Natal First public auction of Sugar 1855

From IIIustrated London News 23 June 1855
The auctioneer was Robert Acutt.

Passengers per Leontine Mary and the Ceres brings sugar cane tops Natal 1852

The Natal Mercury 30 Dec 1852 
SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE

ARRIVED:
Dec 25 - The Gem, schr, J Glendining from the Cape. J Proudfoot, agent. (General Cargo)

Dec 28 - The Ceres, schr, F Ashton, from Algoa Bay Dec 8, with part cargo from Mauritius. E P Lamport, agent.
Manifest: 45 bgs [bags] sugar, 4 cks [casks] molasses, 10 bgs dates: Evans & Churchill. 300 bgs lime, 5 000 cane tops, 1 bg green ginger: Henderson, Smerdon & Co. 5 000 cane tops: G C Cato. 75 bgs sugar: Breede & Co. 149 bgs sugar: McArthur & Hunter. 45 do. W Lister. 52 do. E Snell. 51 do. H E Knight. 250 bgs & 30 000 cane tops: Feilden & Co. 6 000 cane tops, 1 cs [case] sundries, 1 cs statuary, 4 bgs rice, 213 bgs & 16 casks sugar: W de Terrason.

SAILED
Dec 29 - Leontine Mary, schr, Fuller, to East London and Port Elizabeth. E Snell, agent.
Manifest: 30 tons mealies, 59 bags potatoes and 100 yellow wood planks.
Passengers: Mrs Lofthouse and 2 children, Messrs. Baragwanath, Reed & Miles.

IN PORT 
The Gem, schr, J Glendining J Proudfoot agent.
Ceres, schr, 117, F Ashton. E P Lamport, agent.

VESSELS EXPECTED

Wee Tottie, 150 tons, Robarts, sailed Aug 29th from London
Louisa Maria, 114 tons, Thornton, from London
Roscoe, 200 tons, Ritchie, from London
Margaret Gibson, brge [barge], 163 tons, Robinson, from Liverpool. E P Lamport, agent.
Augustus Schnader, bq [barque], London
Treet (Trent?), bq, 230, A Collett, London
Vibilia, schr 150, W J Robarts, London
Wanderer, 200, Glendining, London via Cape, sailed Oct 2nd.

The Ceres was within 30 miles of the Bluff 12 days ago, but being becalmed, was carried back by the current, and further afterwards by an easterly gale. It will be observed from the manifest that she brings, with other cargo, 46 000 cane tops.

Died
Dec 27th 1852 - Mary Anne, wife of Mr Forsyth.

First public auction of sugar at Durban 23 June 1855;
Robert Acutt auctioneer.
 (Illustrated London News)

Sugar and Natal 1855

The first public auction of Natal-made sugar was held in Durban's Market Square, 23 June, 1855 - a historic event.

The engraving, left, from the Illustrated London News, is a snapshot in time depicting colonial life, the people of Natal and their costume. Auctioneer Robert Acutt's name can be seen displayed behind the wagon carrying the sugar - a relatively small quantity but the start of greater things to come.

Robert Osborn, in his book Valiant Harvest, mentions:

Acutt gave his services gratuitously on this occasion, and Henry Milner ordered champagne for the company present to toast the sugar enterprise... the Springfield Estate supplied some eight tons of sugar packed in gunny sacks enclosed in vacoa bags imported from Mauritius. The sugar was sold by the single bag, the several qualities averaging 30 shillings per cwt. The novel scene was the subject of a sketch by J Lloyd ... (later this appeared in the Illustrated London News)

Although the sugar auctioned on that day was made from Springfield cane, purportedly to have grown on Milner's estate, it was produced in fact by John Leyland Feilden, Milner's largest lessee - Feilden leased 130 acres of the total Springfield acreage of 250 acres.