THE MAURITIUS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4249, 2 November 1874, Page 3

THE MAURITIUS.

(From a correspondent of the Zyttelton Tunes.) Port Louis, August 20.

I will avail myself of the departure of a vessel to your port, to send you a resume of occurrences in this colony, though, as this is usually a dull time of year with us, being what the colonists term between the crops, my account may not be of the liveliest. A cyclone passed over the island last February doing a great deal of damage to the sugar-canes, and thus causing a reduction in the sugar crop to be made in the next few months of at least 20 per cent. Hurricanes so late in the season as at the end of February are not frequent here, but, when they happen, the loss they occasion is terrible, and for two or three years afterwards the credit of the planters in business circles is seriously affected. Iu the present case, the pecuniary loss from last hurricane may safely be put down at £700,000. It can easily be imagined that this, in a single year, is no joke to the sugar growers, who, as a class, are generally noted for going beyond their means. Our late Governor, Sir A. H. Gordon, is at jjresent absent at Sychelles. A letter was received from 1 him, on the 18th instant, announcing his retirement from the Government of the island ; and he will probably return to England by the mail leaving next month. The Government is at present administered by the Hon. Edward Newton, Colonial Secretary. The report of the Royal Commission, which was here last year, on the Coolie quostion, continues to erexte a great deal of excitement among all classes. The report has not yet been published, but a portion of its contents has leaked out, and it is anything but favorable to the interests of the colonists. Among other things the Commission is said to have recommended a partial cessation of emigration of Indian labor to this island. Now the prosperity of the colony depends entirely on imported labor, without which the sugar estates must rapidly fall away as regards thenproductive qualities, and the recommendation in consequence would mean little short of ruin to Mauritius, if carried out in its entirety. For years this colony has cultivated nothing but sugar,, but quite recently a new agricultural industry has sprung up, which bids fair to give important results some day. I refer to the cultivation of the Vanilla bean, the use of which has greatly augmented in Europe during the last few years, and the value of the article has increased in a corresponding degree, it now being worth about £4 per lb. in England and on the Continent. Vanilla cultivation, as may easily be supposed, in presence of these prices, is now springing up in all directions, and the bean is beginning to be exported to a considerable value every year. I must not omit to mention that the aloes, with which our island abound, are now being exported in the shape of fibre, which fetches as much as £6O per ton in the London market. The machine used for the extraction of the fibre was invented by a native of the island, and, though somewhat cumbersome, answers its purpose admirably. There is little doing in the freight market, but a change for the better in this respect will no doubt occur before long, for the stock of our staple is rapidly beginning to accumulate with the frequent arrivals of new sugars in town. Sugar Market. —The best qualities still continue scarce. Quotations are as under :—lst quality, white crystals, 7dol. 50c. perlOOlbs.; 2nd quality, white crystals, 6dol. 75c. to 7d01.; fine yellow crystals, 6dol. 70c. to 7dol. per 1001bs.; finest yellow counters, 6dol. 65c. to 7dol. 75c. per 1001bs.; good to flue yellow counters, 6dol. 25c. to 6dol. 50c. per lOOlbs.; good to middling yellow counters, sdol. 75c. to 6dol. per lOOlbs.; rations, low to fine, 4dol. to to sdol. per lOOlbs.