The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-12 00:00:00

WEST INDIA AND PACIFIC NAILS.

The Royal Mail Company's steamship Atrato,
Capt. J. 11. Jellicoe, arrived at Southampton yes-
terday afternoon, with the mails in charge of Capt.
Norman, RN., naval mail agent.
The Atrato left St. Thomas on the 29th ult., and
experienced fine weather up to the sth inst., when
strong S.S.E. gales set in, accompanied with heavy
rains, which continued till the 9th ; subsequently
E.S.E. winds and thick weather. She brought 115
passengers, including Capt. Boyle, R.N., Staff-
Surgeon-Major Barron, from Jamaica ; Captain
Parsons, R.N., from Antigua; Captain Shaw, R.N.,
and family, from St. Kitts, &c.
Jamaica advices are to March 25, at which time
the island was reported quiet. The Colonial Stan-
dard says that the news by the English mail of the
passing of the new Jamaica Constitution Act had
been received there with much relief. Cordova's
Mercantile Intelligencer of the 24th ult. reports that
" the transactions of our market have continued
quiet and unexcited during the past fortnight, and
beyond what is stated in our review there is nothing
demanding special remark as regards imported
articles. There has been a decline in coffee in con-
sequence of the unfavourable report from America.
From the western parishes of the island large crops
of sugar are expected by the planters, the canes
looking healthy. Pimento still remains scarce,
while the crop of corn continues abundant." Cof-
fee sold at 535. to 545. for ordinary to good ordi-
nary. Sales of ordinary quality sugar had been
made at 14s. to 15s. ; medium, 17s. ; and fair de-
scriptions, 19s. to 20s. per 1001 b. Sales of clean
East India rice were reported at 18s, 6d. per 100 lb.,
and 1,000 bags had changed hands on terms not
allowed to transpire. There was no available ton-
age at Kingston. Exchanges on London :—Colo-
nial Bank.—Purchasing at par for 90 days ; at 1
prem., 60 days ; at 1 prem., 30 days. Selling rates,
at 2 prem. for 90 days; at 21 prem. for 60 days;
at 3 prem. for 30 days.
_ _

At Barbadoes the weather during the fortnight
had been most propitious for all agricultural work.
All operatives on the estates were in vigorous occu-
pation with sugar-making, of which no doubt was
entertained that there would be manufactured a splen-
did crop—say over 50,000 hhds., of very superior
quality. Produce shipped to date :—Sugar, 4,467
hhds., 332 tierces, 1,670 barrels, 250 bags ; molasses,
1,358 puncheons, 15 hhds. 67 barrels; rum, 1 hhd.

Our correspondent at St. Lucia writes as follows
on the 26th ult. :

" The weather for the past fortnight has been all
planters could desire ; the season has not been so dry
as it is generally at this season of the year. The
second crop of cocoa has fallen far below the average
Cotton is coming in slowly at prices much the same
as those of last year, notwithstanding the quality is
considered better. Satin wood continues all the
rage ; besides the regular traders taking on board
small lots, a bark had just arrived to take a full
cargo of this article. I may with all certainty state
that in less than a year almost every tree in the
island will have been cut ; it is now coming in but
slowly to what it did six months ago. The island
abounds with other qualities of wood. Sugaris com-
ing freely to market; prices run from 10s. to 145.,
according to quality. In rum there is nothing doing.
The health of the island continues good."
At Trinidad the weather during the first week of
the fortnight had been singularly unfavourable to the
operations of the sugar harvest. Heavy rains fell in
all parts of the island, but more especially in the
Naparimas, where, from the badness of the roads and
the want of fuel, a complete stop had been put to
the boiling. In the second week the weather, though
still unfavourable, showed signs of improvement, and
in most places the boiling proceeded, though, of
course, slowly and under difficulties.
From Grenada we learn that sugar-making was
general throughout the island, and the weather, de-
spite a few nocturnal showers that damped the fuel,
had become propitious. The yield of juice was
abundant, and the quality of sugar made generally
good. The main cocoa picking was drawing to-
wards a close, and the crop promised to be a large
one. Cotton was coming in by little and little,
sold in gross to the merchants, who get it ginned
before shipping ; but there had been no cultivation
of cotton upon the large scale that might have been
expected from the ruling prices. Regarding labour,
the St. George's Chronicle says :
" The lately arrived coolies have settled down
among their fellows, and all tho6e people may be

said to work well ; indeed on the estates of St. Patrick
and St. Andrew the majority of estate labourers are
coolies. What becomes of the creoles is a puzzle to
ninny. As fast as coolies arrive the negroes appear
to withdraw from the estates, and resort to the rais-
ing of provisions for the markets; the increased de-
mand for food renders this occupation highly remu-
nerative. Several valuable estates are in the mar-
ket, and some others have gone into the possession of
The Colonial Company (Limited).' The losses of
last year from canes uncut, the extra cost of making
sugar, and destruction of live stock have utterly
swamped some planters and disgusted others, while
those who can afford it grudge a repetition of the
outlay."
The cholera was still rapidly decreasing at Gua-
deloupe. The sugar crop was progressing favour-
ably, and produce was being brought to the shipping
ports in large quantities ; and if the weather con-
tinued fair the crop would be a very fine one, al-
though the epidemic had sadly crippled the estates.
To the Ist of March, for instance, 5,500 casks sugar
had been shipped, while at the corresponding period
of 1865 there appeared only 1,600 casks exported.
The coolies were giving rise to very serious appre-
hensions. In the months of January and February
no less than 13 estates had been set on fire by these
labourers, and it appears that as a rule on the slightest
disagreement with their employers they seek this
means of revenge.

At Martinique the crop was expected to turn out
well, and to the Ist of March the following exports
were made :—Sugar, 5,255,159 kilogrammes (over
1,200 casks); molasses, 14,000 litres; rum, 1,000,879
litres; coffee, 7,079 kilos.; catton, 1,669 kilos.;
cocoa, 100,879 kilos.; and logwood, 29,229 kilos.