652 Two Days in a Sugar Plantation. 
sired result at the expense of the strength of the cell. The 
lustrous coat of the cell is also largely dissolved, for coa- 
gulated albumen is converted into soluble at that heat 
with moisture. We cannot, therefore, recognise in this 
agent the desired means for treating these fibres. 
It may be reasonably asked whether it is not impossible 
to prepare these fibres without loss of some of their 
qualities, which are desired to be retained, and especially 
whether every fibre would not require individual treat- 
ment. In this the answer is, that as Nature deposits all 
the substances from a solution, and some are earlier soli- 
dified than others, there can be little doubt, that by art the 
process may be reversed, and some substances removed by 
means perfectly innocuous to others, and that though it 
would be absurd to expect any one agent to be effective 
with all fibres, yet, from the uniform classes of matter pre- 
sent in all, we may expect, that when these substances 
become thoroughly defined, some process will be proved 
reliably available for all the exogens, and possibly for some 
individual fibres of the endogens, which, whilst removing 
these matters, will leave the cellulin in a perfectly pure, 
soft, and brilliant state. The writer trusts, at a future day, 
to make public the results of investigations, which promise 
fair to become a key to many of the difficulties hitherto 
unsurmounted, hoping, that in the interim, other minds 
will be awakened to thought on the subject, by suggestions 
thrown out in this Inquiry. 
Foots Cray Mills, S.E., June 24th, 1867. 
TWO DAYS IN A SUGAR PLANTATION. 
By JAMES SKIRVING. 
(Concluded from page 578.) 
HE negroes having been roused to their several duties 
as described in our last article, the sugar which is in 
the coolers requires to be potted. For this purpose hogs- 
heads, already prepared by having their bottoms perfo- 
rated in three or four places, through which holes plantain 
stalks are inserted to enable the molasses to drain more 
freely from the sugar, are placed in the curing house, which 
is a place constructed with sides like a ship, at the foot of 
