The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-07-16

| eX DllIlQ " IuGaI W uOl CnHtONS
and take service with another. The planter heard of
this, and three weeks before the articles Of these ten
men expired, he persuaded ten others to give in the
papers of the malcontents as their own, and TO have
the contract renewed for a year. Then he called the
DISCONTINUED laborers separately before him, showed
each one the contract, and told him he had another
year to serve. OF course the people persisted that
this was impossible, as they had not been at the
court at all, and never had the writing in their
hands. The planter replied that the contract was
valid, and declared that ii they complained before
the court they would not be heard, aud that corporal
chas,isement would most likely be their reward,
moreover, if they went, he would not pay the wages
be owed them tor Eve months work, unless under
compulsion.
The poor fellows we're at a loss what to do. For
tunately, an official OF high position lived close by,
and one who was known as an honest, philanthroplc
man. To him they went, told their story, and begged
his protection. which he ut once promised. The
affair came before the court, but the trial went on
very slowly, as none of the planters people dared to
give evidence, even if they had the will, it would
have been difficult for them to do so, as the planter
forbade his people to go out. and had them carefully
watched and prevented from communication with
any one all the time the action was pending.
In the course of some ter weeks, five slttings or
hearings took place. The first three were held before
a single judge, who was IL planter into the bargain.
The protector of the poor plaintiffs insisted that three
judges should be appointed, as the law demands, anu
protested against the one judge, who could not but
appear influenced by his position as a planter. As
this demand proceeded from a man in a high position,
and was, moreover, strictly legal, 1t was complied
Wild anu the nrSt Judge only ATTENDED, tue TWO SUD-
sequent sittings to give explanations respecting the
former three. At the fifth sitting the action was
certainly decided in favor of the coolies, but the YER
dict was in a manner | never should have thought
possible in a land under English rule. The judge,
or planter, who had heard the plaintiffs in the first
three sittings. declared that when the ten people
drst came to him, he could not know whether they
were the real proprietOrs of the papers, for that hun
dreds of laborers came to him with similar complaints
every day.
He had written out the new contract on u~nstamped
~ nc he hnn nanal p - ya nnna with a fnVpn nv
him, and the people, not one of whom could write,
had attached their crosses as signatures. Afterward
he had the contract wrirten on stamped paper, as it
otherwise would have been invalid, and in order not
to call up the people again, his clerk had affixed the
crosses. As the people had, therefore, not signed
with their own hands, the contract was void, and the
coolies were free; and thus the action was decided.
The real circumstances of the case were entirely
different. If the poor coolies had not found an in
fuential protector, the planterjudge would have
decided the affair in favor of the employer. The
appearance Of the official parsonage upon the stage
compelled the judge to show an appearance of justice.
and so save themselves by finding odt n forgery, for
which. In any other country, the judge and his clerk
would not only have lost their places as a certainty,
but have been provided with board and lodging, and
a restricted number of companions, in a certain pub
lie establishment.
The planter got off UNPUBLISHED, though even
according TO the Maurltian laws, framed with great
regard to the planters convenience, he should have
been subjected to n fine and "A years imprisonment.
To crown his worthy action. he cheated the poor
Coolies, ana mutcte1 them OIL u month : pay, unuer
the pretence that they had done but very little work.
broken some of their implements. and stolen others.
This paltry person is very much looked up TO in
a!auritius, and is received with pleasure in society.
He is rich, certainly, and is a regular attendant at
church and here, as elsewhere, people have peculiar
ideas as to wealth and religious ideas, which plain,
honest folks are too dull to appreciate.
The same book from which the above is ex-
tracted, gives a very interesting account of the
plantations Of Mauritius, which has become
famous as a sugar-producing country, with de-
tails which will interest our planters. With
plenty of laborers, there is no reason why some
of our estates-such as the Princeville, the
Haiku and Makee-might not produce each
8 900 900 pounds or 1900 tons annually, as
easily as those instanced by Madame Pfeiffer
The greatest sugar cane plantations are in the d.
rection of Pa~mplemousse, in which also the botanical
gardens are situated. | visited the Monchoisy plan
tation, the property of Mr.. Lambert. The manager,
Mr.. Gilat, was kind enough to escort me through the
fields and buildings, and to give me such a lucid ex-
PLANTATION of the method of growing and preparing
the sugar cane, that l cannot do better than give his
words. as nearly as [ can remember them.
The sugar cane is not raised from seed, but
pieces of cane are planted. The first cane requires
eighteen months to ripen, but as, during this time,
he chief stem puts out shoots, each of the following
can be gathered in at intervals of twelve
months, so that three crops are obtained in four
Years. and n half. After the fourth harvest, the field
must be thoroughly cleared of the cane. If the land
s virgin soil, on which no former crop has been
fresh slips of cane can at once be planted, and
hus eight crops can be obtained in nine years. If
his is not the case, ambrezades must be planted-a
plant, which grows to the height of eight or nine
and whose leaves, continually falling, decay on
he ground and fertilize it. After two years, the
,lants are rooted out, and the land becomes a sugar
plantation again.
For about the last ten years the custom has pre-
'ailed of dressing the land with guanO, and very
results have been obtained. On good ground,
900 pounds per acre have been raised, and on bad
oil, that formerly raised 1000 pounds at the most,
he produce has been doubled.
| was much astonished to see the beautiful wide
pread plains of Pamplemousse covered with great {
ieces of lava. 1t would appear as if nothing could
under such circumstances, but [ heard that
popularity of the soil is favorable to the sugar
between these fragments of rock, and the
water collecting in pools in the cletts and holes, I
eeps the ground moist for a long time.
when the canes are ripe and the harvest begins.
o more is cut down each day than can be pressed
nj boilei at once, for the great heat soon spoils the
az in the canes. The cane is pressed between two
turned by steam, with such force that it is u
RI shed quite fat and dry; ii is then used for fuel in =
oiiing the kettles.
Ihe juice runs successfully into six kettles or pans, r
which the first is most fercely heated; the force of
ne fire is made to diminish under each of the others. :
n the last kettle the sugar is found almost half pro-
uced. 1t is then placed on great wooden tables,
here it is left to cool. and here the mass graduates -,
no crystals of the size OF n pin head. As a final i
it is poured into wooden vessels perforated =
i : small holes, through which the mOlasses still
.ained in the sugar may filter. The whole pro-
ess requires eight or ten days for its completion. I
etore the sugar is packed, it is spread out on great !
to dry for some hours in the sun. 1t is p
lippei in bags containing $50 pounds each. =
FL n nm