Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1850-07-19
COTTON IN INDIA.


COTTON IN INDIA.
We extract the following from the
London correspondent Of the Nation
al mtelligencer, as showing that G.
Britain can never expect any great
supply of cotton from India. 1t is
evident that her statesmen, if posi-
bic, would diminish her dependence
upon this country for nearly 80 per
cent. of her whole supply of the sta
pie, which holds a revolution in
abcyance.
"Mr. Bright has brought the sub
ject of the growth of cotton in In
dia before the House of Commons,
i'll a speech full of sound reasoning
and the statistics of the subject
The cotton manufacturers of the coun-
try employed, he said, 100000 of
our population, and larger capital
than was embarked in any other ma
nufacture, and which produced the
largest proportion of our EXPORTS
The raw cotton imported had in
creased from 56,OO0,O0O pounds in
1900, to no less than 754,0OO,OO0
pounds in l949. OF this large amount
79 ID per cent. was supplied by the
United States, and 10 10 per cent.
from British India. The crop in the
United States was liable to great
fluctuations, and the consumption of
cotton, both on the continent of Eu-
rope and in America, was rapidly in
creasing, apparently beyond the pow
ers of production. The advance of
Id. per pound on raw cotton was
equal to G3,O00,000 on the annual
consumption of England. Another
consideration was, that the Ameri-
can was the product of slave labor,
and if from any cause slavery should
be abolished in the United States, the
cultivation of cotton would be greatly
interiered with. There was no pre-
sent prospect of an adequate supply
from our African, Australian, or West
India colonies, and British India was
the only source we could turn to with
any reasonable prospect of success.
India had always grown cotton; the
soil was adapted, and the people ha-
bituated to its culture. A committee
of the Hoase had Gn l94S) express
ed its belief that the soil and climate
and population of India justified the
expectation that this country might
receive thence large supplies of cot
ton, yet up to this moment there had
been no results. The revenue at the
disposal of the East India Company
had, during the last Id years, aver
aged G20,O00,N a year, after de-
ducting interest of debt; whilst the
nett revenue of Great Britain, exclu-
slve of interest on debt, was only
G25,0O0,O00. Mr.. Bright moved an
address to the Crown, asking the APP
pointment ofa commission to proceed
to India to inquire into the obstic les
which prevent an increasing growth
of cotton in that country, and to re-
port upon any circumstances that
may injurious affect The condition Of
the native cultivators of the soil i'm
the presidencies of Bombay and Ma
dras. Sir /. Hobhouse said, if he
thought Sthe commission asked for
was likely to answer the purpose for
which it was to be raised, he would
say let it be granted, but he did not
suppose that it would. The imports
of cotton had been steadily increas-
ing for the last ten years, and Indian
cotton was no exception. He very
much doubted whether such an adj
ditional quautity of cotton, and of
such an improved kind, could be
brought from India as would enable it
to compete with AWerica. The
great mass of cotton brought from In
dia was said to be unfit, from the
shortness OF its staple, and its dirty
state, to sustain competition with
the American. Besides this, l2O, ,OOO,-
600 of natives were clothed with cot
ton, and. after they were supplied,
the surplus was not likely to be very
great. Sir James HoRg observed,
that the East India Company had as
atrong an interest as Manchester in
encouraging the growth Of cotton in
India; but the idea of commission
was repudiated at Manchester, where
the Commercial Association was con