The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1880-04-03
British Guiana.

To us at these Islands, whose principal article Of
production is, and must continue to be sugar, II 10
interesting to sean the newspapers of other countries
similarly circumstanced with ourselves as to pro-
ddction. Through the politeness of Mr.. L. q.
Thrum we have received several numbers Of The
Royal Ga=eHe. published at Georgetown, British
Guiana, on the Atlantic side of South America.
This colony is made up of three-Demarara, Esse-
quebo aud Berbice, originally founded by the Dutch.
from whom they were taken by the English in 1896.
They were restored at the peace Of 1902. but again
surrendered to the British in 1903. which power has
continued to hold them up to the present time.
The Royal Gazete is a four page paper. OF rs
columns. is somewhat smaller than the ADvERrIsER,
and rather poorly printed on large type. II Is we'll
filled with advertisements, one issue having II out
of the % columns thus occupied. 1t is a tri-weekly,
the subscription price being SI4 ca per annum.
We note announcements If several plantations for
sale or lease; and gather from these that two tons 10
the acre in virgin soil and considerably less for old
lands, is considered a fair yield Of sugar. On one
estate of 900 acres, 500 of which are under cane
cultivation, the advertiser states that " there Is at
present a resident gang OF 500 immigrants, 220 be-
ing under indeature.'' Our Island planters will be
apt to inquire, what do they 6nd for 30 many
hands to do But probably one-third Of these are
women aud children. The names Of the sugar
estates bring to mind the. former ownership Of the
country by the Dutch. such as-Plantations Cries
land, - "Hamburg. " 'Blaukenburg. . "Naamryk,"
" Goedverwagting,' &c.
The Gazette of December % says: "The crop (of
sugar. which will end next week will be consider
ably over that Of last year, aud in all probability will
exceed 100 900 bogsheads, mostly vacuum pan
quality A h~ogshead of sugar in British Guiana is
supposed to contain 800 lbs, which would make
the crop equal to 80 900 tons Of 1000 lbs. Rum
figures largely in the products Of the colony-we
note the exports Of this article from the 1st to Odd Of
December last, amounted to IS9 hogsheads. 1893
puncheons and 212 barrels, which mostly went to
England. The total value OF all imports into the
colony for the year 1873, was e. 100 ia, Of which
the sum of E909 was for articles Of food.
The rainfall on the " East Coast " during % days
in December amounted to % inches, and consider
ably above that, in the Essequebo districts.'' Over
five inches fell in Georgetown during one "A hours.
The thermometer at 6 O'Clock at Sheldon" was
down to 66 > unprecedented in the experience Of
the oldest inhabitant.'
Considerable space is occupied in the Gazette with
particulars Of the difficulties met with by the Emil
grafton Agent Of the Colony in Calcutta, when ap-
plying for The registration of intending e~migrauts to
Demarara. IDe agent writes tnat maglstrate6 threw
difficulties in the way Of registration, and that many
single women were kept for enquiry He asked
the Magistrates to write their reasons across the
Registration Tickets in each case for refusing regis
tration. No good however came Of this. The Ma
gistrate either retained the tickets, or returned them
without remark, or. as was done in one case, tore
them in pieces. The Agent wrote to the " Protector
Of Immigrants but the result had been rather an
II H. J;acnI;oa tbon osbarwfsa M m
ply having been vouchsafed, and appearances indi-
Gated that further trouble was TO be apprehended
from the opposition or the red-tapeism OF Magistrates.
Ia the Colony by official return, there we're "a. 1853
East Indians and 304 Chinese, under indeuture;
and 80, 953 East Indians aud 1928 Chinese, not I'M
der indeuture. The births exceeded the deathC
among the Immigrants in 1879, by 357. We have
been unable to ascertain, by the papers before US,
planter per annum. We are informed however that
the laborer is almost always employed at what lie called
''piece work"-so much pay for completing a GER
tain amount of work, designated by the Hawaiians,
"uku pau"
We should Judge that the police regulations were
pretty stringent in the Colony, for We read that
1.-TWO men were caught lettering on Mr.. Bridges
wharf, and on Tuesday were we're sent to prison for
seven days. We're such a rule imposed in Homo
lulu, the prison would not be large enough to con-
tain all the "loiterers."