STAPLES OF AND FOR AMERICA. 45 



land, but people have every disrelish to it. Corn has 

 not made up the supply. 



The only causes to be found for the falling off in the 

 shipments and in price, (as it has not arisen from over 

 production), are the imports of rice and paddy from Arra- 

 can, Patna, and Benares. In Arracan, taking the bulk, 

 the Arracan rice is some 500 per cent, cheaper than 

 American rice in their different countries. 



The Arracan sells in England for 10s. or $2| the cwt. 

 &quot; American &quot; &quot; &quot; 18 or 4| &quot; 



Therefore it is, although the American brings 80 per 

 cent, better prices, and freight must also be lower, that 

 the Arracan rice is ousting the American. 



Why the East Indians are able to undersell the Ameri 

 can planter, will be readily perceived from the following, 

 which I have already stated in the Charleston Courier, 

 &c., viz: the rice planter in India, with his wife and 

 family, labor in the field. The economy of the people is 

 striking. The man s clothing consists of a strip of coarse 

 cotton that passes between his legs, one end attached be 

 fore, the other end behind, to a string that surrounds his 

 waist. Two pieces of such clothing, of the best descrip 

 tion, will last a couple of years ; and all his year s cloth 

 ing will not cost 50 cents. The diet of the people is 

 rice, (which sometimes they use in raw state, simply 

 steeped in a little water), which, when cooked, they eat 

 with some few cooked vegetables mixed up with pepper, 

 chilies, huldee (ginger), and clarified butter. Sometimes, 

 instead of vegetables they have fish, and if a goat be 

 killed in the village, then there may be flesh instead of 

 vegetables and fish. A man may support himself for 50 



