The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-07-16
COTTON IN INDIA.

COTTON IN INDIA.
We extract the following from the London
correspondent of the National Intelligencer, as
showing that Great Britain can never expect
any great supply of cotton from India. It's
evident that her statesmen, if possible, would
diminish her dependence upon this country Tor
nearly so per cent. of her whole supply OF the
staple, which holds revolution in abeyance.,
::Mr. Bright has brought the subject OF the
growth of cotton in India before the House OF
Commons, in speech full of sound reasoning
and the statistics of the subject The cotton
manufacturers of the country employed, he said
100000 of our population, and larger capt.
tai than was embarked in any other manufac-
ture, and which produced the largest proportion
of our exports. The raw cotton imported had
Increased from sc, ,0G0, ,000p poundsin 1900, to not
less than 754,OO0,00 pounds in lS49. Of this
large amount, 7S l-2 per cent. was supplied by
the United States, and ls ID per cent from
British India. The crop in the United States
was liable to great fluctuations, and the con.
sumption of cotton, both on the continent OF
Europe and in America, was rapidly increas'
ing, apparently beyond the powers OF produc'
tom The advance of Id. per pound on raw
cotton was equal to 100000 on the annual
consumption of England. Another considera-
ton was that the American cotton was the pro.
ducto slave labor, andiffrom any cause slavery
should be abolished in the United States, the
cultivation of cotton would be greatly interfered
with. There was no present 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 habituated, to its culture. A
committee of the House had Tin lS4S) express
ed its belief that the soil and climate and popu.
laton of India justified the expectation that this
cotton, vet up to this moment there had been
no results. The revenue at the disposal Of the
East India Company had during the last four.
teen years, averaged 100000 900 year, after
deducting interest of debt; whilst the nett reve
nue. of Great Britain, exclusive of interest on
debt, was only f25,00O,O00. Mr.. Bright
moved an address to the Crown, asking the ap-
poiutment of commission to proceed to India
to inquire into the obstacles which prevent an
increasing growth of cotton in that country,
and to report upon any circumstances that may
iniuriously affect the condition of the native
cultivators of the soil in the presidencies of
Bombay and Madras Sir |. Hobhouse said, if
he thought the 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 increasing for the last
He very much doubted whether such al add-
tional quality of cotton, and of such an improv-
ed kind, could be brought from India as would
enable it to compete with America. The great
mass of cotton brought from India was said to
be unfit, from the shortness ofits staple, and it's
dirty state, to sustain competition with the
American. Besides this, l20,000,000 Of ma.
tives were clothed with cotton, and after they
were supplied the surplus was not likely to be
very great. Sir James Hogg observed that the
East India Company had as strong an interest
Manchester in encouraging the growth Of cot
ton in India; but the idea of commission wes
repudiated at Manchester, where the CONNER
cial Association was convinced that the East
India Company had done everything that was
practicable. Mr.. Bright did not press his mo-
ton to division. Another fact disclosed du-
ring the debate was, that the cotton producers
in india preferred the regular market at home
and in China, to which country very large
quantity was annually exported, to the nncer-
tain demands of Europe. Upon the whole
we do not think that our cotton planters have
much to fear from the rivalry of those of India"
Among the curiositles on exhibition at the Troy
Museum, is peck of potatoes, the whole of them
cross-eyed Hough intends'to run them till the
I'd Gated pig arrives.