Cuar. XIV.] COTTON—SPINNING AND WEAVING. 273 
merchants, who empty it out in their warehouses, 
and then repack it in a neat and compact manner 
before it is conveyed on board the junks. 
Before the cotton is converted into thread for 
the purpose of weaving, it is cleaned and freed 
from knots by the well-known process common in 
our possessions in India. This is done by an elastic 
bow, the string of which being passed under a 
portion of the cotton placed on a table, throws it 
in the air by the vibration which is kept up by the 
workman, and separates the fibre without at all 
breaking or injuring it. At the same time the 
wind caused by the sudden vibrations carries off 
the dust and other impurities. After this process 
the Chinese cotton is particularly pure and soft, 
and is considered by good judges not to be surpassed 
by any in the world. It is much superior to that 
imported to China from Hindostan, and always 
commands a higher price in the Chinese market. 
Every small farmer or cottager reserves a portion 
of the produce of his fields for the wants of his own 
family. This the female members clean, spin, and 
weave at home. In every cottage throughout this 
district the traveller meets with the spinning-wheel 
and the small hand-loom, which used to be common 
in our own country in days of yore, but which have 
now given way to machinery. These looms are 
plied by the wives and daughters, who are some- 
times assisted by the old men or young boys who 
are unfit for the labours of the field. Where the 
families are numerous and industrious, a much 
T 
