stimated to contain 160 square miles, nearly the whole of which, with
the exception perhaps of summits of the hills, is well adapted to
spice growing. Province Wellesley is of much greater extent, and the
soil of it has already been proved to be equally well fitted for that
kind of cultivation; and the settlements of Malacca and Singapore are
said to be admirably suited, in many places, for that species of
produce, the latter of which has already several plantations fast
approaching to maturity.

The cultivation is capable of great extension; encouragement is only
required to be held out, and new plantations will be rapidly formed in
these settlements. The same tables show that the produce in 1842 was,
in Pinang and Province Wellesley, 18,560,281 nutmegs, 42,866 lbs. of
mace, and 11,813 lbs. of cloves[51]; and in Singapore, 842,328
nutmegs, and 1,962 lbs. of mace. Thus making the produce from the two
settlements 19,408,608 nutmegs in number (or in weight 147,034 lbs.),
44,822 lbs. of mace, and 11,813 lbs. of cloves. Now the consumption of
these spices in Great Britain was, on an average of four years ending
1841, as follows:--Nutmegs, 121,000 lbs.; mace, 18,000 lbs.; cloves,
92,000 lbs. Showing, therefore, that the Straits' Settlements already
produce more than sufficient of the two former to supply the home
market.

In the course of four or five years more, Pinang alone will more than
double the present quantity of nutmegs and mace produced in the
Straits, and the produce of cloves will be more than tripled.

I have been able, from several elaborate papers in my "Colonial
Magazine," to condense details, showing the progress of spice
plantations in Prince of Wales Island and Province Wellesley. In the
close of 1843 there were 64,902 nutmeg trees in bearing in the island;
39,209 male trees, 103,982 not bearing; making a total of 208,093
trees planted out, besides 52,510 plants in nursery. The quantity of
ground under cultivation was 2,282 orlongs. The produce in 1842 was
15,116,591 good nuts, 1,461,229 inferior nuts, and 38,260 lbs. of
mace. The gross value of the produce in 1843, reckoning the good nuts
at five dollars per thousand, and the inferior at one dollar, was
76,944 dollars. The estimated number of nuts in 1843 was 12,458,762;
in 1844, 25,429,000.

In Province Wellesley there were 247 orlongs under cultivation with
the nutmeg, on which were 10,500 bearing trees, 8,095 male trees, and
7,307 not yet bearing,