, 1877-12-15

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They are causes common to all these CO.
lonles. But we may mention that the
return of our Coolies to India, the wide
prevalence of "squatting'', and the facility
with which the labourer can live In
q country where every bush, SO to speak,
supplies him with TODD, are put fol ward
in the petition now before tho Secretary
of State as chiefly contributing to this
result
1t is feared that the coming crop will
only exceed the last by very little owing
to the dry weather Of September and
October.
The Entrep6t estate has been sold for
$4,000, being generally considered uuht
Tor cane cultivation, notwithstanding the
Central Factory Company advanced for
its cultivation about $4,000, all of which
they lose.
The same company are offering for sale
their tug boats and barges, the expense of
which has been too great for the amount
OF canes conveyed by water TO repay.
The Company have sustained so much.
loss on these canes that they now intend,
it seems, to con6ne their operations to a
large valley called the Grand Cul.de-Sac.
We learn with pleasure that q benevo-
lent priest, the Able Rautaurau, the Cure
OF Castries, is about to purchase land and
erect at bis own expense al Orphan Home
for poor destitute orphan girls.
The Central Sugar Factory Company
has resolved to issue &26. 900 worth OF
preference shares at 124 per cent, this
further sum being necessary, it is stated,
to save the Company from imminent peril.
The Secretary of State proposes that the
colony take up 46. 1850 worth OF these
shares. We End from the Narrator, how
ever, that the non official members of the
Legislature are opposed to thls. They
believe, says the Narrator "the presents
administration of the Central Factory to
be thoroughly bad, and that merely
throwing a pot-full OF money into the
concern will not improve matters, and
they were prepared to meet the Govern.
ment halt way in any iudicious measure to
retrieve the affairs. The are of opinion
that not only must the Factory grow their
own canes, but to 90 SO adequately a
planting community Of its own must be
fOstered to the spot by q considerable inn
migration of labourers.
The scheme could be started at once,
and would benefit both the planters, the
Factory, and the country. Thus the colo
ny's share of these preference shares
would be left to be taken up by those
whom its temptingly secure interest
might allure, and even suppose that the
Factory comes to a winding up, we would
not be worse of than we were at the be.
ginning"
Auy talk, however Of "winding up" q
Central Factory has o very ugly sound to
US in st. Croix.
Our st. Lucia friends, like ourselves,
ars rejoicing in abundance of rain.
Our cotem. the Narrator, falls into q
mistake in supposing that vaccination has
only now been made compulsory in the Da-
nish islands. What will he say when we tell
him that no man or woman among us can
be married unless vaccipatedY But this
is nothing to u law prevailing in st. kits,
where an unvaccinated man is such a
pariah that he cannot sue for any debt
due him--he has legally, one may say, no
existence at all.
MARTINIQUE.
Bishop Poirier, of Dominica, we'll known
to the inhabitants of ST. Croix, il ut pre-
sent staying 10 Martinique for bis health.
The statue Of Josephine. put up in the