A natuealist’s eamble in guernsey. 151 
St. Brieux, Cherbourg, and Binic. Manufactured goods come 
from England ; coal from the Xortli. Here we have the 
apparent anomaly of a place exporting and importing the same 
articles. But the potatoes exported are early produce, raised in 
greenhouses and the open fields, and exported before Midsummer, 
while those imported arrive in November and subsequent months, 
and are purchased at a quarter of the rate received for those 
exported. There is a great demand for the island cattle for 
daily purposes, both in England and America; a herd was 
recently forwarded to the latter country by the Great Western 
Steamship Company — Guernsey cows being a branch of the 
famed Alderney breed, but excelling in size and equalling in 
yield of milk the Jersey stock. Alderney itself hardly exports a 
score in a year. Bullocks have to he imported from France and 
Spain, and mutton from England. Increasing attention is being 
given every year to market-gardening, the orchards producing 
the cider, for which the island was formerly noted, are being 
rooted up. Small vegetables become in their season important 
articles of export, asparagus and radishes — more than 1000 
packages of these latter were exported in the week ending 
March 19, 1881 — even parcels of groundsel have paid well for 
carriage to London. 
The country people live very frugally, cabbage soup, “ soup 
a la graisse,” is one of the common dishes. The farms are 
generally cultivated by the owners with very little hired help. 
I he successful result of the island trade is shown in the wealth 
of the inhabitants. Besides the value of landed estate and 
house property, there are £240,000 in the Guernsey Savings 
Bank, about £230,000 invested with the States at 3 per cent., 
all local capital, large amounts are invested in shipping, and 
there is an unusually large proportion of English and foreign 
bondholders. The monetary system is most confusing : the 
silver currency is French, francs, half-francs, five-francs, &c. ; 
