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, making in all 25,902 trees planted out.  The produce was in 1842, 1,969,619 good nuts, 18,842 inferior ditto, and 4,500 lbs. of mace.  The value of the produce of nutmegs was 9,867 dollars.  The estimated number of nuts in 1843 was 1,980,000; in 1844, 2,958,000.  There were in all 423 nutmeg plantations on the island and main land.

There were annually exported in the four years ending 1850, 48,000 lbs. of nutmegs from Pinang, and 57,400 lbs. of mace.

The French at an early period cultivated the nutmeg at the Mauritius, and from thence they carried it to Cayenne.  In Sumatra it appears to have been grown successfully, and according to Sir S. Raffles, there was in 1819 a plantation at Bencoolen of 100,000 nutmeg trees, one-fourth of which were bearing.  Attempts have been made in Trinidad and St. Vincent to carry out the culture, but for want of enterprise very little progress seems to have been made in the matter.

Under the new duties which came into operation this year, nutmegs, instead of standing at 1s. per pound all round, have been classified, and the so-called “wild” nutmegs of the Dutch islands are to pay only 5d per pound.  This deprives the Straits’ produce of its last protection against that of the Banda plantations, where the tree grows spontaneously, while it gives the long Dutch nut a high protection.  If an alteration in this suicidal measure is not speedily obtained, the Straits’ planters will be ruined.  The Dutch have the power of inundating the market with the long aromatic nut.  If the original plan of putting all British and all foreign nutmegs on the same footing had been adhered to, the Straits’ planters would not have complained, as they would have trusted to their superior skill and care to compensate for the grand advantage the Dutch have in their rich soils.

On observing this alteration of duty, Mr. Crawfurd and Mr. Gilman immediately prepared the following memorandum for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which however failed to influence that Minister:—­