, 1892-01-02

the island can stand, st all events, one dry
year without mourning any risk of having q
starving population on its hands. 1t has
often been q matter of speculation with
thoughtful people how the new labOur con-
ditionS would work under such a trial as we
hive lately passed through, and it is Il com
fort to know now from experience that the
result is not so gloomy as might ave been
supposed.
Throughout the year, the weather has
been a subject gilmore than usual anxiety.
Light showers in the first two months OF the
year gave the young plants already in the
ground a good start, but the late paintings
suffered seriously from the dry weather Of
March and April. Onthe 21st Of April and
following days there were heavy sho werS
throughout the island, by which the Young
crop was saved from total rum. The wea-
ther Chen held dry 20 the beginning of J une.
the first week Of which gave us Il fine fall of
rain. The remainder of June was dry, but
an Improvement WAS noticeable in the first
week of July, and from that time the wea-
ther continued very favourable, being both
wet aud more than unusually hot, down to
the end of November. The. last mouth Of
the yearhas been dry. On the whole the pros
poets for the coming crop are gOo4 Some
places will make an excellent crop, others a
fair one all, we hope, will do something
more than pay their expenses. While the
outlook for quantity Of produce is good the
outlook for prices likely to be obtsined for
it is good also. We must remember, row.
ever, that future prices are very difficult to
Judge of, and where even the experts hest
tate to give a decided opinion we may well.
he cautious. We ought not to leave the
subject Of the weather and the crops with
ont recalling the terrible hurrica wbth on
the 18th of August devastated Martinique
and passed harmleSSlg t6 The south of us on
the 18Th. 1t is a matter Of rejoicing that
our rising hopes were not blpgh1el by the
passage over the island Of that terrible
storm.
Politically the year has been marked by
the passag' Of the Mckinley Act in the
Uuiled SUITES. The hopes ofmany in re-
gard to this new law were disappointed
When it was nunl that the removal of
the dutA from sugar impoGted into America
made no immediate difference to the sup
pliers OF the sugar, the whole amount going
t. the eonSumrIS. Thosc who were thus
disappointed may yet cling to the more
reasonable hope that the Cheapeuing Of
sugar 10 sixty millions of consumers will
increase the consumption, aud thus, for a
time at least, raise the price. The uncer.
talNtN as TO now tie PreSluent may. use the
extraordinary power conferred on him, under
The Act, OF re-impoSing The old duties on
sugars coming from countries which in his
judgment impose too high duties on Amerl-
can products lEtS caused a huttpr throughout
The English colonies, which has only been
allayed by the agreements just made be
tween the States and those colonies. For
the views taken in his island we have only
10 refer to late proceedings of The Colonial
Council.
The question of the sale Of ST. Thomas to
the States has lately excited a good deal of
atttEtion here, as ST. Croix could not fail to
b. affected by such an important transaction,
whether included III it or not. While it
might be interesting to speculate on this
subject, we may say that so little is known
about it that it may well be left among those
.questiOns the solution OF which can only be
guessed at, but will perhaps be revealed in
rle course of he year on which we have now
entered.
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