162 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [184849. 



CHAP. J>r. Wight to Mr. Finnic, 15th November : " Your 



purchase of Churkaed Cotton is illegal, your culture 



21 4 of American Cotton unsatisfactory, and your ginning 



Dr. wight's too expensive." In reply to your letter, I have to notice 



letter, 15th x J J 



Novembei- your purchase of churkaed Cotton, your inducing Natives 

 0857 ^ pl an ^ American Cotton, your sowing two species together 

 m to obtain a cross, and your ginning operations. As regards 



the purchase of churkaed Cotton I can offer no opinion ; as 

 the purchase of a marketable article in the bazaar is for- 

 bidden by the Company's Charter, and would require the 

 special sanction of Government. As regards your having 

 induced some Natives to grow American Cotton, I am not 

 gratified. You were not sent to Tinnevelly for that purpose, 

 but to show the people how to conduct the culture ; and I 

 consider that so long as you stand aloof as a mere looker on, 

 you do not fulfil your obligations to the Madras Government 

 to serve it as an American Planter. For myself I feel satis- 

 fied, that the locality you occupy is much more favourable 

 than Coimbatore for the production of New Orleans Cotton ; 

 and I think that had the ground been differently occupied 

 during the past three years, the result would have proved 

 more satisfactory there, than it has proved in Coimbatore. 

 But the fact is, that you compromised yourself long ago, by 

 declaring that you were convinced that it was a " folly" ta 

 try and make American Cotton grow in Madura or Tinne- 

 velly ; and now you will not try, lest you should ruin the 

 reputation you imagine yourself to possess. Whilst however 

 you do nothing, lest you should waste a few rupees of public 

 money ; you feel no compunction in inducing the poor Na- 

 tives to risk their little capital, and their labour, in an un- 

 dertaking which you confidently pronounce to be hopeless. 

 As regards your expectation, that by sowing the two species 

 of Cotton together you may succeed in obtaining a cross, 

 hardier than the one and more productive than the other ; 

 lean only say that I can give you but little encouragement, 



