New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-12-03

every quality to England, with the prices specined-
His correspondents assured him that they could not
produce II in Manchester, and much less ship it TO
China at the rates quoted. Whence TINS lnsoihty
in the most advanced factory system OF the world
TO underseIl cloth woven by hand in the most pnm-
tive loomsl The combination We have already
pointed to. of minute agriculture with domestic
industry. solves the riddle We quote again from
Mr. Mitchell:
"Wben the harvest is gathered, all hands in the
farmhouses young and old together, turn 70 e'rdn,
spinning and weaving this cotton; and out OF ms
homespun stuff heavy and durable material soapVed
IN the rough handling II has TO through Tor TWO or
three wears they cothe themselves, and the surplus
they carry 10 the nearest town, where inc shopAeep,
buys it for the Of the population OF me towns anu
the boat people the rivers With TINS nomespuh s'uu'
nine ont of eyery ten human beings IN TINS country are
cthed the Manufacture varying in quality from the
coarsest dungaree TO the finest nankIng, all produced
in the farm-houses and costing the producer literally
nothing beyond the value OF the raw Iiateriai' or
rather Of the sugar which he exchanged Tor H. the
uroduce of his own husbandry. Our manufacturers
have only TO contemplate for moment the admirable
economy of this system, and, 80 to speak, us exquisite
dove-tang with the other pursuits OF the iarmer, 10
he satisfied al a glance, that they nave no chance
whatever in the competition, far as the eoarser fab
RIGS are concerned. II is perhaps Characteristic OF
China alone of all countries IN the world, that the
loom is to be found IN every li-cOhduohe1 nome
stead The people Of all other countries content them
selves with cardng and spinning, and at that point
stOp short sending the yarn o the professional weaver
10 6e made into cloth. Ii was reserved Tor The thirty
Chnaman to carry the thing out to perfection lie
not ony cards and spins his cotton, but he weaves It
himself with the help of his wives and daughters and
farm servants and hardly ever confines himself to pro
ducing for the wants Of his family, but makes u
an essential part of his seasons operations 10 produce
certain quantity of cloth for the supply OF the neigh
bornQ towns and rivers.
"The Fuh-kien farmer is thus not merely farmer,
INT an aQrculturist and manufacturer in one. lie
nroduces his cloth literally for nothing, beyond tho
cost of the raw material he produces IT, as shown
under his own rooftree, by the hands OF his women
and farm seryants it costs neither extra LABOR nor
extra time He keeps his domestics spinning ana
weaving while his crops are growing, and after lhey
are harvested during rainy weather, when out-oi-
door labor cannot be pursued. In short, al every
available interval throughout the year does TINS ouel
of domestic industry pursue his calling, ana engage
himself upon something useful
AS complement of Mr.. Mitchells statement,
| NAV be considered the following description Lord
ElQin gives of the rural population he met with
during his voyage up the Yang-tse-kiang:
"What have seen leads me think that the rural
population Of China is, generally speaking; we-dong
| and contented. / worked very hard, though Win
only Indifferent success TO obtain from them accurate
information respecting the extent of their holdings the
nature Of their tenure, the taxation when they nave
| 10 paw and other kindred matters. arrived AZ Jus
conclusion that for the most part they hold their lands,
which are Of very limited extent, in full property from
the Crown subject to certain annual charges OF no
very exorbitant amount, and that these advantages
| improved by assiduous industry supply aDundanty
their simple wants, whether in respect OF food or
clothing"
Itisths same combination ofhusbandry with manu-
featuring industry which, for long time withstood
and still checks, the export of Brsh wares to East
India; but there that combination was based upon
peculiar constitution of the landed property which
the British, in their position as the supreme land
lords of the country, had it in their power to under
mine, and thus forcibly convert part of the HindoO
sefsustaining communities into mere farms, pro-
ducing OPIUM cotton, indigo, hemp, and other raw
materials in exchange for British stufls In China
the English have not yet welded this power, nor
are they likely ever to do So.