1848-49.] MB. riiririB'SFOtJB YEAES INTIlfNETELLT. 131 



his labours in effecting an iinprovement„in Native Cot- 

 ton were of suet vast importance, that he could no 

 longer attend to the cultivation of American Cotton 

 in the Courtallum valley, which he said was nothing 

 more than cultivating an exotic in an oasis. Accord- 

 ingly he begged that the plantation of one 

 hundred acres at Courtallum, which he had 

 cultivated the preceding year, might be planted for the 

 ensuing season by the Native assistant. At the same 

 time, however, he expressed his willingness to do what 

 he could in extending the cultivation of American Cot- 

 ton. Notwithstanding the strong objections which he 

 had expressed to the establishment of large Farms ; 

 notwithstanding his convictions that New Orleans Cot- 

 ton 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 plantation at 

 Aroopoocottah, and another at Sevacausey, on as large 

 a scale as Grovernment thought proper to sanction. 

 For himself, however, he strongly preferred his own 

 system of operating directly through the people. He 

 would employ a number of Eyots, on monthly salaries 

 of from ten to sixteen shillings per mensem, to grow 

 American 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, would be less than the 

 cost ; whilst the enormous expense would frighten the 

 people from the culture. On the other hand, by dis- 

 tributing the same amount among the Natives they 

 would be induced to carry out the experiment them- 

 selves, and would certainly attain success, if success 

 were really possible. These propositions, however, ap- 

 pear to have met with no response from the Madras 

 Government. At the time they were written, the Mar- 

 quis of Tweeddale had departed for Europe, and Sir 



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