1847-48.] MB. I'INNIe's TOrE YEAES IJT TUSTNETELLT. 125 



explanation of his views, but it adds little or nothing to 

 what has been said before. He reiterated that the 

 Agents at Tuticorin did not take the proper measures 

 with the Natives themselves for securing the best Cot- 

 ton ; but added that this was not so much Mr. Finnie's 

 the fault of the Chitties, who were screwed q^I^^EI^ 

 down to the lowest possible price, as it was Pairi'. Eetum 

 the fault of the English merchants and &857),p.368. 

 manufacturers at home, who had not taken the neces- 

 sary steps for creating a sure market for the superior 

 article. He also forwarded a sketch of a lever press 

 which he had invented for pressing the Cotton into a 

 small compass for packing ; the elasticity of Mr. Finnie's 

 the fine clean Cotton being so great, that Mav'^iUl' 

 the packing cloth was frequently torn, and Pari' Eetiim 

 a considerable loss sustained by the expo- (i857),p.366. 

 sure of the Cotton, and the collection of trash. This 

 press may be thus described. It consisted of two up- 

 rights securely set in masonry, with a cross beam at 

 the top. Between the uprights was a box, with fixed 

 sides, but moveable ends at the top and bottom. Sus- 

 pended from the cross beam was a moveable beam, 

 which could be forced down upon the box by means of 

 levers, acted on either by men or heavy weights. The 

 Cotton was placed in the box and pressed into a bale 

 by the cross beam, which was forced down by the 

 levers. Mr. Finnie requested that this press might be 

 constructed immediately at the Government Arsenal ; 

 but it never appears to have been completed, as Mr. 

 Knnie subsequently represented that he was engaged 

 in preparing another simple press for Native use. 



Mr. Finnie's sample of Churkaed Tinnevelly Cotton 196 

 equal, to American. — ^Towards the close of the third 

 season, Mr. Finnie made an announcement to the Ma- 

 dras Government, which serves to place the character 

 of his whole proceedings in the strongest possible light. 

 It has already been seen that Mr. Finnie had opposed 

 -himself equally to the cultivation of the American Cot- 

 ton and the use of the American gin ; and that he pro- 

 fessed to devote his chief attention to the improvement 

 of the Native Cotton, and of the Native methods of 



