The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-18 00:00:00

A GOOD DIGESTION.

We read in the Gazette des Tribienaux—" A very
singular scene took place at Puy on Sunday last; a
person named Rupin, on entering a cafe, said, Gen-
tlemen, I am a physiognomist, and can, from an exa-
mination of the face, describe the character and future
lot of each of you.' A tradesman, M. 8., requested
him to examine his face, which he did with great
apparent attention. ' I see,' said he, from the protru-
berakices on your forehead, that you have great aptitude
for works of imagination. You are naturally good, but
do not like to be offended. A person in whom you feel
int!r est is now writing to you, and yon will soon re-
ceive a considerable sum on which you did not calcu-
lat He next made an examination of other people's
faces, and talked in the same vague way. He after-
wards presented his cap, and collected the gratuities
of the company. ' Waiter!' he then cried. What
shall I serve you, sir?' Some flints.' A plate .full
of flints was brought in, and he swallowed five
with. a good deal et apparent appetite. I also like
five. franc pieces,' he observed, and if any one will
be kind enough to give me one, I will swallow ill' This
proposition was received with silence; and at last M.
B--- said, It is easy enough to swallow a piece of M.,
and I know a good many people who have devoured
all their fortunes. But you could not swallow a watch,
lam sure.' I will do so, sir, with great pleasure—
give me yours and you will see!' There it is.' The
in took the watch, which was in silver and of a
ge al size, and swallowed it with ease. After a mo-
morit of surprise and admiration, M. B— observed,
It, is very clever, certainly, but when will you give me
bank my watch?' Never!" Oh, that is too much, I did
net mean to make you a present of it!' But I thought
you did. Besides could you suppose that I would swallow
a watch for nothing? We played a game—you staked
your watch, I staked my life. lam not yet in safety—
tt,e watch may break in the process of digestion.' Bat,
S ir—" Possession is a good title in law, and I pos-
s ass. And, besides, how can I give up the watch? Am
Ito rip myself up?' Oh, no; but I will Wait
if: you will, but you shall not have your watch.' The
t radesman took the man before the commissary of police,
hut that functionary, after hearing all the facts of the
ca.3e, declared that he was entitled to the watch.

HISTORY OF THE SUGAR-CANE IN

LOUISIANA.

Some interesting particulars respecting the origin, rise,
rind progress of the cultivation of the sugar cane in the
:3 tate of Louisiana have lately cume under our notice,
'which are deserving of attention. A brief summary of
t ;hem will repay perusal. It is now just a century since
the first cane was planted in Louisiana, and the circum-
s.t ances which led to that important step were these:--A
3ssel laden with French recruits for the coloey touched at
iispaniole. The Jesuits sent their brethren a few
bundles of the cane, that they might try the ex-
-1 ti3riment. These were planted in what is now the
leart of the second municipalty, and were cul-
t ivated by negroes, who came in the fleet which
I xrought the seed. The experiment succeeded, but
he cultivation of the cane was not prosecuted with
my vigour, and it was only in the year 1759 that
person named I)ubreuil put up the first mill. In
I he year 1769 the culture was abandoned for a period of
venty-five years. In 1794 a person named Etienne
.a orb, a native of the state of Illinois, whose indigo crop
tit id failed for several successive years, in despair aban-
-6,c ‘ned that, and attempted the cane with marked success.
In the second year of his trial he made a crop worth
,000 dollars, and his success induced his neighbours to
imitate his example.
It is stated in Stoddard's " History of Louisiana,"
t hat in the year 1803, at the transfer of the territory,
t he delta contained eighty-one sugar-cane plantations.
Iri this work it is observed, " Some of these
planters are affluent, and possess from 30 to 60 slaves.
ri:` he most wealthy of the class reside about the city,
,n d before the cession several had made crops valued
rat from 10,000 dolls. to 16,000 dolls. Since that
i?e Hod the number of slaves has increased. Sugar estates
art I cultivated on a more extensive scale, and the number
of them has greatly multiplied, so that the annual crops
of some are now worth from 25,000 dolls. to 30,000 dolls.
TI: a cane is not raised above the island of Orleans, nor is
it believed that the climate will admit of it. No sugar
est ates are found more than 100 miles above the city."
Such was the condition of the cultivation in 1812.
Tt to cane is now cultivated in the southern portions of
itchitoches and Tenses parishes, which are 350 miles
ab ove New Orleans.

In 1830, the Secretary of the United States Treasury
ad dressed circulars to gentlemen in different parts of the
c. 3untry, seeking information on the various products of
i) Ldustry, when a Mr. Josiah S. Johnston replied very
e laborately on the subject of sugar. He said that at
t he time of the transfer of the territory the duty on
pager was 2} cents per pound, which, in 1816, was in.
creased to 3 cents, and that it was more than twenty
years from the period of the cession before 40,000 hhds.
-were produced. At the time first referred to, namely,
1 1830, it was estimated that 35,000 slaves were engaged
upon 725 plantations, employing about 100 steam-en-
g_lnes, with
.a capital employed of about 50,000,000 dolls.
1 scion e machinery was estimated to cost on each plan-
ts,ooo dolls., and the whole worked 22,000
h orses, valued at 1,500,000 dolls., which were renewed
e very seven years, at an annual cost of 200,000 dolls.
The prices in 1818 were from 14c. to lie., which, in
1 829, had fallen to 7ie.! and in 1830 to from 61e. to
7 ie. Such was the position of the cultivation in 1830.
In 1840, the number of slaves employed had increased
t') 143,890, and the produce of the plantations was a
c rop
of 119,947 hhds., of I,ooolbs, each, and 600,000
'gallons of molasses.
In 1849-50, the crop was 200,000 hhds., which rea-
lised 10,000,000 dolls. The census returns of the
United States, just made up, gives the number of
slaves in the State of Louisiana at the present time
at 230,807, and the capital now employed is estimated at
the sum of 75, 000,000 dolls.
It Such is an outline of the rise and progress up to
1 the present year of the cultivation of the sugar-cane in
Louisiana.

....!.....leiller...-._".
since,
as a
CRIME 1N FRANCE.— A few nights
pork-butcher, named Baron was returning to Monneville
from the market of hiarquement (Oise), he was fired at, and
t.
,
tt ie ball passing through his head, he fell
dead car in his
A part of the lighted wadding falling at the same time among
tb.e straw set fire to it. The horse continued
his road, and
ar rived at the man's house with the dead body and the cart
pirtly burnt. The police have obtained a clue to the author
of the crime, and are on the 100k-out for him, .
THE Moons.—The young birds are already strong
on the wing, are as large as partridges, and altogether pro.
mine to be a match for the quickest eye and the steadiest
hand on the approaching "Twelfth."—Aberdeen Journal. %