PKICES OF SVGAB AND COFFEE. 





The exportation of 1814 was 60^- millions of kilogrammes, 

 which we may suppose was at that period nearly the con- 

 sumption of the whole of Europe. Great Britain (taking 

 that denomination in its true sense, as denoting only 

 England and Scotland), now consumes nearly two-thirds 

 less coffee, and three times more sugar than France. 



The price of sugar at the Havannah is always by the 

 arroba of 25 Spanish pounds (or 11'49 kilogrammes), and 

 the price of coffee by the quintal (or 45 '97 kilogrammes). 

 The latter has been known to vary from 4 to 30 piastres ; 

 it even fell, in 1808, below 24 reals. ' The price of 18.15 

 and 1819 was between 13 and 17 piastres the quintal; 

 coffee is now at 12 piastres. It is probable that the cul-' 

 tivation of coffee scarcely employs in the whole island of 

 Cuba 28,000 slaves, who produce, on the yearly average, 

 305,000 Spanish quintals (14 millions of kilogrammes), or, 

 according to the present value, 3,660,000 piastres ; while 

 66,000 negroes produce 440,000 cases (81 millions of kilo- 

 grammes) of sugar, which, at the price of 24 piastres, is 

 worth 10,560,000 piastres. It results from this calcula- 

 tion, that a slave now produces the value of 130 piastres of 

 coffee, and 160 piastres of sugar. It is almost useless to 

 observe, that these relations vary with the price of the 

 two articles, of which the variations are often opposite, and 

 that, in calculations which may throw some light on agri- 

 culture in the tropical region, I comprehend in the same 

 point of view, interior consumption, exportation lawful and 

 contraband. 



TOBACCO. The tobacco of the island of Cuba is cele- 

 "brated throughout Europe. The custom of smoking, bor- 

 rowed from the natives of Hayti, was introduced into 

 Europe about the end of the sixteenth and beginning of the 

 seventeenth century. It was generally hoped that the 

 cultivation of tobacco, freed from an oppressive monopoly, 

 would be to the Havannah a very profitable object of com- 

 merce. The good intentions displayed by the government 

 in abolishing, within six years, the Factoria de tabacos, 



kilogrammes); in 1809, it rose to 45,071 cwt.; in 1810, to 49,147 

 cwt. ; in 1823, to 71,000 cwt. ; in 1824, to 66,000 cwt. (or 3,552,800 

 inlogramtaes.) 



