942 | Demerara. [ December, 
Coolies, negroes and Chinamen, perform the labor. Dozens of 
working-men and women may be seen cutting the cane, and trans- 
ferring it to iron punts on the small canals. By way of the latter, 
the sugar-house is reached and the extraction of cane-juice begins. 
Machinery of ponderous dimensions, is employed to crush the 
cane, and the juice resulting therefrom undergoes the usual pro- 
cess of boiling. Evaporation of moisture at the right time is an 
important item in the manufacture of sugar, and much ingenuity 
as well as money has been expended in producing the most 
satisfactory appliances for this purpose. Without entering into 
details it may be stated that the sugars of Demerara are prepared 
under exceptionally favorable auspices. Excellent workmen, 
carefully trained by their superiors, the supervision of expert 
chemists, and the deep interest taken by all in the production of 
this staple, ensure an article which need rank second to none. 
The interior of a sugar-house shows a motley assemblage: 
negroes and coolies chanting their monotonous song, attend to — 
the feeding of the crusher. Dark figures almost naked, flit 
through the clouds of steam rising from the boiling pans. What 
with the noise from machinery, the weird half-light and the impish 
looking creatures stirring the boiling masses, a vision of the Lnfer- 
no is readily suggested. 
For this colonial industry the influx of East Indian coolies has 
proved a blessing. The matter has received due attention from 
the British Government, and the immigration of these people, as 
well as their subsequent stay is admirably managed. Estate 
_ Owners are obliged to provide them with suitable habitations and 
the necessaries of life, besides paying stipulated wages. Hospita 
are established on the premises, and resident physicians have 
charge of patients. In every way the workmen and their fami- 
lies are satisfactorily cared for. Often they even prefer to remain 
after the five years of their contracted time have expired. Shoul 
_ any occasion for complaint arise, there is at handa special bureat 
created for this purpose, and causes of abuse are removed with 
rigorous justice. Upon departure from the scene of his serv’ 
tude the coolie has guaranteed to him the passage to his own 
home, and the few hundreds of dollars which he has saved by 
economizing, enable him to live in comparative comfort and eas 
among his countrymen. oe es 
__ A coolie village is an attractive sight, Trim huts, placed with! 
