126 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [3RD SEASON. 



cleaning. Accordingly, whilst the subject of his pro- 

 posed visit to England was still under the consideration 

 of the Court of Directors, he suddenly announced that 

 he had brought the whole question to a successful 

 Mr. Finnie's issue. In May, 1848, he forwarded to the 

 May r i848 h Madras Government a sample of Tinne- 

 Pari' Return velly Cotton, which had been separated 

 (1857), p. 2S3. f rom fljg gee( i by the churka alone, but of 



which the particles of trash had been subsequently 

 picked out of the wool by hand. This sample he de- 

 clared to be a very superior article ; it had been taken 

 from a roomful, and was a fair sample of what the 

 churka could turn out, under the new regime which he 

 had induced the Cotton cleaners to adopt. If a 

 quantity could only be shipped to England via Ame- 

 rica, he was satisfied it would be regarded as a good 

 fair quality of American Cotton. The Natives them- 

 selves were scarcely aware that they could make the 

 Cotton so clean, until he had thus induced them to 

 try ; and he believed that a few thousand bales of such 

 an article, arriving in England from India, would be 

 the most important event which the commercial world 

 had known for many years. Already he had nearly 

 the whole of a village at work in producing such very 

 superior Cotton ; and provided that he were sufficiently 

 encouraged, and that purchasers could be found willing 

 to give a reasonable price, he pledged himself to have 

 the whole crop of the district of Tinnevelly ultimately 

 cleaned in this satisfactory manner. A safer invest- 

 ment, he said, could not be made ; and he accordingly 

 suggested that the Government should allow him to 

 encourage the production of such an article to the 

 fullest extent.* 



* The following extracts from the letter condensed in the text will 

 furnish some idea of Mr. Finnie's style and language. 44 1 have the 

 honour, the pleasure, and the satisfaction to forward for the inspec- 

 tion of the Right Honourable the Governor, a specimen of Cotton 

 which was cleaned by the churka alone, of course, the particles of 

 trash being separated by the hand ; and I now have nearly a whole 

 village at work producing such Cotton as this ; and if I am en- 

 couraged to go on, I will pledge myself ultimately to have the whole 



