184849.] MR. FINNIE'S FOUR YEARS IN TINNEVELLY. 145 



" others." Such was the brilliant achievement that closed CHAP. 

 the third season of Mr. Finnie's career. 1__ 



Fourth Season, 1848-49 : proposed extension of 203 

 planting operations. The fourth season of Mr. Finnie's Mn Fin . 

 operations at Tinnevelly opened with a bold representation, g|| '? l 

 and two equally bold propositions. He represented that his Return 

 labours in effecting an improvement in Native Cotton were 292. 

 of such vast importance, that he could no longer attend to 

 the cultivation of American Cotton in the Courtallum val- 

 ley, which he said was nothing more than cultivating an ex- 

 otic in an oasis. Accordingly he begged that the plantation 

 of one hundred acres at Courtallum, which he had cultivated Para 181 ' 

 the preceding year, might be planted for the ensuing season 

 by the Native assistant. At the same time however, he ex- 

 pressed his willingness to do what he could in extending the 

 cultivation of American Cotton. Notwithstanding the 

 strong objections which he had expressed to the establish- 

 ment of large Farms ; notwithstanding his convictions that 

 New Orleans Cotton would only grow in localities enjoying 

 the influence of both monsoons ; he was prepared to set aside 

 his own views, and to establish one Cotton plan- 

 tation at Aroopoocottah, and another at Sevacausey, on 

 as large a scale as Government thought proper to sanc- 

 tion. For himself, however, he strongly preferred y 

 his own system of operating directly through the people. 

 He would employ a number of Ryots, on monthly salaries 

 of from ten to sixteen shillings per mensem, to grow Ame- 

 rican Cotton on their own lands ; the produce to be their 

 property, and when nicely cleaned, to be taken off their 

 hands at four shillings per candy above the current market 

 price of the Native article. The merits of the two systems 

 may be easily compared. A Cotton plantation under any 

 circumstances, would cost fifteen or twenty pounds a month. 

 If conducted by Europeans, the produce however successful, 



