160 COTTON IN THE MADEAS PEESIDENCT. [CHAP. Y. 



niercial Association has recently stated, that it has 

 been satisfactorily proved that New Orleans Cotton 

 can be produced cheaply and profitably ; and that if 

 the same amount of encouragement had been afforded 

 in Coimbatore, as had been given in Dharwar, far 

 greater quantities would have been produced. To both 

 assertions I most unhesitatingly demur. Small batches 

 of excellent Cotton wool have been occasionally sent to 

 England from Coimbatore, but they formed the excep- 

 tion and not the rule ; and as regards the alleged 

 absence of insufficient encouragement, I am sure that 

 no one who has taken the trouble that I have done, to 

 obtain a perfect insight into the whole matter, will for 

 an instant admit the correctness or applicability of the 

 accusation. My own decided sentiments are that the 

 Manchester Merchants must blame themselves, if there 

 should be any inadequacy in the future supply ; unless 

 they come forward, as they have been repeatedly urged 

 to do, and apply their own agents and capital to the 

 task, in which Government has set them the example, 

 and pointed out, according to their own showing, so 

 easy a course. 



235 State of Dr. Wight's Farm at Coimbatore, May, 

 1849 : 500 acres held by lease and 200 acres worked 

 by contract. — "Whilst Sir Henry Pottinger's Minute 

 Memoran- was still under the consideration of the 

 dum by Sir other Members of Government, and whilst 

 Moiitgo- Dr. Wight and Mr. Finnie were as yet 

 Ma^'is^ ignorant of the fate in store for them, Dr. 

 Pari.' Return Wight happened to visit Madras, and to 

 (1857), p. 2ii. call at the office of sir u enr y Montgomery, 



the Chief Secretary. Accordingly, Sir Henry Mont- , 

 gomery took the opportunity of asking Dr. Wight to 

 explain the exact state of his department at that mo- 

 ment. Dr. Wight represented that he had about 500 



acres of land, all ploughed and ready for seed. Part of j 



this land consisted of waste ; and part was rented from ; 



Ryots, who themselves held the land on puttah or lease j 



from the Government, under the ordinary system of ( 



Eyotwary tenure. As regards these last lands, Dr. » 



