1G6 COTTON TEXTILES IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



Canton or cotton-flannel, called swan-skin, gray and bleached, here 

 and in England has a limited sale on account of the mild climate ; in 

 fact this material is seldom used here for underclothing, but such as 

 finds its way into the market, and especially bleached cotton-flannel, is 

 generally of American manufacture. A few gray canton-flannels are 

 also sold, but the demand is so small as not to be worth taking into 

 notice. Mr. Vallack has very kindly furnished me with a list of a cer- 

 tain class of American cottons sold here, which comprises gray calicoes, 

 gray sheetings, bleached long-cloths, and bleached sheetings plain and 

 twilled. Mr. Vallack states that the demand for the goods mentioned 

 is very considerable and says : 



I may be permitted to remark, especially with regard to the items enumerated in 

 this group and more broadly with reference to American manufactured cottons gen- 

 erally, that they can not hold their own in this market, and the consumption of the 

 items is very large, running to thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of packages in 

 the course of a year. I have nothing whatever to say against the make or finish ; as to 

 finish they are perhaps superior to the English, but their cost is so high as to create 

 no demand for them. This is the chief obstacle. For a period extending over some 

 seven or eight years the Wamsutta company consigned very largely to this market, 

 and I have from first to last purchased many hundreds of packages both in the open 

 market and direct from the consignees ; of the earlier shipments, many were sold by 

 auction and probably realized remunerative rates, but I think if reference be made to 

 this company it will be found that their consignments resulted in a series of losses, 

 and sometimes very heavy losses. They would not, I think, be inclined to repeat 

 their experiment. In the event of American manufacturers being desirous of com- 

 peting with the Manchester Mills, I shall be most happy to report upon any samples 

 that may be submitted through you with the view of their being brought into com- 

 petition with the products of Great Britain. 



With regard to white long-cloth I learn that the demand is mostly 

 for 36-inch widths, while for sheetings it is principally for from 72 to 

 100 inch widths. In grays the demand is chiefly for 36 to 72 inch 

 widths, and very few of other widths are sold in this market. 



. Ready made cotton goods. Blue denim jumpers, blue denim trowsers, 

 blue duck trowsers, and fancy cotton-made trowsers from America, 

 occasionally find their way to this market. They meet with fair sale in 

 the hands of those dealing in clothing for sailors. 



Sizing. The beauty and purity of American cotton fabrics and their 

 entire freedom from sizing or adulteration attract attention wherever 

 they are seen ; but the high cost, as I have said previously, alone pre- 

 vents them from being profitably and largely imported, the cheaper 

 and more or less adulterated article taking their place. Various matter 

 is used for sizing, some of which does little harm, while other kinds are 

 washed out of the fabrics after the first laundrying. About 50 per 

 cent, of this adulteration is sometimes used, but it would be a mistake 

 to suppose that all Manchester goods are adulterated. Many are so 

 slightly mixed with other substances, or the weights added to, as not to 

 affect the quality or indeed to alter the appearance after washing. An 

 indifferent article is not desired here any more than anywhere else, but 



