The Sun. — 1841-12-06 (London, England)

WEST INDIA CROPS.—Notwithstanding the continued cry of dry weather, the harvest in the little island of Barbadoes has proved anything but unproductive. From the returns published by the Barbadian, it would appear that of the whole crop, 16,781 hhds. 1,450 tierces and 995 barrels have been exported, equal to nearly 18,000 hhds., and from which " adding the quantity of sugar consumed in the island (continues the same paper), and the great consumption of the canes which have been ' sucked,' we may say the crop has exceeded 20,000 hhds." A pretty good harvest this, size and seasons considered. Will Jamaica ship forty thousand ? We doubt it ; and yet she has shipped three times that ; and with equal cultivation may do so again, and more. In Tobago also the sugar crop is still very deficient ; that of 1841 being only 2,460 Mids. 225 tierces, and 222 brls., against upwards of 4,000 hhds. of the year preceding. We have not seen the returns from the other islands, but when we do we shall report accordingly. The town of St. John, Antigua, seems to be a very unfortunate and almost fated place. In addition to the late ravages by fire, which occurred only a few months ago, another most atrocious attempt to produce a catastrophe of a similar nature has just been providentially discovered in time to prevent the full development of the incendiary's designs. The following is the descripof the occurrence by the Antigua Gazette : " On Monday night, at a few minutes to eleven, the springing of police rattles intimated the occurrence 1 of a conflagration in the town, which induced us to go out for the purpose of ascertaining the locality of the fire. Upon looking around without discovering either flames or their reflection, we were induced to conclude that the fire had been got under, which we soon found had been accomplished. Finding the fire in question had commenced in the dwelling-house of Mr. Peter P. Walter, in Long-street, we repaired to the spot and found a full exemplification of the more than murderous malignity of the incendiary or incendiaries, whose demoniac attempt to send a whole family, consisting of twelve immortal souls, into eternity without one moment's preparation, had been so providentially averted by a timely discovery of a plot which, we are persuaded, had its origin in the hellish feeling of revenge. The plot was laid by depositing two burning brands between a sofa and the wainscot of NI r. Walter's sitting-room—and, as if determined to glut his vengeance by a human sacrifice, the miscreant incendiary, not satisfied with setting fire to the sofa alluded to, deposited in the same room—within the space of twelve feet from the burning sofa, in a closet or cupboard, four other burning brands and a parcel of deal shavings—the more effectually to accomplish his diabolical purpose. The discovery of the flames is attributable to the circumstance of the rapid ignition which took place in the sofa, on account of the inflammable materials of which it was composed. It is supposed that the flames would have reached the upper floor but for the great age of the straw contained in the sofa—a family piece of furniture of upwards of 40 years standing. " His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor administering the General Government, as soon as he learnt the particulars of the above incendiarism, appointed a Board of Magistrates to investigate the circumstances connected with the fire—but we are sorry to say that the Magistrates were not able to elicit any evidence calculated to lead to a discovery of the incendiary."