April 2, 1883.] 



THE TKOnCAL AGRICULTURIST. 



«35 



us, for which we steered, but had to get over all sorts 

 of barricades which had been put up to keep people 

 out who come from Beukoka. Directly we reached withia 

 hailing distauce of the house there was a regular stamp- 

 ede ; women picked up their children and old men 

 hobbled off as fast as they could go to the jungle, i 

 called to one mau and told him we had uot come from 

 affected parts, but this was of no avail ; so not wishing to 

 alarm them more I told my men to return to 

 our track again. Here we spied another Dusun just 

 on the point of bolting, but we caught him and had 

 a regular explanation, after which he pointed us out a 

 small house in which vie put up. Most of the people 

 around Buugon and Benkoka, directly the cholera broke 

 out, made a rush for the hills and put up a small hut 

 and planted potatoes, waiting for the pest to disapjiear. 

 One of my men who loitered behind has not arrived, 

 but I have no doubt he will find his way allright, as I 

 make it a rule to always throw branches across all but 

 the ri;/lu road. 



October 14th. — Continued our journey along a buffalo 

 track descending to the Benkoka river. Here I discovered 

 we were making a mistake. One of my men had told 

 me the mouth of the Benkoka is called Bungou. I now 

 found on close inquiry such was not the case, so mstead 

 of crossing the river I followed its course, and soon found 

 a track, which I followed, but unfortunately came across 

 no sign of a house, and, as it was getting late and rain had 

 commenced, I halted, and had a small leaf hut made, while 

 some men went on to see if they could find any signs 

 of life and get something to eat. This they were lucky 

 enough to find, and came back with some potatoes, but 

 it was too late to think of trying to find it again. It 

 rained heavily aU night and the house leaked like a 

 sieve, causing the man who carried my rug to look rather 

 glum at the addition added to it in the night. 



October 15th. — Bly men had told me over night that 

 two guides were coming in the morning, and they duly 

 arrived. It appeared we were a little off our track and 

 had to 'retrace our steps. The jungle we passed through 

 was very fine, while to the E. and N. E. it looks very 

 extensive, and, if I was well enough, I would certainly 

 pay it a visit. Leaving the jungle wo got again into 

 ohena and through some clearings descending to the 

 village of Ebong, Headman Sembilam, and put up in a 

 fine house on the banks of the Benkoka. The people 

 seemed rather astonished to see us and were as usual 

 alarmed about cholera. When the headman came in I 

 told him I was ill and could not walk and that he must 

 give me two boats to take my men and myself down the 

 river. First he said he had none and then he said the 

 river was only practicable for a short distance. I told 

 him in that case I must stop in his house till 

 my mon went down the river and got a boat for me* 

 The lost man we found had passed through 

 only a few hours before us ; so I sent after and brought 

 him back. 



Oct. 16th. — When the chief saw I was fully determined 

 to stop and was collecting my remaining stores together, 

 he came forward and offered me the two boats for a 

 stage, at which place I could get others in the same way. So 

 I was soon ready and being paddled down the river, and 

 in this manner I reached a village uot far from the mouth 

 called Rutas. Here I tried hard to get a boat to take 

 us all to Kudat, and, when the an-angements were com- 

 pleted, a boat turned up with rice, ice, for us from Kudat, 

 which we most likely would have missed had it been 

 night. I wished if possible to travel all night, but ou 

 getting outside the river I f oimd the surf so high that we 

 had to put back to shore, the soft sand being my bed 

 for the night. I was rather aatonished when about two 

 o'clock in the mor nin g I ojjened my eyes and saw a star 

 which looked rather queer. I rubbed my eyes and thought 

 perhaps the fever I had ou me must have something to 

 do with it, but calmly con.sidering the question again I ar- 

 rived at the conclusion that it must be a comet, which 

 proved to bo the ca.se. 



April l.Sth. — We started very early, although the weather 

 did not look very bright, and amved at Kudat during the 

 coui'se of the day, wliich ended my jouraey. I renuiiued 

 here a, week or so and was soon allright. 



I j)uid a hurried visit to Selara and theu to Singapore, At 

 the latter place I speut a very pleasant three weeks. I ac- 



companied Mr. Watson to Johore and saw the Maharajah's 

 gardcus, wliich were all looking very well. Mr. Bafley's 

 estate planted with cocoa, Liberian coffee, sago, nutmegs and 

 a host of other products, could uot be looking better and 

 reflects great crecUt on him. Tajyoca planters are, I be- 

 lieve, having a bad time of it, prices being bad and dis- 

 ea.se (caterpillars) prevalent. 



_ Selam, Jan. I'th, 18S3. — North Borneo is just now 

 like a beehive, every one being very busy with his 

 department. Mi-. Mann, who, (I was glad to see) saw 

 a good deal of the country in a short time— the 

 Tambuyukan range included— and I hope went away 

 pleased with his trip. Mr. Saunders has returned here 

 and a large tobacco plantation is to be started shortly by 

 a Cliina fii-m, I think. Town lots at Sandakan are fetch- 

 ing Iiigh prices and many are regretting the chance they 

 have lost. Messrs. de Lissa and Saxe have commenced their 

 sugar euterprize, and others are on the point of being com- 

 menced. Chinese labour- can now be obtained direct for S8 

 per mensem, but this will be lower after atrip ormore of them 

 have arrived. Just before leaving Kudat a very good sample 

 of coal was shewn me and it was stated that a large quautity 

 existed. Mr. Hatton is at present travelling between here 

 and the Kuinamatangan river. Kesthouses have now 

 been started both at Sandakan and Kudat and api)ear to 

 be always full. The first paper printed in North Borneo 

 is to appear shortly, to be called. The North Borneo Herald 

 and Official Gazette, and will I fancy resemble in a great 

 way that of Ceylon, only incluthug news from the differ- 

 ent stations, and this is what is greatly required. Selam 

 is going steadily ahead. Some of the land applied for will 

 I fancy be only a short distance from here. The plants 

 we have put out are coming on very well, the Liberian 

 coffee beating all records I have seen in Ceylon for its 

 age. What we have either put out or in the course of 

 being put out are tea (Assam), cocoa (red and yellow kind) 

 cardamoms (Malabar), and coffee (Arabica, Coorg, and Java)' 

 sugar palms, African palms, pepper, allspice, cloves cinna- 

 mon, gambler, sugar (six Mauritius varieties), iudig'o, .sago 

 tobacco (Havana), cotton bush, aloe, Manila hemp'trees' 

 citronella grass, jak trees, sapan. ilangilang, shave tree' 

 albizzia, and didap, and 1 also intend to add a large number 



of varieties of the rubbers and guttas of Borneo. Yours 



faithfully, L. B. VON DONOP. 



P. S.— Ladies are beginning to come to Sandakan, and 

 more I am informed are expected. Certainly the rosy 

 cheeks of the children are good advertisements for its 

 healthiness. 



NKVV PRODUCTS IN THE LOWCOUNTEY 



OF CEYLON. 



General Kepoht—We.\thee— Coffee Blossom— Cocoa- 

 Tea — ATEEPI LLAHS — WeEDI X G . 



From February to 6th M,arch 18S:). 

 Weather. — We had rain on the 2nd and 4th inst. an 

 again on the 12th and 13th, but very light, so that this 

 month has maintained its normal character as the driest 

 of the year. 



On the 6th and 7tli, a pretty heavy blossom was out 

 on the coffee, and now all the trees not denuded of leaves 

 by the H. T. have as much crop as they can carry. The 

 trees made a start af growth early in the mouth, but the 

 drought has stopped it in mid-career, aud now many of the 

 trees are drooping. The^ growth ran chiefly to suckers 

 rather than to fruit-bearing wood. 



The Cocoa trees have been gradually getting over the 

 effects of the storm at the end of December, but many of 

 the larger trees still look bare to windward, and the after- 

 noon winds that still continue are agaiust them. Cocoa 

 however seems to feel the drought less than Liberian coffee, 

 and the smaller trees especially continue to grow as if 

 they enjoyed it. The cocoauurseriesare a .serious difficulty 

 this weather: even when carefully shadeil the dry atmo- 

 sphere sucks the moisture out of the light soil in the baskets 

 in a few hours, and the young plant dies at once when 

 the roots dry. These the white ants find wherever 

 they may be placed, and destroy them as soon as they come 

 up, so that fresh seed has to put down continually not 

 in exteuding the nurseries but in keeping them up. 



I have been unfortunate in the season of forming a tea 

 nursery, as the shading and watering is a serious expense 



