194 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [1849 52. 



CHAP, by the Government of Sir Henry Pottinger. The gin-house 

 . at Coimbatore was sold to Mr. D. Campbell, a Madras Mer- 

 chant, who unfortunately died a few months afterwards. 

 Meantime Dr. Wight continued to distribute American seed, 

 and to purchase the produce from the Ryots ; and was also 

 engaged in drawing up the final Report which had been or- 

 dered by the Court of Directors. The general progress of 

 the experiment is thus set forth in this Rep ort, which was 

 addressed to the Madras Government in May 1852, and 

 Para 263. which will be found further on. During this period some 

 other Cotton experiments were carried on in Coimbatore, 

 Tanjore, and Tinnevelly, which are worthy of special notice. 



256 Colonel Lav/ford's cultivation by irrigation in 



Tanjore. Colonel Lawford's successful cultivation of Ame- 



rican Cotton in Tanjore by means of irrigation has already 



Para in. been mentioned. No results however appear to have fol- 



Mr. Elton's lowed. In July 1849, Mr. Elton, the Collector of Tinnevelly, 



July*' iX recommended that- a fair trial of Colonel* Lawford's plan 



turn' (1857) should be tried in his district; as a comparison of the cost of 



culture by irrigation with the cost of culture on poonjah or 



con?uita- dry lands, could alone prove whether the increase in the pro- 



Sept. 1849. duce would be sufficient to cover the additional cost of pro- 



turn' (i57) duction. But the Madras Government at that time was 



p. 305. 



indisposed to engage in any further experiments, and passed 

 letter, nth a resolution that if irrigation was to be tried at all it must 

 Tur" ^ e ^ e( ^ ky the Ryots alone. About the same time, the Col- 



p.3i8. lector of Tanjore was anxious to make a similar ex- 

 Board of periment on the annicut of the river Manney ; and he 

 letter, 9th suggested that he should be allowed to grant a tract of 



August 



Return*" 1 ' ^ an( ^> ren ^ & QQ ^ or three years, to such Ryots as should be 

 ass?) P . p re p are( i to cultivate it with New Orleans Cotton. The 

 Minutes of su gg e& tion of the Collector was strongly supported by the 

 'Sm." ul s8th Board of Revenue, but the Madras Government considered 

 prl' 18 Rel that it was precluded by the orders of the Court of Directors 

 from granting any such remission of the assessment. The 



