Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-10-06

last quarter of acentury Is it not to be looked for
it is entirely out Of the question the volan-
tary opening, by the Federal Government, of the
Southern ports Of America during the continuance
Of the present war.
Mr.. BR4ZLET, ". p, On, COTTON.
On the 9Th OF September Mr.. Bradley. member Of
Parliament from Manchester, ard large cotton
manufacturer made a great speech before the
meeting of the e British Asso citation Of Science"
IN that city The following Is the opening portion:
century ago the population Of Manchester was
below 10000, while now $4,000 persons reside in
and occupy it. As q centre of business it infu-
ences and contributes to the welfare and prospect
ty Of at least three times this enormous mass of hui
man beings but measured by the increase of is
material wealth, the importance of the place
gumes an immense magnitude. Let US inquire
whence has this congregation Of our fel
low beings and of the accumuatious o. capital a7d
labor which surround this district. To this brief
question an almost equally brief reply may be Of
fered The reward Of industry has been the spell
acting with magic power upon a handful of q lDis
Yho have not only rapidly increased their own
numbers, but who have been joined by the uGam-
ployed labOrers from every part of the United
Kingdom, the prize being open to al and
shared by all. During the last fifty years upwards
Of twenty billion pounds weight Of cotton, from a
sources, have been consumed in Great Br.tsip. ard
the value would be probably not lees than $3.50,
900 600 sterling or mgh quail a sum OF the amount
Ct our national debt, the chief supply having been
fair computation the import of that material,
which hss largely Employed the capital ard labor
Of Thu country has yielded profit OF not less than
9L00O GOG60T sterling to the people of the United
Kingdom within that period. ThewOHfer il that so
large a supply of cotton could be procured from
that one source, the United States and when We
reflect that this country possesses monopoly Of the
vast extent Of territory found II the whole world
capable o. producing this raw material, the infer
enee is most pG able tina; there has bssn developed
a. 80 lie, T-,-k
States of America which has been eithe- ever con
templsted or realized, while in British colonies and
dependencies apathy and neglect have preYaned.
II the Legislature had little sympathy With the
great ln'ustry Of LaEossbire, the Interests of our
foreign possessions might nave induced rulers
to stiuulste productions in them which would have
found compromising markets at home. The adTO-
Gates of large and independent supplies Of raw cot
ton from all possible sources have never desired
governmental fsVJrs, their object havi q baen to
promote the removal Of depressing obstacles, and
to procure, by the aid of a sound colonial policy, at
4aast fare share proportion to the extent OF
foreign possessions of not only cotton but Of every
other product whiGh they might more abuudlntly
have yielded. The repeal o. the Germ laws has
given the ceuRtry the means Of obtaining its supply
of food from all the open markets OF the wCTil but,
inasmuch Great Britain holds the largest posses
sions, capable Of producing cot on. thera remains
the -epro2eh, that possibly the foolish terurcs Of
land. by this iacss of roads and public works and
ton, the great home cotton industry has heen
forced to rely upon that one sld whence chiefly It's
supply CT raw material has been received. During
the last year the Consumption Of cotton in Great
Britain was IS per cent if6Elsthe United States 3
per cent from other ferey sources and per cent
FROM British territory. In the supply of food
from new sSaraes renewed activity and prosperity
arose. and if from new folds ofCHitEatiOn, instead
of msinly from one field of supply, ths cotton
trade could receive is supplies Of its fAss
element of existence thence would arise renOva-
ted trade placed upon permanent basis. These
new supptieg Of cotton would be paid for by mas
ufactures Of eFery class, and ;agraRsed employment
for home labor be the result.
The present position OF the trade Is most preea
rious and dangerous. Existing stock and prospec-
tive supplies of cotton may enable the mills TO be
worked into the spring Of next year at moderately
full time but afterwards, unless supplies be receV
ed from the United States, independent source can
only furnish the Of keeping the mills at work
little more than one day in the week. With the
growth of this industry five millions of our popU-
latiOn have become, directly and indirectly
dependent upon it for their subsistance and
the pro1TctiYeEess Of their capital and
labor, including the raw material, YVES
for the last year nearly &G0l0Q coo sterling. OF
this large amount .E25 100000 of cotton uanEfaG-
lures were absorbed in the consumption e thepeo
pie OF the United Kingdom, and there remained fer
expectation 6j5 Geo coo. The estimate capital en-
gagged in its fixed and floating investments is $780,
GO00QQ Yhea we contemplate the vast interest in
TOlyed in this surprising trade seeing that the people
employed and connected with it exceed the popula-
ton OF the kingdom Of Belgium of Holland and POr
tugal that the national treasury receives from an
amazing sum IN aid Of the expenses Of the Statei
that commercial marine Of unparalleled magni>
tude derives support from it. that the comfort and
happiness Of the labOrers employed in it imper
lied by any indications which threaten to disturb
its existence and prosperity and that its suspension
serious curtailment would even eudanger the
general veal, we may well inquire what efforts
have been made to sustain the usefulness pro5peri
ty and permanency of this ssurce Of national riches
that 40 vast Al industry as the cotton trade should
depend upon foreign supplies of its raw material
may be deeply deplored.
The learned n. 2. CONTINUES at great length
from this point in his adde's to argue, says the
Mobile Register and Advertiser that the world has
cotton fields other than those "cursed by the pres
ence of American slavery" which are amply COM
petent to supply the demand Of Great Britain. The
most promising place for it, culture he asserts to