The national Republican., 1862-07-30
COTTON.

COTTON.
The news rscsivsa In Euglsnd from Bombay,
Of the shipment Aere, In single week, Of
$4,000 bales Of ootton, equal In quantty to
about II 900 Amssicsn bslss, has creatsd very
naturally profound impression.
The total shipments Of cotton from India to
Great British during the year 1861, amounted
to 100000 bsies They were less this year
down to recent date, but by the end Of the
year will be much greater.
There 10 no doubt at all, and never was any,
Of the capacity Of India to supply the dsnoisn.
cy to be caused by even the total abandonment
Of the cotto1 cultivation in our Southern
States. The cotton producing coll and climates
Of India are indefinitely great So also 10 the
supply Of Indian labor. There is nothing In
the case but question OF price. The reason
why the United States, rather than India, has
heretofore supplied the bulk Of the English de.
mand for cotton, lie simply that the American
article has hsrstofore been the cheapest, taking
quality into the account. India could produce
all the cotton that was needed, but could not
compete with the American planter In prices
But II cotton rises high enough, by the over
throw, total or partial, Of the American culti'
vation, India will step In and supply all that Il
wanted.
That India has not moved more rapidly In
augmentiug Its export Of cotton, is chiefly at
tributable TO the uncertainty OF American af
faIrs n bsa haap In, ooaa;hla IN C,rasx,a Uher
the cotton ports of America might be opened
and the cotton supplies 60 forward ~ former
ly. But just so fast as the cultivators and mer.
chants of India become Satisfied that the pres.
ent high prices of cotton are likely to continue
for considerable period, will they acquire
confidence in producing 1t and sending II for
ward to Liverpool.
The total consumption of cotton In Great
Britain, in ordinary times, is computed at one
thousand millions Of pounds. The ordinary
production in India, for home consumption and
,oithoul reference TO exports, is estimated at
twenty.one hundred and sixty millions OF
pounds. 10 addition, India has raised upon an
average three hundred millions Of pounds for
export to Europe and China. England ordiua
rily receives from America seven hundred
millions Of pounds.
II is thus true that an increase 10 the ordi.
nary cotton cultivation of India OF less than
thirty per cent, would make up to Great
Britain for the loss of the entire receipt from
America.
Some persons in this country, and indeed
many persons at the South, have supposed that
Great Britain regretted deeply the loss Of
American cotton, and would recognize the
Southern Confederacy, and even go to war in
aid Of the Southern Contederacy, for the sake
Of American cotton. Ideas of this kind find no
countepance, either in the declarations Of Brit
ish statesmen or In the probabilities Of the case
British manufacturers, looking merely 10 pres
ent profit, undoubtedly preferred the old and
accustomed order of things. But the men who
control public affairs in England have desired
nothing so ardently for twenty years Us the
transfer of the cotton cultivation from America
to India, and would to-day be profoundly
grstiaed II they could have assurance that not
another pound would ever he raised in the
United States.
WHAT Great Britain loses pecuniarily by the
temporary high prices which attend the present
revolution 10 the cotton cultivation, is very
much overrated. She only loses to the extent
that her people are the consumers OF cotton
cloths. So far as she is manufacturer for the
world, she Is not greatly Interested in the price
of the raw material. If cotton is high, she
puts higher price upon cotton cloths. And
whatever Great Britain loses in this way, is, to
some extent, compensated by the increased
profits Of her trade with India, under the new
Of that country, to arise out Of the
expansion OF its cotton cultivation.