October i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



247 



than pluck, unless, indeed, when that quality is aleo 

 well tempered with discretion. 



" For instance, I eaw lately in the weekly ' Overland' 

 a doae of contidence carefully prepared for exhibition 

 among English readers, to the effect that tlie aciiy- 

 ity of tea planters was beyond the power of words to des- 

 cribe. Among others, a vision of one especial district 

 •was brought before the eye, and a panorama exhibiting 

 stal.varfc young Knglishmen driving gangs of coolies at 

 a lightning-pace over fields and fields of dead coffee and 

 cinchona, rose before me. At every three feet a tea plant 

 seemed to be dropped, and I tried to conjure a suc- 

 ceeding scries of glowing jjictiiros. But, throwing 

 my matter-of-fact recollection back some nine years, 

 two other periods of activity, etpially exciting and 

 hope-inspiring, forced themselves on my mind. The 

 first was this district being rushed into coffee, although 

 the experience of thirty years had proved that coffee 

 only succeeded in its almost sheltered corners. The 

 next, an iudiscriminale planting of cinchona in a soil 

 and climate which, prima facie at 'least, seemed in- 

 imical to its growth, and where, if it succeeded, it 

 must have been a surprise to even the most sanguine. 



" A new and more certain era is dawning upon 

 us with the introduction of tea, but, unless we are 

 careful, the very men who are now loudest in the 

 inflationist shriek of 'Forward' will be the very 

 first to turn on us with their present reproach in 

 regard to coffee and cinchona, namely, that we went 

 too fast. 



" To start a discussion on tea, I would beg to 

 ask some of those whose experience in India or Ceylon 

 entitle thtm to speak with antliority : Ist. Whether 

 there is really so much difterence in jats as seed- 

 vendors would have us to believe ? 



" 2nd. Whether wages in Assam and other tea dis- 

 tricts in India are as high as wiih us, or whether 

 it be true that — labour one; secured — the average pay 

 there is only from 1.5 to 20 c. per diem. 



" 3rd. VVhether in districts devoid of firewood even 

 for tlie use of tlie coolies, say, twenty miles from a 

 railway, firing with iiupnrted fuel can be done so as 

 to leave a profit from old sods, wbicli unmaniired 

 would cert.iiuly not give more than 300 lb. per aero ? 



" 4th. Whether tea from cullde-exhausted soils is 

 likely to have as good a Havour and liquid as tea 

 from fresh soils ? " 



If the "Representative" will only attract the at- 

 tention of capitalists to the above eucauraging de- 

 liverances, we should think that the capitalists 

 will be particularly careful to fight shy of the coniitry 

 and the product described by " Once Bit, Twice t>hy." 

 Capitalists will naturally say: — " When you are quite 

 certain that tea will be a success in Ceylon, then ask 

 us to invest capital in the euterprize. But, if your 

 own favourite correspondent is to be relied on, tea 

 is not only not an assured success but is likely to 

 fail just as colfee and everything else has failed." 

 Under the guise of anxiety for information, the letter 

 of ' Once Bit, Twice ^hy,' is obviously a warning 

 to capitalists not to invest in tea cultivation in Ceylon. 

 Not only is there no humus left iu the soil, but 

 even the wages of labour are higher than in Assam. 

 Do you see any verdancy in our eyes that yon ask 

 us to carry our capital to such an utterly washed- 

 out country ? No thank you, ilr. Kepresentatixe. 

 Charm never so wisely with your couleur de rose 

 catalogue, the deaf adders [of figures] will refuse 

 to hear." 



PROGRKSS IN "NEW CEYLON." 



We got on board the S. S. "Borneo" (commanded 

 by Capt. Edwards, and owned by Messrs. Ivoss & Son), 

 .speciallv built for the trade between Singapore and 

 North Borneo ; v.ith a draught of twelve teet and 



one hundredand eighty-four feet iu length, she is well 

 suited for the requirements of passengers as well as for 

 cargo. After receiving on board a quantity of ammuni- 

 tion iu the roads, we left Siui;apore at 10 a. m. on the 

 6th July for Elopura (beautiful city), having on board 

 as piss'ngers Messrs. Callaghan, Flint, C. Dent Yonng, 

 and A. Hart Everett, Lieutenants Holme and Porter of 

 the "Buffs," Hongkong, A. D. and Mrs. Henry, and 

 Miss Keanghran. After four days' pleasant sading we 

 reached Labuan on the morning of the 10th, where 

 we made a st.iy of two days ; we met the S. S. 

 "Royalist," owned by the enterprizing Messrs. Cowie 

 Brothers, and left at 6 a. m. for Kndat ; our company 

 being augmented by His Excellency Governor Treacher 

 of North Borneo and Mr. Lee's. We touched at Gaya 

 in the afternoon, a small settlement on the north-west 

 coist. Six months ago there was no h.ibitation of 

 any kind, now there is a steadily increasing and in- 

 dustrious population, with shops, housep, .and gambier 

 planted wliich says much for the country in so short 

 a time. Leaving Gaya and the Kina Bain (or Chinese 

 widow), the highest mountain in North Borneo, 13,698 

 feet above sea-level. As the snn was setting, we 

 steamed slowly away for the north, aud arrived at 

 Kudat the seat of Government, at 7 a.m. on the 

 13th. The approach to the harbour is marked out with 

 floating wooden beacons ; the view of the town was 

 very pretty. The moment the steamer touched the 

 pier, we were met by most of the Governin nt oflic rs 

 and Europeans stationed at this port. As we walked 

 on the pier and through the custom-house, a sub. 

 stantial brick and mortar building faces the visitor 

 it is composed of shops with houses above, aud the 

 Chinamen occupants seem to be doing a thiiving business. 

 During the afternoon several of our p.ti fcy indulged 

 in a game of cricket, while others took to the m(ne 

 gentle game of lawn-tennis, and two enthusiastic 

 sportsmen went pig shooting. Wetinished up our day's 

 pleasure, with being entertained to dinner at (Jovern- 

 ment House. All returned ou board by the small hours 

 in the morning very much pleased and d( lighted with 

 their short stay at Kndat. M'o were off before sun- 

 rise ; steaming along the beaunful coast; we reached 

 S.-indakan or Elopura at 11 p. m. on the 14th. It 

 wai too l.atc to land, and we were kc))t awake by 

 numerous visitors from the beautiful city, h'ew on board 

 slept long that night, and we were all astir by early 

 morning for landing. At 5 30 a. m., the steamer 

 moored alongaside a temporary wharf, built on piles 

 with split bamboos laid across : they see.ued to give 

 beneath to the weight of the mass of natives congregated 

 to witness tlie arrival of the steamer. Most of the native 

 houses, at least the bazaar portion of tUo town, is 

 built on a continuation of the wharf, aud the Chinesa 

 and Moor shopkeepers seemed to be doing a brisk 

 trade in fish and other sundry eatables for that early 

 hour. AU the land in and about Sandakau bay has 

 been taken up somo months back ; falling and depr- 

 ing is goingahcad, sugar is growiug very well, 

 machinery tor a sugar mill is expeotid to arrive 

 shortly. Mr. J. C. Hesse has burnt off his special 

 grant of land which he has obtained for the introduc- 

 tion of cinnamon and nutmegs ; the onll f. r land have 

 been so great, that the Survey Department has and 

 still is unable to cope with the strain put ou it ; 

 contracts have been let to and taken up by private 

 surveyors for Mocking out, there are good opBnin.i!a for 

 private surveyors ; the prospectors for the Australian 

 Company have, up to the present selected 52,0U0 acres 

 for the cultivation of sugar on a large seah-. — i'or. 



THE SHAVING OF CINCHONA. 



A planter writes tons:— " Enclosed is a cutting from 

 the Madras Hail of the ISth August. If you think it 

 would be of interest or use, would you kiudly enter 

 it iu an early issue of j«ur paper ? As tar aj my ex* 



