82 TIMEHRI. 
pared with the plant of such an estate as Diamond and 
Nonpariel to-day. ‘The very faé that perfeétion in sugar 
making has been the goal of the planter for many years 
past will make the downfall all the greater. Those capital- 
ists who have lost on sugar are not likely, even if they had 
the money, to try another investment in coffee, which 
might be ruined if Brazil chose to adopt a bounty system. 
What then can be done? Let the colony gd to ruin or 
give it a little assistance? The free trade principle is 
undoubtedly right in theory, but can one country adopt 
it indiscriminately while others all round are bolstering 
up their industries to be able to compete with the free 
traders? It is an old adage that there is no rule without 
exception, and we believe that the present crisis of the 
sugar colonies indicates a condition which makes a 
measure of prote€tion desirable to save them from im- 
pending ruin. The British voter, no doubt, cares little 
or nothing for the West Indian, as long as he gets cheap 
sugar, and anything that will raise the price of that neces- 
sary article will naturally be opposed. If the British 
Government however would only relax the free-trade 
principle little, to save the sugar colonies from.perishing, 
we believe that a bounty could be given without difficulty. 
In round numbers the imports of sugar into the United 
Kingdom amount to about one and a half million 
tons per annum, of which supply we may credit the 
British Colonies with one-fourth. Now, to prevent diffi- 
culties in conne&tion with commercial treaties it would 
be necessary, were a duty imposed at all, that it be unti- 
form, and we would suggest that eightpence per hundred- 
weight be imposed for the purpose of raising the fund 
necessary to give the sugar colonies a bounty. This im- 
