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 | 886,184 |
| 1849 | 893,524 |
| 1850 | 1,003,296 |
| 1851 | 999,337 |
East Indies.—Sugar is a very old and extensive cultivation in India. It would probably be within the mark, to estimate the annual produce of the country at a million of tons. An official return shows that the quantity of sugar carried on one road of the interior, for provincial consumption, is about equal to the whole quantity shipped from Calcutta—some 50,000 or 60,000 tons.
India is fast becoming a great sugar producing country, although its produce and processes of manufacture are rude and imperfect. The Coolies who return from time to time to the Indian ports, bring with them much acquired knowledge and experience from the Mauritius.
In 1825, the import of sugar from the East Indies was but 146,000 cwt., and it fluctuated greatly in succeeding years, being occasionally as low as 76,600 cwt. In 1837 the quantity imported was just double what it was in 1827. In 1841, it had reached as high as 1,239,738 cwt., and subsequently kept steady for a few years at 1,100,000 cwt.—and for the last four years has averaged 1,400,000 cwt.
Java.—Attention has been withdrawn, in a great measure, from sugar cultivation in Java, owing to coffee being found a more remunerative staple. The following figures serve to show the extent of its exports of sugar:—
| Cwt. | |
| 1826 | 23,565 |
| 1827 | 38,357 |
| 1828 | 31,301 |
| 1829 | 91,227 |
| 1830 | 129,300 |
| 1831 | 144,077 |
| 1832 | 292,705 |
| 1833 | 151,128 |
| 1834 | 443,911 |
| 1835 | 523,162 |
| 1836 | 607,336 |
| 1837 | 820,063 |
| 1838 | 873,056 |
| 1839 | 999,895 |
| 1840 | 1,231,135 |
| 1841 | 1,252,041 |
| 1842 | 1,105,856 |
| 1843 | 1,162,211 |
| 1844 | 1,260,790 |
| 1845 | 1,812,500 |
| 1848 | 1,798,612 |
| 1850 | 1,797,874 |
| 1851 | 1,987,957 |
| 1852 | 2,090,845 |
In 1840, we imported from Java 75,533 cwt.; in 1841, 87,342 cwt.; in 1842, 24,922 cwt.; in 1843, 35,161 cwt.; and in 1844, about 72,000 cwt.; but most of this was only sent to Cowes, for orders, to be transhipped to the Continent.