71 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 2 



facturers of indigenous sugar, which none but im- 

 mense fortunes could endure, and created, again, 

 llie belief that the manulacture of ihe jject-sugar 

 could never come in competition with the colonial. 



This might have been the final catastrophe of 

 the manufacture of the beet-sugar, had it not been 

 lor the etibrls made to revive it again by some 

 wealthy and enlightened manufacturers. 



These efforts, however, did not arise entirely 

 from the patriotic desire to promote the welfare of 

 France, (as now pretended,) but partly to prevent 

 the loss of immense capitals invested in build- 

 ings, apparatus, liirms, &c. Moreover, the man- 

 ufiicturers knew there was yet five or six per cent, 

 more to gain by an improved operation. 



This it was that gave a new start to this favo- 

 rite branch of industry; and chemistry, particu- 

 larly adapted to improve the art and manulacture, 

 assisted in simplifying the process, and discovered 

 the mode of reviving animal charcoal so as to ad- 

 mit of its being repeatedly used, while the im- 

 proved apparatus helped to economize labor and 

 fuel; and all this, combined with a wonderful per- 

 severance, reduced the expenses of the fabrica- 

 tion, and enabled the old establishments to conti- 

 nue in operation, even when the price of colonial 

 sugar was very low. This created confidence ana 

 a rapid increase of establishments. 



The cultivation of the beet has had the most 

 beneficial influence on agriculture; as, in the last 

 year, more than eighty thousand acres of land 

 were planted in beet, producing about one million 

 of tone of this root; and, as generally rotations 

 of four crops are adopted, it brought at least three 

 million two hundred thousand acres of land under 

 the highest cultivation. 



The following table shows the rapid increase of 

 the manufactories, and the quantity produced, in 

 France. 

 In 1828 there were 103 manufactories, which 



Beet-sugar. 



produced 100,000 cwt. 



1831 200 220,000 



1836 643 950,000 



1837 600 1,000,000 

 Or 20,000 tons of beet-sugar. 



The manufacture of indigenous sugar did not 

 affect the demand for colonial sugar, as the con- 

 sumption continually increased until the year 

 1836, as appears by a table from (he Journal of 

 Conmierce of 1836, viz: 



In Consump. of colon, sugar. Con. of beet-sugar. 



18-5 61,255,232 fi-. 4,000,000 fi-. 



1831 67,542,792 10,000,000 



1832 62,069,638 15,000,000 

 1835 69,000,000 30,000,000 



But, in the year 1336, France imported only 

 75,120 tons of colonial sugar — a diininulion ol 

 15,630 tons in one year; a quantum too large not 

 to alarm the proprietors of the sugar plantations 

 in the French colonies, and particularly in JMar- 

 tiiiique, who looked, some years ago, with an 

 ironical smile at the beet-sugar manuiiiciurer. 

 They, who have ridiculed and caricatured every 

 improvement in this branch of industry, felt them- 

 selves forced to send, in 1835, Baron de Cools, 

 with the following proposition of the French go- 

 vernment, viz: demanding — 



1. Diminution of (he duties upon French colo- 

 nial sugar of 50 per cent., and a proportional re- 

 luction of duties upon the foreign colonial sugar. 



2. The permission (o export the colonial sugar 

 direct to a foreign market. 



3. A careflil examination and investigation how 

 the French colonial and beet-sugar nianufjxctories 

 can be equally taxed. 



The latest news from France states that the 

 government came, finally, (o the conclusion of an 

 equal taxation upon the indigenous and colonial 

 sugar, as may be seen from the following extract 

 from a New York paper, (Morning Courier and 

 New York Enquirer of December 18, 1838,) 

 dated 



[By tlie Ville de Lyons] 



Paris, October 30, 1838. 



"A branch of industry, (the offspring of neces- 

 sity under the empire,) the production of sugar 

 from beet-root, has engaged much attention in 

 France, and has been carried on with success, and 

 to a vast ex(ent. The natural consequence has 

 been, that sugar, the produce of the French colo- 

 nies, which is burdened with a very large duty on 

 importation into France, loas beaten out of the 

 market. Appeals were made by (he suffering 

 colonists to the government, repeatedly, repre- 

 senting (he dis(ress in(o which (hey had fallen 

 from this circumstance ; the irremediable ruin (hat 

 would necessarily fiill upon them if the present 

 tariff were maintained, and soliciting relief. After 

 a variety of expedients to evade a decision on the 

 point, the government has just come to (he reso- 

 lution of proposing to the chambers, (which are 

 to meet on the 21th December,) to reduce the 

 import duty on colonial sugar by 8^ francs per 

 cwt., which, with a precisely similar excise duty 

 levied on (he beet-root, or home-grown sugar, 

 will, the}' say, sufTIce to re-open the market to the 

 colonies." 



Such is the state and results of the indigenous 

 sugar mnufacture in France. 



What is the progress of this branch of industry 

 in the other parts of Europe ? 



England, (the mother of colonies,) which waa 

 very much prejudiced against (he manufacture of 

 indigenous sugar, seems to see, in the adoption 

 of it, the only means of improving the physical 

 and moral condition of man in her colonies ; and 

 she has already overcome some of her prejudices, 

 and has begun to establish manufactories. The 

 following article, taken from the London Mechan- 

 ics' Mugazine of 18.36, (No. 169,) wiU show its 

 progress : 



" A refinery of sugar from the beet-root is be- 

 ing erected at Thames Bank, Chelsea, which, it 

 is expected, will be in operation in about six 

 weeks. In the vicinity of the metropolis, during 

 ihe past summer, a great many acres of land have 

 been put into cultivation with the root, at Wands- 

 worth and other places. The machinery will be 

 principally on the plans of the vacuum-pans, and 

 a pure refined sugar will be produced from the 

 juice by the first process of evaporation, affer it 

 has simply undergone the process of discoloriza- 

 lion. Another part of the premises is appropria- 

 ted to the manufacture of coarse brown paper from 

 the refuse, for which it is extensively used in 

 France. In case the govcrment do not interfere, 

 and, by rendering the product excisable, retard or 

 prohibit its manulacture, several individuals have 

 it in contemplation to establish refineries in differ- 

 ent partsofihe kingdom for purifying sugar, which 

 may be produced in agricultural districts for do- 



