The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-28
India a Formidable Competitor in Cot
ton Manufacture.

So far as historical records show. India
cotton, as well as OF its culture
Twenty-three hundred years ago the
traveller from Halicarnassus wrote OF the
land Of the Hindu that "the wild trees Of
that country bear fieeces as their fruit. sur
passing those OF the sheep In beauty and
excellence: and the Indians use cloth made
from those trees" This fact is now SO
commonplace throughout the world rs to
excite no remark. though it was most
marvellous in the eyes Of HERoDoTUs.
and little. IL any. less marvellous
to the Greeks and Romans of the
Augustan age. when ADRIAN wrote that the
traders from Arabia were the only strangers
from the West who sailed upon the Persian
Gulf, and that they brought from India
cloths Of silk and cotton Of various coors.
Wonderful as these things were to Greek
and Roman. they were but a part of the
daily life Of the Indian populations.
When the European trader. follow
ing the earlier Portuguese navigators,
appeared in India, he found that every
considerable village was seat Of
household manufacture. and that the
fabrics produced upon the looms Of Hindu
stan were unequalled In flneness OF texture.
coloring. and design. and were among the
riches which made the name OF India sy-
nonymous with all that Is regal.
Established upon the Indian coasts, Euro
pean traders found their most lucrative
in furnishing the home popu-
lations. and those Of America. with Indian
fabrics. Until slavery ceased. the West In
dian master and slave were clothed In Indian
cloths; and even before the close OF the SIX
teenth century. plain and printed muslins
and calicoes formed the major part of the
Portuguese and Dutch trade with India.
MILBURN, In his Oriental Commerce"
says that 1.-The ships captured by the Eng
lish In 1892 had for cargo. book calcocs,
calico lawns. broad white calIcoes. fine
calicoes. and broad brown calicoos,
as well as canoples and diaper towels. quilts,
md calico carpets like those OF Turkey"
AS the European domination advanced
The merchants OF Lisbon. Amsterdam. and
London entered upon a sharp competition
Tor the trade OF the East. and surrounded
themselves. at the various Indian ports,
with thousands OF hand-loom weavers.
This household manufacture was the most
thriving Of Indian Industries until the ma
rhine-made cottons Of western Europe
lrove those Of India out OF all markets
other than Of India itself, and eventually
displaced Indian fabrics very largely In
such parts OF the peninsula as came under
British control.
From III to l793 when tho population OF
he United Kingdom was not more than
100000. the annual Import OF Indian
piece goods into Great Britain was OF the
'alue OF $G,250,00O. despite the efforts made
II the earlier years OF the century to foster
English manufactures by prohibiting the
wearing Of Indian muslins and calicoes.
u fact Indian fabrics continued in
general use in England. on the Continent.
md In America. until the cheaper machine
made goods drove them from foreign mar
tets. and greatly lessened their consump-
ion in India itself.
Previous to the revolution OF 1889 the
french consumed immense quantities OF
indian textiles. their annual imports often
Qualling and sometimes exceeding those
4 the English. Relatively to their num- |
'ers. the Dutch were nearly as great con-
umers Of such goods. America. Denmark, |
iermany. and Portugal imported Indian
otton goods. in the latter part OF the
ighteenth century. OF the annual value Of |
8. 1000, 900 to s4O00.OOO. Nearly all this trade |