264 C O T 
g;rees into manufacture in Britain. The other fpecies of 
thicker cotton-duffs, were likewife attempted ; and, be¬ 
fore the year 1760, the manufacture of cottons had begun 
to be no inconsiderable branch of the artifan indudry of 
the people of this ifland. The more we were accudom- 
ed to the ufe of cottons in our drefs, fo much tire more 
did we learn to prefer them. They were found to be 
cheaper, wanner, cleanlier than filks, lighter and warm¬ 
er than linens, lighter, more cleanly, and more elegant, 
than woollens. The manufacture found its way to the 
continent. In Germany, Flanders, France, and Swiffer- 
land, the price of labour was to much cheaper than in 
England, that we might at one time have feerned in dan¬ 
ger of being (hut out from competition in the market, 
not more by the (kill, induftry, and (imple living, of the 
Hindoos, than by the fame advantages exiding againd us 
in favour of the Germans, Flemings, French, and Swifs. 
About forty years fince, the Society of Arts, to whofe 
exertions Britain is fo much indebted, fenfible of the 
importance of the abbreviation of human labour by ma¬ 
chinery, propofed praemia for any applications of mill- 
machinery w'hich would enable a (ingle perfon, in fpin- 
ning, weaving, &c. to perform the work of feveral. 
Various attempts were, of courfe, made to achieve this 
invention, and to employ it in the manufacture of cot¬ 
tons. They were for a while but imperfectly fuccefsful; 
until the fpinning jenny was invented by Mr. James Har¬ 
grave, of Blackburn in Lancafliire. This at fird excited 
the jealoufy of the workmen, w'ho imagined that many 
of their number would be left without wages and em¬ 
ployment, when the ufe of fuch machines fhould enable 
a fingle perfon to perform what was the talk of more. 
At length (ir Richard Arkwright, of Cromford in Der- 
by fit ire, after feveral failures in the trial, and forne lofs, 
fucceeded in eltablifhing a manufacture of cotton-yarn, 
in which the didribution of power by cranks, from the 
movements of mill-machinery, performed for many fpin- 
dles at once almod the whole labour of (pinning the 
yarn. From this era, the manufacture of cotton goods 
was dedined to increafe into one of the mod lucrative 
and extenfive branches of Britifh indudry. The raw cot¬ 
ton was to be putxhafed at a very low price. It was, in 
confequence of this new invention, fpun into yarn, at an 
expence even cheaper than that for which yarn was pre¬ 
pared in India. Weaving edablilhments for cotton-duffs 
were, hence, extended with the greated rapidity. Lawns, 
cambrics, linens, (ilks, various fabrics of woollen, mix¬ 
tures of linen and woollen in the fame fabric, gave place 
to fabrics of cotton. The more thefe cotton duffs were 
ufed, fo much the more did they come into general fa¬ 
vour. Every aft in the manufacture of cotton came to 
be, in one way or another, abbreviated. The fpinning- 
jenny, or frmtll engine, moveable by the hand, was 
brought into ufe in rhofe places where dreams were 
wanted to drive mill-machinery ; and hence in every dtu- 
ation great difpatch is made. The weaving has alfo 
come to be abbreviated as well as the fpinning. And the 
late improvements in bleaching, in calico-printing, and 
in the dying of cotton, have confummated thofe advan¬ 
tages which Britain has created to itfelf for the carrying 
on of this mod lucrative manufacture. Look at our mod 
elegant females, either in a morning or in a full drefs; 
more than half what die wears is almod always of cotton. 
Drawers, dockings, breeches, pantaloons, neckcloths, 
veffs, and often even (hirts, are alfo of cotton in the 
drefs of the men. Its ufe is not confined to perfons in 
any one rank in life. From the highed to the lowed, 
from the riched to the poored, cotton, in one fort of 
fabric or another, is univerfally worn, in a proportion 
fcarcely inferior to that in which we wear woollens. 
Mullins, calicoes, chintzes, hofiery, nankeens, cordu¬ 
roys, velverets, See. are the fabrics into which the yarn 
is wrought up ; and they are accommodated to almod 
every purpofe of drefs and furniture, for which this 
country furnidies a demand. The domedic market is by 
much the greated for the produce of our cotton manu- 
T O N. 
failures. But, to almod all our prefent colonial eda- 
blidunents, to the Anglo-American States, to Archangel 
and the Baltic, to the Elbe, the Scheldt, and the diffe¬ 
rent ports of Holland, to France, and even the more 
fouthern parts of Europe, the cottons of Britifh manu¬ 
facture are dill largely exported. 
Attempts have been made, not yet, however, with 
formidable fuccefs, to rival us in this manufacture. 
Even in Ruffia it begins to be tried. In Sweden, Den¬ 
mark, and the Prudian dominions, the attempt has been 
carried fomewhat farther. In thofe parts of Germany, 
Belgium, and Swifferland, in which the manufactures of 
linens, lawns, cambrics, and gauzes, before prevailed, 
the tranfition to that of cotton duffs has been eafier. 
But the Englifh machinery has not been introduced in 
its full perfection into thofe countries. They want that 
capital which our Englifh manufacturers poifefs. They 
will not fpeedily rival us in the markets. Ere they 
(hall attain that pitch of improvement which we have 
already gained, it is to be hoped that we (hall, in new 
abbreviations and improvements, have advanced much 
farther. It is adonifliing to remark how widely the 
cotton manufacture is extended throughout Great Bri¬ 
tain. Wherever there is a dream to drive mill machi¬ 
nery, wherever labour and provifions are comparatively 
cheap, this manufacture is indudrioufiy carried on. The 
louth-wed counties of Scotland are not lefs enriched by 
it than Lancafliire, and other counties of England. It 
becomes, in preference even to linens, the principal 
manufacture at Perth, Dundee', and other places on the 
north-ekd coad. This manufacture contributes mod 
remarkably to (trengthen the commercial connection of 
the Ead and Wed Indies with Great Britain. Our raw 
cotton comes from Turkey, from India, from the Wed 
India Illes, and from the continent of America. Since 
it was wrought up in fuch vad quantities in this country, 
new' encouragement has been afforded to our Wed India 
planters. We do not yet however, equal the exquifite 
beauty and durability of the finer Indian fabrics. But 
we are not r.ow in this manufacture greatly behind the 
Hindoos. While we export to all the world, we dill 
continue to import cotton duffs from India. The cotton 
imported into Britain in the year 1800, was 41,946,2001b. 
The annual value of the cottons manufactured in this 
country cannot be lefs than five or fix millions derling. 
It gives employment to at lead 100,000 perfons. 
A new lpiecies of cottofi, naturally of a crimfon co¬ 
lour in the pod, is faid to have been lately difeovered in 
Africa. Should this plant be introduced and cultivated 
in our fettlements like the goffypium, it might afford an 
additional fource of revenue and manufacture. The 
fibres of cotton, examined by the microlcope, (hew each 
two (harp (ides: hence their irritating quality when ap¬ 
plied to wounds. 
For the natural hidory of cotton, we mud refer the 
reader to the following botanical articles, viz. 
COT'TON-GRASS, f. See Eriophorum. 
COT'TON-SILK, /. See Bombax. 
COT'TON-THISTLE, f. See Onopgrdum, 
COT'TON-TREE, y. See Gossyfium. 
CO T'TON-WEED, f. See Athanasia, Filago. 
COT'TON, or Coton, (Peter), a jefuit, born in 1564, 
at Neronde near the Loire, of which place his father was 
governor, diftinguiflied himfelf early in life by his zeal 
and fuccefs in the pulpit. He was called to the court of 
Henry IV. at the inftance of the famous Lefdiguieres, 
whom he had converted. The king, pleafed with his 
wit, as well as with his manners and his converfation, 
made him his ccnfelfor. M. Mercier cenfures the king 
for his too great confidence in this jefuit, by the following 
pointed remark : Our prince is good, but he has cotton in 
his ears. Henry was defirous of making him archbiftiop of 
Arles, and procuring him a cardinal’s hat ; but the je¬ 
fuit condantly refufed his offers. It is related in the 
Moreri of Holland, edit. 1740, that Henry IV. having 
one day a(ked him, Would you reveal the confeflion 
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