INDIA, HEMP AND FLAX, AT LEEDS. 51 



to the conclusion, that certain raw materials hitherto com- 

 paratively unknown, and their commercial value unappreciated, 

 may not only be used with advantage in connection with the 

 spinning of Silk, Flax, Wool, and Cotton, but may, in many 

 cases, superseed their use in point of economy, texture, and 

 durability. The specimens now before you, most of which are 

 from India, are what I produce in proof of my assertions. 



SIK, Every man who thinks seriously and feelingly on the 



past and present position of our relatives and countrymen in 



India, must agree with the opinion of that great and good 



man, Dr. Livingstone, namely, that there is something more 



than scriptural influence required to civilize and re-establish 



the Indian Empire. Indeed, the development of the vast 



agricultural resources of that great country, on a scale, com- 



mesurate with their extent, has been frequently urged by our 



legislators, as one of the most desirable auxiliaries to that end ; 



but owing to the absence of any known test of their value and 



efficiency in the particular direction to which I allude, and the 



ignorance which prevails upon many of the vegetable products 



of India, all have felt the difficulty of dealing with the subject, 



or of propounding any scheme for the adequate employment of 



the vast population. Nor is such my intention, beyond 



asserting, which I do with the greatest confidence, that India 



presents a rich field of enterprise to the manufacturers of this 



district, independently of its cotton plantations, and by 



availing themselves of which, they may contribute, in some 



measure at least, to the regeneration and future prosperity of 



that empire. 



Such material as that now before you from India, can be 

 produced for spinning, at from 4d. to 6d. per lb., and it is 

 important to know that the supply is unlimited, or at all events, 

 equal to an excessive demand. I have this information from 

 unquestionable authority. I enjoyed the personal friendship 

 and correspondence of the late talented Dr. I. Forbes Koyle, 



