After the Storm in St. Vincent. 277 
evenings and at night, when we could not recognise 
their features, and they were soon hidden and lost 
among the lofty and thickly-set canes. As soon as the 
Negro provision grounds were cleared and re-planted, 
and as many houses erected as we could procure thatch 
for, (the hurricane having destroyed that upon the canes) 
so as to allow room for one or two families to occupy 
each cottagej we left five of the carpenters to continue 
to rebuild the remainder as fast as materials could be 
procured, and we turned our attention to our own resi- 
dences, sugar works and fallen canes. Vegetation in this 
country is so rapid that the canes and fruit trees soon 
began to assume their usual livery of green, and appa- 
rently to the unpractised eye to recover rapidly from 
the effects of the storm. In many instances, however, 
this was only an appearance, for those which looked 
flourishing at a distance, on a nearer and closer inspec- 
tion were found to be withering and rotting on the 
stalks, sprouting at the eyes, or taking root where they 
had fallen, all which contribute not only to diminish the 
quantity but seriously to deteriorate from the quality of 
the juice. Some were so much injured that they could 
not be raised up at all without snapping off, others that 
would admit of it were gently supported, stripped, 
weeded and bedded with trash, and the later canes 
which were not so high at the time all weeded, hoed up 
and maniired. This was the occupation of several 
months, as great care was required in their injured state, 
and a profusion of weeds was threatening to grow 
through them as in the case of laid wheat in England. 
In the meantime our jobbers were employed in remov- 
ing the fallen trees and rubbish, collecting the scattered 
