178 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [CHAP. Y. 



American Cotton. The Chayroot renters then de- 

 manded compensation. The matter was brought to the 

 notice of the Court of Directors by the Manchester 

 Commercial Association ; and the Directors instructed 

 the Madras Government to relieve Mr. Lees from any 

 demand in excess of the regular assessment ; and on 

 the renewal of the Chayroot farms to restrict the renters 

 to the uncultivated lands. The Madras Grovernment, 

 however, had already anticipated those orders, by can- 

 celling the existing Chayroot farm, and by restricting 

 the terms of future farms in such a way as to debar the 

 renters from all lands under cultivation. The matter 

 led to some further correspondence as to the propriety 

 of levying an assessment on the lands producing Cot- 

 ton, equal to what was levied on lands producing Chay- 

 root. As, however, it subsequently appeared that Mr. 

 Lees's experiment had proved a failure, the quantity 

 obtained being insufficient to pay the cost of culture, 

 no alteration was made in the assessment, and things 

 remained as they were. 

 260 Discussion respecting the purchase of American 

 Cotton on Government account from the Eyots of Tin- 

 nevelly. — In April, 1852, a correspondence arose respect- 

 ing the purchase of American Cotton from the Byots 

 in Tinnevelly. It seems that Mr. Bird, the Collector 

 Dr. Bird's of Tinnevelly, had applied to Dr. Wight 

 AprifiS 11 ^ or some ^7 or seventy bags of New Or- 

 Pari. Return leans Cotton seed, to be distributed amongst 

 (1857), p. 233. the Eyots f t k e district. At the same 



time Mr. Bird had represented that if the Grovernment 

 would permit him to purchase the produce of the seed 

 on their account at the rate of nine annas a toolam (2 J 

 maunds) on the spot, — being the rate which had been 

 previously paid by Mr. David Lees, — he was satisfied 

 that the Byots would accept the seed and cultivate it 

 freely; and he added that unless a certain market 

 were placed before the Ryots of Tinnevelly, they would 

 never undertake the cultivation of the New Orleans 

 plant. Dr. Wight forwarded Mr. Bird's letter to Go- 

 Dr. Wight's vernment, and recommended that the au- 

 AplS'iS thority requested should be granted. He 



