674 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [MarCH 8, 1885. 



day," weoould barely live supposing I|got the land free." 

 I do not think that Ceylon planters with all their 

 trials can quite real ; ze the fh fts to which agriculturists 

 in this country are ofteu put. 



Dear old R. B. T. ! There were few things he could 

 not extract sorue comfort or humour from, and during 

 his latter days he was fond of repeating a story of 

 how on a Friday morning he went down to the 

 meat-maiket to seethe Buchau farmers arrive. Some 

 had dogs running alongside, but one really careful 

 young farmer whom he had known in Ceylon) invari- 

 ably bad a hen fed below his gig ! R. B T. could 

 imagine the use of a dog, but this hen fairly puzzled 

 him, and he was fain to ask for an explanation. "A- 



weel !" sa'd , "ye see I bring in my ain mare's feed, 



an, as the maist careful beast will aye skail a little— 

 ye see, tbe hen picks it up: a dog couldna dee that, ye 

 ken ■" adding with charming minuteness: "I tak good 

 care not to bring a fat hen ■ there wad be na use o' that, 

 ye ken." "This is the kind of forethought and atten- 

 tion to little details that seems now necessary in Scotch 

 farming," said poor R. B T., whom I thiuk I see yet- 

 through the smoke of his " Dutnbara," with his semi- 

 grave face and curious twinkling eye as he gave this 

 illustration of tbe careful husbandman. 



"CEYLON AS A FIELD FOR THE INVEST- 

 MENT OF CAPITAL AND ENERGY." 

 We now give a further instalment of the papers written 

 with reference to young men seeking an investment 

 for capital and a career for themselves, through tea- 

 plauting in Ceylon : — 



Ceylon and the Position and Pbosfects of its 

 Planting Entehpeize. 

 A great deal has been written about Ceylon and 

 yet much remains to be written. The latent work is 

 "Ceylon in 1884," by John Ferguson, and in that 

 brief but excellent little work the reader may find 

 sufficient information to prevent his making mistakes 

 as to its position in the globe and statistics suffici- 

 ent to enable him to grasp its general condition as 

 a colony. 



In writing the present paper, however, it will not 

 be out of place to remind the reader of the position 

 of the island. It is situated between 5' 55' and 9° 51' 

 N. lat. and 79° 41' and 81° 54' E. long. Its area 

 15,809,280 acres. Its greatest length is from north 

 to south 26G miles, aud greatest width 140 miles.from 

 east to west. On reference to the work abovementioued, 

 it is further explained that 2,846, 100 acres are cultiv- 

 ated. Lands in private hands equal about 3£ million, 

 or one-fourth ; the remaining three-fourths belong to 

 the Crown. 



In 1505 the Portuguese formed settlements on the 

 island, but weie dispossessed in the next century by 

 the Dutch. In 1795 the British took possession of 

 the Dutch settlements on the island and annexed them 

 to the Presidency of Madras, but six years after, in 

 1801, Ceylon was erected into a separate colony. 

 With this very brief reference to past history, it 

 will be well to turn' to the present time «ith which 

 this review has more to do, as it is my iutenion 

 to deal with Ceylon as a field for intending colonists, 

 and I do not pretend to furnish food for the scientific 

 mind. 



Having pointed out the position of the islaud, it will 

 be well to make a few remarks on the manner iu 

 which it is to be reached. In these days of com- 

 petition the choice is wonderful in its variety and 

 withal a very pleasant journey it is in the proper 

 season of the year. The journey from Britain takes 

 from 21 to 35 days according to circumstances : if 

 the traveller goes with the letters (the convenience 

 or inconvenience of which method was once graphically 



deecribed in the Athenceum) the former ; and if by the 

 slowest Canal steamer, or " ditcher," the latter. The 

 most, favorable season for leaving England is October 

 — about the middle. By adopting this course no very 

 cold weather is encountered in the northern latitudes, 

 and in journeying sonth the heat is gradually per- 

 ceived. The end of October or begiuning of November 

 is acknowledged to be the best time for passing the 

 Red Sea— a place having all sorts of imaginary horrors, 

 which Steam tbe Tyraut has somewhat dispelled. It 

 is true that a leading breeze may make the beat in- 

 tolerable, but this is a rare occurrence. I have been 

 through this Sea five times, and never felt that there 

 was anything really to be afraid of — and I never once 

 slept on deck. A great deal might be written on the 

 subject of the voyage, but this has been so frequently 

 described that on this occasion the reader will be 

 spared the description of the storm, the fastest time on 

 record and the testimonial to the captain of the vessel. 

 What an interest there is, though, in these details 

 to the tyro ! 



On the subject of outfit the same silence may not 

 be so advisable : because it is to the colonist and 

 not the opulent "globe-trotter" that these lines are 

 addressed. 



Pray do not think that a list of clothes is going 

 to be given like a washing-book ! 



All that is required can be very suon described. 

 Two good trunks, two small tin boxes, a large linen 

 bag like a sailor's, a fitted Gladstone bag and a 

 hat-box are the sum-total of the impedimenta, and 

 these should contain a good stock of clothes such as 

 would be worn on the hottest day on record in 

 England, flannel of course being the material which 

 predominates. The thousand and one suggestions made 

 by one's friends can all be listened to with attention, 

 and like most advice neglected. A large battery of 

 guns is imposing, but a "little Fletcher" will see 

 most men through their sporting career. Many, 

 though very foud of sport, rind that it entails too 

 great risks in the way of health and too great 

 expenditure for those whose capital is not available 

 for extraneous purposes. With sportsmen then it is 

 not nceessaary to deal, and to them the introduction 

 on landing will not be extended. Are introductions 

 of any use? Certainly if they are given by people 

 well and favorably known aud to others of locally 

 equal repute. It is well not to choose crowned heads 

 for one's introducers— better to take the lowest seat 

 and rise, than establish at once a reputation for what 

 the Australians call "blowing." 



A few good introductions then will be recommended, 

 and with them the whole little European world will 

 soon be open to the new arrival. 



What capital is required to start in the island as 

 a planter? This is a question which is always put 

 and one which is very difficult to answer. Lord 

 Denbigh asked the question at a meeting of the 

 Colonial Institute, and tbe answer may be repeated 

 with advantage and applied at the reader's pleasure. 

 The Chairman said — "I have also been asked that 

 (viz. the amount of capital required for New Zea- 

 land) a great number ot times. 1 will answer it by 

 one short anecdote. I mysilf took out two servauta. 

 They lauded in New Zealand both with wives and 

 families : and when they landed they only had their 

 clothes on their back and eighteenpence in their 

 pockets — that was the whole of their worldly goods. 

 I also knew another man, who had £150,000 when 

 he landed in the colony. In result the one who landed 

 with eighteenpence has now an estate worth £40 000 ; 

 while the gentleman who lauded with £150 000 died 

 a pauper. Anybody with brains can do well ; aud, 

 of course, anybody with brains and money can do 

 better than in England; but if a man has neither 

 brains nor money, he had better stay in England, 



