The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1866-11-08
0otton--Pass and Present,

The cotton famine is now over: sunnlv
and consumption are fest resuming the no.
sition they occupied before she great do.
tangement .cansed by the American civil
: war entailed such severe suffering upon our
artizdns, and such heavy losses upon our
thaster manufactures the aggregate amount
OF our imports has grown to be as large ss
ever, ana every prices are tending rapidly
toward an approach at least Of their former
level. It. Is fttIGg time, therefore. to taka
sort of bird's eye view or che terrible d;s.
turbance, and to fortH sofIe conception of
the constituencies Which are likely to re-.
main after the storm tlat swept oyar our
sided.
In 1860, our cotton im2Srts, and our oons
sumption of the raw material, reached the
highest figure they have ever attained. Tbs
total supply was $780,, 900 bales, and t}ie
weekly consumption was, or seemed to be.
$4,000 bales. This year, if the propolSion
OF the frat eight months are preserved tiil
she.end Of December, the importatiSns will
amount to upward Of 4, 400, 900 bales, and
the weekly consumption 10 abo{it 48. 600
bales Already we have received moro than
three million OF bales. But two remarka-
BILE differences are to be noticed, viz: the
sources from which we obtained our sun
plies, and the prices We pay for them. Let
us look at these In turn.
PREVIOUS to the var the United States
habitually furnished about rs per cent. ~
our entire importation. In 1859 and 1s6I)
they sent us 4,66O.000 bales out Of G. l96.
600. In 1862 they ssnt us only 8 per c>,St
ofour supply. In 1866, thus far, thew hnya
sent us only one million out Of three. or
about 30 per cent Next year. of course,
their proportion viii be far larger. Aa soofp
as it became cleaF that soma wears must
elapse before the cotton OF op Of America
could resume its old position and eSiSnt.
the whole world was ransaoked for the arti.
ole, and every country that produced cetton
Increased its production as much aa possi.
ole. India, that used 10 send us 600. 600
bales year. has sent on on average l. 200. :
600 Since the war hegan, and this year viii
have forwarded 100000 or 1900, 600 al
least. In the same manner Egypt and Bra
zil respectively trebled their production,
and last year supplied $50. 900 bales be,
tween them. This year the Egyptian crop
Ia'ied TO considerable extent, but the fail
ure Is not expected to be more than tempo
rary. Besides these sohroes of supply. The
West Indies, Turkey and China made great
exertions to meet our demand, and their
contributions for q. while were by no raeans
'despioable. THUS II will be seen that we
were fast becoming. as far as mere duality
was concerned, tolerably independent Of the
United States. But this iDdependence did
not extend either to quality or price. No
other country was able to furnish 20 pre.
ciseiy the sort of cotton could furnish the,
right quality ut so low rate. The East
India articles was cheaper, but inferior, the
Egyptian was longer and stronger, but cos.
moro, and was infefior In color. h
Scarcely ever In any article Of general
consumption have manufactures had 10 Ell.
aure such grevious and perplexipe variation
IN price MS have occurred Ia raw cotton
since 1850 For long series OF years
mlddiipg Orleans (American) used to be
purchased at Cd. per h., and Middling Surat
SEast indian! at IL. perl5. To this range
sne IDEAS and habits Of consumers. had ac.
customed themselves, and It was no easy
matter to persuade them that any HIGHER
prices could be general or long sustained.
but during tho severest pressure of the
scarcity, namely. in 1868 a, the fret mem
toned quality reached 3ed. per h., and the
latter 24d., or five and six times their ordi.
nary cost. Now matters hare so far subsid.
ca that Orleans cotton Is quoted ct I'D,
and the Surat at Sd. II Is easy to conceive
the disturbance and confusion created in
the minds Of both buyers and sellers by
sTsh @ fluctuations, as we'll as the alarm and
distress they caused to the. ultitnate con-
saiasrs OF the manufaetutpa aftiele.
The question for tho fufGts-Iindeed, in
y great measure the practical, Question for
ahs present -n6w is, whence shhil we renee.
forth, that is next year shd aiserward,
: draw ont Principsl supplies of, cotton And
what Pfiyss shall We be called npon to pay
Tor them? No doubt at ell exists as to the
extent OF our supply We arc certain to OBJ
tain as n,uch ms We need mills will stop
Tor waRtof the raw material our consamp.
lion win soon be as great, indeed greater,
than ever But shGll We use ,AsaerstAn, or
Egyptian. or India cotton. andin what re.
'aative amounts1 One thing appears GER.
faiR-at least all our former experience
points in this direction 1.-The cotton of the
United States win always, in the main, be
preferred TO every other quaiity., if Il Gem he
supplied TO US In ample quantity and at a
sufficiently low Price. This bsiaEfhe case,
We shasl only purchase that furnished to us
Sy indis and Egypt, either ss sthpismen,
fafy, 6p In csse tRey cnn tempt uis either by
bfiee tq ashlity : t6e there are cgsSaik! chaf.
aetsristics In which tho Egyp,isa staple ig