COTTON. 189 



MOTHER. 



That which produces cotton is the principal one 

 that I recollect. The botanical name of the genus 

 is Gossyp'ium, and all the species at present known 

 are natives of the East and West Indies. What 

 we call cotton is a soft downy substance that sur- 

 rounds the seeds ; which in one species, the com- 

 mon Cotton Gossyp'ium herba'ceum, is of a snowy 

 white : but in the species barbaden'se, which grows 

 in Barbadoes, and in great perfection in the Chi- 

 nese province of Kiang-nan, of which Nankin is the 

 capital city, the down, in its natural state, has a 

 yellowish colour inclining to red. The kind of 

 cloth called Nankin, which is made of it in China, 

 is of great value, because it is very strong, and 

 fades very little, even after long use and frequent 

 washing. 



