AMERICAN COMPETITION WITH ENGLAND.
A warms to whose compilations the Times gives space and a con- spicuous position, has taken more than one opportunity of enlarging upon a competition with which our merchants are threatened in India and Asia, on the part of American traders. The ships of the United States appear on the Mekran coast, as well as at Kutch, Muscat, and other places, with various articles which they barter for the produce of those countries; the American commodities being principally a certain coarse cotton fabric which they call sheeting, and dollars. The Americans appear to enjoy a particular advantage over our traders—that of conducting their barter indi- vidually, in ships which are independent, floating, pushing shops, instead of working by routine through large establishments at Bombay ; and thus they not only save expense, but in each par- ticular transaction secure the largest amount of profit. Another advantage they have is expressed by the Political Agent at Kutch, who says of the sheeting, that it "finds acceptance amongst the people of the country, because it lasts longer than the cloths imported from Bombay. This indicates the true force of the competition which we have to dread from the United States. If America can cut us out in India, where we occupy the entire country with our government and commerce, the ridicule and the disgrace would be greater than any which the most anti-commer- cial country has incurred. But there is something in this superiority of tissue over the manufactures of England. The comparison is not made for that first time, nor only in cotton sheeting. It is reported from the Hudson River Railway, that British iron rails become in a worse condition within twelve months than American rails within a number of years. There may be exaggeration in this ; but we have had complaints of our rails from our own official and scientific investigators, who have declared the bad make of our iron to be a frequent source of accident. At the last meeting of the Sheffield Cutlers, the Master Cutler declared that American cutlers were cutting them out in knives ; knives of American make being pre- ferred to ours, because the material does not give way under use as those of Sheffield are sometimes found to do. In short, notwith- standing the sharp practice and hasty habits of America, they are in some branches of trade earning the repute for sterling stuff and make which used to be our own ; and if we suffer them to win that reputation from us altogether, then indeed we shall have lost more than if India were annexed tomorrow.
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