, 1872-11-16

condition is, speaking generally, far from
what it ought to be. Food is very album
dant, both sweet potatoes and imported
provisions but, notwithstanding the gen.
eral improvement in agricultural affairs
consequent on the rain, Il large emigration
is still going on. The supply of labour,
however, for all purposes is i'll 10 way in
terfered with.
At the time of the departure of the last
mail serious riots arising ont of the piIlag-
ing of the cargo Of the sunken steamer
Cuban, had Just occurred. We are glad to
say that the Iawlessness which then pre-
vailed in Bridgetown, has quite subsidized,
and, in place Of the angry looks and men
acing attitudes Of the lower classes which
met one at every turn in street, the great
est good humour prevails and, although
the whole population seems to have aban-
doned all the ordinary avocatlons OF lite to
engage in the buying and selling of 'the
chcap cloth'' from the Cuban, insomuch SO
that all the business part ofthe town looks
as if a fair is being held, perfect order is
maintained and it hardly seems credible
that only a few nights since some OF these
Identical people could have beaten and
o]verpowerrd the police, heIted Her Majes-
tvs troops, and broken open stores. But
there seems good reason for believing that
what more than anything else has coutri-
butcd to throw oil on the troubled waters
has been a short act that passed the Assem-
bly, a few days ago, but which has not yet
become law for Furnishing with Jogging
what we may term the offence OF theft by
combination, that is to say, a mob taking
advantage OF its numbers to overcome the
ordinary guardians Of the peace, and com
nit deP'edatloas on property A similar
act WIS passed in 1868, on the occasion Of
the Notwithstanding, and with the most
beneficial results, not a single prl-
soner having been brought up for trial
under the law and so, too, in the present
case although the police were on the day
after tie ri0ts tolerated in the streets with
out being beaten, footing went on in the
most barefaced manner for a week after,
aud has only been quite checked during
the last two or three days since it was
kuoun that the punishment would be
flogging. 1t is, OF course, a matter Of re-
greet that it has been found necessary to re-
sort to such law, which has been depreca~
ted by some seutimentaIiSts as brutal and
slvouring of panic legislation but the end
iustiies The means, at least, IN this In
stance, and We contend that public order
must be maintained at any price, even if
that should be tie iogging Of the unscru-
puIous ~rutfians who do not hesitate to
dodge behind a wall and pelt, with bottles,
policemen, who are not allowed TO reta-
late, in order 10 plumber with the greater
facility. The conduct Of the lower orders
in resorjing to violence and in uniting
together for the purpose of stealing, has
indeed surpassed anything that might have
been expected of them, and any of them
who persist in such conduct and catch o
logging will richly deserve their fate; but,
after ali, some allowance must be made for
them on account of the prevailing excite
ment about the damaged goods, al excite-
meut which has well gained the name CT
''He Cuban tcuer." 1t is generally known
that the cargo consists Of a large quantity
of valuable goods of all sorts, but especial
" of cloth, much of which, if quickly
washed free of salt water and dried, would
be as good as ever; but the fact that the
goods can not be kept for any length OF
time in their wet condition, but must be
disposed of immediately causes them to be
sold at very low rates, and thus, while the