i i 
correspondent in other points, on which, had he taken a little more 
P al * n s, he would not have erred. In speaking of the climate he says. 
“ This is the only point on which any doubts are likely to be raised 
&e. ” and goes on to say that “ Singapore the only "settlement in 
which it seems to have been attempted, can scarcely be said to have 
a decided dry season and the failure of the experiments made by 
the late Sir JOSE D AlmejDA about io years ago were attributed 
to this cause. \ our correspondent might have said that Singapore 
has decidedly no dry season, and not the climate, but the want of 
a dry season, was the cause of the Cotton not ripening in sufficient 
quantity at the same period to render it profitable to the cultivator. 
He says “the seeds introduced were those of the Bourbon cotton 
with a long and fine staple and the Pernambuco variety, with a long 
but harsh and woolly staple both of which were perennials. ’’ 
I shall now proceed to give you an account of the experiments 
made by myself , at the time that the late Sir JOSE D ! ALMEIDA 
made his experiments. We were brother labourers in the same 
cause, and cultivated a similar soil, and' our operations generally 
were carried out in the same manner, with only perhaps a different 
opinion as to the kind of cotton most likely to succeed. 
I commenced clearing ground at Tanjong Katong in Februarv 
1836 fifteen years ago. Sir JOSE first sowed the Pernambuco seed 
about March he having at the time several plants of that kind in 
Ins garden at Kampong Glam. It was I believe originally intro- 
duced from Rhio, and as a garden plant it throve well and produced 
excellent cotton. The first seed 1 obtaiued, was from Sir Jose, I 
put.it in the ground on the 26th April, and it came up vigorously, 
but we soon found that the young plants were very much attacked 
by the large grass-hopper or locust, the head nipped off and con- 
sequently the plant destroyed. We then had little conical bamboo 
baskets made, to protect the young. plants, but for a time we were 
as much troubled, with quite as active an enemy. During the nio-ht 
our baskets were all capsized by the monkies, then abundant in the 
neighbourhood out of sheer mischief or curiosity, tor they seldom 
meddled with the plants further than exposing them. On the 14th 
j lay 1 had collected a small quantity of the seed found in Singapore 
supposed then to be indigenous to the Island. Of this species we 
found several plants in front of the late Baba Whampoa’s coco- 
nut plantation fronting the beach at Tanjong Katong and a few 
paints up the Gaylang river (undoubtedly planted there) near the 
hut of a Malacca man, but this proved to be the Bourbon cotton. 
It was known by the Malays as Kapas Murice. 
The Bourbon came up well and appeared to me more likely to 
succeed My neighbour the late Sir Jose was still in favour of the 
rernambuco, and he having abundance of seed from his aarden at 
Kampong Glam, planted out several acres of it, I preferring the 
Bourbon had by the end of August 5 to 6 acres planted out with 
Utat Kind. In the mean time I had written to my brother W. C. 
nf RA n v r iS th 1 en residin g in Calcutta, to send me a quantity 
ol all kinds ot seeds procurable from the Agricultural and Hoi i i- 
