134 COTTON IK THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [4TH SEASON. 



been on a very limited scale. Dr. "Wight continually 

 urged the importance of completing the order of the 

 Court of Directors for 6000 bales of East India Cotton, 

 but still little or nothing was done by Mr. Finnic He 

 had, as we have seen, three gins occasionally at work 

 Mr. Fmnie's in a small house which he had hired at 

 No*v%848 Aroopoocottah; but during the second 

 ParLRetu'rn season he only ginned nine candies of Cot- 

 (1857), p. 198. ton ^ an( j during t ne third season only thirty- 

 six candies ; thus making forty-five candies in all, — 

 each candy being equivalent to about a bale. But 

 early in 1849, the new gin-house, which had been com- 

 menced at Sevacausey for the reception of the driving 

 machinery purchased at Jaffna, was fast approaching 

 Mr. Elton's completion. The delay had arisen from 

 April' 18*49 ^ e difficulty of procuring timber, which 

 Pari. 'Return had become scarce and dear in Tinnevelly, 

 (1857), p. 300. an( j w hi c h moreover had to be carried a 



considerable distance from the hills. In February, 

 1849, Mr. Finnie began to take the necessary steps for 

 procuring two large 60 saw gins from Dr. Wight, 

 and the driving machinery from Tuticorin, where it 

 had been lodged ever since it had been purchased. The 

 idea was to keep the three hand gins working in the 

 hired house at Aroopoocottah ; and to set up five new 

 gins in the new Gin-house at Sevacausey ; viz., two 60 

 saw gins to be moved by cattle, and three 20 or 25 saw 

 gins to be worked by hand, in order to settle the ques- 

 tion of hand labour versus cattle labour. Accordingly 

 Mr. Finnie applied for three more small gins to be 

 worked by manual labour at one end of the new gin- 

 house at Sevacausey ; and for two 60 saw gins to be 

 worked by cattle attached to the driving machinery at 

 the other end. The result was that the two 60 saw 

 Mr. Einnie's gins were obtained and set up ; that the 

 Eeb er i8^9 d driving machinery was also set up ; and 

 Pari! Return that twenty bullocks and drivers were ob- 

 (1857), p. 372. tained from the Commissariat department. 

 The three hand gins, however, never appear to have 

 been forwarded to Sevacausey. 



