New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-07-10
VISIT TO ST. CROx. No. Nv.
oo,rs.ponSenes Of The N. r. Tribune.

mournful decay which hiss befallen this, IN com-
mon with nearly all the West India Islsnds. The
cultivation Of large districts formerly produc-
ing thousands of hogsheads Of sugar has Been
abandoned; these are principally rugged noun
tsin-trscts stretching along the north side,
where they are exposed to the ncessant Trade
Winds. As enc looks up to the preciPiteas
sides Of the towering noun tsns from tie ro-
mantle carrisge way that follows the shore Of
the "soundipg sea" at their base, the wonder
i. that they were ever cultivated. They are
LOW grown over with wild shrubbery and the
scspty Guinea-gr through which large Socks
and herds tended BY negro-drivers wander for
pa.tursCe. Throughout ell parts Of the island
the esne-cultivaton has decreased. URfaitfal
patches have been permanently "turned out
The labor and manure have been concentrated
upon the smaller and naturally richer areas.
Here and there an embarrassed estate has gone
TO waste Although from what one sees, for the
most part, he would not dream that blight bad
fallen upon the island, yet many striking facts,
such as those noticed already and figures which
cannot lie" unite TO tell the story of ts present
desolaton At one period many as As, 600 hogs
heads Of sugar per annum were inspected at the
different custom. houses; beside this, large auant-
tes along the coast were smuggled out by means
of droehers; at present l2,tUO Is considered
coed crop and this year it will fall short Of that
TIE causes Of the existing decay are obyoas,
and these results were inevitable AT the time OF
the great production aforementioned, sugarcane
crew almost spontaneously; compared with the
present little labor was requisite, and the lands
could dispense with the aid Of manure; but the
cane. being a rank, succulent plant, makes large
demands on the soil which II could not long sup
ply. To maintain the lands in productive STATE,
the natural exhaustion must be repaired by some
artificial means. The merest novice IN agrlcui-
ture ought to know that without rest or manure,
or better than nothing, rotation in crops, the rich
est lands will finally fail but if the old planters
pcssessed this knowledge, they did not profit BY 1t.
Manure in sufficient quantities they could not
have made if they had tried; accustomed to get
ting large crops without 1t, they did moi apply
their ingenuties TO its accumulation, AMI they
shrank from the additional labor So they kept
PLANTING and cutting over the same extended fields
Until the plants would not smount to anything,
and, step BY step, the cane lands were seriously
impaired Cane was the only crop, and therefore
ere was no such thing as rotations aud as TO rest
-l,i ing constantly up to, aud in many instances be-
yond TIER means-they could not afford to let any
of their lands lie idle.
This brings to view another great cause Of the
!
lie of the old proprietors and, consequent there
upon personal inattention 10 their estates. With
out rigid and close, calculating economy the
largest fortune will presently become embarrassed
and AZ last fail They expended great deal iui-
proyidently on equipage on useless Servants on
their private table, and giving or lending their
presence and style TO pubic entertainments.
arpe and expensive balls were common. Great
dnner-partes were of almost daily occurrence
At these the choicest qualities and the rarest yar-
| cites of wines flowed like water. TO say nothing
! of other kinds il was no uncommon thing Tor the
planter to have his annual pipe OF Madeira. 4
large bowl Of punch was always prepared at noon
for casual guests; and, at dinner, when the care
| less old planters gathered at elk o'clock around
the lavish board of a neighborng estate, the guam
ties of wine said to have be, drunk, surpass be-
lief until the sequel is honestly related that the
"iolly old souls sat over their bottles till the
short hours of the morning, talking Of women and
Lorses and the glorious Past and drinking TO the
sentiment "more rain" by which time most Of
them were under the table glorously drunk and
in most plable state to be got home by their
| faithful slaves.
By the way COED story is told touching the
| toast More rain" which, owing to the depend
epce of the canes on an abundance Of rain, was an
invariobe one in the olden time; not only at din.
ners, but wherever and whenever there CHANGED
to be any social drinking, More rain " was ehe
/
once entertained at large party In Amsterdam,
lust after succession of heavy rains had broken
away the dkes and inundated large portions of tho
CITY; bis health had been proposed and drunk;
ard wishing to do the best possible thing, he re-
sponded BY the universal toast OF hls native island,
which ia said TO have produced marked sensa-
ton the thck.headed old burghers staring at
each other in mingled merriment and c0nstcrna-
| ton.
Such habits, rendering it impossible for the
planters TO give personal supervision TO their
Affairs, resulted in the expensive and wastefui
management OF oyerseers: to obtain the greatest
possible returns with the least possible expendi-
lure and labor became the principle on which
the plantations were cultivated aud under this
system the lands rapidly decreased In valuei tho
embarrassed owners, instead OF having TO PROVIDE
merely for current expenses, were forced To rake
and scrape enough to pay their annual interest," and
for this purpose TO run the estates at ruinous
rate until when no longer able to MAINTAIN the run
ming fire. the attorney stepped in and took posses
sion in the name Of the king or some European
CAPITALIST large number of the estates are the
persopa property of the king. The Barings have
two; Scotch family, Lang, owns five or six OF
the best; and the largest on the island Ia owned
by the heirs of BENJAMIN De Forest OF New
York; they have, besides, another lne estate.
Scarcely property ia the island is in the pos
session Of the families Of the propretors Of fifty
! Years ago Absenteeifm here as in other West
India Islands, does not tend to the Improvement
Of the lands, though its destructive tendency IL
not so marked az il is elsewhere described 10 be.
Another cause which we must notice is the in
suficieRcy of labor; for many years there have
not been labOrers enough 10 cultivate the entire
island. AS early as 1903 the slave-trade here was
abolished since when the increase of the blacks
has heen mite iuadeouate to the demands Of labor,