Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-03-29
LINEN AS SUBSTITUTE FOR COTTON.

FROM TIE MArsvIIIE (kEsruckr) POST Bor.
great deal Of interest is excited just now, boil
in Europe and America, by the experiments now
making win the view Of substituting Flax for Cot
ton. Some of the English writers seem TO thinl
that il will not be long before they will be able to
do without American Cotton. Some Of the Anne.
rican Press have already taken the alarm, and are
endeavoring TO solve the question, What will be.
come OF the Cotton growing States o. in case Flax
shall be found to answer substitute for Cotton
We are satisfied that the Flax will take prece.
dence of Cotton and displace il to large extern,
but we do not f0resee, as some do, destruction to
the Cotton States. The fact is, fax grows as well
at the South as at the North, and, by introducing
manufactures there, when they change from cotton
to fax general prosperity will prevail there n place Of thai
uctuation and uncertainty they have between those
Of high prices the present. and those when they are
compelled to sell their cotton for less than 1t really can be
grown for regular, permanent business We do not
that the South be loser by the change but on the
ay, will be greatly benefited We reasonably suppose that
the manufactured products Of fax would besr great an a-
in price the material cotton fabrics usually
doom three to five times the price Of the materia-and
if So the sales Of Southern products will be equal what
they are if only from ons-h to onethird much far
hemp is grown there Is grown Of cotton But
times the first of the unrotted fax which 1t under
stood is used by the methods that the chances are
for many years come the South will be able double or
perhaps quadruple the amount Of her exports unless she
negecs to embrace the golden opportunity Of uniting
factories TO her agriculture The great of he South has
been her too exclusive reliance upon agriculture alone, which
she will be compelled correct should this expected
revolution take place.
is the North and West will come in for goodly
share Of this expected prosperity and certainly there be
objection to this The advantages this country Of cheap
lands must have all others In supplying the world with
linen and fabrics great that portion could
possibly do the business II that linens from unro
ted flax be made cheaper than cotton goods Of the
nenes when cotton is at the lowest paying price, foows
inevitable consequence, that this country and the other
countries with good governments and cheap lands must
furnish not only Europe but the rest Of mankind with
all thin fabrics Of fax and coon that the British islands
cannot much longer produce linens coons except perhaps
some of fancy fneness as Injuries for the rich
The British press must boastng Of their pro-
missed Independence Of American cotton growers When
produce S6OOOO 900 worth Of linen, which have
been annually importing-very fooshlyfrom them when
export other countries the s6OoOooo worth which she
exports to them, (besdes the amount to us and
export full S12 900 worth thher for English consump
the place of cotton, both Engsnd and other countries
which England longer supply, why the English song
will be changed to something in the nature Of Hak, from
the tombs."
We have sample before Of fax cotton, which is
white and soft, and fine any cotton but Of richer and
glossy Like appearance, and which evidently be
spun into very fine yarns cheapy cotton. Now this
material be produced from unotted fax for cents
pound And know that unroted fax be procured
that the lint shall stand and half cents pound,
leaving pretty wide margin for the preparation to bring the
material to cents It is known that there is object
growing cotton for less sum- that is far from being
mpossibiy that linen may yet be produced cheap
cotton. "
We understand that the inventor DR.. LEAvIrr and his
associates making their arrangements to bring out their
inventions promptly and vigorously that they to throw
them wide open the public and afford every facility posi-
bic for the establishment Of linen factories by contracting
furnish the machinery eIpsditousy possible, at fair
prices and with such guarantees the safety Of the manufac
will require. They propose put out different parts Of
this work in different machine shops throughout the country
East West, where the factories to be built is
frequently done with cotton factories that little delay
possible may be occaoned in getting factories into operation
We also understand that they in negotiation with
several companies who preparing gono the business
A bill has passed the Legislature Of VIRGINIA
making appropriation for the completion of the
Virginia Central Railroad from Charlottesville to
the terminus of the mountain section which the
State is constructing, and also for enlarging the