The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-12-14
IRON our Regular CorrespondentI
Monthly Letter from Europe-No. %.
LoSDoS, Nov. Ist, 1878.

NOTES on SUGAR.-At Trinidad the new cane
crop, though beaten down by the hurricane last
month. has not suffered. The old crop is over
and gone and the new crop is now coming in.
AT Demarara the weather continues highly favor
able to the growing cane, and the grinding has
now been generally resumed. During the negro
rebellion in Santa Cruz sixtynine sugar estates
were burned, including the crops in the fields,
the houses and plant. The Joint Stock Compa-
ny's sugar factory however was saved. Only
nine plantations of value remain, and the island
is now considered totally ruined. An excitement
has been caused in the British West India Islands
By the discovery that coolies have been secretly
recruited in Trinidad for Cuban sugar planta-
tons. y gentleman at Aigle in Switzerland has
just succeeded in raising u crop of sugar cane,
which it il expected will hereafter be extensive
ly cultivated in the Valais.
This years whale fishing in Bafin's Bay has
proved an entire failure on account of the I'M
precedented quantity of ice. The whole fleet has
taken only six fish among them. The steamer
CdmperdoUn, which was worth EGO 900, was to-
tally lost, but the crew were saved. Such an
unfortunate whaling season has never happened
before.
On the third day of the Conference on Foreign
Missions here last week. the Rev. DIR. a. c..
ACALPoCb - DCoAChf -" 49, ACoAAth6 NbC L u
nesian group of missions furnished the subjects
for papers and discussions. The French Minis
ter Of Marine intends asking the Chambers for a
vote for a submarine cable from Noumea. New
Caledonia, to Australia.
Prof. Nordenskjold's polar expedition through
the Northeastern Passage in the Vega reached
the mouth of the Lena river, Siberia, August
9th, and may have passed through Behring's
Straits and arrived at San Francisco, or possibly
at Honolulu, before this reaches you.
The New Zealand census of December 3lst,
1877, gives a total Maori population of 1910.
Captain Cook estimated them at SOC, 600, but in
1910 there were still 10000. The whites now
number Az ,622, and about 1000 Chinese. Next
| months census of Hawaii will be awaited with
interest. Behm's annual report on the worlds
population. part 5. just published, gives a total
Of l ,439, 900. 900, of which Australia and Polyne-
STA claim 1900. 600.
Germany is beginning to furnish Australia with
emigrants. The Fritz Renter sailed from Ham
burg last month for Queensland with sixty mar
ried couples. 239 single men. 43 single women
and lO4 children, a total of SOC souls.
y leper hospital has been established at Ali
cante. Spain; last year there were lie cases in
the province of V~alentia, of which II proved
fatal. In Stanford's Compendium Of Geography
and Travel. the forthcoming volume on Austria
Iasia is to be edited by Alfred K. Wallace, the
naturalist. This author has just published "a book
on Tropical Nature" which describes the varie-
ties of animal and vegetable life to be met with
in the tropics, from the primeval giant of the
forest down to the minute insect, which finds its
home in a crevice of its bark.
a new geographical paper IS appearing in
Germany, which collects all the geographical
pers published in all languages and all parts of
the world.
The cruise OF the Challenger, by W. j. Spry,
Il. n, has now reached its seventh edition.
An Australian steamer recently touched at
Lord Howe's Island. 400 miles east of Sydney.
The total population now consists of % souls all
told. The island is of volcanic origin, mountain
Gus, well wooded, about FIVE miles long and two
broad. Ships touch very seldom; they can OBJ
tain water, wood, fresh meat, vegetables and
fruits and have all bIacksmith's work done.
Robinson Crusoe's island. Juan Fernandez. has
been leased from Chile for eight years by a
Swiss, who rears cattle to supply passing ships
with beef. Wild goats and fish arc still plenty
as in Selkirk's time.
Several volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands are
reported active, especially the one on Umnak,
5000 feet high. The village of Makushin, on
Uualashka, was destroyed August goth by an
earthquake and tidal wave.
The British Government has definitely decided
not to annex the New Hebrides.
NAVAL NEws-The screw sloop Daring. Com
mander J. Hammer. commissioned in 1874. and
the iron-clad Shah, 90, commissioned in 1876,
have been ordered home from the Pacific; also
the .Ny1nph, Sappbo and Sapphire from the Aus
traliau station. The TenedoS. now at the Cape
of Good Hope, leaves again for the Pacific. The
Alert has reached Madeira on her way to the
South Sea. The surveying schooner Alacrity has
been ordered to complete the survey of the Sol
onion and Santa Cruz Islands, and then meet the
Alert, report results and continue the survey I'M
der the direction Of Sir Geo. Mares.
Germany seems to take great interest in the
Pacific just now. The gunboat AUatrOSs, 4, Cap
tain Messing, has been ordered from Nagasaki
via Honolulu to Apia to relieve the AriaGne
there and arrange the Samoa middle. There is q
report here, that Germany wishes to seize Upolu
and make it a penal settlement for the deporta-
ton Of her social democrats and communists.
The corvette LuiSe goes out to Japan. The
Prince AdGl5ert, Captain Madean. sailed from
Kiel Oct. I4th for the Pacific, going via Madei-
ia, Rio. Valparaiso, Callao. Panama and possibly
Honolulu. Prince Henry of Prussia, the Crown
Princes second son. is on board as a midship-
man. She carries y heavy guns and q picked
crew of $50 men. She will relieve the .Lej~Siy,
whose commander, Paschen, who touched At 10
nolulu May last, has just been appointed post
captain. The augusta has returned from the
Pacific; her captain, Hassenpdug, died suddenly
a. Malta on the way home. The Elizabeth arriv-
ed home Oct. 9th. after a two years cruise round
the world, without losing a single man. Some
of the new Russian armed cruisers have been
ordered to the North Pacific. F.. Is.
TILDEN AND THE CIPHERs-Genera Leman,
who has been conspicuously identified with the
Potter committee, states that Tilden will ask to