COTTON- WOOL. 



215 



by Mr. Martin, who appears to have been fully BmnbV^ 



competent on that point ; for we find, by his letter March 1832. 



to the Collector of Surat of the 6th November 



1 830, that he was able to clean in a quarter of an 



hour with the American machine as much cotton 



as could be prepared with a churka in six hours. 



It has been suggested, that the cutting may have 



been caused by the saws being new and very 



sharp, and that the cutting may probably cease as 



the saws become worn with use. 



31. If this be not the case, it must be feared 

 that the fibre of the native Indian cotton does not 

 possess sufficient strength and tenacity to resist the 

 action of so powerful an instrument, and that the 

 use of the American gin must be confined to 

 cleaning cotton raised from American seeds : but 

 this can be satisfactorily determined only by re- 

 peated and careful experiments, with a view to 

 ascertaining the proper degree of velocity as ap- 

 plicable to Indian cotton. You have been in- 

 formed, that in G eorgia the gins are put in motion 

 by horses, and that the revolutions of the saw- 

 cylinders are from two hundred to two hundred 

 and fifty in a minute, which may be too great in 

 India. We wait for further information from 

 you upon this point.* 



33. Having 



* Specimens of upland Georgia cotton with the seeds {kiipas 

 as it would be termed in India) are sent in the packet for the 

 purpose of comparison. 



