The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-07-14

To the Editor of the National Era:
A few days ago We visited the Ingenio
a sugar estate of great extent and fertility, be-
longing to gentleman most remarkable for
his energy and enterprise, who has sought to
make his place q "model farm Every kind
of machinery ever used in making sugar is to be
found there, from the old primeyal @bull. mill
moved by oxen, to the magnificent De Rosne in
yentions-purging the sugar with animal black
and converting the clotted molasses into crys,
tails of beautiful sugar BY. the centrifugal pro-
cess. Water power and steam are used on the
estate, and one can there see and compare the
working of all the different processes Interest
ing as are the ingenious contrivances for ap-
plying the laws OF nature to the artificial sup.
ply Of human wants, | know none more exquis-
itely simple and more striking than the centrifu-
gal machine of the French trains as the most
modern machinery is styled--the term train
signifying the succession Of boilers, or watts,
through which the liquid passes in its transmu-
tation from creamy, foaming rivulet of cane
juices into crystals of sugar, or diamond drops of
slowly -distilling rum, as the case may be. The
molasses, which remains after the first boiling
and purging, is passed into a large vat; by the
side of this vat are ranged in a row three or
more cylinders, double cylinders the outer one
of solid metal, the inner of wire gauze these
cylinders revove each on an axis attached by
horizontal wheel and a strap band to shaft
which communicates with the great driving
wheel of the engine, In the centre of the mill
The molasses is ladled out Of the vat into the
space between the two cylinders and the shaft
and axes are set in motion, at the rate Of nine
teen hundred revolutions per minute For three
minutes and half you seq only white, indis-
tinct whirling; but at the end of that time the
the motion is arrested by the man in charge.
The cylinders slowly slacken their speed, then
stop, and 10 the whole inner surface of the
inner cylinder is covered with beautiful crys-
talzations of a light yellow sugar. The atoms
of the molasses, detached and driven through
the wire gauze, re- unite in this new and beauti-
form. AS | watched this ingenious process,
could not help fancying that somewhat after
this wise might the nebul@ of space be slowly
fashioning into worlds. The management and
even the manipulation of this modern machine
ry can only be confded, of course, to intelligent
workmen, and in most cases even the impor.
tant subordinate stations in the mill are filed
| by whites But on two or three estates have
seen native Africans occupying posts which de-
mand quickness and clearness of mind in those
Il
| | saw so employed, Lucums - fine, athletic
figures of men, with expressive and sensible IA
ces were regarded by the administrato as
being his most reliable agents. Yet these men
had not received even the rudiments of what
We usually call an education, and had been
stolen and brought to Cuba, in the prime Of
their manhood-confrmed savages, with all
the instincts and habits Of savage life. They
| kntn nvaA koo IN k~.l = I l.
told you before, is remarkable for barbarian
and ierocity So proud and defiant indeed
are the Lucumis, that they are generally
groes and are rarely and reluctantly subjected
to degrading punishments. Instances are no
unfrequent, in which Lucumi who has bee,
'chastised, has forthwith hung or otherwis
slain himself rather than live with the igno
minious remembrance Of his punishment Wei
cared for, and judioiously governed, these ne
groes make, | am told, the most faithful ant
devoted servants One creole land owner Of
my acquaintance, who had passed some years
in Government Office on the coast of Africa
had body. guard Of about twenty Of thin
| tribe, on whom he relied as confidently az
Jung Bahadoor or Napoleon On their faithful
BGotians. Nor is it wonderful that negroes,
born in q country where Slavery exists in full
force and glory flor suppose that Africa must
rank next to North America as slaveholding
continent) should acquire this savage feeling
of loyalty to chief, by whom they are singled
out from their fellows, specially favored and
protected. IL is only absurd for any one TO
draw arguments in favor of Slavery from such
facts. The troops and the friends Of q military
despot are hardly the persons from whom we
care to receive our views of the nature and ad-
vantages of military despotism. Yet there is
no reason for our refusing their testimony that
cannot be urged, with greater force, against
the evidence in favor Of Slavery, adduccd from
the devotion, in word or deed, Of fayorite slaves
to their masters. Loyalty to persons is not one
of the nobler and higher virtues of man. He
who died-not for his friends alone, but for his
foes-for the world, for the hopes of the human
race and the principles of eternal truth-has
shown US a better way. feel somewhat hu-
inflated by that affection Of DEFENDANTS which
is 30 much lauded by conservative statesmen
and sentimental Lady Emily Wortleys II is
not honorable to our race, for Il is not purely
human grace That which ennobles the New
foundland dog does not exals o living human
soul, think.
ISGEsIo -, NEAR CARDENAs
The coffee culture, as you know, has greatly
decsyed 10 Cuba. Introduced into this place
by the French refugees from Hayti, il was at
one time the leading staple interest Of the
island but the Brazilian growers have gradu-
ally beaten the Cuban out of the markets, and
coffee is now cultivated TO q very limited ex-
tent, and generally in connection with and in
subordinatiop to sugar estate. The original
eafetaies, as they are called were renowned for
their beauty. The French planters who laid
them out were men of taste and refinement,
and took Thought for the beautiful as well as
for the useful, in planning their estates Even
those which now remain, shorn of their original
brightness, are marvelously lovely. They and
they only, can give the stranger an adequate
idea Of the beauty TO which the tropical land.
scape may be brought by skillful and and taste
full cultivation. II is true, one sees near Ha-
vans some attempts at gardening, and every
stranger Is carried, as OF course, TO see the
bishops garden, with its magnificent ceyba
and the gardens attached TO the Quintas or
country seats of the Marquis Esteves the
Condo Santabenia, the Captain General, and
other digniteries and pobles
Some of these places were well planned and
in some OF them, ~ particularly in the Esteyes
q Palatno garden, you may still find an abund-
snoe Of beautiful flowers, fine palm avenues,
and excellent fruit trees. But they lack ex-
tent and are insufhcently cared fora thing
by the way, hard to be accounted for, when
we remember how immense ere the incomes Of
their owners. Landscape gardening, as an art
10 quite unknown In Cuba; end yet fine
caSstal is an appealing witness 70 tho prOpri-
city of introducing it. Attached TO this estate
10 one Of these properties, spcientIy very i'm
portant in itself, but on which are now pro-
duced only about 500 bags Of coffee u is Kept
up chiefly As an ornament to the sugar estate
. homo for the younger negroes, spda farm. |
believe il answers ali it, purposes The first
II certainly answers.
The early morning at this season Of the year
ip Cuba rs truly delicious, having gold in its