SUGAR CANE. 207 



height of seven feet.' When in full blossom its 

 appearance is beautiful, and when growing to a con- 

 siderable extent, it presents a striking feature in 

 transatlantic scenery. It is, when ripe, of a bright 

 and golden yellow; streaked occasionally with red; 

 the top is of a darkish green, and when perfectly 

 dry, either from drought or ripeness, it turns to a 

 russet yellow. Long and narrow leaves gracefully 

 depend on either side, from the centre of which 

 shoots up a shaft resembling a silver wand, from 

 two to six feet in height, and surmounted with a 

 plume of white feathers, delicately tinged with lilac. 

 Such is the beautiful saccharum, to the juice of 

 which we are so much indebted. It is undoubtedly 

 a native of America, and the West India islands; 

 though the art of refining sugar was first made 

 known to the Europeans by a Venetian, who is said 

 to have received one hundred thousand crowns for 

 the discovery. This discovery was made before 

 the new world was explored, but whether the art of 

 refining sugar was original with the Venetian, or 

 whether it was conveyed from China, where it had 

 been long practised, cannot now be ascertained. 

 Certain it is that the prevailing opinion respecting 

 the sugar cane having been first brought from China 

 into Sicily, and thence to Spain, to the Madeiras, the 

 Canary, and Cape de Verd islands; and having been 

 carried afterwards by adventurers to America, is 

 without foundation. Labat has proved beyond all 

 contradiction, and the learned Lafitau pronounced 

 his reasoning incontrovertible, that sugar canes are 

 the natural productions of America. For in addition 

 to the evidence of Francis Ximenes, who, in a treatise 



