Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-01
FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT

raw material COTTON can be derived Tor the use ol
the British manufacturers is becoming every day
more apparent, and is every day more emphatically
insisted upon. Mr.. BAILEY, the chairman OF the
Chamber Of Commerce at Manchester, has been
lately featuring upon the subject before Prince Al
BERT and the Society Of Arts Mr.. BAILEY strong
ly urged the necessity Of encouraging, by all posi-
bic means the growth Of cotton in the British colo
MES; this necessity was rendered every day more
urgent by sthe limited supply from the United
States and the increased competition in the manu-
facture OF cotton" The question is widely and ably
discussed in the principal English journals, and we
think the general tone Of these discussions leads d.
rectly to the inference that it must be many years
before the cotton mills Of Lancashire can depend
upon receiving any material proportion of the raw
material from any other source than the United
States If this be SO, and you cannot increase your
cotton-growing lands, nor, by improved cultivation,
increase the produce Of the present cottonproducing
area it is evident that the price of the raw material
must RISE from the combined effects of limited and
stationary supply and an increased demand. a.i a9
The following are some Of the striking facts con-
nected with the cotton question: 4sa &
In 1900 the raw cotton imported into Great Britain
amounted to .7sss. i.fst 11 SO, OO0, 900 pounds.
In 1915 to. 6 .fsf.f. ]. 100, 900, 000yi.s' X q
In 1885 to 400,O00,0O0 q .a
In 1851 to .. 700,000000 g
or about 1000 tons day. For no less than seven
teen-twentieths Of this raw cotton Great Britain is
Indebted to the United States the remainder being
received from India, Brazil, and Egypt. About
me-seventh part of the whole amount OF cotton i'm
ported into Great Britain is exported again In the
rw state; therefore six hundred millions of pounds
are manufactured--or at least were manufactured
during the last year in the British factories, where
they give employment to million and half of
people, The cotton thus used is disposed Of in
something like the following proportions; Onetenth
Wasted in the process Of manufacture in refuse &C.
Of the remaining 550, 900 900 pounds onefourth is
worked up for home consumption, the other three
fourths manufactured into goods for expectation.
The value Of the cotton manufactures Of last year
estimated at G45 100000 poGhds, of which about
tvo-thirds are believed to have been paid in wages
About 100000 tons Of shipping are yearly employed
by the various operations incident to the cotton
trade. Every variation Of farthing in the pound
upon the price Of the raw material affects the annual
consumption Of Great Britain at least 950oO00
sterling. So perfect is the cotton machinery OF
England Mr. BAILEY says it far exceeds that OF
any other country, although France takes the lead
of Great Britain in beauty Of design in printed cot
ton fabrics that cotton yarn has been procured so
wonderfully fine in texture as be impercptible to
the naked eye unless placed upon a darl surface
The length of hank of cotton is SAC yards; 1t
would require more than 2O00 hanks ofthis gossa-
mer cotton to weigh one pound. Twenty-Five pounds
of this delicate fibre would encircle the globe at the
equator.
1t is curious fact IN the statistosof cotton that
about 250,000 barrels Of -four, costing about three
fourths Of a milton sterling, consumed annually
in the process Of starchine the fbres whilst being
spun. Chwes Dickens IN a late number OF his
q Household Words, !" after enumefatng the strik-
ing facts IF the cotton trade, says:gs
st any great social or physical convusion visit the
United STATES and England would feed the shock from
Lands End to John OGroafs. The lives OF nearly two
mions Of conntrymep dependant upon the cot
nv sor Of hypsrSoie' to hsn upsn thread should
any dire calamity bsfk As land Il cotton thousand Of
our nerchant ships vsd rot idly in dock; ton thousand
mouths would stsrve for lack Of food to feed them
It being clearly perceived that England cannot
dependnpon asuficent supply from any other eourre
should any unfortunate contingency arise which
should render that from the United States made
quate to the wants of her manufacturers the next
question has been, Can any other raw material be
found 70 substitute in the place of cotton Cheva-
lier CLAUssEN and other experimentalsts reply in
the affirmative, and say that F2ar may be so prepar
ed as to advantageously supply the place Of Cotton
TO the extent Of nearly one half Of the latter now in
use. OF to the amount Of about five hundred tons
daily the growth Of which supply for one year
would REQUIRE 100000 acres of land We have
not met with any statements which, If they can be
realized, are so likely to affect the commercial rea
tions Of the world as these are They are SO start
ling that we have not hitherto done more than pom
der over and wonder at them. Chevalier Claussen's
book containing his experiments and all the results
Of the fax movement have, however, been for some
months before the public and know Of no refutaton
which they have received nor in fact Of any which has
been attempted we feel warranted in placing an
outline Of the cotton trade and Of the far movement in
juxtaposition the former may be over-cstmafsd, the
latter too sanguinely contemplated We have ndi-
vidual practical knowledge experience Of either We
take the facts and figures we find them and have
no reason to dispute them If they be correct they
of infinite Importance to our cotton manufacturing friends
in England and our cotton groiOiag friends and fellow
citizens in the United States. t q g4g 81 et
In the first place. Chevalier Caussen Asand in this
fact all our scientific united in opiniondiscoy
cred cheap and easy mode Of cotoniSag fax, Of con-
yertinr il into what he calls British cotton" In the
next place il is stated that this British cotton can be
applied to at least half the purposes in extent Of
SUMPTION which imported cotton has hitherto is at
present applied, and be manufactured by the
machinery There is strong evidence also in favor Of
these assertions Now If these things be true and the
very chance of their being is deserving attention
much more the strong probability that they correct
how will the question stand with the American cotton
rrowerf 1t exactly amounts to this: The demand-so
far Europe is concerned for in this case England
oneha Of his crop hitherto exported is at
destroyed No need be said far respects