1847-48.] ME. FINNIE's FOUR YEARS IN TINNEVELLY. 123 



planters. But this best quality was never seen by the 

 European ; but was all consumed by the Native mer- 

 chants in their domestic traffic. The Cotton taken 

 by the independent Native states, was far superior 

 to any that the European merchants could get at the 

 price at which they expected to obtain it ; whilst the 

 refuse of that which was used for domestic manu- 

 factures, was all reserved to be mixed with the article 

 which the European merchant took for export. All 

 that was necessary was, to assist the people with 

 the simple means which they themselves desired. 

 Accordingly Mr. Einnie proposed to give them small 

 hand threshers, both to separate the dirt and trash 

 from the seed Cotton, and to loosen the staple on 

 the seed so as to aid the churka. Also, to remedy 

 their defective mode of packing, by erecting small 

 plain cheap presses in the villages ; so that the peo- 

 ple, instead of packing their Cotton in large loose 

 bundles with their feet, might press their Cotton 

 properly in neat small bales, say of 100 lbs. or 120 

 lbs., of which two would form a bullock-load. 



Small hand Threshers and Presses sanctioned. — The 191 

 proposal that Government should set up a Mr Tho . 

 few small hand threshers, and some cheap mas's letter, 

 simple presses, in different localities, was i848. Jl pari. 

 strongly supported by Mr. E. B. Thomas, ^£ } rn 284 

 the Collector of Tinnevelly. Accordingly Minutes of ' 

 it ultimately received the sanction of the j^lnn 

 Madras Government ; the number of the July, 1848. 

 different machines, as well as their local Ibld -P- 298 - 

 positions, being left to the discretion of Mr. Thomas in 

 communication with Mr. Einnie. 



Mr. Thomas believed that Cotton was not adulter- 192 

 ated by design, and that good Cotton was often sent 

 home. — Mr. Thomas did not concur in Mr. Einnie's 

 opinion, that the inferior quality of the Cot- Mr Tho _ 

 ton, and its dirty and adulterated state, were mas's letter, 

 the result of deliberate design and system. ig4 8 Ju pa r i. 

 Neither did he believe that all the best Return 

 Cotton was used in the country, nor that ( 18o ?)>p- 284 - 

 the worst only was exported, nor that the European 



