124 



Selections. 



[NO. 3, NEW SERIES, 



shades, with African indigo ; for which dye I am told each village 

 has its dye-pit ; all indicating the extent of Cotton cultivation in 

 Africa. But we must enable them to present the raw material in 

 a merchantable condition, by the preparatory process of ginning 

 and baleing, that they may be able to give us value in return for 

 Manchester and Glasgow manufactures. Among the communica- 

 tions to the Times* is one on the Culture of Cotton, signed " An 

 African traveller," which states — " That in the reign of Queen 

 Elizabeth, Europe derived all her supplies of Cotton from the 

 " west coast of Africa. Unfortunately, the slave trade offered 

 " greater commercial advantages, and the produce of that continent 

 "'became neglected. Should it be so, when in one generation, by 

 " the evidence of the American Cotton trade itself, England could 

 " raise in Africa a source of supply, the quality of which should far 

 " surpass even the boasted fineness of the South Sea Island Cot- 

 " ton ? From my knowledge of the continent of Africa, I can prove 

 " that her spices, her indigo, her cotton, her coffee, her saltpetre, 

 " her copper, her ivory, her quicksilver, and her gold could be put 

 " into European markets at one-third the price of the similar pro- 

 " ducts either of India or America. The ancient Phoenicians were 

 " not the carriers, as has been long supposed, but the actual pro- 

 " ducers of the riches and luxuries with which they supplied the 

 " inhabitants of Europe ; and it is their empire which the French 

 " are attempting to establish again in Africa." 



i SAMPLES PRODUCED. 



Among the samples exhibited to the meeting of the Society were 

 the following — From Honduras, the clustered or kidney seed, show- 

 ing its form and staple, which was sold at 6d. and valued on trial 

 in 1841 at §\d. ; also its native Cotton, resembling Sea-Island, 

 w 7 hich when saw-ginned, was valued at 6fd. : the seed of it is 

 almost entirely free from down, and therefore capable of passing 

 easily the roller gin, and bringing a much higher price. 



A specimen of the Anguilla, grown in British Honduras, is one 

 of the very finest Cottons known. Its seed is entirely free from 



* Times, 10th November, 1815. 



