“ LINES.” 
The principle is an old well-established one, and 
we may yet live to see the day when, in talking or 
writing of stores and pulping-houses, this heading 
will include another item, ana will be written thus : 
“ Stores, pulping-houses and drying-sheds.” What do 
some of my old planting friends think of this “no- 
tion ” ? The very wet crop seasons which have of 
late prevailed should have some effect in turning the 
attention of planters to the subject, especially during 
present high prices, when so much attention is given 
by purchasers to colour. Coffee must deteriorate in 
colour, hj being kept for clays, often weeks, quite 
wet. In niy own experience, coffee always presented 
the finest colour, the colour highest in estimation by 
the London broker, wdien it was taken straight from 
the washing cistern, out to the mats, exposed to the 
sun, and dried thoroughly, so that the parchment 
cracked, and the silver skin became started and quite 
loose ; but, as we cannot command sunshine, we must 
try a substitute, and that substitute I herewith re- 
spectfully submit to the consideration and discussion 
of my planting friends. 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
Why Cooly Habitations are called “ Lines.” 
Why is house accommodation for cnolies called 
“ lines ” ? What is the original definition of the word t 
We never exactly knew how it was first designated 
by this term, only, from the earliest planting days up 
to the present time, such has it been called, and I 
suppose most planters, if asked the question, would 
feel somewhat at a loss for a definite and prompt re- 
ply. In the times of which we write, any sort of 
iiouse accommodation was considered good enough for 
a cooly, and they never complained : very diti'erent 
from present times, for how often is the excuse now- 
preferred, for men uot proceeding to an estate, that, 
the “ lines ” are bad, although w’^e have a tolerable 
correct idea, that, when an excuse of this sort is of- 
fered, it is merely coolv politeness, and, were they 
to speak the truth, that truth would he either that they 
did not like the locality of the estate, or some con- 
tingent probability of hard work in new clearings ; 
possibly the master himself was no favourite. In fact 
“ The lines were bad ” was a very convenient excuse 
and just simply meant to infer that for some or an- 
other known only to themselves, or which they wished 
to keep to themselves, they would not engage on the 
estate. They are not singular in this respect. Many 
