years amounted, in grinding alone, to nearly one-third of
the juice of the cane. The planters begin to find that they can
increase the value of their sugar 30 to 40 per cent. by these
improvements, and that their future prosperity depends upon carrying
them out. Unfortunately, however, here, as in many other of our
colonies, a very large number of planters do not yet appreciate the
advantages to be obtained by the adoption of improved machinery and
manufacture, or by improved cultivation, and still struggle on under
the old system of waste and negligence, which can only result in the
ruin and destruction of their property.

In 1827, the number of sugar estates in operation in Mauritius, were
49 worked by water power, 50 by cattle or horses, and 22 by
steam--total 111; in 1836, this number had increased to 186, viz.--64
moved by water power, 10 by horse, and 112 by steam. In 1839, the
number was 211, of which 138 were worked by steam power--70,292 acres
were then under cultivation with sugar. There are now about 490 sugar
estates, whereof only 231 have mills--42 are worked by water power,
the rest by steam.

The annual Mauritius crops, as exported, for the last ten years, have
been as follows. The shipments frequently extend beyond a year, hence
a discrepancy sometimes between the year's crop and the year's
export:--

Tons,
1842-43 24,400
1843-44 28,600
1844-45 37,600
1845-46 49,100
1846-47 64,100
1847-48 59,021
1848-49 50,782
1849-50 51,811
1850-51 55,000
1851-52 65,080

Besides its exports to Great Britain, Mauritius ships large
quantities of sugar to the Cape of Good Hope and Australia.

Its local consumption is moreover set down at about 2,500 tons.

The progressive increase in its exports is marked by the following
return of imports into Great Britain from the island:--

Cwt.
1826 93,723
1827 186,782
1828 204,344
1829 361,325
1830 297,958
1831 485,710
1832 517,553
1833 521,904
1834 516,077
1835 553,891
1836 558,237
1837 497,302
1838 537,455
1839 604,671
1840 690,294
1841 545,356
1842 716,009
1843 696,652
1844 545,415
1845 716,173
1846 845,197
1847 1,193,571
1848