106 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [2ND SEASON. 



forwarded to Government with the recommendation of 

 Dr. Wight ; and on the 2nd January, 1847, the pur- 

 Mr. Einnie's cnase naa received the necessary sanction, 

 letter, 13th On the 13th January, Mr. Finnie acknow- 

 Pari'. Return ledged the receipt of the authority to pur- 

 (1857), p. 350. chase, but stated that he had changed his 

 mind as to the expediency of employing cattle labour, 

 and was considering whether by lessening the friction 

 of the gins, they could not be driven best by manual 

 labour. He therefore requested that the purchase 

 Dr. Wight's #' might he postponed. Dr. Wight seems to 

 letter, isth ' have been somewhat irritated by this sudden 

 Pari! Return change in the mind of Mr. Finnie. He 

 (1857), p. 348. stated that the purchase of the machinery 

 had been fairly completed ; and that without such 

 machinery it would be impossible to complete the 

 Court's order for six thousand bales. He therefore 

 urged that a house should be procured, and that the 

 cattle- driving machinery should be fitted up at once : 

 that two large gins, of sixty saw wheels each, should 

 be worked by the cattle machinery at one end of the 

 See ara 171 room ' whilst three or four smaller 



eepara. . gj ns? Q f twenty and twenty-five saws each, 

 should be worked by coolies at the other end of the 

 Minutes of room - The result w r as that the Madras 

 Consul ta- Government ordered the purchase money 

 April, 2 i847. f° r ^ ne driving machinery to be paid. At 

 Pari. Return the same time, Mr. Finnie was called upon 

 (185 ),p.354. ^ Q S £ a £ e wna fc h e now intended to do with 



the machinery, and what arrangements he had made 

 for driving his gins by manual labour. His attention 

 was also drawn to a recent despatch from the Court of 

 Directors, stating that the Manchester Association 

 objected to the use of hand gins. 

 169 Mr. Finnie' s explanation of his apparent inconsist- 

 encies. — Mr. Finnie's explanation of the causes which 

 Mr. Finnie's n * m *° a dvise tne purchase may be 



letter, 29th given in a few words. The Ceylon ma- 

 ParL Return ehinery had been recommended to him by 

 (1857), p. 355. both Dv. Wight and Mr. Petrie as early as 

 February, 1846 ; but being anxious to conduct his 



