The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-06-26
COTTON, SUGAR AND LABOR
Southern Slavery and the Cotton Trade
The Production and Supply OF Cotton In
the United States-Cotton and Labor In
British GAlana -uauritius and Re-
union In 1S5S-Sugar Planting In
the East-Frcc slavery In the
French COIOnics-spain and
the Free Slave Trade-Thc
COVlle slave Trade and
How Il Is Conducted,
&C., &C.. Asc.

SOUTHERN SLAVERY AND COTTON.
THE COUHsE OF TIE COTTON TRADE-rHs LIMIT or
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF SLAVES RMPLoYED-
RATE OF INCREAsE-PKODUCrlON AND CONsUMP-
TIoN-THE COTTON sUPPLY QUESTION IN ENGLAND,
From the Nachitoches Ola Chroocice
appears TO be very generally considered In this coun
Try and Europe that the regular and permanent supply
Of raw cotton for the commercial wants OF the world
must to large extent, be produced in the United Staes
The quantity OF cotton imported into England from
Brazil Madras Cscnts, Egypt, &c. has not Increased TO
any considerable extent during the Las. ten years. not
withdrawing the patronage and fostering the Bril-
fish government ~be the other hano the ,oon crop
OF the Uni ed states has continued smeut,
amounts TO eighty per cent of the whole consump
ton, with increasing demand, al fully renunerang
prices.
But the American cot on trade has not reached It's pre-
sent prosperous condition without meeting several almost
ruinous vicistudes From 1885 to 1916 the annual pro
duction Of american cotton exceeded the foreign
and domestic demand, and the accumulated
stock in Liverpool alone, at the close OF tho
commercial year, December 81, ls46, footed up
nearly twelve hundred thousand bales The
price, which in 1885 was sixteen cents per pouui ,
gradually deprecated, in proportion TO the produc
ton, until lSa6 when the OF the only
five and cents per less than
the cost Of production Wth this immense STOCK hand
and the pospect OF unlimited future supply, the
mercial and manufacturing classes in EagiAni only
dictated their own prices 70 the American planter, but
they seized the favorable opportunity for attempt
emRncpate themselves Altogether from any future de-
pendepce upon the United States for material
their most profitable commerce Various imprAstcab'e
schemes wero Set on foot and vast sums OF money
PENDED In order to stimulate and extend the production
Of cotton by free labor, while British press
aid of the effort denounced the institution of slavery
the United States IN unmeAsured terms.
This q gloomy period for the American cotton
planter; but every one possessed Of any commercial
sagsci,y that this Of things could
tnuo for any very proaced period OF time ana the
was what political economist would have anticipated
supply OF had been greater than the demand
sna ~ sn 20 DC @5Ts
Of investment until the equilibrium should be restored
by the gradually increasing consumption or the raw ma
tera From ls45 70 1866 tie condition and prospects OF
the cotton growing States OF the coufederacy been
slowly but steadily improving The poin Of extreme de-
precision the cotton trade reabed and passed
and il Ia admitted by manufacturers and consumers
that the supply OF cotton, stimulated s by full and
remuDeraing prices, unequal 10 the necessary and i'm
perative demand. Public meetings have recently been
held In London Liverpool, Manchester, and other
merciA emporiums, for the purpose OF adopting
the growth OF cotton within British
colonial possessions NOT in spirit Of aggression upon u.s.
but in prospecs Of future inadequate supply from the
United States and anxious and restless feeling prevails
IN commercial circles, bosn In this country and Europe,
in relation 10 this all absorbing subject
The popular impression mss heretofore prevailed,
supply cotton 70 an unlimited extent and this opn
ion would be well founded IL the result depended
solely upon the extent and fertility OF the soil en-
braced within the cotton growing States Bu. there Ia
another element which enters into and ovsrridee the
whole subject and that tho present and future demand
and supply OF slave labor 10 order fully understand
this position viii necessary inquire nj what ratio
slaves heretofore increased within the cotton grow
ing States, and what augmentation may reasonably be
4 expected for the future.
Cotton not produced TO any considerable extent a.
ALL IN but nine OF the fifteen Safes some OF
these States rice sugar and form no
able item OF staple producson The slave increase
United States, from OF births deaths has
been about twenty eight per cont for decade snos
l79o; while the iqcrease within the cotton gro wing Saes
from his and frcm ac,essions from States
has been lo3sQ per cent from 1880 10 1884,, and 5lsi
per cent from 1910 1885,, Thus large augm of
slaves within these States has been caused mostly
by the migration OF slave owners and partly by the pur-
chase OF from Maryland, Virginia, Nortn Caroina
ana Kentucky.
The following tabular statement, complied from the
Compendium OF the United States Census 1880 will IL
ustrate this branch OF the subject