The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-10-15
THE COTTON QUESTION IN EUROPE
AND ASIA.

FROM the London LINES, tCily Sfticie,} sept II ]
If the Indian producer conld be sure OF
present prices, there would be no doubt of
sufficient quantities tof cotton) beirg raised.
and the proposition is, that for one season the
Imperial Government might undertake the
responsibility OF furnishing that security.
Bnt, although there is nothing in this but
what may be considered fairly to come within
the scope of discussion, since it is perfectly
legitimate for aGovernment to attempt to con-
front national emergency, the crisis is, after
ali, not of such magnitude or uncertainty as
TO be beyond control or mitigation by or!i-
nary means. The low price of cotton goods,
and the largenesS vf the stocks held at nearly
all the markets of the world, may reconcile
us to n pause in the rate OF production and
although during this pause the con sin gencv
may have to be met of supporting large un-
employed population, the cost in that espect
VIII be in no small degree com pensated by the
rise in the value OF the goods in question At
the same time, each account we receive from
distant parts tends to show how every availa-
Di" bale from countries capable Of producing
the plant Is likely TO find Is Wav TO us More
over, although the Confederate States still ar
sert that they will meet the blockade of the
enemy by a self-imposed blockade. and not
allow pound of cotton to leave their terri
tory, ii is seen that this declaration does not
harmonize with the last neWs-that at the
takiu e OF the Hatteras forts. vessel fully la
den with cotton was found waiting 10 run out
and evade the Federal cruisers. From Texas,
therefore, moderate supply is still expected
The great argument, however, for abstinence
on the part of our people and Government
from incurring at the lnomentany heavy liza
hiiities iii distant quarters, consists III the cir
cumstance that the lapse of 4 very few weeks
is now likely to show either that the Ameri-
can crop Will come forward, or that, on the
contrary, India may set 10 work to take the
place of that country and to supply hence
forth al our tremendous requirements. II the
policy inaaguruted by General Fremont in
Missouri Is TO be adopted ny he Federal u oV-
ernment, the war viii then be one of 4 hoii-
ton, and iii that case, whether peace be delay
ed or attained Immediately, the production,
not only OF cotton, but of sugar in the l.. s.
will temporarily share the fate that attende.
the productions at Jamaica. If. on the other
II nd, the Democratic party in the North na-
CON alarmed at the Union being com nmitted
ch result, and are able, notWith=trnd-
ing tle force by which the expression OF their
opiniohs is now kept down, to reassert them
selves and To insist upon a compromise or ;tG-
Justment with the south, there viii then be
no impeachment to AT early resumption Ct the
ordinary course Of traffic. Meanwhile il ia,
Of course, satisfactory TO weigh the suhjolned
statement, and - observe that 81 Ear from
American cotton being the arbiter ut our des-
TIMES. our emancipation from all need Of it Is,
perhaps, simply question of IS goo 900 or
80, 900 sterling.
cosT OF CARRYING coTroS - INDIA
From the Friend of India
We have been so blinded since the secession
Of the southern States Of America nv clouds
oI ColD 1Iainl- ana reports OF 1uitt- ana USurpS
regarding Indian cotton, that We hail with
sttisiac zion the resolution OF the Govern
meEt OF India 10 entrust t. a COMPETENT al
thority in each Presidency the publication OF
ii handbook of information regarding Indian
cotton, compiled from every availa source,
whether Indian recerds, Parliamentary blue
books, scientific transactions, or independent
works on the subject. At present The oAly
trustworthy books TO which the public can
refer for information are the report of the
lect committee Of ISi2, and the volumes OF Dir
Alexander Mackay and Mr.. John Chapman,
Issued ten years ago.
Ihe discussions OF the past six month have
ended rs they began, in the unanimous opin-
ion that the export of sufficient cotton from
lnrla IL merely matter of price, and that
price i largely q question of roads. When
pound OfCottOn tetches as much in Calcutta
as it would in Liverpool, there is no induce
ment 10 send it home. The question 10 ia de-
termined is, whether We shall wait till Man
chester is compelled by dire necessity 10 give
reduce the cost of production and con.
veyasce to port and improve the quail
". Tie former remedy ia indefinite; the
latter is so much i'll oar own hands, that il ;,t
once recommends itself as the one which
shold be adopted. Could a reduction be ef-
fected in the price AZ which cotton can be laid
down in England, an Immediate and incalcu-
liable impetus would be impaired to the ex-
port. a large quantity of even such cotton 8
We are now sending, would be Il benefit to the
manufacturers Of Manchester, as well as TO
the producer and exporter here. 10 raise II
better quality Ct the article would certainly
be desirable; but this is an end that cannot
be attained in q day. Il will be many years
before there are sufficient European planters
in India 10 give 4 new name to Indian OttOn,
and it may he many more before The natives
will adopt any other system of cultivation
and preparation of the staple, than that which
he's been handed down from generation to
generation, even though Lord Eilenborough's
chimericaI scheme We're adopted.
Ii the most effectual method of increasing
the trade is to reduce the cost of carriage
from the cotton growing provinces, We must
agree al to the cheapest mode of transport.
and then consider how that may soonest be
rendered available. However valuable rail
ways may be rs channels for the rapid con-
yeyance of goods from one place TO another,
they VIII never absorb one tent til of the
traffic which the cotton trade must create.
II present their rates are TOO high. Cotton
is carried on the East Indian line for I'D. per
ton per mile on the Great Indian Peninsula
line for Id, and on the Madras lire tor IL
But Mr.. Bailey stated in the House of Com
mons that he hoped the railways would not
charge more than one third of a penny per
ton per mile on cotton making its way to the
sea board. Whatever be the cost, however, = I
which the railways can carry cotton, it is ev-
ident that for long distances railway carriage
is too expensive, and that some other msdp of
conveyance must be looked for. The present
native mode OF land carriage is out of the
question. The only other node OF convey
ance, and the one best suited 10 this country,
is water. Railways may saperstde The eX-
istiug mode of land transport, and create Il
new traffic in goods and passengers wherever
they permeate, particularly III localities TO
which wafer communication does not extend:
but they must not be expected TO supsrSede
the use OF rivers and canals. India is
said to be Ike America in many of its
physical aspects. II we wi sh 10 make India
10 resemble her still more by becoming in
turn the great cotton supplier of England,
we must study the means by which America
has attained to her present position, We
lind from Capt. HaiG's letter 10 the Secretary
Of State, da ted Spptem Der, 1853, when No one
had the least suspicion of the events which
have since tranRplred III that county, that
most of the traffic of America is carried on by
means of the large and numerous rivers, and
at prices with which The cheap railways can =
not compete. This is especially the case with
cotton The rates AT which goods aie carried
or American rivers are so low that she pos
sesses in this respect an immeaSurable a,ty4u-
tage over India. On Lower Mississippi the
rates are I'D. TO Id. per ton per mile on the
Upper Mississippi, Id. to- 7-l0d.; on the Ohio,
I'D 10 I'D: on the Missouri t. sd to l. l0d
on The St. Lawrence, I'D to Bod and on the
Hudson, Id. The rates on Indian rivers vary
from 2id. to Sd. per per mile. Captain
Haig, who is SO enthusiastic on the naViga ton
of the GOdavery, estimates the rate at ID. 10
Cd. per ton per mile. Supposing il TO cost at
first I'd. per ton 10 send cotton from Ringing
hat, on the Godayery, to Coringa. distance
OF 40 miles, the total expense Will he abou
Il IS. I'd. The cost of sending cotton to Cal
cutta from Jubbulp pore via MirZapore, which
is "A distance of $50 miles by land and 700 by
river, is stated To be rot less than E1l per Ton
The difference between the TWO is so great as 10
be aimostincredibie. The whole ofthe north
eru bank OF that river is now IL our territory,
and all tolls and transit duties have been
abolished The cotton capabilities OF Berar
are SO enormous, and its proximity 10 the
East coast is go TEN pting, that the Bombay
NupDOra