4. Consumption.—Our remarks under this head will be confined to Europe and the United States of America. An immense quantity of C. is consumed annually in India, China, and Africa, but there are no means of ascertaining even an approximation of the amounts so used. There are 11 spinning and weaving mills in 13ombay, containing 404,000 spindles, and4,291 looms; and there are 8 mills in other towns of the prest dency. "These," says an official report (1873), "are quite independent of the old native manufactories, and were started entirely in consequence of the inferiority of the piece-goods imported from Manchester." This inferiority was occasioned by the exces sive and deleterious method of sizing adopted during the C. famine, in order to meet the demand for low-priced goods, and is a matter which has lately occupied the serious attention of the Manchester chamber of commerce. Besides the mills in the Bombay presidency, factories have also been erected in the Bengal and Madras presidencies; and in the North-west and Central provinces; a considerable native manufacture is also car ried on in Burmah.
Great Britain.—The origin of the C. trade of the continent dates as far back as the 10th c., at about which period the staple was introduced into Spain by the Mohamme dans. Since that time, the manufacture has continued to expand, more or less, until it has arrived at its present gigantic proportiOns. Though we have early mention of C. goods in the annals of almost every country of Europe, still the progress of the trade was very slow until within the past one hundred years. Indeed, before the middle of the 18th c., C. goods, properly so called, were never produced—the fabrics manufac tured being a mixture of either C. and linen, or C. and wool, C. yarn being used for weft only. It is from the dates of the patents of Wyatt (spinning by rollers, 1738), Arkwright (water-frame, 1769), Hargreaves (jenny, 1770), Crompton (mule, 1779), and Cartwright (loom, 1785), that the rise of our modern manufacture must be dated. The stimulus given to the trade of our own country by these inventions was instantaneous, and when adopted on the continent, a few years after their utility had been sufficiently proved, similar effects followed there. The following figures will give the reader an idea of the rapid extension of the consumption of C. in Great Britain: The bales vary considerably in weight. In 1875, the averages were as follow: Amer ican, 439 lbs.; Brazilian, 160 Ills.; Egyptian, 602 lbs.: Smyrna, 370 lbs.: West Indian, etc., 205 lbs.; Surat, 390 lbs.: Madras, 300 lbs.; and Bengal, 300 lbs. During the C. famine, a considerable quantity.of C. was received from China inhales averaging 266 lbs. The comparative statement in the following table shoWs the relative importance of the various sources of supply-actual and proportional-in 1802, and on the average iu 1828-30, 1858-60, and 1874-75. The quantities are given in millions of pounds-32.1
equal 32,100,000 lbs.
The factory returns for 1875, state that there were in Great Britain, in that year, 41,300,000 spindles (including 3,800,000 doubling spindles), and 403,000 looms, and that 479,500 persons were employed in the manufacture. The various buildings and machines are said to have cost £66,000,000, and it has been calculated that a floating capital of £30,000,000 is employed in carrying on the trade. If we take into considera tion the persons employed in the building of the mills and making of the machines, and in the buying and selling of the raw and manufactured material, it will be found that something like 4,500,000 individuals are dependent upon the prosperity of the cotton trade for their livelihood. The total quantity of yarn exported in 1875, was 215,000,000 lbs., £13,200,000; and the total quantity of calicoes, cambrics, fustians, etc., was 3,480,000,000 yards, worth £52,700,000. Besides these, there were £5,000,000 worth of lace. small-wares, etc. ; which raises the total value to £70,900,000.
.M.ance and .Alsare.-The first import of C. into France took place in 1668-v1z.: 450,000 lbs. via Marseilles from the Levant. In 1750, the receipts reached 6,978,588 lbs.; but during the wars of the revolution and the first empire, little progress was made. In 1815, the import was 36,200,000 lbs.; in 1825, it rose to 55,150,000 lbs.; in 1836, to 118,000,000 lbs.; in 1846, to 159.000,000 lbs.; in 1856, to 211,000,000 lbs.; in 1860, to 270,000,000 lbs. In 1862, the arrivals fell to 127 millions, owing to the stop page of supplies from America. In 1809, the consumption was estimated at 242 millions; hut the war cut down the figures to 165 millions in 1870, and 185 millions in 1871. In 1874, there was a rise to 208 millions. These latter figures are exclusive of Alsace and Lorraine, which use about 65 million lbs.; making 278 millions for France, as she stood before the war, against 242 millions in 1809. The number of cotton spindles in France, is about 5,200,000. In Alsace, there are about 1,70(1,000.
Belgium.-The average import of C. into 13elgium in 1836-40, was about 39.500 bales; in 1846-50, 56,600 hales; iu 1856-60, 61,000 bales; in 1870, 91,000 bales; and in 1874, 127,000 bales. In the last-named year, 91,000 bales were consumed:. part of the remain der was forwarded to Germany, Switzerland, or Alsace, and part was added to stock. The number of spindles in Belgium is variously estimated at from 650,000 to 800,000.