102 COTTON m THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [2]STD SEASON. 



which was much liked by the people, and they ex^ 

 pressed a willingness to plant it again the next year. 

 Mr. Finnie's Accordingly Mr. Finnie distributed seed, 

 ManSi 1 !^ an( ^ a S ree( i ^° take the produce in seed 

 Pari. Return Cotton before separation, at two rupees 

 (1857), p. 364. per po ahee of 280 lbs. above the market 

 value of the Native article. This purchase is said to 

 have been insisted upon, because the Eyots had found 

 that they could not separate the staple from the seed 

 by their own rude churka ; thus rendering it necessary 

 that all American Cotton should be separated by the 

 American gin. The result properly belongs to the 

 proceedings of the next season ; but it will perhaps be 

 sufficient to say that this crop also proved an utter 

 failure. 



162 Mr. Finnie is disappointed as an Agent : proposal to 

 employ Government Funds. — The Agency operations 

 of Mr. Finnie during the second season were just as 

 Mr. Pinnie's disappointing as his planting operations. 



Dec er i846 h He found that tfte Merchants of Madras 

 Pari'. Return and Ceylon had already established their 

 (1857), p. 346. owu Agents in Tinnevelly, and that con- 

 sequently he must look to other Cotton trading ports 

 for that co-operation from the merchant, which was 

 indispensable to his success. Moreover, in consequence 

 of the delay of nearly a year in granting him permission 

 to act as Agent, the gathering season for 1846-47 was 

 so near at hand, that he feared he should not be able 

 to establish a business connexion in time to accomplish 

 much by that year's Agency. Accordingly he pro- 

 posed that beside erecting the gin-house, and setting 

 up the machinery, Government should place a sum of 

 money at his disposal. With this money he would 

 purchase Cotton, and ship it to a mercantile firm in 

 England, in order that it might be sold, and the amount 

 of sales be rendered to him direct. By these means he 

 would be in possession of every item of the expense, 

 and would thus be enabled to draw up an annual 

 statement of profit and loss, for the information of 

 Government and of all parties interested in the ques- 

 tion. If the Grovernment could not comply with this 



