After the Storm in St. Vincent. 281 
whilst we have ere6ted our works, and shall complete 
every other building with our own tradesmen alone, 
without hiring one stranger, carpenter, blacksmith, or 
mason. Our principal expense in cash will be for the 
materials, wood, lime, tiles and iron, and the increased 
supply of provisions procured for the negroes. Our 
principal fields and sugar works being at Grand Sable, 
our first attention was directed to them, and by very 
great and continued exertions those works were so far 
completed by the 28th of November, that we commenced 
cutting canes on that day and grinding and boiling on 
the 30th. It was a most anxious time, for from the 
injury the canes we were cutting had suffered during 
the hurricane, and their progressive deterioration every 
week by remaining on the ground so long, we antici- 
pated from our early canes nothing but molasses. As 
the liquor advanced from copper to copper, seven in 
number, we watched its progress with an anxious eye ; it 
at last reached the teach or last copper, where its boil- 
ing is completed and from whence it is struck into the 
coolers. All our neighbours were anxious to know the 
result as we were the first to commence crop, for on our 
fate depended their own. What will it turn to? Molasses 
only I fear. Now it looks better — it will surely gran- 
ulate ! It is struck into the cooler, as the heat lessens it 
assumes more consistency, — the grains become visible — 
it is sugar! Then as to its quality ; (when removed from 
the cooler and packed in the hogshead, where it parts 
with the molasses and is cured ready for shipping) that is 
far better than we calculated upon ; and as we advanced 
in our crops it grew better and better, up to the present 
time (April) at which period we are actually making 
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