52 SUGAR 



to the high price which the Sister Colony has been 

 willing to give for Demerara crystals ; but the Mother 

 Country has kept her name on the list of customers, 

 and I am sure all of you are hoping that she may 

 always do so. 



The boats used for the local transport trade are of 

 three kinds : the lighter ; the plebeian punt, which has 

 to be impelled by those formidable-looking oars known 

 as " sweeps "; and the aristocratic punt, which glides 

 majestically along under canvas. 



The transport boats offer many attractions from the 

 picturesque standpoint. The barbaric taste of the 

 wherryman the wide world over is displayed in gaily 

 painted details, such as orange and red rudders, scarlet 

 and blue water-barrels. The costumes of the darkie 

 crews are often a combination of quaint oddments, that 

 cannot be outrivalled by the most fascinating fancy- 

 dress of the Italian peasant, or the merriest rags of 

 the Spanish beggar. 



But amongst all the alluring charms of the sugar- 

 boats, I think you will agree with me that, through the 

 medium of a fantastic, labour-saving device which has 

 been invented by the wherrymen, the rowing-punts 

 have been endowed with the supreme power of amuse- 

 ment. To " sweep " these boats down to the harbour 

 with the tide is a comparatively easy task, but the up- 

 stream, return journey to the estates, even though the 

 cargo has been discharged, calls for very hard work if 

 manual labour be the motive power. Moreover, 

 jealousy arising from the sailor-man's natural pride 

 in his own boat has inspired the crews of the rowing- 

 punts with a desire to make their craft as efficient as 

 the sailing-punts. Hence, the sweeper-crews, when 



