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Miscellany: Two Months On A Sugar Plantation In Cuba

Miscellany: Two Months On A Sugar Plantation In Cuba image
Parent Issue
Day
5
Month
September
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

On approaching. thie estáte, I ascended a hil), from vvhicli I saw at one glance the whole plantation; the sngar-house, purffinghouee, ncgro-honses, and dwellings of the white people, ond persons emplnyed in erecting buildings, Sec. fee, in the luidst ofa rich and luxuriant eane field, surrounded by hills and an immense forest, wilh here and there a little rivulet, and a roynl pnlm iree to wering to the Bkie6: the negroes on the left tumbling trees, rnd on the right burning and clearing the grounds of those that had been cut previously and become dry, presented Bcenery, life and activity that were to me new, grand and imposing. It filled my heart with mingled feelmgs of" delight and pity. This estáte is new, and has been commenced only years. The lands, buildings, and machinery, are of such extent ae will allow the proprietor to increase the number of the negroes to three or four hundred; he now has about one hundred. The land is rolling, with a few lirnestone scatteied upon its surface: the eoil is rich and black, and about eighteen inclies deep. This kfnd of soil is considered best for the production of cane. Cane rnore nearly resembles corn than any other plant produced at the Nortb. ít has no seed like corn, nor any lenf on the stalk, ejecept at the top. The stalk is about one and a half inches in diameter, and from 6 to 12 feet long. lts root is not sufficienily strong to keep it in aa erect position; it therefore falls down and fies upon the ground, the end and leaves turning upward six or eight feet. Pieces of stalk containing three or four joints, and about one foot long, are planted in the ground, about four feet apart one way, and one foot the other, the ground having first been dug or ploughed up with the breaking-up hoe, It is not necessary to replant ofteuer than once in eight or ton years, nor to do any thing to the land except to cut up the weeds in the spring, which is done with a machett- a kind of knife about twelve inches long, three inches wide at the end, and two at the handle. In eighteen or twenty months the first erop is gathered; after this, it must be cut once in about twelve months, commencing'in December, and continuing until the rainy season, which comrnences about the middle of May. It is cut with the machett, in pieces about four feet long, hauled to the mili with oxen, and ground by W running bet ween three iron rollers, which are turned by a steam engine ofa power equal to, thirty horses. The juico is conducted from the mili in a wooden canal to the train, which is composed of four kettles, calculated to contain about five hundred gallons each, set in a row, with a fire burning under the whole rnnge, so that they will all boil at one time. In this manner cane juice is reduced to sugar, taking about four and a half cords of cane to make seven hundred gallons of juice to ons box of four hundred pounds, end thirtyJons of molassos, and one acre ofcane to produce five boxes. This estáte makes about tliirteen hnndred boxes the present year. When the juice is boiled down sufficiently, it is taken from out. of the kettle, the onc at the end, over the fire, nnd put intö a large trough, and then vioiently agilated, for the purpose ofgraining it, until it becomes nearly cold. From this trough it is put into cónica] pots, or pans, made of tin or c'.ay, holding about five gallons each and btirned These pots are taken to the purging house, and eet as near together as possible, in places prepared for them, witji tiie lip of the cone downward. The top of the pot is then covered over with clay, and is alloved to stand aboul three weeks, ar'd purge. This is to allow the molasses to run offthroiigh the small hole in the bottom. It is then taK-en out of the pan, and the top, which is white nbout haif-way down, broken off, and put into dryers that are put upon rollers, so that theycan eaáily be exposed to the sun in the day time, and run under cover in the nieht.A f ter i t is dry, it is taken from the dryers, broken up, and put into boxes of about four hundred pounds each, and sent to Havana. - This kind of sugar is called Havana white.-- The otlier part, after laking offtwo or three inches of the small end, is put by itself and dried, put into boxes, and sent to Havana, the same as the other, and is known by the name of Havana brown sugar. There are, in all, ten buildings on this estate. The one of the most importance is the stigar house. Nothing could be done without if. It is one hundred and thirty feet wido, witii a tiled roof. ín jt are situated the sugar mili and steam engine for grindin, and the train for boiliniL. There i& novv bul one train, but room for three more. On the sides are apartments for the administrator of the estáte, clerk, mayoral, engineer, and sugar master to live in.The dnty of the adrninistrator ia a general superintendance of all the business of th'eestate. His salary is one thnusand dollars per iinnum. The clerk has simply to attend to the books, and has five hnndred dollars perannnm. Tlie mavorei has the most arduous duty. On him devolves the management of the negroos, the superintendance of all the agricultural nffairs of the estáte, assisted by several negro mayorals, called counter rrnyorals; his pay ssix hundred dollars per nnnum. Oflen does the poor slave' pupplicate to him fur merey. Scarcely a week passed without sonie three or four receiving at least sixty rounds by order of thia brute. He seemed delifjhted with the opportunity of flogging them, and with his sword at his side, and a gieen hide whip in hand, he rides or walks among them with the air of a conquering despot. All mayorals of this country wear a sword aboot four ieet long, nnd ride about the estate on horseback. They are native Spanirrds, with but little moral feeliug, and less judgment - generally without education, and scarce)y one in ten being able to teil the time ofday by a watch. The dress consists of coarse white trowsers, fastened about the hips, with a shirt put on outside, the same as a frock, together with a jacket or cloak, n'hich they wear in the inorning1, or rpiny weather. Nearly all creóles of the middle and lower classes dress the samp.The conpter mayorals are only allowcd a whip. They, too, so soon as promoled, with whip in hai:d, assumo a bearing1 and deportment towanis their fellows that are cruel, and sometimes barbarous; always singing out at the top of their voicc, -Apresurar! Apresurar! (hasten, hasten,) and continually laying the whip on the backs of those that do not work as they think they oug-ht. The engineer snperintends the grinding of the cane: his pay is one hundred dollars per month; nnd he is an American. They are in Binaost all cases Americans or EngTishmen. I have not seen or heard of a Spanish engirfeer in the whole island. The sugar-master snperintends the making of the sugar, and receives eight hündrêd dollars for this erop. - They all board themselves, as is the general custom of the country, the proprietor allowing them rooms in the sugnr house, a negro to do their cookinjr, sweet potatoes, piaintains, and any other vegetables produced on the estáte. Meats, bread, wine, &c. are purchased by themselves. They eat much more meat than any other people T have ever seen; at least one tl;ird more than they do at the North. - Pork is their fnvorite dish. If the Spnniards can get a dish of fried pork and plantains, with a plenty of fat, they are satisfied. The pork of this country is not very large and fat, but extrémély sweet and good; the price averages about 12 cents a pound. Beef is about the same, and of a good quality. Poultry is produced with ihe greatest ease, and is of the best quality, as is almost every kind offood produced here. Indtistry, peTseverance, common honesty, morality, and good laws, are only wantod to make Cuba a desitable place of íesi'lence, and the garden of the vvorld. Nature has done, and will do her part, No people can or ought to prosper where virtue is not to be found in their midst . Poverty, ignorance and disgrace always folio w that people whose promineut traita ofcbaraclerareidleness, pride, self-conceit, dissimulation, and an entire want of faith towards themselves and others, Cuba has the character of being ricfc, It is by nature, but not ia the artificial works of man. Hei public roads are only foot-palhs without bridges. She has not any public buildings of much note. The dwellings of the people are generally of the rudest kind. The planters are nearly all deeply in debt, and the prices of their estaies nominal, no one being willing to invest ready money in them, on account of the distrust in the government, and and the uncertainty of the negro man being long considered property. In what, then, da the riches of Cuba consist, except in its rich soil and fine climate? The purging house is three hundred feet long, eighty feet wide, and two stories high, wirh a tiled roof. In the floor of the second story are nine thousand holes, ten inches in diameter, and abnut eighteen inches apart, to receive the purging pans. The molasses from the sugar in the pans drops down on the floor in the first story, which is so constructed with epouts as to cause it to run into a general reservoir, from which it is pumped into hogsheads. This year, however, it is stiffered to run to waste, as it is not worth carting atancc of fifteen or twenty miles to raarket. - One side of the building is used for dryers. (Conchided next week .)

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News