BBPt. i, 



■^4 



'fUii moPicAL AdKtetftTtJKrsT, 



«79 



nm mi aiu^^iL^mz M 



it they niiike their national drink, which is tliuretic 

 rather than intoxicating. Yagona has been the Royal 

 drink of the Fijian and Samoan chiefs from time 

 immemorial, and it is to its constant use that chiefs 

 and people alike owe their robust health, in spite 

 of the depressing influence of their tropical climate. 

 This premitive and unsophisticated liquor regulates 

 the action of the internal organs ; it possesses re- 

 markable soothing properties ; it is a health stimulant, 

 an excellent brain-feeder, a wonderful restorer of 

 faded energies and of exhausted nerve-power. It is 

 a preventive to gout and rheumatism. To those 

 engaged in heavy intellectual labour it gives renewed 

 energy. It is a veritable Elixir of Life. As a diur- 

 etic it is unrivalled, and it imparts a purity to the 

 blood." 



If the general use of the "Yagona" should bathe 

 only result of the Exhibition, it will finally have 

 fullered a great mission ! 



A little Handbook to Fiji and Cataloyxe of the 

 Exhibits has been issued under the authority of the 

 Executive Commissioner, the Hon. .Tames E. Mason, 

 M.I.O., and this contains some interesting facts on the 

 culture of the Coconut, Cinchona, Coffee, Cotton, 

 Sugar, Tea, Toba jco, &c. Of the latter we are told that 

 though it flourishes iu all the islands of Fiji, it is most 

 largely cultivated, and reaches its greatest perfection 

 in the ''Colo," or highland provinces of Viti Leon, the 

 largest island of the group. All sorts of Tobacco 

 seed have been grown, including Virginia and Latakia. 

 The natives smoke their tobacco rolled up into ''saluka" 

 or cigarettes, the wrapper used being the dry lc;i.f of 

 the Plantain. Connoisseurs are very particular in the 

 choice cf their wrappers, and will only use the leaves 

 of certain sorts of I'lautains. Tobacco is an important 

 iota of native life. Without it and kava no import- 

 discussion can be conducted. — Gardeners^ Chividcle. 



SOME STATISTICS ON THE QUININE 

 INDUSTRY. 

 Memphis, Tenn., MaJ 26, 1886. 



l\) THE KDITOR OIL PAINT AXD DRUG REPORTER. 



We will esteem it quite a favor if you will answer 

 for us as promptly as possible, the following questions 

 bearing on the quinine trade: 



1. What was the piice of quinine in ihe United 

 Stiites wh( n the dutj was removed, July 1st, 1879 ? 



2. What was ((uiniue worth in London, Paris, 

 Germany and Italy, July 1st, 187^', or when the 

 duty was removed in the United States? 



3. What was the product of cinchona bark in 

 Oeylon, South .Vmerica and Java, in 1869, 1879 and 

 1885 ? 



4. What was the price of the bark in London 

 from January 1st, 1877, to January 1st, 1886? 



5. Whan caused the great reduction in the price 

 of the bark ? 



6. Do American manufacturers get supplies from 

 Oeylon, Java, or Soutli America, or all? 



7. AVhat was the duty per ounce on quinine when 

 it was made free ? 



8. What was the duty on the bark, or raw material ? 



9. Was there a duty on the bark as well as the 

 quinine, when the duty on the latter was removed ? 



10. How much quinine has been imported into the 

 United States since the duty was removed, say since 

 July 1st, Ibid? 



11. How much has been exported since then? 



12. Can you give the foreign product per annum 

 of quinine ? 



13. Also the American, before and since the duty 

 was removed ? 



14. What \i the taritf on imported castor oil ? 

 We no these are quite a long string of questions, 



but we arc anxious for the information and will 

 certainly appreciate any assistance you can render 

 us iu the m itter. M. 



[I. The highest price of ([uiuiue in 1S79 was 

 $3 60 and lowest, i?2 60. When Congress removed 

 theduty in July of that year the price of American 

 quicjus TTiis ^Xdo per ounce la bulk; 



2. Complete information on this point is not tu 

 hand. The duty was no sooner removed in the 

 United States than Large quantities of foreign quinine 

 were shipp ' liere and with this increased movemeut, 

 prims advanced abroad. The lowest price in London 

 during 1879 was 9s n • 1 the highest 14s. 



8. Ceylon is one of the main sources of supply 

 for bark, and it has only been during the past ten 

 ye.ars that the shipments from that plane reached 

 any appreciable amount. In 1861 the first seeds were 

 received in Ceylon and in 1869 the export of bark 

 was only '28 ounces, but in the season of 1882-3 the 

 exports were 0,925,595 lb. and in the season of 18S3-4 

 the exports were 11,500,000. For many years previously 

 South America supplied all the bark used by quinine 

 manufacturers of the world, but through the active 

 exertions and costly experiments of the British and 

 Dutch Governments, the cinchona plant was introduced 

 from South America into the East Indies, Java and 

 Cejlon, so that largo quantities of bark are now 

 obtained from these move recent sources of supply. 

 We are unable to give the actual figures of production. 

 The Java barks are growing in importance while 

 South American are not held in such high favor. 



4. The price of bark iu London on January 1, 1885 

 was 8J per unit and same date this year 5d per unit. 

 We have no information as to the market in previous 

 years. 



•">. While the removal of the duty has been au 

 important factor in the cheapening process of (juiuiue 

 and barks, it has by no means been the only cause. 

 Sui)ply and demand lia\e to a great extent led to 

 the reduction. t,>uinine is cheap today in England 

 and on the continent of Europe as well as iu the 

 U. S., partly because cinchona burk is cheap, aud 

 the bark is cheap because of overproduction. 



6. Almost exclusively from Ceylon. 



7. Twenty per cent ad valorem. 



8. In 18(51 the duty on bark was ten per cent, 

 until August of that year, when it was increased to 

 15 per cent. In July of the following year it was 

 changed to 20 per cent and in 1870 cinchona bark 

 was placed on the free list. On June 22, 1874 a 

 discriminating duty was imposed on East Indian bark 

 which was repealed in 1882, the act taking effect 

 Jan. 1, 1883. 



9. Answered in preceding paragraph. 



10. The total imports of quinine into the United 

 States since 1866 have been has follows : — 



1867 

 1868 

 1869 

 1S70 

 1871 

 1872 

 1873 

 1874 

 1875 

 1876 

 1877 

 1878 

 1879 

 1880 

 1881 

 1882 

 1883 

 1S84 

 18S5 



Ounces. 



40.675 



U7,99(i 



35,550 



10,861 



34,723 



7,970 



114.814 



6S,007 



12,279 



22,74r, 



75.804 



17,549 



228,348 



41fi,998 



408,851 



795,495 



1,055,764 



1,263,732 



1.390,126 



11. The exportation of ([uiaine has been so light 

 that no record has been kept of the amount. Not 

 long since the stock here of a German brand was 

 shipped back to be recryst.ali/ed to give it the 

 appearance of other makes, but outside of this there 

 has been no exporting business if we may e.xc- pt 

 two lots of domestic sent to London last year &»■■'■■> 

 experiment. 



12. As we stated in the Reporter U&t ISIirch, 

 some parlies interested in tlie quinine market have 

 undertaken the laborious aud unfruitful^ tisk of 

 figuring up the world's production of quinine, wliicli 

 ha'v bceu au enigma ever sipvc the indus-try was- 



