THE COTTON TRADE. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. EARLY CULTURE AND MANUFACTURE OF COTTON-SLAVERY. THE warm interest manifested by Europeans in American affairs since the secession of the Southern States from the Federal Union, and the justness with which their various aspects have been appreciated by a large portion of the people of England, induces the publication of a work on a branch of the subject in which Great Britain and the Confederate States have alike the utmost concern, but which has not been so thoroughly discussed in some respects as its importance would seem to warrantnamely, the COTTON TRADE. In presenting the following views, occasion will be taken to consider the question in connection with the system of negro slavery as it is established in the South. The two topics are intimately associated. Cotton production in the American States and cotton manufacturing in the United Kingdom are based upon the peculiar institution;' and the great developement of both industries took place, aided by inventions on either side of the Atlantic, just at the period of the suppression of the African slave trade. It will be observed by these reasonings that the writer, while a 'pro-slavery' man, is, like all Confederate Americans, opposed to the traffic of the middle passage;' the grounds of the objection thereto being mainly economic - believing that the injudicious philanthropy of the Abolitionists has been a heresy throughout, and of positive injury to the African race wherever their efforts have B been felt. The judgment of the civilised world seems now, however, to be receding from the follies, in this respect, of the last generation. While desiring to give credit to the British Government for the liberality displayed in voting twenty millions of pounds sterling to purchase the freedom of the slaves in their West Indian possessions, it is impossible to be blind to the fact that such has proved a mistaken policy in every point of view, nor to forget at the same time that the parliamentary grant, although large, is exceedingly insignificant when compared to the amount which was earned by the English people, with simple interest thereon, up to the period of emancipation, 1834, from their commerce in carrying slaves during the continuance of the trade, 1561 to 1807-246 years-the sum reaching the enormous figures of five hundred millions of pounds sterling. In fact, the African trade was the foundation of the commercial wealth of England, that of India being secondary in date and advantage;* and the cotton manufacturing interest, the result of slave labour, has been of greater consequence than either, as is proved by the tables of population :— In 1086 † England and Wales had 1,000,000 inhabitants Sir John Hawkins, the first Englishman who engaged in the African slave trade, was shortly joined by Queen Elizabeth, in 1563. The business was very profitable, and conducted with great spirit—so much so that in the course of time it fell into the hands of wealthy corporations. The gains were so enormous that they formed the foundation of the present credit system, and materially assisted the trade with India, which was started forty years afterwards. The early operations of the East India Company did not much augment the wealth of England; in fact, for many years it was a large exporter of bullion, and the riches of India did not find their way to these islands to any great extent until after the success of Clive in 1756. Money is now truly denominated the soil of England,' and interest her 'crops.' That she is indebted to the African slave trade for this boon history abundantly proves; and through the means of her immense commerce, generated chiefly and controlled by her cotton manufactures, her floating capital is made productive. †The population for 1086 is that of Doomsday-book. The figures for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries will be found in 'Porter's Progress.' What more conclusive evidence of the importance of the Southern cotton crops to England can be given than this? The great augmentation in the population, it will be seen, occurred subsequent to the extension of the cotton industry of the kingdom. The population of Scotland within the same period, about sixty years, and for the same reason, nearly doubled.* Of the four principal materials for human clothing-cotton, silk, wool, and flax-not one is indigenous to Europe; two only, cotton and flax, are native to Africa and America, while all of them belong to Asia. The Hindoos, for a vast unknown period, certainly six or seven centuries before the advent of Christ, had attained great perfection in the art of spinning, weaving, and printing cotton; some of their fabrics were so exquisitely light and beautiful that they have been compared to the gossamer web: they were very costly, and so highly esteemed as to be considered fit to be worn only by princes, while their coarser 'cotton goods' were used generally by the mass of the people. The Egyptians, too, at a very early date, engaged in this species of industry. They did not, however, acquire an eminent degree of excellence in the manufacture; the muslins worn by their luxurious classes were received from India. But the Chinese, in consequence of the abundance of silk, grasses, &c., did not cultivate cotton extensively, or apply it to use until about the year 1280, although it had then been one of their ornamental * The progress of population in England and Wales for sixty years has been surprisingly regular. In 1801 the whole number of inhabitants was 9,156,171; in 1811, 10,454,529; in 1821, 12,172,664; in 1831, 14,051,986; in 1841, 16,035,198; in 1851, 18,054,170; in 1861, 20,223,746. The rates of increase per cent. during these several decades, beginning with the end of 1801, were 14, 16, 15, 14, 15, 12. The falling off in the last ten years was in consequence of emigration; during that time 2,287,205 persons embarked from the kingdom; of this number, however, one half (1,174,179) were Irish. The population of Scotland on March 10, 1801, was 1,608,420, and on April 8, 1861, 3,062,294, being an increase of 90.32 per cent. |