March z, 1885.] ttTE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



7°3 



is uot holy water. " For the fourth time " says the gen- i 

 tlenian " we are come before Your Majesty to fulfill 

 the engagement undertaken before the Government 

 of Your Majesty, before our companions in labour and | 

 before ourselves, to promote by every means within 

 our power the economic and commercial relations of 

 the greatest Brazilian industry." The improvement con- 

 sists in exhibiting hand-picked coffee, which does not in 

 any manner represent the beau as it is marketed, but only 

 as it might be marketed. The Centro has combatted errors, 

 and pointed out faults or obstacles to its activity, which 

 it supposed, and still considers, the object and purpose of 

 the glorious combat in which the legions of labor draw 

 their swords (degladiao) against the barriers of errors and 

 prejudices, which, if at one time they seem to yield (we 

 are translating) to the victorious force of principles, at 

 another rise afresh swollen and strengthened by the 

 alliance of interested associates and feudalized oligarchies 

 (there 's fine language !) banded and bound together in 

 the interests of the few, against those of the many. 

 What all this means, we cannot imagine. "Whether, to 

 borrow the expressive words of the commauder of the 

 Cautions Clara, " the bearings of this observation lies in the 

 application on it," or whether the orator's, like the 

 magistrate who bad Mr. Pickwick arrested, ideas come 

 together and knock each others brains out, we leave to 

 our readers' decision. There are no feudal oligarchies in 

 Brazil, unless they exist on the plantations, and we have 

 heard that there the style is rather patriarchal, than feudal. 

 Then comes a magnificent outburst of rhetoric, which 

 recalls the gorgeous geographical vision seen by Little Billee 

 from the fore-top rigging. " Nor can any other explan- 

 ation but that of the purity and justice of our intentions 

 account for the generous and attentive welcome, with 

 which, from the Pacific Ocean to the Mediterranean, 

 from the banks of the Mississippi to those of the Volga, 

 across the most advauced civilization and the most oppos- 

 ing influences, we have been received through the long 

 pilgrimage, hitherto considered fabulous, but now traversed 

 to the advantage and glory of this nation and of those who 

 honorably and worthily work therein." What the welcome 

 was we do not know, unless it was that which met the 

 free coffee at St. Tetersburgh. " Sire," continues the 

 orator, " whatever we may consider tlie value aud merit 

 of the labours we have undertaken in favour of the agri- 

 cultural industry in Brazil ; whatever results of this enter- 

 prize may appear — an enterprise that has achieved over 

 others the merit of being held up as a model aud as an 

 example, nothing can exceed, — in our opinion equal, — the 

 supreme intrinsic value (valia) of the affirmation of prin- 

 ciples, which are in the present and will be still moro 

 in the future, the most ample (amplissima) base 

 upon which the country, which must in the near future 

 represent the marvellous legend of a stupendous and in- 

 comparable wealth, will rise, grow and prosper." "With 

 exchange at 19 3/4 d. and the government trying to cancel 

 interest guarantees, this seems rather crooked. However, 

 we will go on. " This is the synthesis of progress through 

 association. Between the first man who had to carry on 

 his back the first merchandize (it could not have been 

 Eve?) that served for the first barter (No ! it was not Eve) 

 and the superlative easy and cheap means of transport 

 we now possess lies the whole series o"f improvements, which 

 are due to the association of many individuals in behalf 

 of industry in general." Ergo the more commissarids there 

 are, the better wiil be the coffee ; or, to take it another 

 way, the more coffee there is the better will be the com- 

 missarios. "But it does not suffice that these lessons be 

 learnt by those who work and produce. In constituted 

 societies there exist two forces that must advance together; 

 that of the people which has reserved to itself the oblig- 

 ation to produce, and that of the state, which has been 

 charged with the mission of directing. If one, or the other 

 does not faithfully and opportunely perform its attributes, 

 these forces separate ; their impulsive movement is out of 

 harmony; the equilibrium of the entire social mechanism 

 is destroyed." The people have taken upon themselves 

 the obligation to produce coffee (and import maize from 

 the River Plate) and the state must not emancipate the 

 blacks, because that would cause discord in the music of 

 the joint action of the two powers that are present in 

 constituted societies. "We have only to add ; if His Majesty 



took the dose as presented to him by the Centro da La- 

 wura a Commercio at the inauguration of the 4th Coffee 

 Exposition and was not ill after it, the imperial stomach 

 is much stronger than ours; for such a conglomeration 

 of self-praise, bombast and long words, should give any 

 one a fit of indigestion sufficient to last until the inaugur- 

 ation of the 5th Ooffee Exposition, whenever that may be. 

 The Centro is going to exhibit at New Orleans no less than 

 7Uf) different samples of coffee, aud no doubt unlimited hot 

 toffee will be served out all round as at St. Petersburg. 

 Considering that this display of tropical products is called 

 " The World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Expos- 

 tion," and is being held to commemorate the first export- 

 ation of Cotton from the United States, what a satire does 

 this suggest upon the enterprize of Brazil ! It is time the 

 Centro abandoned the narrow sphere of its operations and 

 entered on a wider aud nobler field of action. We quite 

 agree with Sr. Ramalho Ortigao that the present state of 

 agriculture and commerce throughout the empire forces on 

 us the conviction that we are face to face with an intense 

 crisis. But the crisis will not be averted by the legis- 

 lation at which he hinted any more than by the importation 

 of Chinese cheap labour. Facts have to be looked 

 honestly in the face; slavery is doomed to rapid 

 extinction, and free labour and the pequena lavoura have 

 to come to the front together. Vexatious laws have to be 

 repealed, disabilities removed, facilities granted for the 

 purchase and tenure of land, nativismo has to be discouraged, 

 and immigration to be encouraged by every means. Old 

 and destructive systems of cultivation have to be aban- 

 doned, and advantage has to be taken of all that modern 

 science and research have doue for agriculture. Let the 

 Centro use all its great influence to further these ends and 

 it will be rendering a lasting service to the country : nor is it 

 yet too late to adopt the suggestion of the Jornal's New York 

 correspondent, and send some dozen of the most intellig- 

 ent, earnest and inquiring among its members to read, mark, 

 learn and inwardly digest all that is to be seen and learnt 

 at the New Orleans Exposition. All the agricultural eo-o-s 

 have been put into the one basket far too long, and the 

 time has coino for their being distributed elsewhere. We 

 shudder to think what would be the result were such a 

 blight to attack our coffee plantations at the present time, 

 as has already nearly disheartened, the Ceylon planters ! 



THE WEST-INDIES AND PANAMA.— No. 3. 

 Taking the people of Jamaica collectively, I like them. 

 They are as a rule well conducted, contented people, fond of 

 their jokes, impatient of insult aud bad treatment, and often 

 generous and forgiving of injury. 



They are quick to notice the maimers of Europeans and 

 like or dislike a man according to the way he behaves to- 

 wards them ; for instance, when passing a stranger in the 

 jungle or " bush " they say "Good morning" promptly on 

 being met half-way, but, if no sign is made by the stranger 

 he passes on his way and leaves the impression behind him 

 that he hcisgot no manners. When they meet each other it 

 is : " How are you today, my dear ?" " Oh I 'm so-so,' I 

 thank you, my love." "How are you today, my sweet 

 pickaninnie ?" " Pretty well considering ; my daughter ; 

 jogging along nicely, thank you." 



Friday is pay-day; Saturday is market-day. Don't forget 

 that in Jamaica. All the green coconuts, mango, breadfruit 

 soursop and other fruits with tomatoes, pumpkins, beans' 

 peas, skellions and other vegetables available are carried 

 into market on neatly-painted wooden trays by the Jam- 

 aica girls iu their cleanest gowns. On Saturday morn- 

 ings, sticks of chocolate, bottles of honey and other nice 

 things from the villages are exchanged for the more subst- 

 antial items of bread, beef, flour, rum, beer, stout, &c. 



The West Indian lives as well as he can: he likes his 

 grog aud cigar or pipe; meat or fish as often as he can 

 afford it; bananas, yams, coco yams (Caladium esculenta) 

 arc his everyday "staff of life." He dresses himself and 

 wife respectably for church on Sundays, and, if poor aud 

 living in the country, carries his patent leather boots in his 

 hand before and after leaving the town. Of course, if the 

 old woman is with him. she carries both pairs of boots. 



" Have a. glass of my beer, my dear, and help to sup. 

 port the widow." Could you resist that > 



The Cumberland Pen Agricultural Show was a great 



