240 COTTON PLANTER'S MANUAL. 



(Table IX.) will reach 2,800,000 bales. In reference to the 

 consumption, we may remark, that the purchases for our home 

 manufactories have declined during the present year over 

 30,000 bales. The high price of the raw material, the low 

 duties on foreign goods, and the immense imports of cotton 

 fabrics from England, have caused this retrograde movement. 

 In 1849, there was a falling off of 14,000 bales, so that our 

 consumption is now 44,000 bales below that of 1848. Doubt- 

 less the stocks in the hands of the manufacturers are very 

 small, and a slight advance in goods would set all the mills at 

 work again. The universal prosperity of the country forbids 

 us to expect the extension, or even the continuance of this de- 

 pression. For 1851, I would estimate the demand at 500,000 

 bales, which is 11,000 above the consumption of the present 

 year (Table X.), and 13,000 below the average of the last 

 year. In Great Britain the falling off in the purchases of the 

 manufactures have been very slight (Table XL), and as the 

 reported purchases last year were 80,000 or 90,000 bales 

 above the actual deliveries to the manufacturers, the real de- 

 ficiency is less than the apparent. For the present year, the 

 consumption in Great Britain will not be below 1,500,000 

 bales, against 1,588,000 in 1846, and 1,491,000 in 1848. 

 Everything has been favorable to a large consumption, except 

 the price of the raw material. Money has been abundant 

 food of all kinds cheap and labor well rewarded. These ele- 

 ments of prosperity have not been confined to Great Britain, 

 and therefore her exports of cotton-goods have been unprece- 

 dentedly large. The home and foreign demand being both 

 good, the factories have run full time, in spite of the high 

 price of cotton. This never occurred before, and cannot be 

 expected again,. with any considerable confidence. At every 

 former period, an advance in the raw material has checked 

 the demands of the factories, and lessened the purchases of 



