1849.] 



DE. WIGHT RETAINED. 



165 



merit as regarded Dr. "Wight, seem to have 

 been altogether opposed to the wishes of fromttie 

 the Court of Directors. Immediately after Coi } rt of J*- 

 the receipt of the proceedings, the Court Sept./isisi. 

 sent out a despatch, in which they ordered ^g^^S 

 a reversal of the resolutions which had 

 been passed by the Governor in Council. They were 

 of opinion that, under the circumstances mentioned by 

 Dr. Wight, it would have been desirable to avoid the 

 abrupt termination of his arrangements. They had 

 previously concurred in the opinion that the Govern- 

 ment Cotton Farm in Coimbatore might be relinquished, 

 because they had considered that the object for which 

 that Farm had been established had been fully attained, 

 " by demonstrating that the soil and climate of the 

 Coimbatore district were capable of producing Cotton 

 of a description in every respect suited to the wants of 

 the British manufacturer." But at the same time, 

 they had directed that the Madras Government should 

 continue the distribution of American seed ; and they 

 had authorized the cultivation of fields in particular 

 localities, with the view of ascertaining whether the 

 soil and climate of those localities were suited to the 

 production of the American, or any other description 

 of Cotton. Whilst therefore they had believed that 

 the time had arrived for discontinuing the extensive 

 farming operations at Coimbatore, they had not intend- 

 ed to prohibit the cultivation on a small scale on ac- 

 count of Government. Again, they had expressly 

 ordered that Dr. Wight's purchases of American Cot- 

 ton from the Ryots at remunerating prices should not 

 be discontinued ; and it was neither their wish, nor 

 their intention, that Dr. Wight should be removed 

 from the office of Superintendent of Cotton Experi- 

 ments under the Madras Presidency. Accordingly, 

 the Directors expressed their regret that the Madras 

 Government should have adopted a course, which could 

 searcely fail to produce an impression, both in India and 

 in England, that they had become less earnest in pro- 

 moting the object, equally important to both countries, 



