Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-02-09
COTTON KING IN ENGLAND.
+ E.o,o hs Jondon T;m., # T., oo1

From the London Times of Ian 221
The American Revolution is advancing with rapid
strides TO a consummation. Within week two we
may expect hear OF civil between the States OF
the Great Republic. Anxious feel escape such
conclusion do not how it is to be evaded. The
North is longer disposed to make concessions,
the South would listen to compromise, and although
may allow for certain amount OF bluster the side OF
the Secessionists nobody doubts that Americans are
ready to fight We look upon this prospect with unaf-
fected horror Independent OF our national sympathes
have interests at stake-such interests in
deed that charity must begin at home. We depore
the political catastrophe bu. first thoughts ne
cessariy be given its commercial fleets II the South
| ern States Of the Union convused by war; serve
insurecton will be only too probable incident Of the
strife If the slaves rebel the cotton crop perishes; aud
with the failure of the crop the paralysis
of stap pie manufacture. The question is so mo-
mentous that it cannot be too seriously urged
pedously entertained. Lancashire depends on South
Carolina, and what South Carolina is doing becomes
rby evident from each successive despatch. The ele
grams of Saturday last the most omnous yet re-
ceved and compare with those reports article
| from q weekly contemporary which yesterday tran
scbed the perils actually ahead Of will be distinctly
appreciated.
| We gave insertion all the more willingly to the re-
marks of the Economist because they designed to
mitigate alarm. They proessed to give the facts and
figures OF the without exaggera.on, and to Inform
the public exactly of what might he expected the wort
came the worst Such being the spirit of the article,
il NAV be fairly assumed that at least all the consequences
anticipated would really in the event of Ameri
war, and what those consequences would be We
now briefly explain. The number of people actually de-
pendent cotton manufactures for their daily bread
is estimated at nearly 1000 o0Ohat 10 say at about
Onesix OF til entire population OF Great Britain. The
extent TO which our export trade depends on the same
branches of industry expressed by the fact that cotton
goods constituted more than onehrd OF the aggregate
exports of 1889 Finally the degree in which have
hitherto depended for the material Of all this trade the
Southern States Of the MON appears from the
that upon average of the last four years America sent
US n per cent. of all the cotton consumed. That
much is admitted and the deduction is once so obvious
and alarming that we do not how it could be
aegerated.
Our contemporary, however, has crumbs of con-
ISOLATION for There many countries which produce
cotton ard when the American supply falls short OF
wants it has occasionally DONE the exports from 9TH
quarters Increase For instance four years ago the crop
OF the United States proved deficient, and the
quence that other countries and especially India
sent amount making resp ictabe approximation
to the whole American yield. From the slave States
glt fs2 900 bales while from other sources we actual
" obtained almost 900 900 OF which India contributed
nearly tao-thrds Assuming, therefore, that yearly
consump ion may be reckOned at 900 bales, it
would be eXravagant TO suppose that the miscella
noous sources OF supply might be made under the ex
traordinary pressure which might ensue 10 furnish
with POO O0l or in other words with half the
required. Here then we the extreme effect which
might produced by the suspension of produc
ton in the slave States OF the Union and the absolute
interruption of supplies from that quarter All our mills
would have to work half time. That it does follow,
as a matter OF necessity that all workpeople would
only half wages may be perfectly true. IL Is also
tue the consequences would be probably mitigated
BY economy Of consumption and various other incidents
OF the crisis while certain that tho d5ar OF material
would be only temporary and that tue Irresistible smu
us applied Froduc ion in other quarters Of the
globe would stock market abundantly be-
fore. All this may be true and it may, moreover, be ad
mitt,d that the destruction of the American cotton
cfop is 100 extreme be fairly supposed la the
worst OF events should get something
We certainly not inclined to depreciate these argu
mems We prefer, on the contrary, TO give them their
full weight and assume that the worst contingency
ceveble amounts simply to this,-that for certain Pc
Rod probably brief one all cotton mills would lie
compelled work hafime. We take that the result
anticipated according 10 reasonable and temperate
calculation and We ask whether any man ir the king
dom contemplate it without terror: Look at the r.
suits OF months frost mere "oli fashioned Christmas
weather." The interruption Of a few minor trades for
a few winter days has pauperizad the metropolis and
driven half authorities to become rclevng-oicers
for the time. Look at Coventry, with total population,
rich and poor together, Of less than 10000 disturbed
by the decay Of the riband trade The charity of the
whole kingdom, lavishy bestowed, has just suiced to
keep the sufferers from starving till spring fashion
shall bling relief Take these examples and apply the
deduction TO the cotton manufacture. Instead Of lew
thousands, imagine 4UODOW. people III repiuatOn ana
distress What subscription, what societies. what poor
rates. what police courts could meet such that
Where could the relief come FROM Recollect thai,
while much national industry would be piraly~ed, SO
much national wealth would be also lost We should be
doing one-thTd less trade and who tell how far the
panic Incidental TO slch unprecedented crisis
might not aggravate the realities Of the peril2
There ia not hour to be lost in p;oyinE against this
tremendous danger To put the case 10 tue mde form,
three Ourths Of cotton supply has become uncertain
Il = f,t uff
onesxth of population may hs rendered precarious
Are not these facts enough TO get at work with wiz
Not doubt exists about the resources at our command
Cotton can be grown almost as commonly as wheat. The
best seeds and the bes slap now well understood
and the proper methods Of cleaning and packing can be
easily taught The rest is the work OF year two
Since the publication of our last remarks on this subject
we have received a communication from one OF the soc
cites interested in African civilization, Informing US that
the progress of cotton cultivation at Abbeokua. AS act
aly and automatically recorded s SUCH 20 match the
beginnings Of even American enterprise In 1850 that
OBSCURE though productive region sent about half bale
Of cotton TO England. In 1885 this mOdicum bad been
increased about forty foi aud in 1860 it actually amount
ed to 2OO0 bales We assured hst the district could
easily grow cotton enough for the consumption OF all
LANCASHIRE and we asked whether the INTRODUCTION
Of skilled Negroes from the United States would
give a Charlestan the African coast From In-
die the offers are the same
II in 1857 India could send us, she did, $50, 900
Dalet u IaT cuuush W presume lHat uuuer Tue Pres-
sure aud with tho encouragement Of strong demand,
she could raise her supplies to 100000 bales, nearly
half of immediate wants Then, again. there is
Australia actually nqurng for staple article of pro-
duce and DESTROYS Of nothing better than be
tongrowing for England. We do dssembla the par
ticullr difficulty of the case. We have repeatedly OBJ
served, a.d acknowled gc ONCE more that America
has got the call Of the market II is not that her advan
tages might not he equaed in the end by those Of Aus
traia India but at present she er Joys all those aci
ties oil organ. ,ton and traffic which would have to be
created elsewhere. The creation would be perfectly
practicable but it has still to be accomplished and in the
meantime there is the old-esabshed firm with It's capt.
tai its connexions, and all that makes business profitable
yet unchanged. Nobody say however, that the
curty will last month longer, and besides that our
national interest calls imperavey for supplies Ii
is worth reectng that if the agriculture of the slave
States should be ruined there will be trade of $40 000
600 year to be picked up by some other countries
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