Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-10-05
The Cotton supply in America.

H
Mr.. Edward Atkinson, of Boston, has writ
ten second letter to Mr. Bright on the sub
ject Of the American cotton supply. T.,
says:
"I have reason to believe that the esti
mates Of the agents of the Government wht
have been sent out to take charge of cap
tured cotton would not lead to the expecta
tion Of over one million bales Of old cotton
including the captures at Mobile, Charlie eston
and Savannah, and about Ave hundred thou
sand bales Of new crop. My own estimate
obtained from our business agents, woult
lead me TO expect as much rs one and quar-
ter millions of old cotton, but much less thai
half million Of new, the cultivation Of the
new crop planted during the war having beer
entirely disorganized by the sudden collapse
Of the confederate rule. .....,n.
"You are aware that / believed In and
dreaded the existence Of much larger quan,
tity Of old cotton. 1 dreaded the effect Of
very heavy receipts in November and Decem,
Der, both upon the future cultivation in this
country and elsewhere. now feel very safe
against any great depression. Tho abroga.
tion of the extra tax Of rs per cent. and the
estoration of trade to its normal condition,
gave immediate confidence TO spinners and
consumers Of cloth, and enabled US to absorb
the late tolerably heavy receipts without any
very great fluctuations in price. estimate
our present consumption at 10, 900 bales per
week, and at that we cannot supply the de.
mand for cloth, even though We are making
excessive profit. Scarcity of operatives pre-
vents n rapid increase. If the supply Of
American cotton shall prove to be only one
and a half million bales from Sept. l., 1865,
10 1 nd ha hal ha ok
about twenty pence in Liverpool, we shall
retain more than one half for consumption
North and South" .a
Mr. Atkinson encloses two letters from one
of his correspondents, sent out to the cotton
States to procure information bearing upon
the present and future supply of cotton. In
one Of these letters 1t is stated that there are
about 40, 900 bales Of cotton in Augusta, Ga,
and that the "estimate Of the new crop Is
not to exceed 10 per cent" The writer says
the negroes won't work on the plantations,
but crowd to the towns. In the second let.
ter, which is dated Macon, Ga, August 81,
the writer says:
81 am more and more persuaded that the
day for large crops Of cotton Mt low prices
has passed forever. Cotton will be raised,
but not as before. For instance, the women
who used to work in the fields now follow
the men to the cities, and the men support
them there. 1t is all humbug to talk of the
negroes starving; everywhere I hear nothing
but complaints because the supply Of labor
is insufficient, and this while not one planta-
ton in ten is half worked. The whole of the
South is to be rebuilt and refurnished, and
until 1t is the negro will find an abundance
Of labor without working the fields.
Everywhere find northern men; in all of
the out-of.the.way places they do almost all
the business. find the impression among
the planters is that, while emancipation will
not permanently injure the Border States
Missouri, Virginia, Kentucky, North Caro-
lima, Tennessee, and Arkansas--it is total
and irremediable ruin to the other States; at
least, SO they all express themselves, almost
without exception. Many are removing to
North Carolina, or some other Border State. u