17G THE TROriCAL WORLD. 



opened a new world to commerce. As early as the year 1506 

 the sugar-cane was transplanted from the Canary Islands to 

 Hispaniola, where its culture, favoured by the fertility of a 

 virgin soil and the heat of a tropical sun, was soon found to be 

 so profitable that it became the chief occupation of the Euro- 

 pean settlers. The Portuguese, in their turn, conveyed the 

 cane to Brazil ; from Hispaniola it spread over the other West 

 Indian Islands ; thence wandered to the Spanish main, and 

 followed Pedrarias and Pizarro to the shores of the Pacific. 

 Unfortunately, a dark shade obsciu-es its triumphal march, as its 

 cultivation was the chief cause which entailed the curse of 

 negro slavery on some of the fairest regions of the globe. 



Towards the middle of the last century, the Chinese or 

 Oriental sugar-cane had thus multiplied to an amazing extent 

 over both hemispheres, when the introduction of the Tahitian 

 variety, which was found to attain a statelier growth, to contain 

 more sugar, and to ripen in a shorter time, began to dispossess 

 it of its old domains. This new and superior plant is now uni- 

 versally cultivated in all the sugar-growing European colonies ; 

 and if Cook's voyages had produced no other benefit than 

 making the world acquainted with the Tahitian sugar-cane, they 

 would for this alone deserve to be reckoned by the political 

 economist among the most successful and important ever per- 

 formed by man. 



The sugar-cane bears a great resemblance to the common 

 reed, but the blossom is different. It has a knotty stalk, 

 frequently rising to the height of fourteen feet, and produces at 

 each joint a long, pointed, and sharply serrated leaf or blade. 

 The joints in one stalk are from forty to sixty in number, and 

 the stalks rising from one root are sometimes very numerous. 

 A field of canes, when agitated by a light breeze, affords one of 

 the most pleasing sights, particularly when, towards the period 

 of their maturity, the golden plants appear crowned with plumes 

 of silvery feathers, delicately fringed with a lilac dye. 



The sugar-cane is liable to be destroyed by many enemies. 

 Sometimes herds of monkeys come down from the mountains by 

 night, and having posted sentinels to give the alarm if anything 

 approaches, destroy incredible quantities of the cane by their 

 gambols as well as their greediness. Il is in vain to set traps 

 for these creatures, hovrever baited ; and the only way to 



