The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-10-31
From The Liverpool Poss
Where do we get our COttOnf

It grows wherever the yellow fever or ths
plauge can be generated, and where the white
man ID but an Indifferent laborer. To tbs
| for it keeps to q short distance north and
south Of the equator. It is eristocatic in its
likings, for it prefers the sunny side of cres-
ton. In some places it achieves the dignity
of tree but in the majority Of places it is
| only a shrub. A century has not elapsed
since the introduction Of the article in Great
Britain. The price was then very high the
quantity imported very small : but the result
Of consumption was a reduction in price. and
an incredible increase in quantity. A few
years ago, it will be remembered. on the
Liverpool Exchange, q sale of 2oOOO bales
per week was considered large. When 4O.-
coca week was predicted people smiled in
creduously, but now they look forward with
something like certainty to q sale Of $1,000
bales q week. Where does this cotton come
from? From three places. From America
100000 pounds; from foreign places 12o,-
100000 pounds, and 10000, 900 pounds from
British colonies and possessions.
The spinners of Lancashire may, therefore,
be said to depend on the slave States Of
America. The produce in Egypt is the result
of kind Of free labor. Very little is pro-
duced by any kird of labor in the West India
Colonies, but immense quantities not available
to us, are grown in India by species OF
peasant labor, which may be considered free
The Times, after Mr.. Bailey, tells us that we
pay the Americans forty millions year for an
article which maintains at home four millions
Of people. There is a tolerable degree Of ex-
aggeration here, for although large portion
OF our trade refers to cotton, raw and manu-
forft h. -
seen of the sum Of employment to which it
contributes does not exceed 800 600 people;
and it must be observed that those principally
engaged in the manufacture. are women and
children. Nevertheless, cotton is almost as
essential to us as bread. We cannot do
without either. If we have cotton, we are
sure to have bread tut without cotton the
bread is certain to be scarce, because there
will be a dimunition in the means Of paying
for it. 1--WE have" says Mr.. Bailey at q
late meeting in Manchester, Industry en-
ploying in fixed and floating investments, and
in all the ramifcations where capital can DO
supplied, connected directly and indirectly
with this country, sum probably, of not less
than &150,0O0O00.
Now, with trade Of this magnitude
. trade that has risen from not having had an
existence at all century ago to the present
moment, when we find that we have four or
i've millions of people depending upon it, with
|; 100000 of capital embarked in this inn
'ortant industry ask, is itsaie, is it discreet
Or commercial country to depend mainly
n one source of supply, (and that foreign
ource) for the chief part Of its raw material2
{, unhappily, some great calamity should arise
If disease should attack the black popula@
on of the United States of America-if .
evolt should occur there-if tempest should
estroy crop, what recTimination should We
ear on the part of merchants and statesmen,
manufacturers, and spinners, aboue
he negligence and culpability of some one
no had not, by provident regulation. arranged
r more regular and less dependent supply
this great raw material"