THE COTTON TRADE. 361 



pool had risen to 6d. per lb., and Indian to 4|d., there was imported in the 

 succeeding year the large quantity of 250,000,000 lbs., and last year this 

 quantity was increased nearly 50 per cent. 



In 1788, the efforts of the East India Company were first directed to 

 the promotion of the growth of cotton, and to the improvement of its 

 quality. In the same year was made the first shipment of Indian cotton 

 to England. In 1814, the exports to England amounted to 4,000,000 of 

 pounds, and they have since increased in the following ratio : 



1831 25,805,153 lbs. 



1838 40,217,734 „ 



1845 58,437,426 „ 



1851 84,923,022 „ 



1861 369,040,448 „ 



Nest after India we may refer to the gradually increasing production of 

 cotton in Egypt. Its cidtivation was first promoted by Mahmoud Pacha, 

 who no sooner became convinced of the fitness of the soil and climate, than 

 he set about the prosecution of the enterprise with such vigour and sagacity, 

 than within two years he exported nearly six thousand bales of a superior 

 quality to England. In 1858, this quantity had been advanced to 38,248,112 

 lbs., and in the same year France obtained 7,434,300 lbs. from the same 

 source. In 1855, the total quantity exported was 55,874,300 lbs., and the 

 home consumption was estimated at from five to six millions of pounds. 



England also receives large quantities of cotton wool from Brazil. In 

 1849, the quantity approximated closely upon 31,000,000 lbs., and though 

 it hardly reached 17,000,000 in 1860-61, this falling off is attributed to com- 

 petition with American supplies, and to the fact that in Brazil, cotton can- 

 not be successfully cultivated near the coast ; the difficulty of transporting 

 it from the interior adds so much to its cost as to render it unprofitable. 

 The Brazilian government has offered encouragement for the construction 

 of railways, by guaranteeing interest on the outlay, and lines are in process 

 oi construction by British capitalists. Their completion will remove the 

 main difficulty to the increase of the cotton culture, and the exports will 

 unquestionably be largely increased. 



India, Egypt, and Brazil are not the only sources to which the British 

 manufacturer can resort for his raw cotton. At the present moment im- 

 portations of cotton arrive in Liverpool from five distinct regions of the 

 earth, the United States, India, Egypt, Brazil, and the West Indies. Samples 

 have also been produced from the western parts of Africa, as well as from 

 Australia and Natal, of excellent staple and general good quality. Indeed, 

 samples from Queensland and New South Wales, shown at the Inter- 

 national Exhibition, are valued at 3s. 6<L to 4s. per poiuid ! The 

 quantity as yet obtained is small. But let us call to mind the rapidity 

 with which the American supply has reached its present importance : less 

 than seventy years ago the exports of cotton from the United States were 

 nil ; in 1794, they exported but 5,340 bales of 300 lbs. each, which 

 embraced the entire crop. If such small amounts have expanded to the 



