COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE COTTON CROP. 
319 
COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE COTTON 
CROP. 
A great many leaders of yours will run over 
your news of the “ Last Year’s Cotton Crop,” 
without giving an examination, and will thus be 
influenced—may be, it will have considerable effect 
in our market. I presume that none but the bigoted 
will hesitate to admit, that the cotton crop has 
more influence on the welfare, or probably on the 
prosperity of America, than that of any other— 
always premising that we had our “ daily bread 
therefore, the correction of any unfavorable impres¬ 
sion would be of more or less advantage. But to 
the matter in hand. 
By the Report of the Board of Trade, it is proved 
that, in 1845, 1,069,320 cwt. of cotton were im¬ 
ported into Great Britain ; during the present year, 
1,019,738 cwt. The difference in weight is thus 
reduced to a trifle less than 50,000 cwt., or above 
15,000 bales. In other words, the falling off in 
weight this year, as compared with last year, is 
over 4 per cent., but the falling off in the number 
of bags above 26 per cent! The inference then 
drawn, is that there is no faith in the shortness of 
the crop, and that prices cannot improve. 
I have seen the remark made—“ deliver us from 
our friends,”—and well may the cotton region re¬ 
peat it, when alluding to our Northern friends. I 
am very willing to admit that we have often erred 
in our estimates, but I deny the inference, that we 
intended to deceive. The cotton crop is more diffi¬ 
cult to estimate until gathered, than any other 
grown, so much depends on the season and the 
lateness of frost. We have been so sanguine at 
times of a shortness of the crop, and desiring to 
have an honest advantage of the fact, that we have 
prematurely judged; the season proving more 
favorable has made our estimates fail. I may not 
know myself, nor may I know others, but I believe, 
nevertheless, that a more magnanimous and honest 
people than the cotton planters do not exist this side 
of heaven, and I would tell my own dear parents 
that they spoke hastily at least—if they would say 
that we made false statements for money. To say 
to you precisely my opinion of this estimating,—I 
-do not believe there is any man who can tell within 
100 lbs. per hand, what I will make, scarcely one 
year out of ten, on the 1st day of August, and that 
he will frequently fail one bale, and just as apt as 
not full 100 lbs. per acre, of seed cotton. In allud¬ 
ing above to our Northern friends, I mean to say 
that they generally give publicity to the largest esti¬ 
mates," and some insist that they know best. 
The estimates above are truly, I suppose, from 
foreign data, but the data are so glaringly absurd 
ihat any one ought to detect the error. 
Agreeably to information received from a cotton 
merchant in New Orleans, J. A. Ruff, I am able to 
show that the falling off in receipts in the United 
States, up to August 1, was 361,745 bales ; I would 
like to see how this deficit is made up in Great 
Britain The quantity you state as being imported 
into Great Britain in 1845,1,069,320 cwt., if multi¬ 
plied by 112 lbs. in a cw r t., will give 119,763,840 
lbs. only, and the receipts in 1846, 1,019,738 cwt., 
or 114,210,656 lbs. 
If the first number be divided by 350, which is 
considered as an average weight of bales, we would 
find the receipts in Great Britain as 342,182 bales— 
about enough for 12 or 13 weeks’ consumption. 
George Holt & Co., cotton brokers in Liverpool, 
under date Dec. 31, 1845, give as import of 1845, 
1,855,700 bales. See Commissioner of Patents’ 
report, pages 795 and 797. 
The amount received in 1844 and 
l ’45. 
In New Orleans, - 
945,203 
In Mobile, . 
515,052 
In Savannah, 
298,936 
In Charleston, 
416,431 
In Florida, - 
184,288 
In Virginia, 
21,200 
12,080 
In North Carolina, 
Total, 
2,393,190 
Crop in 1845-’46 
2,026,848 
Decrease to July 28, 
366,342 bales. 
Amount received in 1845 and ’46, 
up to July 28 
In New Orleans, 
1,033,737 
In Mobile, 
420,162 
In Savannah, 
176,370 
In Charleston, - 
240456 
In Florida, 
131^67 
In Virginia, 
12,125 
In North Carolina, 
9,131 
2,023,848 
Later dates up to August 1, give me— 
The export to Great Britain 
last year, at 
1,428,935 bales. 
1,053,353 
To date this year, 
Decrease, 
375,582 bales. 
Export to France last year was 
345,330 
To date this year, 
339,271 
Decrease, 
6,059 
To other ports last year, 
280,489 
To date this year, 
181,094 
Decrease, 
99,395 
Total exports to foreign ports 
last year, 
2,054,754 
To date this year, 
1,573,718 
Decrease, 
481,036 bale®. 
Add to this a decrease in Northern 
ports this year of 
17,450 
And we have a decrease of exports 
in toto, of - 
498,486 
Now, sir, you see at once that your data are too 
erroneous to be any criterion, and that we must 
rely on the receipts and exports according to the 
U. S. accounts—which will place the crop without 
much doubt on the 1st of September, that being 
the usual date at which the year closes, a,t 
full 500,000 bales short, which, added to the de¬ 
creasing stock on hand, will and must leave the 
stock at less than 700,000 bales, supposing the 
consumption to. continue in ’46, as in ’45, at over 
