Tenasserim ; the staple is fair, but a little unequal: it isa good, useful cotton, and lias a healthy colour.
The cotton from New Orleans seed, cultivated at Bel-gaum, is somewhat degenerated ; it is, however, verywell cleaned, in good condition, and is a good, usefulcotton. Some of the samples of American cotton fromDharwar are likewise worthy of commendation.
Besides these, other good samples of cotton are contri-buted by private individuals: special notice must betaken of the Burmese cotton contributed by Dr. Morton,of Moulmein (p. 882) ; the samples of cotton from Bag-eheen, near the Chumbul River, exhibited by his Highnessthe Maharajah Jyajek Rao Scindia, of Gwalior (p. 882);the cotton contributed by his Highness the Rajah ofKotah, from the Rajpootana States (p. 882); and thecotton from Cutch, contributed by his Highness the Raoof Ol'TCh (p. 8S2).
Mention may here be made of the very beautiful fibreof the “simool,” or silk-cotton tree, Bombax heptaphi/l -lum, which, owing to the shortness and want of strengthof the fibre, combined with its peculiar elasticity, isincapable of being spun like ordinary cotton. It is occa-sionally, in India, more especially in Assam , spun into avery loose and large thread, which is then woven intocloth with a warp of some other fibre, and forms a soft,warm, and very light fabric. The silk-cotton, being avery tender fibre, cannot be used with advantage as astuffing material alone ; but it is highly probable that itmight be very advantageously used in combination withother substances, not merely for purposes of upholstery,but even in the manufacture of mixed fabrics, and forvarious other uses in the arts. It was suggested by Dr.Percival, in 1787, and by Beckmann, in 1793, that thisfibre might be advantageously employed as a substitutefor beavers’ fur, in hat-making; and Le Breton statesthat its importation into some countries was forbidden,for fear that it should be used to adulterate beavers’ hair.Practical obstacles were, however, found to interfere withthis application, and it appears that they have only re-cently been overcome.
Specimens of native, Bourbon, and Sea Island cotton,grown at Batticaloa and Jaffna, in Ceylon , are exhibited.
An interesting series of samples of cotton from Malta areexhibited by G. Pulis (p. 944), of Montebello, includingNankeen cotton, Sea Island cotton, and mastoidon cotton :the latter is a fine cotton; it lias a very fair staple, bothstrong and silky.
Very promising specimens of cotton from Port Natal are exhibited by T. Bazlkv (30 b, p. 950), and C. Manuel,of Cape Town (11, p. 950). In both cases the staple isgood, and it is evidently a fine and valuable cotton, butbadly handled. To each of these exhibitors the Juryawarded a Prize Medal.
Samples of cotton from the West Coast of Africa areshown by Warwick Weston (1, p. 925). The staple,though short, is fine, and if well handled this would pro-bably be a useful cotton: it was deemed worthy of Ho-nourable Mention.
A specimen of wild cotton, collected from the banksof the Niger , is contributed by Capt. H. D. Trotter(5, p. 953)"
Three samples from Barbadoes , exhibited by A. Rkade(972), consisting of Persian or greenseed, common Dome-rara, and vine or Pernambuco cotton, are interesting;the latter very superior: they were deemed worthy ofHonourable Mention.
A series of excellent cottons is contributed by differentexhibitors from British Guiana. Amongst these may be |mentioned fine, strong, and good-coloured Sea Island |cotton from Batavia Plantation, on the river Mahaiea,Demerara;—D. Blair (71 & 72, p. 9S1); for these the :Jury awarded a Prize Medal.
Excellent Sea Island and other cotton is also shownby J. F. Bee (74, 76, p. 981) from Woodlands Plantation,on the river Mahaiea: the staple strong and very good:for these also Honourable Mention was awarded.
Some very good samples of New Orleans and Pernam- •buco cotton, &c., are contributed by P. Hughes (74 a& b,p. 931), from Anna Regina Plantation, Essequibo: forthese samples Honourable Mention was awarded.
An excellent specimen of uncleaned short staple cottonfrom the Klein Pouderoyen Plantation, river Demerara, isexhibited by A. D. Van der Gon Nktcher (73, p. 981):this was deemed worthy of a Prize Medal.
A good sample of New Orleans cotton grown at Black-now, Jamaica , by W. Finlaison (163, p. 987), was deemedworthy of Honourable Mention.
A remarkably fine specimen of Sea Island cotton isshown in the Trinidad collection. The seeds were im-ported from Jamaica ; the produce is excellent, has abeautiful silky lustre, and is strong: it was consideredworthy of Honourable Mention.
Some long, and strong, but rather coarse cotton isshown by the Agricultural Society of St. Helena (2,p. 955); it is in a tolerably clean condition.
Samples of cotton from Maitland, in New South Wales ,are contributed by Messrs. Dudgeon (11, p. 989).
The collection of long staple cottons from the UnitedStates is, as has already been mentioned, remarkably fine.The samples leave nothing to be desired, either as tostaple, handling, or packing. After a minute and carefulexamination of all the bales, the Jury being desirous ofexpressing their high appreciation of the degree of per-fection to which the cultivation of this important staplehas been brought in the United States , decided on recom-mending the award of the Council Medal to the Govern-ment of the United States (p. 1431), in testimony of thegreat and successful efforts made by the cotton plantersof that country (see p. 69); whilst at the same time theydetermined to award a Prize Medal to each of the elevenfollowing exhibitors, without attempting to draw anydistinctions:—
S. Bond, of Memphis (37, pp. 1434, 1435).
W. Hampton, of Charleston, S. Carolina (172 b, p.1448).
G. L. Holmes, of Memphis, Tenessee (316, p. 1454).“ Louis Prolific.”
J. V. Jones, of Charleston, S. Carolina (172, p. 1448).
J. R. Jones, of Charleston, S. Carolina (1 72a, p. 1448).
D. Lak, of Memphis, Tenessee (330, p. 1456).
W. W. M‘Cleod, of Charleston, S. Carolina (172k, p.1448).
J. B. Merriweather, ofMontgomery, Alabama (164, p.1447).
J. Nailor, of Vicsburg, Missouri (178, p. 1449).
J. Pope, of Memphis (32, p. 1434). “ Dimes Prolific.”
W. Seabrook, of Charleston, S. Carolina (172f, &320i>, p. 1454).
An instructive collection of small samples of cotton iscontributed by Truesdale, Jacobs and Co., of New York (494, p. 1465) ; this, and also the collection of Eli Rayner,of Tenessee , were deemed worthy of Honourable Mention.
A fine sample of long staple Peruvian cotton, of a goodand useful character, is exhibited.
Specimens of uncleaned Chinese cotton, “ Meenhwa,”and the same cleaned, Hwae,” are contributed by H. M.Consul at Shangiiae (1, p. 1418); the cotton has a goodcolour, and a fine silky lustre, but it is so short that itcould only be used for wadding, or to mix with othercottons; it is very well cleaned.
Several good samples of cotton are shown in the Egyp-tian collection: of these the Mako cotton, first quality,exhibited by Abbas Pasha (106, p. 1409); the Sea Island cotton, grown by T. W. Larkins (134, p. 1409), weredeemed worthy of Honourable Mention.
Some interesting and promising samples of cotton arecontributed from Algeria , demonstrating in a remarkablemanner the progress being made in that colony; amongthese, in particular, may be specified the capital Louisiana cotton from M. Chuffart, of Birmandreis (17, p, 1260) \the Jumel cotton from Dupre de St. MAUitofORBAL, Oran(23, p. 1261); the clean, long, and useful Jumel cottonof 1850, from Morin of El Biar (39, p. 1261); and thestrong, fine, and well-cleaned cotton from C. PEi.issiERofKaddous (42, p. 1261): for each of these four, the Juryawarded a Prize Medal.
The collection of cottons contributed by A. Hardy,manager of the Hamma Nursery near Algiers (28, p.1261), is also remarkably good; including Georgia, Louis**iana, Jumel, New York , Macedonia, and Nankeen cotton