sugar-cane appears to be originally a native of the East Indies.
The Chinese have cultivated it for 2,000 years. The Egyptians,
Phoenicians, and Jews knew nothing about it. The Greek
physicians are the first who speak of it. It was not till the
year 1471 that a Venetian discovered the method of purifying
brown sugar and making loaf sugar. He gained an immense fortune
by this discovery. Our supplies are now obtained from Barbadoes,
Jamaica, Mauritius, Ceylon, the East and West Indies generally,
and the United States; but the largest supplies come from Cuba.
Sugar is divided into the following classes:--Refined sugar,
white clayed, brown clayed, brown raw, and molasses. The
sugarcane grows to the height of six, twelve, or even sometimes
twenty feet. It is propagated from cuttings, requires much
hoeing and weeding, giving employment to thousands upon
thousands of slaves in the slave countries, and attains maturity
in twelve or thirteen months. When ripe, it is cut down close to
the stole, the stems are divided into lengths of about three
feet, which are made up into bundles, and carried to the mill,
to be crushed between rollers. In the process of crushing, the
juice runs down into a reservoir, from which, after a while, it
is drawn through a siphon; that is to say, the clear fluid is
taken from the scum. This fluid undergoes several processes of
drying and refining; the methods varying in different
manufactories. There are some large establishments engaged in
sugar-refining in the neighbourhoods of Blackwall and Bethnal
Green, London. The process is mostly in the hands of German
workmen. Sugar is adulterated with fine sand and sawdust. Pure
sugar is highly nutritious, adding to the fatty tissue of the
body; but it is not easy of digestion.

BAKED RAISIN PUDDING.

(_Plain and Economical_.)

1336. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of flour, 3/4 lb. of stoned raisins, 1/2 lb. of
suet, a pinch of salt, 1 oz. of sugar, a little grated nutmeg, milk.

_Mode_.--Chop the suet finely; stone the raisins and cut them in halves;
mix these with the suet, add the salt, sugar, and grated nutmeg, and
moisten the whole with sufficient milk to make it of the consistency of
thick batter. Put the pudding into a buttered pie-dish, and bake for
1-1/2 hour, or rather longer. Turn it out of the dish, strew sifted
sugar over, and serve. This i