerely
vvuail uvt be la junta. They would still
retain the 3,137 whom they employ—as it would doubtless
be the interest of those located near the estates, and
engaged in a kind of cultivation which they understand
and like, and for which they are specially adapted, to
continue at it, and to do so probably with greater regularity
and persistence than many of them are now accustomed to
do. Such, at all events, is ourdesire and hope in the mattes.
(Applause,) Ido not know so much of the other parishes ;
but generally speaking, I believe that their condition resem-
bles our own more orless. lam informed that in the whole
island there are only about 300 sugar estates, and about the
same number of pens ; and they cannot employ more than
thirty or forty thousand of the population, besides the immi-
grants whom we are constantly calling for, but whom many
of our proprietors will not take the necessary measures
to bring to the island. Then census returns, so far as I have
ascertained, show an increase of at least 60,000 persons ;
Jamaica must now, therefore, have upwards of 430,000 in-
habitants of all ages. Now, if 50,000 are provided for by
the sugar cultivators, and 30,000 by the produce of coffee
and other staples, what are the remaining 350,000 to do ?
This is the first and most important question for present
rulers of Jamaica. On its proper solution hangs the fate of
the island. If our rulers have sufficient enlightenment,
courage, and patriotism to solve it properly, Jamaica 'A
Years hence will exhibit the pleasing spectacle of an intel-
ligent, contented, and thriving population. If not, then how
sad indeed will our condition become I The duty of every
man who has an interest in this island—of every one who
intends to make Jamaica his home—is, to ponder this mat-
ter seriously, and to assist in devising measures for pro-
moting the industry and prosperity of the island.
Other speeches followed, and the paper from which this
report has been abridged states that out of a population in
this city of Kingston "of 27,005, with no class above the
necessity of labour, there are fully 10,000 people without
employment." "A city with starving multitudes who,
when they rise in the morning, cannot tell how they will
manage to get food for the day, although in the immediate
neighbourhood there are large tracts of fertile land, inviting
industry and promising an ample reward." No one stirs
in the matter of the application of this wasting power of
industry to a useful purpose.

FOREIGN MAIL PACKET LIS.7:

MAILS DUE.

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_ . via Marseilles . Sept. 26.
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AMUSEMENTS ROME.—The Romans have
started a now game, called .Aunty Nelly. It consists of a
figure, considerably blackened, of a well-known Cardinal,
whose nacre somewhat corresponds in sound to the above.
The fun turns upon the players pitching into the figure as
hard as they can. The Cardinal comes in for several hard
blows, but no one has succeeded, as yet, in putting his,Fire
out. However, it affords infinite sport to the Romans, and
s, altogether, a very fair substitute for the English Aunt
Sally.—Punch.

ALLAN RAMSAY THE PAINTER AND MS PUPIL.-
The painter to King George 111. was evidently sinking.
Yet be lingered for some years—a shattered invalid. Again
he visited Rome, leaving his pupil P.,einagle to complete his
long list of Royal commissions. Reinagle's style was so
admirably imitative of his masterr's that it was difficult to
distinguish one from the other. The pupil was instructed
to complete fifty pairs of kings and queens at ten guineas
each I The task seemed endless, and was six years in hand.
Midway, wearied to death with the undertaking, Reinagle
wrote to complain that the price was not sufficient. Ram-
say trebled it ; but the pupil was wont to confess afterwards
that he looked back with a sort of horror at his labours in
connection with the royal portraits.—Once a Week.

The Commercial Union Assurance Company lae,ve
prepared a classified tariff, which is stated to have beK,n very
carefully considered, and the office will commence business
on Saturday.