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ORANGE GATHERERS.

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Now and then the top of a basket, full of the golden fruit, came in sight, carried on the broad shoulders of some strong fellow, who, after toiling up one of the steep paths leading from the ravine to the enclosure, shot out upon the ground the whole contents of his basket, with as little concern as a coalheaver does his coals. All the party were talking, laughing, or joking, as if they were amusing themselves rather than toiling for others.

As we sat under the trees, looking at their easy attitudes and picture-like grouping, two of the men who had left their stations returned, each with an orange-branch covered with fruit. These they presented to us, making a short speech, whilst all the rest stood up and finished with a loud "Viva." It was done very gracefully, and the trifling guerdon which they expected to receive, was acknowledged with equal ease. The best-bred man could not have presented publicly a piece of plate, or a cup, or a snuff-box, or any other gift on behalf of others, and have gone through the whole ceremony of speech-making, presentation, and reply, with more graceful selfpossession. Just before leaving England I had been looking at the progress of a railway, when

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one of the labourers was deputed, as is the custom, to ask the curious for "something to drink." The asking and receiving, in this instance, were conducted with as much clumsy sheepishness as was possible to have been exhibited in the same space of time. But these orange-pickers were (as graceful fellows sometimes are) sad blackguards. We had disturbed them by occupying quarters which they had seized upon; and in revenge, at a subsequent time, they took every opportunity of disturbing us; behaving in a way that I think no body of awkward English railway men would have acted, although their character is not high. It was, however, the only instance of incivility we met with, in nine months' residence in these islands; and perhaps it is absurd to expect that men who are travelling from place to place, working in gangs, far from their own homes, under no particular control, and with no superintendence, except so much as ensures their getting through a certain quantity of labour, will not be disorderly if it suits them.

The orange-trees in this garden cover the sides of a glen or ravine, like that of the Dargle, but somewhat less steep: they are of some age, and have lost the stiff clumpy form of the younger

trees.

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Some idea of the rich beauty of the scene may be formed by imagining the trees of the Dargle to be magnificent shrubs loaded with orange-fruit, and mixed with lofty arbutuses :

"Groves whose rich fruit, burnish'd with golden rind, Hung amiable,—and of delicious taste."

In one part, scores of children were scattered among the branches, gathering fruit into small baskets, hallooing, laughing, practically joking, and finally emptying their gatherings into the larger baskets underneath the trees, which, when filled, were slowly borne away to the packing-place, and bowled out upon the great heap. Many large orange-trees on the steep sides of the glen lay on the ground uprooted, either from their load of fruit, the high winds, or the weight of the boys; four, five, and even six of whom will climb the branches at the same time; and as the soil is very light, and the roots are superficial, (and the fall of a tree, perhaps, not unamusing,) down the trees come. They are allowed to lie where they fall; and those which had evidently fallen many years ago were still alive, and bearing good crops. The oranges are not ripe until March or April, nor are they eaten generally by the people here until

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that time; the boys, however, that pick them, are marked exceptions. The young children of Villa Franca are now almost universally of a yellow tint, as if saturated with orange-juice; and as the oranges that fall are never sent to England, but are either given away to the children, or sold for a mere trifle, or suffered to rot on the ground, they can get quite a sufficient supply to give them this jaundiced appearance.

It was growing rather late as we returned from this scene of playful activity to the town of Villa Franca. The asses, laden with orangeboxes, were streaming into the little town in lines, and amongst them red oxen were returning from the plough in couples, the wooden

* According to the export returns of the Custom-house of Ponta Delgada, in this island, for the year 1839, the following are the numbers of chests of oranges and lemons which had been shipped from the island during the last fruit season. Large chests of oranges, 54,618; small chests of oranges, 60,927; and 315 boxes of lemons. These together paid an export duty at St. Michael's of 2,146,989 reis, or about 3831. 78. 10d. sterling: they were conveyed in 215 vessels, comprising 16,112 tons register, and crews of 1,319 men. Calculating three small chests to two large, each would average 750 oranges; and the whole would, after paying every expense (and reckoning the prevailing exchange at St. Michael's on Great Britain at 5,600 reis for every pound sterling), form a

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plough-share being made to catch on the yoke, while the pole trailed along the ground between them :

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Tempus erat quo versa jugo referuntur aratra."

December 28.-Nominally the feast of Christ

total amount of 648,849,429 reis, or 115,8571. Os. 10d. sterling, viz:

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or 2,240 reis,

or ld.

Freight at 88. sterling,} 213,328,640

Export duty at 22 reis,

Duty in Great Britain,

38,094 8 0

}

2,146,989

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17,856 15 0

648,849,429 115,857 0 10

The produce of the corn and grain harvest during 1839 was

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