AyousT J, iBi$.] 



THE TEOFICAL AGKICULTUMST, 



1^1 



of the great causes of our not getting good crops ; 

 that it was a well known fact that morning sun was 

 particulaily necessary to force out bloseom, and that 

 he had very carefully noticed tliat during the past 

 blossoming season we had had continuous cloudy and hazy 

 days, and that in saying this he was stating certain facts 

 and not making assertions he was unable to prove, 

 and that it was his bt-Iief that if we again got 

 favoroble seasons, notwithstanding leaf-disease, good and 

 cultivated cofl'ee would give remuntralive crops. 



The Chaibma.n then asked if any raemher wished 

 to make any remarks or ask any questions. 



Mr. Blacklaw, who was called on, stated that his ob- 

 servations were in accordance with Mr. Bosanquet's and 

 Mr. Walker's, and his views were the same as theirs; 

 that he was glad to see two gentlemen who still had the 

 pluck to stand up for coS'ee ; that if Colombo merchants 

 would listen to men like Messrs. Bosauquet and 

 Walker, who proved their correctness by profitable 

 returns in the one case aud indisputable figures iu the 

 other, the future of Ceylon would be a brighter and 

 more hopeful one. When V. A.'s publicly condemn 

 coS'ee and say they think Ceylon is played out, it 

 cannot be e.xpectid that superintendents willhave their 

 heart in their work or be successful iu pulling round 

 their estates. In his opinion Ceylon requires hopeful 

 men at the helm instead of detractors during the 

 present crisis. 



The Chairman then in the name of the Association 

 thanked Mr. Bosauquet for hia address, and added 

 tbat to speak in favor of coffee in these days was a 

 bold thing to do, but coffee was the mainstay of Ceylon 

 stdl, aud likely to remain so for a long time, Cin- 

 chuna certainly would never take it.s place, and it 

 would be a long lime before the export of tea approached 

 even the coffee export of the late unfavorable seasons. 



ClNL-UONA. 



Mr, Chkibtie was then asked to give his opinion 

 on cinchona cultivation and mortality at present 

 compared with that of the past. In a short address 

 he said : — The chief question at present being dis- 

 cussed was whether or not the vitality of the stock 

 had seriously deteriorated, and whether that was the 

 cause of the non-success which attended so much of 

 the last three or four years' planting. AVhile he ad- 

 mitted that such a tiling was possible he did not 

 think it was likely or iu any way proved. Those 

 who argue that the stock has deteriorated quote, 

 almost as a proof, the case of English vegetables, 

 whii,li as we all know become worthless in two or 

 three generations, but on the othi r haud we have 

 lantaua, white-weed, Mauritius grass, aud many 

 other exotic^!, all thorouglily at home in Ceylon. Aud 

 in fact nearly all the great economic vegetable pro- 

 ducts of the W'lrid are most largely and successfully 

 grown iu countries to which they are not indigen- 

 ous. Therefore it by no means follows that the 

 cinchona stock must degenerate because the plant is 

 not indigenous to Ceylon. If the cinchona stock had 

 deterinriated, he supposed it would do so iu all the vari- 

 eties, but he had califayas grown from locd Emi-lina seed 

 and also fiom S. American imported seed and both 

 stocks lived and died equally. 'I'o what thtrefore are 

 we to attribute the undoubted fact that cinchona is 

 more dillicult to mature now than it was? He, the 

 speaker, thought that close planting had much to do 

 with the failure ; we planted what we expected to 

 erow to trees at distances apart more suited to cab- 

 bages. Then our soil was older, and much of it had 

 pVeviously been more or less studded with cinchonas. 

 I Lastly but not leastly he thought that the same ad- 

 verse conditions of climate to which Messrs. Bosauquet 

 and Walker attributed iu a great measure our short 

 coffee crops iu the high districts bad been equally 



adverse to cinchona plants. Our soil for the last 

 four ycHrs had never been out of a damp sodden 

 condition, and there had been far too little sunshina 

 and warmth for any vegetation : even weeds had not 

 grown during these years as they used to do. 



After a considerable discussion on this subject 

 Mr. A. E. Weight gave some information as to th? 

 returns tea on Mariawatta and Rookwoo.l were giving, 

 and Mr. Mullens was asked to give a few particulais 

 about tea in Maskeliya, but preferred to wait until 

 next meeting, as he bacl not come prepared. 



Major Tkanchell proposed a vote of thanks to the 

 Chairman, especially thanking him for the information 

 he had given about cinchona. This was unanimously 

 carried, and the meeting then closed. 



THE EKITISH NORTH BORNEO COMPANY. 



The adjoiu-ned halt-yeaidy general meeting of the British 

 North Borneo Company was held yesterday at the City 

 Terminus Hotel. Sir' Rutherford Alcock, K.C.B., the Chair- 

 man, presided, and in mo\*iug the adoption of the report 

 remiuded them that the principal object of the adjournment 

 of the meeting had been to change the date of the half-yearly 

 meeting so that the accounts might be received in time to be 

 presented to the shareholders. Although on the present oc- 

 casion it had been found impossible to obtain the detailed 

 accounts required for the preparation of a complete balance- 

 sheet, still the information placed before the shareholders 

 woukl, it was believed, fully enable them to see the iinanci;d 

 position of the Company on the 31st of December last. An- 

 other six months, however, had elapsed since these accoimts 

 were rendered, and much additional information had been 

 received of great interest and importance, showing the rapid 

 progress which had been made in the interval. After re- 

 minding them of the circumstances in which the Company 

 took over the territory from the British North Borneo 

 Provisioual Association (Limited), with all the rights, titles, 

 aud property previously acquired, he alluded to the steps 

 which the directors had taken to ascertain the liabilities which 

 were existing, referring to the despatch of the managing 

 director (Mr. Alfred Dent) to the territory to make sueh 

 arrangements as might seem necessary to place the administ- 

 ration on a satisfactory basis, aud to establish a system of 

 accounts which should secure to the court the fidl control 

 over expenditure. As iNIr. Dent had not yet returned, and 

 the court had received no final report from him, they were 

 not able to state how far he had succeeded in giving cft'ect to 

 his instructions, as regarded more especially the scale of ex- 

 penditure and the effective control of the court. According, 

 however, to a telegram received on the 25th ult. from Go- 

 vernor 'Treacher, the corrected estimate of revenue and 

 expenditure for 1883 was as follows: — Expenditure $328,000, 

 revenue S158,000, or in sterling £65,G00 and £31,600 re.'^pect- 

 ivcly, leaving a total required from the Company of £34,000. 

 This amount the court had already sanctioned in fixing the 

 limit of the drafts to be made. on them. What their policy 

 shonld lie required careful consideration before it could le 

 definitely determined. They had the option of becoming 

 traders as well as rulers ; but after consultation with tfe 

 Governor, aud others experienced iu the administration and 

 development of colonies iu the Eastern Seas, ♦■he directors 

 came to the conclusion that it was unadvisable. in the best 

 interest of the Company and the colony, taking the territoiy 

 as a whole, to enter into any rivalry, or otherwise interfere 

 with the trade in jirocess of rapid development. They were 

 convinced that greater results would accrue with lefs risk l.y 

 the Company confining itself to the administration of the 

 country, aud, as tho owners of the soil, throwing open the 

 acquisition of land to all applicants on favourable terms, and, 

 if not declaring their ports free, yet to limit all import clutic s 

 to four or five articles, such as ojjium, tobacco, spirits, &c. ; 

 aud on exports in like manner, to a royalty of 10 per cent, on 

 natural produce, such asgutta, indiarubber, camphor, rattans, 

 &c. They had felt assured that by giving security to life and 

 property under their charter, such as w.ns enjoyed in tho 

 British colonies in the same region, with the offer of cheap 

 land eminently adapted to all tropical produce, they >voul>l 

 best succeed in securing tho two important conditions of 

 prosperity— the rapid inflow of an industrious populafiou 



