No. 9. 



History of the Cotton Manufacture. 



293 



Chincha: so that for upwards of 600 years 

 the deposite has been progressively removed 

 from those ishinds without any apparent de- 

 crease of the accumulation. The uniformity 

 of climate, on a coast where tiiere is not 

 much rain, would contribute to render the 

 Peruvian guano a more active manure than 

 the African, as fewer of the saline particles 

 of the former being in solution, they are 

 consequently less subject to evaporation. — 

 American Farmer. 



History of the Cotton Manufacture. 



The importance of the cotton trade to 

 Great Britain, although generally admitted, 

 is but seldom appreciated to the full extent 

 of its value, even by those to whom its pro- 

 gress lias supplied abundant labor, or those 

 to whose wealth and atlhience it has so ma- 

 terially contributed; I shall, therefore, en- 

 deavor to bring this subject before the com- 

 mercial world as concisely as possible in the 

 subjoined pages, in the hope that in present- 

 ing the details, and venturing upon a short 

 outline of its general features, and a brief 

 sketch of its progress in England, I may con 

 tribute to the information and pleasure of 

 many in the commercial world. 



To trace the manufacture of cotton from 

 its very first stage, is a task which has never 

 yet been fully accomplished, nor is it neces- 

 sary for the objects sought to be achieved by 

 these papers, to do so; suffice it, therefore, 

 to give a few of the leading facts relative to 

 its progression in other countries, and its in- 

 troduction into Great Britain. 



Most authors agree that cotton goods were 

 successfully made in the East long before the 

 Christian era, but to what extent it advanced 

 amongst Eastern nations at that period, it is 

 now impossible to discover; we learn, how- 

 ever, that the art of manufacture had found 

 its way into Africa and China, a considerable 

 time before mention is made of it in Europe. 

 The earliest records of its introduction into 

 Europe inform us, that it first made its ap- 

 pearance in Spain and Italy ; but its progress 

 in those countries was exceedingly limited, 

 and it never appears to have attracted the 

 serious attention of men of genius and per- 

 severance, without whose aid and enterprise 

 it would have failed even in England. As 

 far back as 1298, raw cotton is recorded to 

 have been imported into Great Britain, but 

 it appears to have been exclusively used at 

 that period for candle or lamp wick; and 

 whether it was known as an article suited to 

 the manufacture of clothing, is very uncer- 

 tain. In the year 1560, there appears to 

 have been a small importation of cotton from 

 the Levant into England, but the quantity 



was very trifling, and it is not stated to what 

 purpose it was applied ; but there can be lit- 

 tle doubt that it was spun into yarn, by hand 

 or distaff. It was, however, on a very limit- 

 ed scale; as, in the year 1641, the principal 

 part of the yarn in use here, was itself im- 

 ported from the Levant, being used as weft 

 only, and manufactured into what would now 

 be called " Unions," the warp being of linen. 

 This description of goods appears to, have 

 been made without intermission from thai 

 period until the year 1772, when Messrs. 

 Arkwright and Strutts accomplished the art 

 of making goods with a cotton warp. 



It will also be seen that little progress 

 was made in the manufacturing of cotton in 

 England, until the year 1782, when the im- 

 ports for the whole of that year were 33,22.5 

 bales; spinning machinery being at this pe- 

 riod in its infancy. VVJien we contemplate 

 the present extent of the manufacture of 

 cotton, the rapid stride it has made seems 

 almost incredible. Not more than seventy 

 years have elapsed since England's first 

 profitable acquaintance with the cotton ma- 

 nufacture. In the year 1781, the quantity of 

 cotton wool imported, was only 14,603 bales; 

 but in 1S4.5, it amounted to the enormous 

 number of 1,8.5.5,660 bales, being 127 times 

 as much as in the former year. In fact, our 

 weekly consumption in 1846, was more than 

 double the whole import of the year 1781. 

 How deeply must the importance and mag- 

 nitude of British enterprise and industry, 

 and the power of man over the means of 

 production, be impressed upon our minds, 

 when we consider, that although so many 

 centuries have passed since cotton was 

 known in the East, and that within so short 

 a period, (less than 100 years,) we were in- 

 debted to that distant country for both our 

 goods and yarn. Yet have the exports in 

 yarn and calicoes to India alone, during the 

 last year, amounted to the enormous quanti- 

 ties of 20,.500,000 lbs. of yarn, and to up- 

 wards of 196,000,0(K) yards of calicoes, and 

 that it has been reserved to these times, tosend 

 out persons of iirstrate ability, and at con- 

 siderable expense, to induce the natives, (or, 

 as may be said, the parents of the trade,) to 

 increase and improve their cultivation ; in 

 order to aid in supplying that want of raw 

 material, which the more modern gigantic 

 efforts, and almost incredible progress of the 

 United States of North America, do not 

 satisfy. 



It is an undeniable fact, that the cotton 

 trade is much larger in amount than all the 

 other descriptions of clothing. Notwith- 

 standing its enormous extent, however, it 

 ha'' been, and will continue to be, more ma- 

 terially and suddenly affected by current 



