1)4
[Class IV.
sider them as chiefly varieties of a much smaller numberof separate species. According to Dr. Royle, who hasmost recently investigated the subject, the different varie-ties of cotton may be classed under four distinct speciesof Gossypium , in the following manner:—
1. Gossypitnn indicum or herbaceum ; the eotton plantof India, China, Arabia, Persia, Asia Minor , and someparts of Africa .
2. Gossypium arboreu/n ; a true cotton, indigenous toIndia .
3. Gossypium barbadense; the Mexican or West Indian cotton, of which the Sea Island, New Orleans , and Up-land Georgian cottons are varieties. It was long sinceintroduced into the Island of Bourbon , and thence intoIndia ; hence it acquired the name of Bourbon cotton.
4. Gossypium peruvianum , or acuminatum ; which yieldsthe Pernambuco, Peruvian, Maranham , and Braziliancotton, especially distinguished by its black seeds, whichadhere firmly together: this variety, also, has long sincebeen introduced into India .
The important discovery, by Mercer, of the influenceof caustic alkali in modifying the fibre of cotton, hasbeen already alluded to. He has shown that, bv steepingcotton in a cold solution of caustic soda, the fibre losesits flattened ribbon-like form, and assumes a more or lesscylindrical shape. This change gives rise to three re-markable effects: the fibre becomes smaller, it gains instrength, and at the same time it acquires an increasedaffinity for colouring matter. After a minute and carefulexamination of these effects, the Jury, being convincedof the high practical value of the process, determined torecommend the award of the Council Medal to Mr.Mf.rcer (38, pp. 555, 556, see p. 69).
The collection of raw cotton exhibited by the Hon.East India Company (pp. 882, 883), is, as might be ex-pected, large and highly interesting. It consists of aseries of samples of the indigenous cottons of variousparts of the Indian empire, and samples of the cottonsraised in the various Government experimental farmsduring the last thirty years, illustrating the effects pro-duced, and the improvements effected, by the numerousattempts which have been made during‘that period toimprove the cotton cultivation of India .
In considering the native cultivation of cotton in India ,it must be remembered that, besides the exports to Eu-rope , very large quantities have every year been raisedfor home consumption by the native manufacturers, andfor exportation to other eastern countries, — especiallyChina the latter alone having, till within the last fewyears, generally exceeded the entire annual quantity ex-ported to Europe . Thus, during the ten years preceding1833 the quantity of raw cotton exported from India toEngland was about 250,000,000 of pounds ; whilst in thesame period the quantity exported from India to China ,&c., was about 540,000,000 pounds. On comparing toge-ther the average total quantity of cotton imported intoGreat Britain in the years 1*830, 1840, and 1850, fromthe United States and from India , it will he found thatwhilst the former, during those three periods, has in-creased in about the ratio of 500,000 bales, 950,000 bales,and 1,200,000 bales, the latter has increased in the ratioof G7,000 bales, 163,000 bales, and 300,000 bales : show-ing, therefore, that, large as the annual increased impor-tation of American cotton into England has been, theincreased consumption of East Indian cotton has, in pro-portion, augmented even more rapidly.
The chief varieties of native India cotton, named ac-cording to the districts where they are produced, arethe—
1. Surat . 7. Berar. 13. Ladom.
2. Broach. 8 Coimbatore 14. Agra .
3. Dharwar. 9. Compta. 15. Guzerat.
4. Tinnevelly. 10. Nagpore. 16. Cutch.
5. Cuddapah. ; 11. Belgaum. 17. Concan.
6. Nellore. : 12. Dacca. 18. Saugur.
Of all these cottons it may be generally observed, that,though in some cases the fibre is beautifully fine, it is in-variably short, generally badly cleaned, and too ofteninjured, by careless collection, bad packing, and faulty .inland transit. It must be borne in mind, that these 1
short staple cottons of India cannot be compared withthe long staple cottons of the New World ; they are, infact, quite different fibres—they must be treated in adifferent manner, and their uses are perfectly dissimilar.The question of how far long staple cottons can be ad-vantageously cultivated in India is perfectly distinct fromthat of improving the production of short staple varieties.The real practical question to be considered is, not whe-ther the East Indian cottons can be made to compete withthe long staple American cotton, but whether, by careand attention, by judicious cultivation,—improved me-chanical contrivances,—and the application of skill andperseverance, it may not be possible so to improve thecommon East Indian cotton as to give to it those charac-ters and properties which will render it of more value tothe manufacturer, by enabling him to use it even morelargely, and with greater profit, than he is able to do atpresent.
On examining the samples of the native indigenouscottons of India , the chief causes of their inferiority areevident. No care or skill in the cultivation, of course,will render the fibre of short staple cotton like that ofthe long staple variety ; but, in many cases, the fault isnot the shortness of the fibre, it is, that the cotton hasbeen ruined after it has grown and ripened : either bybad management the staple is broken, or, by exposure tothe weather, and by the addition of dirt and impurity ofall sorts, its value is most materially diminished. Thedifficulty rests not so much with the cotton as with thecultivator, and with the middleman : the indolent habits,and the dislike of the former to trouble of any sort,stand more in the way of improvement than anythingelse; whilst the want of proper encouragement to thenative to persevere, and, in some cases, the opposition ofthe Brahmin, combine to prevent any real progress. Inthose cases where care and attention have been paid, thenative cottons sent over are excellent; and there is nodoubt that their value will slowly and steadily increasein the English market, if the cotton be sent to marketclean, and in the state in which it is gathered.
From the samples of experimental cotton, illustrativeof the various attempts which have been made to intro-duce the cultivation of American cottons into India , it isobvious that though the introduction of Sea Island —andthe other long staple American —cottons may, for themost part, be said to have failed, yet the cultivation andimprovement of the New Orleans cotton in India (which,though not the finest , is certainly the most valuablecotton in the world', have been attended with very consi-derable success. The experimental cottons grown fromNew Orleans seed at the Government farms, from 1830down to the present time, prove, most satisfactorily, thatany quantity of good, sound, useful cotton may he im-ported from India ; and that it only needs time and per-severance to give it a high place in the estimation of ourmanufacturers. Among the best specimens may be no-ticed the samples taken from the produce of the Govern-ment farms at Coimbatore , imported by the “ Beresford ”and “ Colonist,” and the samples of Sea Island and NewOrleans cotton from the experimental farms in Mysore .The specimens of cotton grown under the directions ofDr. Wight (p. 8S2\ who has done so much to improveand extend the cultivation of cotton in India , are sogood, that the Jury awarded to him a Prize Medal. Thecotton grown at Cuddoor by F. D. Meppen is so remark-able for the goodness of its staple, its cleanness, and thecareful manner in which it has been handled, that theJury deemed it worthy of Honourable Mention.
A very promising sample of cotton, grown from Per-nambuco seed, on Mr. Hentig’s estate at Sarawak , inBorneo , is exhibited. The staple is pretty long, thougha little course and uneveu; still, it is very clean, has agood colour, and there is no doubt it would find a readymarket at a fair price. The Jury awarded a Prize Medalfor this cotton.
Among the good samples of well-cultivated nativecottons, those of Mr. G. T. Fischer (p. 882 ), of Salem,may be mentioned. The Jury deemed these samplesworthy of Honourable Mention.