1840.] ME. FISCHER'S CO-OPERATION DECLINED. 29 



over. They were however despatched to tion, 3ist 

 the Tinnevelly district, under the superin- pSi. Return 

 tendence of Captain Hughes, for the pur- (1847), p. 306. 

 pose of familiarizing themselves with the 

 native mode of cultivation, as well as with the charac- 

 ter of the people. At Tinnevelly the Ryots were in- 

 vited by proclamation to come forward and receive 

 instruction from the American Planters ; and accord- 

 ingly some Ryots about two miles off requested the 

 attendance of the Planters. The Ameri- 

 cans proceeded to the locality, and pointed Hughes's 

 out the defects in the native mode of 3^^' and 1 

 gathering the seed Cotton, and proceeded 3rd April, 

 to explain their own method. The Ryots ^turn* 1 " 

 in return acknowledged the superiority of (1847), p. 

 the American method, but urged that it 

 was more laborious and expensive ; and therefore they 

 refused to adopt it, unless Government would pur- 

 chase the Cotton so produced at a fixed valuation. 

 In a word, they would neither adopt the American 

 cultivation, nor sow the American seed, unless Go- 

 vernment would buy the produce ; and the Planters 

 found that these sentiments were pretty general 

 throughout the Cotton growers of the district. 



Contemplated removal of the Planters to the neigh- 38 

 bourhood of Mr. Fischer's establishment at Salem. — 

 The non-arrival of the gin machinery prevented the 

 Planters from doing anything further during the season 

 of 1840-41 in the way of preparing the Cotton wool. 

 Meantime Lord Elphinstone, who was Minutesof 

 then Governor of Madras, decided on re- Consuita- 

 moving the Planters from Tinnevelly to M°ay,i84i. 

 Coimbatore and Salem, where they would Pari.' Return 

 be in the immediate neighbourhood of Mr. (1847) ' p - 313 - 

 Fischer, who was a large Contractor with Native Cot- 

 ton growers. Mr. Fischer however con- Mr pig _ 

 sidered that the general inferiority of the cher's letter, 

 Madras Cotton arose from the vicious \ta. M Ysk. ' 

 system of trade, by which there was a sue- Return 

 cession of middlemen or brokers, from the 

 village Chetty who made advances to the Ryot in his 



