1846 47.] MU. FINNIE'S FOUR YEAES IN TINNEVELLY. 115 



Mr. Finnie is disappointed as an Agent: proposal CHAP. 



to employ Crovernment Funds. The Agency operations 1_ 



of Mr. Finnie during the second season were just as disap- 162 

 pointing as his planting operations. He found that the Mer- Mr. 

 chants of Madras and Ceylon had already established their 



1846. Parl. 



own Agents in Tinnevelly, and that consequently he must etum 



( 1857} p 



look to other Cotton trading ports for that co-operation 31(} - 

 from the merchant, which was indispensable to his success. 

 Moreover, in consequence of the cfelay of nearly a year in 

 granting him permission to act as Agent, the gathering sea- 

 son for 184C-47 was so near at hand, that he feared he 

 should not be able to establish a business connexion 

 in time to accomplish much by that year's Agency. Ac- 

 cordingly he proposed that beside erecting the gin house, 

 and setting up the machinery, Government should 

 place a sum of money at his disposal. With this 

 money he would purchase Cotton, and ship it to a 

 mercantile firm in England, in order that it might 

 be sold, and the amount of sales be rendered to him direct. 

 By these means he would be in possession of every item of 

 the expense, and would thus he enabled to draw up an annual 

 statement of profit and loss, for the information of Govern- 

 ment and of all parties interested in the question. If the 

 Government could not comply with this request, he was 

 prepared to clean and ship Cotton on his own account to 

 the extent of 30,000 rupees, provided that Government 



would let him have that amount upon the securitv of Go- consulta- 

 tion, 8th 



vernment paper, without charging him any interest on the J b - 1 ^*J- 

 loan. This proposition fell to the ground, as the Govern- * ur g 5< 

 inent declined to advance money to Mr. Finnie for the pur- 

 chase of Cotton on his own account. 



Mr. Finnie's second year's operations with the 168 

 churka, thresher, and gin. At the commencement of 

 this second season, Mr. Finnie expressed himself still anxious 

 to gin a quantity of Cotton towards completing the Com- 



