96 



THE PLANTER AND HOME MERCHANT. 



with a mercantile house in London, Liverpool, Bristol or 

 Glasgow. He usually stipulates for an advance on his crops, 

 usually from £3,000 to £4,000 for every 100 hogsheads 

 of sugar which the plantation can be relied on to produce. 

 To secure these advances, the planter always gives a mort- 

 gage, which is renewed from year to year, and binds him- 

 self to send his crops to the commission house, allowing it 

 full mercantile commissions. The regular commissions 

 are 2| per cent, on the amount of sugar sold, and of 

 plantation stores sent out, adding one-half per cent, on all 

 insurance effected. 



The sale" of West India articles takes place through the 

 medium of produce brokers, who, in London, reside chiefly 

 in Mincing lane and Tower street. Samples of sugar and 

 rum are on show in their respective sale rooms, four 

 days of the week, from 1 1 to 1 o'clock ; during which 

 time the sugar refiners and dealers call, observe the market 

 and make their purchases. The sales are usually made on 

 short credit ; one month usually for coffee and rum, and 

 two months for sugar. Coffee is usually sold at auction ; 

 sugar and rum at private sale ; and all by sample. 



The shipment of stores is briefly as follows : The mer- 

 chant in England receives from the planters, in the autumn 

 of each year, a list of the articles required for the estate 

 or estates upon which he holds his lien ; these lists they 

 divide, arrange and distribute among different wholesale 



