No. 2. 



St. Domingo. — Ventilation in the Cheese room. 



51 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 St. Domingo. 



Mr. Editor, — The present condition of 

 the island of St. Domingo, or Hayti, pre- 

 sents an interesting theme for philanthropic 

 reflection. Its history for the next few 

 years, will go far to determine whether 

 those of the African race, when lefl to them- 

 selves, are capable of establishing and car- 

 rying on a government founded on justice 

 and equality. Hitherto, the failure there 

 has been charged to the demagogueism of 

 their rulers. The voice of the people has 

 overthrown these, and present prospects in- 

 dicate the foundation of institutions analo- 

 gous to our own. 



Having visited a number of the Haytian 

 ports the present season, and some time sub 

 sequent to Boyer's fall, it has occurred to 

 me, that a brief reference to my personal 

 observations, although necessarily superfi- 

 cial, from my connection with a cruizing 

 ship, might not be without interest to some 

 of your readers. 



Regarding agriculture as the fountain 

 head of national prosperity, my attention 

 was first directed to its condition on the is- 

 land. It required but the slightest view to 

 satisfy me, that this important interest had 

 for many years, been constantly retrograde. 

 The immense sugar estates, which under 

 the French domination, supplied more .sugar 

 than most of the West India islands toge- 

 ther, now only furnish sufficient treacle for 

 the consumption of the inhabitants. The 

 e.xpensive and perfect appliances for the 

 manufacture of the cane, are no longer in 

 use. The number of coffee trees has greatly 

 diminished, and now 50,000,000 pounds of 

 the berry only, are sent to market. Mahoga- 

 ny and lignum vitae, requiring no human aid, 

 still grow there, and together with coffee 

 and a few hides, constitute well nigh their 

 sole products. Cotton might be raised with 

 facility, but it is entirely neglected, even 

 for home use. The vicinities of their most 

 populous towns are meagerly cultivated 

 with such vegetables and grasses as find a 

 ready market: the inhabitants, to all ap- 

 pearances, preferring indolence and a ban- 

 ana, to all the luxuries that a little industry 

 would readily afford them. Immense tracts 

 of the most fertile land, including sugar 

 plantations, v/ith all their costly apparatus, 

 can be bought for a mere song. 



I am not prepared to charge this melan- 

 choly state of afl^airs entirely to the innate 

 indolence of the African race, although 

 there can be little doubt that Anglo-Saxons 

 would have managed things better. The 

 policy of rulers hitherto, has been directly 



opposed to any thing like improvement. 

 Placing no reliance upon the affections of 

 the people, the late President has, in order 

 to maintain his authority, appropriated the 

 treasure and industry of the nation to the 

 support of an immense standing aruiy. This 

 army has for many years, been so excessive, 

 as to withdraw from the pursuits of agricul- 

 ture, all capable of bearing arms. The cul- 

 tivation of the soil has thus been left to the 

 aged, and to women and children. 



The absence of the ordinary comforts of 

 life, has at length begotten an iiidifi"erence 

 to them, and now that the large military 

 force is disbanded, the late soldier promises 

 to make any thing else than a useful citizen. 

 The views of those who now direct public 

 opinion, are certainly liberal and patriotic, 

 Men will, most probably, be placed at the 

 head of government, who will exercise a 

 sound judgment in correcting former errors. 

 Their success remains to be seen. 



A general feeling exists to encourage 

 emigration. The island is sparsely popu- 

 lated ; nothing would contribute more to its 

 speedy regeneration, than an influx of a few 

 hundred thousand of the proper kind of em- 

 igrants. Whether the free coloured popu- 

 lation of our country would do them any 

 good, is doubtful; but as far as those v/ho 

 wish to emigrate are themselves concerned, 

 I am free to confess my honest conviction, 

 that they Vi^ould be infinitely better off 

 there, than seeking an asylum on the pes- 

 tiferous shores of Africa. The soil is more 

 fertile and the climate more healthy. They 

 would enjoy greater facilities in amassing 

 property, and the government will probably 

 be strong enough to protect their rights. 



J. A. L. 



U. S. Ship , Aug. 17th, 1843. 



Ventilation in the Cheese room. 



Mr. Livesey, in the Preston Chronicle, 

 contends strongly for a plentiful supply of 

 pure air where cheese is kept. He says full 

 one half of the cheese, last summer, was 

 very much faded and strong flavoured, and 

 had to be sold at a reduced price ; in many 

 instances, so much as 10 per cent, below the 

 price of a good article. Although there are 

 other causes which produce these eff^ects, I 

 have no doubt the chief cause was keeping 

 them in close, small, confined rooms. I 

 scarcely ever go into a cheese room, but I 

 find both the door and window closed ; and 

 when these rooms are filled with cheese, the 

 air is so bad and polluted, as almost to be 

 sufiBcating. My first effort is, generally, to 

 get the window open ; but in this I am often 

 frustrated, for I find it cither without any 

 opening, or nailed up; and in many cases 



