The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-06-30 00:00:00

VEGETABLE PRODUCE Op BRIM! GUIANA

Mr. Behomburgk, in his "Description at BfitiSli 04144 a,"
has a chapter under the following head;---" Vegetable pro.
ductions, which might be raised with advantage migrants
who are not in possession of large capital.
" Sugar, coffee, and cotton are the comm ies which
have been hitherto almost the only objects c tivation in
Guiana ; but it must not thence be inferr th qther arti-
cles are properly excluded. The fertilit he apromises
a safe return for the investment of capi n the cultivation
of other crops, which would open new r urces to the colony.
If the stream of emigration, which has een directed to other
and more distant colonies, should w towards British
Guiana, and the great disparity betw the land to be cul-
tivated and the want of labourers to ct tivate it be removed,
would not the enterprising farmer, w knew that his capital
was not sufficient to embark in the pensive cultivation of
the sugar-cane, select some other pro uct, from which he
might expect to receive an adequate ret for the labour re-
quired and the capital employed ? The a tered circumstances
of the labouring population will produce a new era in colo-
nial history ; and while formerly the cultivation of sugar en-
grossed the mind of the speculator, on which he hazarded
frequently not only his own means, but likewise the property
of others, the altered state of things will produce a vast
change in agriculture ; a new class of cultivators will arise,
who perhaps may be compared to the farmers of the mother
country. The vast establishments now existing will be bro-
ken up into separate concerns of more manageable dimen-
sions • the different occupations of agriculturist, miller, and
distiller, will no longer be combined ; but, as in the mother
country, each individual will follow that branch of industry,
to which the nature of his property (if lie possess any) or of
his abilities (if he does not) may direct him. The lands are
adapted for numerous other branches of agriculture, and
among them the less wealthy cultivator will make his choice.
Now excitement to commercial enterprise will thus be raised,
and additional prosperity may naturally be expected to follow.
1 have already pointed out, that, among the vegetable pro-
ductions of Guiana, a great many are objects of desire in
Europe : their number might be considerably increased ; and I
venture to propose such as I know might be successfully culti-
vated, from my researches in the interior of British Guiana.
The cultivation of rice would thus cover thousands of acres
which are at present a perfect wilderness ; and food for the
lower classes would be provided, which at present is mostly
imported from a foreign country, which, perhaps, at an ear-
lier or later date, may be at issue with Great Britain; be-
sides that the rice procured from the United States is raised
by slave labour.
Of the cereal grains, the Indian corn deserves more at-
tention than it has hitherto received. The maize is indige-
nous • and that the coast does by no means afford the best
soil for its cultivation, is proved by the superiority of the
maize raised by the Indians in the interior. It is cultivated
as the principal crop in Egypt, and to a large extent in the
United States, chiefly in the southern slave states, whence it
is imported into British Guiana.
" Indian millet, which, under the name of Guinea corn, is
so extensively cultivated in the West Indies, might be raised
to a large extent. I think it constitutes in the Bahamas the
principal article for the nourishment of the labouring classes.
But of the greatest import will prove the introduction of the
Victoria wheat into our West Indian and South American
colonies, and there is every probability that its cultivation
will be attended with success. It is said to grow equally well
in arid plains as in humid mountains, and it promises three
crops annually. This grain is likely to afford, therefore, new
resources of those fertile regions, and will tend to make the
colony less dependent upon foreign imports. The sudden
and often enormous rise of that necessary article flour, in
British Guiana, when the import is not adequate to the con-
sumption, proves on what precarious.footing the maintenance
of the inhabitants is placed. The Victoria wheat has suc-
ceeded in Barbadoes and Jamaica, islands which cannot vie
in fertility and diversity of soil with Guiana. Indeed, we
have reason to hope that, with sufficient labour, a quantity
equal to that raised about Calcutta might be produced in
Guiana. If the dearth and famine be considered which at
present is raging in New South Wales and Van Diemen's
Land, it becomes almost the sacred duty of the legislative
body to encourage by all means in their power the introduc-
tion and extensive cultivation of this cereal grain, to prevent
a similar calamity, which, thanks to the Almighty and the
fertility of the soil, has been hitherto unknown in British
Guiana.
" The only English colonies where that nutritious and
wholesome substance, cocoa, is cultivated, are Trinidad, St.
Vincent, and Grenada: in Jamaica and Guiana it has given
place to the production of sugar; and though it forms such
an important article in the import of the United Kingdom,
the quantity introduced from British plantations is but tri-
fling. The cocoa tree delights in a rich and springy soil, or
in which which irrigation may be admitted. While we
crossed from the river Berbice. to the Essequibo, we met a
number of chacolate nut trees, near the abandoned Caribi
settlement of Primoss. It is not to be doubted that the trees
were originally planted by-the Indians,; hut, from their num-
ber and the distance from the river, I judged they were pro-
pagated by nature : though they were overshaded by larger
trees, and had for many years been neglected, they had
reached nevertheless a height of from thirty to forty feet, and
the luxuriant growth and the abundance of fruit proved that
the plant was satisfied with the soil. The forests at the
banks of the Rio Bianco, in the vicinity of Santa Maria and
Carmo, abound in wild cocoa trees, the fruits of which are
collected by the scanty population of that district for their
own use. The cultivation of cocoa will be most suitable to
the less wealthy individual, as it demands so little labour and
outlay. M. de Humboldt observes, in alluding to Spanish
America, that cocoa plantations are occupied by persons of
humble condition, who prepare for themselves and their
children a slow but certain fortune ; a single labourer is
sufficient to aid them in their plantations, and thirty thousand
trees, once established, assure competence for a generation
and a half.
" Different species of vanilla are natives of Guiana ; and it

is found in large quantities along the banks of its rivers, and
in the wooded districts which intersperse the savannahs. It
is well known that it is added to chocolate to give it an aro-
matic flavour, but it is likewise used for several other pur-
poses in confectionary ; and the oily and balsamic substance
which the minute seeds possess may be found to have medi-
cinal qualities. Its cultivation can be connected -with no
difficulties ; it needs only to plant the slips among trees, and
to keep them clear of weeds. It would prove, therefore, a
great addition to a cocoa plantation. In 1825 the price was
in Germany sixty rix-dollars (equal to nine pounds) per
pound, and twenty-five to thirty dollars are paid for it in
Martinique.
" Tobacco is consideied indigenous in South America,
whence it is said to have found its way to Virgiriia, from
which place it was introduced by Sir Walter Raleigh. Though
it cannot be considered a necessary of life, its use is so ex-
tensive, tbat.it forms a considerable item in the revenue of

nations, and its successful cultivation is therefore of impor-
tance. With the exception of the Macuba tobacco, which is
cultivated in Martinique in a peculiar soil, the tobacco of
Cuba is considered the finest in the world. The sample of
tobacco which I sent from the interior of British Guiana to
the commercial rooms in Georgetown, was pronounced to be
equal in quality to the Havana, and even to surpass it, in
consequence of its thinner ribs ; indeed it was observed by
an able judge, that tobacco of equal quality had never been
imported in Guiana.
" At every Indian settlement some tobacco plants are
found to be cultivated at their provision fields ; but when
once planted, no further attention is paid to it, and the leaf
is cured in the most simple manner, by being hung up in the
Indian's but ; it possesses, nevertheless, what a connoisseur
would call high flavour and aromatic qualities : how much
more might its excellence be increased by proper attention
being paid to its cultivation !
" The cinnamon tree, though not indigenous, has been
successfully cultivated in the Isle of Bourbon and the Mau-
ritius, and it is now naturalized in those isles. It was intro-
duced into 'Guiana in 1772, and there are a few planters who
have several specimens of that aromatic tree in their gardens :
however, it has never become an object of export. The
healthy state of the trees and their luxuriant growth would en-
sure its becoming an article of commerce. The surface of the
land where it is cultivated in Ceylon is a pure white sand,
under which is a deep stratum of rich mould. The extensive
tracts south of the sandy ridges present the same soil in Bri-
tish Guiana. We are told that from twenty-five to twenty.
six thousand people are employed in Ceylon in the cultiva-
tion of the cinnamon tree, and the preparation of its bark for
commerce. I have already observid, that a wild kind of
cinnamon is indigenous in Guiana, the bark of which is used
as a. simple by the natives. _

" Of eq.ual interest would prove the cultivation of the nut-
meg. Thais have been made in Trinidad ; and samples
having been submitted to the society for the encouragement
of arts, they pronounced them equal tp the eastern produce,
and awarded their gold medal to the successful cultivator.
The principal supply of nutmegs is at present imported from
the east; but to prove the importance of the cultivation of
the cultivation of the nutmeg tree, I observe that the average
home consumption is estimated at ten thousand pounds every
month, or one hundred and twenty thousand pounds per
annum. Guiana possesses an indigenious species of the nut-
meg tree ; however, its fruits are small and very pungent,
and cannot be used as a spice.
" Pepper has been cultivated with great success in Cayenne,
and it forms already an article of export. The rich soil in
mountains, valleys, or along the banks of rivers which are not
subjected to inundations, is considered to be the most eligible ;
the plant is trailed against other trees, and might be raised
in company with nutmeg and cinnamon trees.
" The pepper plant bears abundantly, and in Sumatra a
full-grown vine has been known to produce six to seven
pounds ; the average produce of one thousand vines is, how-
ever, stated to produce only about four hundred and fifty
pounds. The pimento, or allspice, is a native of South Ame-
rica, and would have become undoubtedly an article of high
interest if the spices of the eastern hemisphere had not been
previously introduced. In Jamaica it thrives where nothing
else would grow : if Guiana should enter, therefore, into the
cultivation of spice, a favourite situation for that tree might
be eaa.ily (pupa on the banks of the Rupununi.
" The cultivation of ripe would prove a very productive
branch of husbandry ; and as if has formed of late years a
principal article of food for the labouring population, it is of
great importance that it should be cultivated in sufficient
quantities, if not for export, by all means for the internal
demand of the colony, which does not employ the resources
which she possesses to produce food for her inhabitants. The
all-engrossing object, the cultivation of sugar,. has for seve-
ral years usurped thousands of acres which were formerly
dedicated to the production of plantains, once the chief food
of the labourer. The land on the coast is no doubt well
adapted for the production of rice ; hut we will not encroach
upon the soil at present planted with sugar-cane. There is
a tract between the rivers Berbice and Essequibo, in 4 20 N.
latitnde, which nature itself appears to have designed for the
growth of that article. It possesses the means of constant
irrigation ; and at the lira subsiding of the periodical inun-
dations, when the soil is left like soft mud, the seeds might
be put in. The banks of the river terbiee an here so low,
that irrigation might be easily procured even in times of
great drought. lam fully persuaded in my mind, that two
crops of rice might be procured annually ; indeed it is on re-
cord, that a Mr. Bielstein, who cultivated this article on a
small scale at the lower Essequibo, raised repeatedly three
crops in a year.

has arisen betweeq S.
C.rni'.oqulsNie, Ift
ah
e rival clart;lidLaeteitsh,
cUls.—A difference, apparently irreconcileable,
found,side so
co
agree-
ment, whereby the caTuhdeile' Ina yt
haen
liberal; l Captain
id e , Grantfe r this
hoi
sf
canvassinghi his
thad
who,entered
after
the a
completion
oe -t.
fewer number of votes,
district of Burghs.
and leave a clear stage tos
wan,abcomparison of lists, to have the
onwabsoth hisnd to retire from the contest,
completed, a difference arose as to
more fortunate rival. The
the manner in which a se
Sir A. Leith Hay proposing of lists should be conducted,
Captain Grant was for leavfn.anthaeP;:eal to the ballot, while
arbitration. Neither candidate, however,ettlement of the case to
in the proposal of his rival ;and
se all
would acquiesce
them was dropped, both appealing, .negotiation between
ultimate success, to the electors. • with equal confidence of
himself with the consciousness " of having
Grant consoles
majority of the bona fide electors, in the district,s!cured. a large
support him, of from seventy to a hundreci pledged to
Leith Hay ;" while, on the other hand, Sir Andrew
Sir A.
declares
that "he has too much confidence in the sagacityv
ex-
perience of the electors, to believe that they willland
reliance on the assertions made as to majorities," which
any
his opinion, can have "only a short-lived effect, as an'inin
tegral portion of a system based upon trick and deceit.';
This upshot of the matter is none other than might have been
expected; for the paction made between the rivals, although
plausible enough in theory, was hardly susceptible of being
carried into practice. The. parties are, therefore, pretty
much " as they were ;" and their present position is certainly
calculated to divide the liberal interest, and to enhance the
chances of success on which the Conservative candidate, Mr.
Duff, confidently, and we believe, justly reckons.—Aber-
deen Journal.

Ur, Dowton was born et Exeter, in 1784,, HD trhi4l4 1)14
lint going tho ;gage in 4 barn at Ashburton ►he ap-
peared at rury.lane in 1794. A writer in a Kentish paper
says he once saw him play Dr, Pangloss, at Feversham, when
he was the only auditor ; indeed, he never drew in the pro-
vinces. On another occasion be began John Bull at the
third act, as no one came in until about eight o'clock,
NAVIGATION OF THE RED SEA.—In the 73d number of
the Bulletin de la Social de Ge'ographie, we find the follow-
ing remarks on the navigation of the Red Sea :—" It has
been frequently asserted, that the Red Sea is too stormy to
abound either in shells or marine plants. Often, too, has its
navigation been compared to that of the Black Sea, in which
many vessels are every year lost. None of these remarks,
however, are just ; for naturalists find a rich harvest of such
treasures on its shores. M. Lefebvre confirms the opinion
of Lieut. Wellsten, and affirms positively that it may be na-
vigated in all seasons without danger from its double line of
reefs, which often facilitate the navigation by forming shel-
tered coves, where anchorage may be obtained. Cosseir,
the Archipelago of Dhalac, and the roadstead of Massowah,
have already enriched • the French explorers with scientific
treasures."

Lusus NATURE.—A white cow, the property of Mr. Wm.
Wheatley, residing in Skelgate, in the city of Ripon, last
week produced a calf also white, and having a head of the
most extraordinary formation. The animal with the exception
of the head, is in every respect perfect. This important part
is, however, so contorted as to present one of the most won-
derful appearances. The mouth (if the apertune can be so
called) is in the centre of the face and formed apparently by
the lower jaw, being turned up in such a way as to divide the
nostrils. These being consequently forced outwards, are
situated one on each side of the cheek, the head is thus short-
ened by nearly one half of its length and is compressed into
the form of a ball. The calf is at present healthy, takes its
food, appears to respire with ease, and to perform every ani-
mal function natural to its species. lf, however, it be al-
lowed to live, it can never graze, but the probability is that
as it grows up its disorganization must increase with the de-
velopment of its different proportions until being incapable
to act, some of the functions necessary to sustain life must
cease, and consequently end the poor animal's existence pre-
maturely.— Leeds Intelliuencer.

WEIGHT of LETTERS.—By an attention to the following
particulars the troublesome operation of weighing a letter to
send by post will be rendered perfectly unnecessary. The
weight which a letter may pass through the post-office to
any distance for one penny is half an ounce, or 2181 grains.
An ordinary sheet of post quarto writing paper weighs about
120 grains ; large thick post, 180 ; small thin post, such as is
used on the continent, about 65 grains. The ordinary quan-
tity of wax upon a letter weighs six grains ; 20 dips of ordi-
nary ink from a steel pen weighs about four grains ; when the
moisture is evaporated it only weighs one grain. A drop of
water weighs about one grain ; a letter carried in the hand
exposed to a slight shower will gain in weight from 10 to 25
grains in five minutes :—No. 1, post quarto sheet of paper,
120 grains ; wax six grains, ink one grain ; total 127 grains.
No. 2, thick post, 180 grains ; wax six grains ; ink one grain ;
total 187 grains. No. 3, small thin post, 65 grains ; wax six
grains ; ink one grain ; total 72 grains. Thus a letter con-
sisting of a sheet and a half of No. -1, or of three sheets of
No. 3, may be transmitted for a penny.

- -
CONCRETIONS AT THE BOTTOMS OF STEAM BOILERS,
&c.—A simple and efficacious method is now known of pre-
venting the incrustations in question; it is; to add from 261 b
to 331 b of potatoes to the water in a boiler which consumes
from 551 b to 661 b of coals per hour. The boiler may then be
employed for 20 or 30 days without being cleaned, and
without any fear of a calcareous deposit. After this time the
mud must be thrown away, and the same quantity of pota-
toes again be added.' It appears that the fecula, by dissolving
in the water, renders this sufficiently viscious to prevent the
deposition of the calcareous matter. Flour would produce
the same effect, and much less of it would be required. A
few days after the steam-boiler intended to heat the Exchange
in Paris was brought into use, it was perceived that there was
a hole in the bottom. The fire was extinguished, and it was
found, upon emptying the boiler, that the metal was burnt
in a place where a rag (chiffon) had been deposited, which
had been forgotten when the apparatus was set up.--Foreign
Quarterly Review.

INTELLECTUALITY OF ANIMALS AS DISTINCT PROM IN-
SECTS.—WoIves hunt with great cunning, and concert war-
like stratagems. A gentleman walking in the fields per-
ceived a wolf who seemed to be watching a flock of sheep.
He told the shepherd, and advised him to set his dog upon
him. " Not so," answered the shepherd; "yonder wolf is
there only to divert my attention, and another wolf, lurking
on the other side, only watches the moment when I shall let
loose my dog upon this to carry off one of my sheep." The
gentleman, willing to be satisfied of the fact, promised to pay
for the sheep, and the thing happened just as the shepherd
had foretold. Does not so well-concerted a stratagem evi-
dently suppose the two wolves had agreed together, one to
show, the other to hide himself ? and how is it possible to
agree in this manner without the help of speech ?—A sparrow
possessed himself of a swallow's nest, the swallow called for
help to expel him ; a thousand swallows flew immediately to
attack the sparrow, who, being covered on every side, and
presenting only his large beak at the strait entrance of his
nest, was invulnerable, and made the boldest assailant repent
his rashness. After a quarter of an hour's combat the swal-
lows disappeared ; the sparrow thought himself a conqueror,
and the spectators judged that the swallows had abandoned
the undertaking. Not at all ; they soon returned to the
charge, and each being provided with a little of that tem-
pered earth of which they make their nests, they all fell at
once upon the sparrow, and enclosed him in the nest to
perish there, since they could not drive him from thence.—
Father Bouyeant.

THE WATERLOO BANQUET.—The following is an extract
from a letter written by a gentleman to a friend in the
country, descriptive of the appearance of the banquetting-
room of Apsley Hause, on the last commemoration of the
battle of Waterloo :—" Anything more superb I never saw,
nor could have formed any conception of. Fancy a room
200 feet by 82, lined throughout with yellow silk, and covered
with pictures of the old masters ; the cornices and ceiling
profusely gilded, yet relieved by oblong plates of plain round
glass. At either extremity, an oaken side-board with six
silver-gilt shields of immense magnitude, emblematic of the
duke's conquests, and presented by the crowned heads of
Europe. On the dining table, spread for his companions in
arms, stood two marble tripods for lighta, of about seven
feet high, passing through the table, and supported by grif-
fins, very elaborately carved in ormolu ; three others of gold,
though of smaller dimensions, but particularly magnificent
(the gift of the city of London) representing in bold relief,
and as large as life, a foot-soldier (with his standard) of each
company that signalised itself on the field of battle. A solid
gold vase, the tribute of the noblemen of England, beauti-
fully pourtraying the guards forming a square. Between
every second guest there was a wine-cooler, of Dresden china,
with an exquisite painting of some engagement or some gene-
ral officer that was in it, going through the entire series of
his victories, and those who participated in them in India,
the Peninsula, and Waterloo. The plate has been estimated
at £300,000.