The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-12 00:00:00

THE COTTON PLANT.

It is extremely interesting—unless, indeed, a
term expressive of some deeper emotion should he
employed—to remark the views anti proceedings of
the manufacturing world at this moment with
regard to the cotton supply. This plant is now con-
sidered, and with perfect reason, as one of the chief
elements in the wealth of nations. The mutinies
in India set the French journals speculating the
other day on the effects producible in the cotton-
market by the interruption of cultivetiou in Behar,
the Americans are seriously apprehensive of being
overtaken by the excessive demands of Europe,
and our own manufacturers have formed associa-
tions and established correspondents fur the pur-
pose of seeking out this precious material in all
parts of the world. There is no delusion or mania
about all this. What bread is to life cotton is to
commerce, for raiment comes next in necessity to
food. Wool was once the great staple of this coun-
try, but wool now gives place to the produce of the
cotton plant. On this produce depend our manu-
factures, and upon our manufactures depend our
inexhaustible resources and our national power.
The Providential adaptation of the fruits of the
earth to the wants of man is nowhere more mani-
fest than in this signal instance. The plant thus
universal in its utility is all but universal in its
growth. If cotton could only be raised, like the
rarer descriptions of species, in a single quarter of
the globe, our position would indeed be alarming ;
but, as it happens, the plant will flourish within
certain latitudes over an immense extent of the
earth's surface. Asia, Africa, America, and Aus
tralia appear to compete with each other in pro-
ductive power, although one country at present
has almost a monopoly of supply. Cotton will grow
with luxuriance in India, and it could be raised
in almost any quantities in Borneo. The French
are pushing its cultivation in Algeria, and Dr.
Livingston assures that Africa is the very territory
for such crops. The capabilities of the West Indies
and Guiana in this respect are nolorious, Brazil
actually sends us considerable supplies, and we
have seen excellent specimens from some parts of
Australia. There is no limit, in fact, to the ex-
pansion of which cotton planting admits, so far as
the elements of soil and climate are concerned.
Cotton, in other words, can be grown in quantities
sufficient to meet all the requisitions of manufac-
turer, and since manufacturers can well afford to
pay for a commodity so remunerative, why, it may
be asked, do not the operations of supply and de-
mand result in a natural adjustment on this print
as well as others? To this question we think we
can give some reply.
As a matter of fact, it must be premised that this
adjustment up to a recent period hadactually taken
place ; indeed, it is but just now that a posi ive
dearth of cotton is appre ended. About the time
th it our own cotton manufactures made such enor-
mous strides the United States of America entered
specially upon the work of supply. This, by their
energy, devotion, c tpitil, and skill, they soon
monopolised, and for years together consumption
on this side of the Atlantic and production on the
other proceeded at a rate of acceleration tolerab'y
uniform. Even now a good crop and a good her-
vest in the Southern States of the Union woul I
provide the Lancashire mills with almost as much
provender as they required. Lately, however,
the supply has threatened to fail in keeping
pace with the prodigious development of the
demand, and a variety of circumstances appear
likely to increase the disproportion thud first
created. The American themselves are work-
ing up a rortion of their own raw mat Tial, and
the manufacturers of the Continent now c into
the cotton-watket with more considerable eltmaudi
than in times pee. These weishts thrown into
the scale tend, of curse, to the further depressio,r
of the balance, and the thanches'er people ask what
is to be done if America can hardly supply her pee
sent customers and is likely enough to hive more ?
The apprehension is felt in America itself, who: e,
instead of expressing any jealousy,- the South ra
journals dilate on the expediency of enlarging the
some countries to the
flaiedldofofthseuPAFmlYearitcjdansbriinngthinegir work of provisioning
the world. Accordingly, our manufacturers have
organized associations for this purpose, and have
cast about in all directions for, the means of stock- '
ing the market more satisfactorily. We have b ,en
favoured with some communications repr,.sentin4
the results of their labours ; we have also received
intelligence of our own upon this important sub-
ject, audit appease to us that the incidents of our-