1862.] DE. wight's I'lNAIi COTTON EEPOET. 189 



success of Mr. Lees' experiment fell far short of his 

 anticipations, it has established beyond all doubt that 

 the sandy soils along the Coromandel coast, aided by 

 the humid atmosphere, are very suitable to the cultiv- 

 ation of American Cotton ; a fact which is daily be- 

 coming more firmly established by the success attend- 

 ing the well-conducted efforts of Messrs. Longshaws at 

 Tricliindore in Tinnevelly, and of Mr, Kenrick at Ma- 

 dras. In addition to a light assessment, these lands 

 possess a further advantage, which is important in a 

 tropical climate, of being easily cultivated in all seasons, 

 whether wet or dry. Consequently the cost of cultiv- 

 ation is materially lessened. Moreover, there is mois- 

 ture for the most part near the surface, and generally 

 within reach of the roots of the plant, which have a 

 tendency to penetrate to a great depth in search of it. 

 I expect, therefore,, that the crops will prove much more 

 uniform, inasmuch as they will be less liable to injury 

 from occasional protracted droughts. Giving due 

 weight to these favourable circumstances, I anticipate 

 that crops averaging from 200 to 250 or even 300 lbs. 

 per acre, wiU generally be realised ; at which rates, if 

 the Eyots can only be induced to engage heartily in 

 the cultivation of these foreign Cottons, the shores of 

 the Camatic will alone, in the course of a few years, be 

 able to produce many thousands of bales ; and, having 

 the advantage of cheap transit to the port of export, at 

 prices which will at all times enable the Indian to 

 compete with the American grower. 



Sir Henry Pottinger's Government condemns Dr. 282 

 Wight's Report. — The foregoing Eeport of Dr. "Wight 

 did not meet with the approval of the Ma- g^ Henry 

 dras Government. In fact Sir Henry Pottinger's 

 Pottinger vreote a Minute violently con- K^iIm^"* 

 demning it. Considering that it was the PaAEetura 

 result of experiments extending over eleven ' 



years, he pronounced it to be a meagre and unsatis- 

 factory document, ia which the statements and opinions 

 were alike unsupported by facts. 



