BRIEF HISTORY OF COTTOX. 279 



by James Spaulding and Alexander Bisset, on St. Simon's 

 Island, at the mouth of the Altamaha, and on Jekyl Island by 

 Richard Leake. For many years after its introduction, it was 

 confined to the more elevated parts of these islands, bathed by 

 the saline atmosphere, and surrounded by the sea. Gradually, 

 however, the cotton culture was extended to the lower grounds, 

 and beyond the limits of the islands to the adjacent shores of 

 the continent, into soils containing a mixture of clay ; and, 

 lastly, into coarse clays deposited along the great rivers, where 

 they meet the ocean tides. 



Previous to 1794 the year after the invention of Whitney's 

 saw-gin the annual amount of cotton produced in North 

 America was comparatively inconsiderable; but since that 

 period, there is probably nothing recorded in the history of 

 industry, including its manufactures in this country and Europe, 

 that would compare with its subsequent increase. 



The earliest record cf sending cotton from this country to 

 Europe, is in the table of exports from Charleston in 1747-'4S, 

 when seven bags were shipped ; another parcel, consisting of 

 2,000 Ibs., was shipped from the same port in 1770 ;. and a 

 third shipment of seventy-one bags was made in 1784, which 

 was seized in England on the ground that America could not 

 produce a quantity so great. In 1792, thiere were shipped 

 304 bales; in the first six months of 1796, 150 bales. From 

 an old custom-house book at Wilmington, North Carolina, it 

 appears that in July, 1768, the ship "Amelia" cleared from 

 that port with an assorted cargo, among which were three bags 

 of cotton. In 1796, there were exported from Philadelphia 

 911,325 Ibs. 



The amount of cotton exported from the United States in 1791, 

 was 189,316 Ibs.; in 1793, 187,600 Ibs.; in 1794, l,601,760lbs.-; 

 in 1795, 6,276,300 Ibs: ; in 1800, 17,789,803 Ibs. ; in 1810, 

 93,261,462 Ibs. \Patcnt Office Report for 1853, Agricultural 

 Dept., p. 179.] 



