36 The Cultivation of the Sugar- Cane. 



there is rejoicing among the children of the heathen. One of their first 

 acts of gladness is to place a large bouquet of tiowers upon the tomb of 

 the sleeping lovers, Paul and Virginia, whose simple, touching history 

 has fonnd an echo and a syrapathj even in the hearts of those unlettered 

 people. 



The taking in of the sugar crop is a most bustling scene. Every one 

 capable of assisting in any way turns out to lend a lielping hand, for 

 there is work for all. The huge canes towering above the tallest of the 

 coolies, stagger and fall before the short sharp click of the Malabar bill- 

 hook. The ground is heaped up with them, whilst parties of men and 

 women are engaged making them up in bundles for removal to the mill. 

 The tops being cut off, they are taken from the ground in bullock or mule 

 carts, and at once passed into the crushing mill. 



There an equally busy, though very difl'orent scene presents itself. 

 Beneath a wide and lofty roof a pile of dark iron machinery stands, wav- 

 ing its long arms, and twisting its terrible-looking limbs, and rushing 

 round with its heavy wheels, as though it w^ere afraid of being too late 

 for something, without quite knowing what. The cart-loads of beautiful 

 canes are piled in regular heaps before this Goliath of a machine, whilst 

 a party of men and boys are busily engaged feeding the liungry monster 

 with avmfuls of them. The bright, smooth, clean canes are passed be- 

 tween the Ectal jaws of the insatiable creature, and lo ! on the other side, 

 they fall down a confused and ugly mass of crushed and broken fibre and 

 wood, while a pale stream of juice flows from the relentless iron jaws, and, 

 rushing down a narrow channel, is lost to sight amidst a chaos of wheels, 

 and pistons, and other dreadful dark-looking apparatus. 



Next to this noisy, steamy, smoky place, is a long range of neat, or- 

 derly buildings, that appear as though they never had been in the least 

 dirty, and didn't mean to be, come what might. There are no windows 

 to it ; but bless me ! what a number of wide, open doors. A delightful 

 breeze floats through the place ; there is a decidedly warmish feel ; but 

 it is softened by the breeze, which brings in its company a number of 

 pleasant perfumes from orange groves and rose apples, and citron trees, 

 that one rather prefers it- 



But if the outside be clean and neat, how much more so is the interior ? 

 "Why, there never was such a place, to be sure, except in the Hotel de 

 Ville, at Paris, or Victoria's castle at Windsor. There are huge bright 

 shining copper stew pans, large enough to boil soup for the whole unions 

 of the United States; and coolers, and vats, and cisterns, capacious 



