The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-11-09
Monthly Letter from Europe.
correspondence of the Pacific Commercial AdyertisorJ
LONDON, October LIST, 1878.

LONDON, October LIST, 1878.
NOTES ON SUGAR.
Recent advices from the West Indies report that
at Barbados the cane crop was never more luxu-
RANT, nor the fields in a finer state of cultivation.
The total value of the sugar crop is estimated at
e900, 900. At Jamaica there has been g fort
nights continual downpour of rain, so that the
excessive moisture may injure the quality of the
juice. The London firm, Gotham, Morton & Co.,
who have recently failed, owned nineteen plantations
in this Island, and the Colonial Bank proposes TO
furnish funds to keep them running. At Trinidad
the entire crop has been shipped. News from
Demerara says that this years crop in British
Guyana, which usually amounts to 120, 600 hogs
heads, will fall 40, 200 h~ogsheads behind last year.
In Cuba destructive hurricanes have taken place,
but the damage to the cane fields is not serious. In
San Domingo the Government has reduced the
former export duty of 124 cents per quintal on raw
sugars to q cents per quintal, in order to attract
foreign capital to the Island. Export duties on
sugar are also still levied in many of the British
West India Islands and in Manritius. In sugar
producing colonies the wages paid to coolies are ex-
elusive of large expenses incurred in bringing them
to the colony and taking them back, unless they
choose to stop, take money or land instead. The
last French mail steamer from st. Thomas brought
400 immigrants from the Canary Islands for Cuba,
all fine field laborers. What a fine chance lost for
Hawaii.
Pele is at present quite active in Europe. A
severe earthquake took place August Goth along the
entire valley of the Rhine, from its mouth up to
Mayence and Strasbourg, as well as at Paris, cover
ing an area of 200, 900 square miles; another one
followed September 10th at midnight. Vesuvius is
also in active eruption; lava has been spouted to a
hight of 500 feet above the rim Of tue new crater,
and immense assures have appeared at the base of
the cone, from which flames and lava issue. Re-
cent ~eruptious took place in 1893, 1922, 1850, 1861,
1865 and 1872. At Monte Falco, in Umbria, six
teen houses were thrown down by q shake. Hecla,
in the Island of Iceland, is also reported active; it
will be of interest to know whether a corresponding
action took place at the time in Hawaii.
DR.. Elmore, the Peruvian Minister to Hawaii,
Japan, and China, has gone to Picking in order to
arrange the difficulties which the Hongkong Govern
ment has raised against the export of coolies to Peru
under the Olyphant contract. The Perusta has had
to sail twice without immigrants, although specially
fitted up for this contract.
Leprosy is reported to have appeared in severa
cities Of the province of Alicante, Spain, and several
cases have proved fatal. Having no Molokai handy,
the Government intends to establish a m~uipa5e
hospital.
Sir Arthur Gordon, the Governor of FIJI and High
Commissioner for the Western Pacific, has just been
appointed member of the order of St. Michael and
st. George.
The last mail from Australia was received here in
less than t~hirty-fve days by the steamer .4c9ucGgua,
of the Orient line, which overlook the regular P. s.
o. boat Of seven days previous sailing, at Suez.
Lieutenant Wye read a paper before the Geo.
graphical Society at Paris, last week, on the Darien
Canal. He has no Less than seven different pro-
jects. which he proposes to submit to a scientific in
teruationa Jury. NJ. de Lesseps, the builder of the
Suez Canal, has also turned his attention to this
subject.
NAVAL AND SHIPPING NEWS.
The French SIS. Janon reached Rio de Jaueiro,
September 4th, on her voyage round the world. 4
bottle has been picked up at Bailybomion, county of
Kerry, Ireland, with the following paper inclosed
'' BARK AMY TURNER, May 29th.-An hands been
at pumps all night. Think she will go down. Cargo
shifted. Lat. SOL north, long. 1896 west. No
nope. God help us. If this reaches the shore, send
to owners, New Bedford, Mass, U. S" This re-
is considered a hoax, as the vessel sailed from
May 9th for Honolulu, and therefore could
lot have been in the locality indicated on the 18th.
The German corvette Elisabeth. which touched at
in January last, arrived at Plymouth Sep
ember Goth and proceeded to W~ilhelmshafen. On
l.. II NJ = 11rrf CanFofu Sr Ea0rra