right, the fish were wholly abandoned to the poachers, who generally contrived, by burning lights at the shallows, and spearing the fish by night, and netting the pools, to annihilate every shoal that came up. This is, however, a subject that would require an essay by itself.
Our conversation turned on various matters connected with the country; and I soon found, that though this hind had something in his manner and address the most uncultivated I had ever seen, yet his conceptions of such matters as came within the sphere of his knowledge were pertinent and just. He sung old songs, told us strange stories of witches and apparitions, and related many anecdotes of the pastoral life, which I think extremely curious, and wholly unknown to the literary part of the community. But at every observation that he made, he took care to sleek down his black hair over his brow, as if it were of the utmost consequence to his making a respectable appearance, that it should be equally spread, and as close pressed down as possible. When desired to join us in drinking tea, he said "it was a' nonsense thegither, for he hadna the least occasion;" and when pressed to take bread, he persisted in the declaration that "it was great nonsense." He loved to talk of sheep, of dogs, and of the lasses, as he called them; and conversed with his dogs in the same manner as he did with any of the other guests; nor did the former ever seem to misunderstand him, unless in his unprecedented and illiberal attempt to expel them from the company.—"Whitefoot! haud aff the woman's coat-tails, ye blockhead! Deil hae me gin ye hae the mense of a miller's horse, man." Whitefoot instantly obeyed.—"Trimmy! come back aff the fire, dame! Ye're sae wat, ye raise a reek like a cottar wife's lum—come back, ye limmer!" Trimmy went behind his chair.
It came out at last that his business with Mr Grumple that day was to request of him to go over to Stridekirton on the Friday following, and unite him, Peter Plash, in holy wedlock with his sweetheart and only joe, Jean Windlestrae; and he said, if I "would accompany the minister, and take share of a haggis wi' them, I wad see some good lasses, and some good sport too, which was far better." You may be sure I accepted of the invitation with great cordiality, nor had I any cause to repent it. I have, since that time, had many conversations with Peter, of which I have taken notes; but the description of a country wedding, together with the natural history of the Scottish sheep, the shepherd's dog, and some account of the country lasses, I must reserve for future communications. H.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE CULTURE OF THE SUGAR CANE IN THE UNITED STATES, AND ON OUR SYSTEM OF COLONIAL POLICY.
MR EDITOR,
While the example of the successful efforts made by the negroes in Hispaniola for the recovery of their freedom and independence, and the recent commotions in our own West India colonies, have powerfully attracted the public attention, it seems to have entirely overlooked the rising competition which must, at no distant period, materially affect the demand for the staple commodity of these distant settlements. From a short statement given in Mr Pitkin's Statistical View of the Commerce, &c. of the United States, published last year, it appears, that in 1810 above ten millions of pounds weight of sugar had been manufactured from the cane in the state of Louisiana:[1] and so rapidly has its cultivation extended, that in 1814, only four years afterwards, not less than fifteen millions of pounds, or above 8,300 hogsheads, were made in the same district. The culture of the cane has also been introduced into Georgia, and there seems little reason to doubt of its succeeding equally well as in Louisiana. "In 1805," says Mr Pitkin, "Thomas Spalding, Esq., a gentleman of wealth
and enterprise, procured one hundred cane plants from the West Indies, for the purpose of trying them on his plantation, on an island near the seacoast of Georgia. After repeated trials, in which he was guided principally by his own judgment and experience, he completely succeeded. About three years since, he made a
- ↑ Hennepin, quoted by Labat, asserts that the sugar cane is indigenous in Louisiana, and was found growing spontaneously near the mouth of the Mississippi on its first discovery.—Edwards' Hist. West Indies. Vol. ii. 208, 4to ed.
