Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-10-25
RESOURCES OF THE SOUTH.

1.-The London Quarterly Repier, in an article
upon cotton spinning machines and their invent
ors, thus illustrates the productiveness of brair
and hand, by showing what machinery now en-
ables the cotton .~spinners to do with a pound Of
cotton Mr.. Bailey, of Manchester, exports
what is called No. 240 yarn in large quantities,
for the use of the finest foreign muslin manufac
lures. OF the %fneness Of this thread some idea
may be formed when we state that 24O hanks,
each $40 yards in length, are spun from a single
pound weight of cotton, or a total length OF above
ia miles But this does not by any means ex.
haust the capabilities of English machinery for
at the Great Exhibition of 1851, specimens Of
yarn spun at Bolton, were exhibited as fine as
No. 700, or equal to S34 miles in length, spun
from one pound of material! Worked up into
the finer kinds of lace, the original shilliug's,
worth of cotton. wool before it passes into the
hands of the consumer may be increased to the
value of between 300L and 400k."
Here are a few facts which, if elaborated into
all deductions possible from them, would show
us that the South has the resources for becom
ing the wealthiest and the mightiest empire or
the face of the earth. If simply the raw ma
terial' which her cotton fields produce, makes
her n ruling power among the nations, wha'
would be her amazing strength and greatness, il
her people would become a manufacturing as
well as an agricultural people. The conversion
of only one tenth of her great staple into the
c~oarsest osuaburgs and c~alicos, would double its
value to her. Its value would be quadrupled,
if only one tenth again was made into cambrics,
ginghams, and the finer ~calicos. Its value would
be increased ten, a hundred and a thousand fold
respectively, if other tenths were converted into
coarser and finer muslins, and thread. lace. II
manufactures were extensively established with
in her borders, for the purpose of developing oil
these resources of wealth and power to her, she
might in the course Of a few decades, sit as the
Empress of Commerce, aud whiten every sea
with her own sails, laden with the products OF
her own looms and her own soil.
In like manner, the arts which deal in metals,
wood, leather, granite, marble, &C., should re,
ceive her enterprising and awakened attention.
Georgia and Florida pine forests yield the bes,
ship timber in the world-it is said-which is
sent to Europe in a rough state. The Duck
Town and other copper mines send tons upon
tons of uuwrought ore to the same destination.
The sugar mills of Louisiana send to the Yankee
the sugar which is made into candies of every
variety, and sent back to us with a tariff of two
or three hundred per cent. attached to its origi'
nal value. And all the cotton States, without
exception, send annually to the North and tc
Europe enough 'raw cotton" which they might
readily manufacture, to support at least three
or four times their present population.
Now, instead of exporting these raw products
Of orr forests. mines and soil, it should be our
nolicy TO import brains and muscle to convert them
into immediate asses here. Thousands Of our poor
er white men, boys and girls, would thus find
comparatively improving and remunerative en-
%ployment. Industrious, hardy and thrifty ar1i-
sans, men of capital and enterprise, and men OF
business talent and education, would come from
abroad and settle among us. Every stroke OF
the hammer, whir of the spindle and puff of the
steam engine driving machinery for the manu-.