168 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [1847. 



CHAP, else that Mr. Finnie had adopted the views of the Marquis 



lJ of Tweeddale. Accordingly his Lordship had on more than 



one occasion expressed himself favourably disposed towards 

 the practical suggestions of the American Planter, rather 

 than towards the theoretical views of a scientific botanist like 

 Dr. Wight. Shortly before his Lordship's retirement from the 

 Government of Madras, he drew up several Minutes, in 

 which he recorded his opinions at length. In the first place 

 he proposed the remission of one fourth of the rent of all 

 Paras 121, lands taken up for the cultivation of American Cotton ; but 



13 



this subject has already been narrated elsewhere His more 

 Tweed? * important proposition was that the Government should im- 

 nite. s 3rd mediately relinquish all its Experimental Farms and official 

 i j ari.' ue- agency for raising Cotton. No fair conclusion, he said 



turn (185?) 



p. !58. could ever be drawn, until private capital and enterprise 

 were embarked in the trial ; and that would never take place, 

 so long as Government occupied itself with the experiment. 

 On the other hand, if one half of the amount that had been 

 expended, had been offered as a bonus to private enter- 

 prise, either in the form of advances for the erection of gins 

 and other machinery, or in that of grants of land rent free 

 for a specified term, he believed that the question would al- 

 ready have been brought to an issue. Again, no fair con- 

 clusion could be drawn from a Government Farm, superin- 

 tended by men who were not practical agriculturists, arid 

 who consequently were not able to direct the la hour of those 

 under them ; but who used Government capital and Com- 

 missariat cattle, which the Native cultivator could not com- 

 mand ; and who moreover had no direct interest in the success 

 of the experiment, nor in the limitation of the expenditure. 

 His Lordship did not include Mr. Finnie in these remarks, 

 as he believed it to be a great advantage to Government, to 

 be able to command the services of a practical Cotton Plant- 

 er. At the same time he expressed an opinion similar to 

 that expressed by Mr. Finnie ; namely, that instead of at- 

 tempting to force on the Ryots the cultivation of American 



