HISTORY 23 



The first half of the nineteenth century witnessed the decline of 



all the British supplies of cotton, except that of the United States, Monopoly 



which by then had obtained a monopoly of the market. In 1850 J t . he 



O v&uQS* 



the imports of Great Britain were 664 million pounds of raw 

 cotton, and the exports of manufactured cotton goods were valued 

 at 28,000,0002. 



in 1852 Sierra Leone began to cultivate cotton on the American 

 system. In 1858 Dr. Livingstone returned to Africa, intending to 

 give the cultivation of cotton his attention. He is reported to have 

 said that ' in Africa the American cotton plant had become peren- 

 nial.' Lord Palmerston prophesied that the West Coast of Africa Palmer- 

 would outstrip all other countries in the production of cotton, prophecy. 

 excepting only the United States. 



A scheme was formulated in England to raise a sum of 

 20,000,OOOZ. to be expended in India during five years in measures Scheme to 

 calculated to forward India as a cotton-producing country. The 



outbreak of the Mutiny put an end, however, to these negotiations. produc- 



Commenting on the effect of the American Civil War and the great 

 Cotton Famine of 1862-66, Dr. Charles W. Dabney (' U.S. Dept. of 

 Agri. Bull.' n. 33 (1896), ' The Cotton Plant,' p. 14) very truly observes ; 

 'Probably no equally great industry was ever more completely American 

 paralyzed or had its future placed in greater jeopardy than cotton- 

 growing in the United States during the war of 1861-65. So great 

 was the decrease in production which followed the effectual closing 

 of the ports that only one bale of cotton was grown in 1864-65 for 

 every fifteen bales raised in 1861-62. The chief menace to the 

 future of cotton production lay in the efforts that were put forth by 

 other cotton-growing countries at this time to produce those parti- 

 cular varieties which had for so long given the United States the 

 monopoly of the European markets ; and nothing could more com- 

 pletely demonstrate the remarkable adaptation of our Southern States 

 to the growing of varieties which the experience of generations has 

 proved to be the best for manufacturing purposes, than the fact that 

 it took them only thirteen years from the end of the war to regain 

 the primary position which they held at its commencement.' 



In 1863 a Cotton Commissioner was appointed for Bombay, and Second 

 the year following for Berar and the Central Provinces. Cotton 



farms were established under these Commissioners. The Bombay improve- 



ment. 

 Cotton Frauds Act ix. of 1863, became law, but it is generally 



believed it did more harm than good, and it was shortly after repealed. 



