26 



BRAZILIAN COTTON 



Some of the designs produced on the hand looms are quite 

 artistic, esjiecially as regards colour combination. Generally vegetable 

 dye is used by the weaver who dyes her own yarn. In Brazil hand 

 looms are worked by women, at all events I have never seen a man 

 work a hand loom, whilst in India this work is often done by men. 

 I have a few small samples of the designs at the office for inspection. 



The above mentioned early factory development of spinning and 

 weaving was soon arrested by an Act of the Portuguese Government. 

 The cotton millowners of Portugal had lost their home market in 

 consequence of a treaty with Great Britain (Methuen Treaty) and were 

 determined that they should, at all events, keep the market of their 

 Brazilian colony for themselves. They persuaded the Portuguese 



Hand Spmnmg m a village on the Sao Fr. 



ancisco Kiver 



Government to pass legislation prohibiting the manufacture of cotton 

 cloth in Brazil, with the exception of the very commonest and coarsest 

 cloth as used by the slaves. This act was passed in 1807 and 

 rigorously enforced. When Dom Joao arrived in Brazil in 1809 his 

 first measure was to open all the ports of Brazil to the mercantile 

 fleet of the world (formerly only Portugal was allowed to trade with 

 Brazil) and to foster the imi^ortation of all kinds of machinery ; but 

 agam, a few years later, the existing Brazilian factories were obliged 

 to return to the making of coarse cloth only. This state of affairs 

 continued until 1846. Though by the year 1822 Brazil had obtained 

 its independence, no change was then made. It was only in 1846 

 that the Brazilian Government gave a number of concessions to 

 factories, amongst which the free imj)ortation of machinery during 

 ten years was the principal one. 



