100 COTTON TN THE MADEAS PRESIDENCY. [LST SEASON. 



lb., at which it is said America can produce the article. 

 All therefore that remained to be done in India, was the 

 production of an article of an equal quality but at less 

 cost. 



159 Prospects of India : labour in America and India 

 compared. — Mr. Finnie believed that the consumption 

 of Cotton would increase in the same ratio as the pro- 

 duction ; that under any circumstances all good Ame- 

 rican Cotton, and all good Indian Cotton, would ever 

 find a market. America could not be easily supplanted, 

 whilst she retained all her advantages of enterprise, 

 industry, climate, soil, rivers, steam-boats, and rail- 

 roads. On the other hand, India possessed a territory 

 that would produce a pretty good article of " New 

 Orleans Cotton," and that was equal in extent to the 

 whole Cotton- growing region in America ; but then to 

 render the cultivation successful, the people must carry 

 it on themselves. Here however, in the matter of 

 cheap labour, India possessed a decided advantage. 

 The interest of the money invested in the purchase of 

 a labourer in America, added to the actual cost of his 

 maintenance, would pay for nine able-bodied men in 

 India. It was true that the American labourer, as one 

 of many, not only provided for the comfort of his 

 master, and supported himself, but he actually enriched 

 his master ; whilst the nine Indian labourers would 

 not produce enough, in their capacity of servants to 

 the European, to pay their own wages, to say nothing 

 of paying the land-rent and affording a profit to their 

 employer. But still, if the people of India could only 

 be induced to undertake themselves the improved cul- 

 tivation of the American Cotton, the advantages they 

 possessed in numerical strength, and in the trifling 

 cost at which they could be supported, more than 

 counterbalanced the advantages possessed by America 

 in the shape of greater quantity of Cotton produced 

 per acre and a finer quality of Cotton wool. 



160 Reduction of the Indian land-tax on Cotton grounds 

 would neither benefit the Eyot nor extend the cul- 

 ture. — As regarded the land-tax in India, or Grovern- 

 ment assessment upon the lands, Mr. Finnie said that 



