EXCELLENCE OF FIJIAN COTTON. 57 



It is well known, both from public journals and the 

 'Correspondence relating to the Fiji Islands,' presented by 

 command of her Majesty to both Houses of Parliament, 

 May, 1862, that from samples submitted by Mr. Pritch- 

 ard, the Executive Committee of the Manchester Cotton 

 Supply Association resolved, " That these samples are of 

 qualities most desirable for British manufacture; that 

 such a range of excellent cotton is scarcely now received 

 from any cotton-growing country ; and that the supply 

 obtained from the United States does not realize nearly 

 so high an average value as this Fijian cotton." It 

 must be borne in mind, that these and similar opinions 

 were arrived at in 1859, long before my visit to the is- 

 lands and the publication of the favourable report I 

 made.* Doubtless the same Committee would now be 

 prepared to pronounce a still higher opinion, if that were 

 possible. The Fijian samples sent to the Great Exhibi- 

 tion of 1862 would furnish capital material for renewed 

 examination, and amongst them would be found some 

 of Sea Island cotton, the sort which, having the largest 

 staple and fetching the highest price, was hitherto ex- 

 clusively grown in perfection on the coast of South 

 Carolina, Georgia, and a small part of Florida. Fiji 

 has now supplied every sort of cotton, from the cheapest 

 to the very best, and capitalists would do well in direct- 

 ing their attention to it. 



* My report was sent by the Colonial Office to Manchester, and first 

 published in No. 71 of the ' Cotton Supply Eeporter,' of August 1st, 1861. 



