84 



tHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[August i, 1885, 



each other, there is an accommodating power always at 

 work which answers fairly well for the existing needs and 

 circumstances of the times, and which largely modifies 

 the worst evils that society 's liable to suffer from. 



While man is always re2)resented in some form or other, 

 and while, therefore, in his case, legislation may for long 

 be delayed, nature, being unrepresented, ever needs the 

 vigilance and timely action of the legislator. Prompt 

 attention, then, is needed in order to extend throughout 

 the length and breadth of India those woods which are 

 necessary for the use of man, and birds and the amelior- 

 ation of the climate. Not less attention is required to 

 preserve and promote the increase of those bu'ds which 

 eo largely aid in preventing an injurious increase of in- 

 sect-life. Let us, then, do what we canto represent the 

 cause of nature, and endeavour, on behalf of the beauti- 

 ful and useful wild birds of India, to bring about a 

 measure for the restoration and preservation, of that ba- 

 lance of nature which has been, and is now being, so griev- 

 ously injured by the negligence of the Indian Government. 



We trust Mr. Elliot's elocjuent words will move the 

 Ceylon Government to follow the example of that of 

 Mysore : a, copy of the Act passed there c.Tn easily be 

 procured. We may mention that although the export 

 trade in birds' feathers and skins from Ceylon is not 

 so extensive as that from M idras, etill it is large 

 enough as the following figures show, to indicate a very 

 considerable destruction of birds for the sake of their 

 plumage : — 



birds' F£ATn£K.S tXPOETED FROM CEYLON TO BRITISH 

 INDIA AND STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 



1884. 18S3. 18S2. 1881. 1880. 

 Value... El, 034 3,330 4,255 5,160 4,912 



We cannot tell the value of birds' skins exported, 

 because in our Customs accouuts theve is but the 

 one heading "Skins of sorts" for the skins of all 

 animals. But the above ligures are suflieient to show 

 that a large annual destruction of birds for tbeir plum- 

 age takes place in Ceylon and to justify the call, at 

 this time, for a " VA'iLD Birds Protection Ordin'- 

 ANCE " The object is one peculiarly within the scope 

 of our Planters' Associations ; butpcrhapi before they 

 move, our present Acting Co'oDial Secretary may fortify 

 himself with the Mysoie Act; and issue circulars for 

 information to the Governiiietit Agents. 



PROGRESS OF PERAK AND MALACCA. 



The report for 1885 of Mr, Swettenham, the Acting 

 Resident of Perak, is no. iced in the Straits Times, 

 and we learn that 



while ten years ago, in 1874, the revenue was only 

 !8!'226,2Li3, against an expenditure of §256,831, the defici- 

 encies doubtless being made up by loans from this 

 Government, the revenue has risen steadily year by year, 

 nntil in 1SS4 it reached .$1,, 532, 497, against an expenditure 

 of S1,4S1,470, During these ten years, the State has 

 entirely cleared itself of debt, including the loans from 

 the Colony's Treasury' and tlic whole of the war debt, so 

 that its finances are now in a thoroughly sound condition 

 — having a credit balance of S!310,000; and Mr. Swetteu- 

 ham advocates the abolition of some unimportant but annoy- 

 ing taxes which are regarded rather in the na'.ure of a 

 poll-tax. 



The chief source of revalue of the State is the tin 

 mining industry, and in spite of the low price ruling 

 for this metal, inducing tlic Government to reduce the 

 royalty from 1512 to ,~jlO p.r bhara in I^arut and to .'j'J iu 

 Selania district, the output was lari^er than ever and the 

 customs receipts exceeiled the estimates b)' nearly 

 S75,0U0, being $-.'4,000 more than in J88:{. Some of 

 the tin deposits, how ever, arc alul0.^t woiked out, so 

 the Government are opening up the country by 

 me.ina of roads, the nmst important being that now 

 under construction from Kwala Kangsa to Ulu Remain 

 to meet the road recently made by tlu.' Selangor 

 Government. 



This, Mr. Swettenham says, will be the main trunk road 

 of the State, and when completed " there will be an un- 

 interrupted highway from Malacca to Province Wellesley, 

 i.e., a distance of about 3G5 miles from Malacca town to 

 Butterworth." 

 This roid, however, it seems, 



is not to be a metalled cart road, which the State could 

 not now afford,— but a first-class bridle road, graded to 

 nothing steeper than 1 in 211, and any section of it can 

 be altered into a cart-road as the necessity arises. The 

 Perak portion of this road is about 1.50 niiles in length, 

 and passes over the Meru range at a height of 1,300 feet, 

 but there are two branch roads, one 24 miles, and the 

 other 50 miles in length, already under construction and 

 forming part of this scheme. 



The railway from Port Weld has been completed 

 since Mr. Swetteuham's report was published. 



The Port Weld wharf, has proved a white ele- 

 phant to the State, and though S20,000 were placed on 

 the estimates for dredging, piling, and building the wharf, 

 and 18100,000 for the railway, the wharf swallowed §34,800 

 and the railway §108,000. The railway alone, with rolling- 

 stock, was estimated by the State Engineer to cost about 

 £8,000 per mile, or, as it is only 8 miles long, S357,00O 

 for the whole. The work on the wharf at Port Weld 

 has been stopped, as the original plan is not likely to 

 succeed. Temporary landing stages were therefore being 

 erected, and the Hon. Major McCallum had reported on 

 the work and prepared detailed plans and estimates, but 

 Mr. Swettenham has no idea what the cost of completing 

 the wharf will be ; and probably the original scheme will 

 never be carried out. 



A commencement has been made with the surveying 

 and mapping of the State, and it is to be hoped this 

 will be carried to completion. Chinese immigrati a 

 has fallen pflf greatly, owing no doubt to the low 

 price of tin. Mr. Swettenham gives his opinion on 

 the subject of European tin-mining companies, and 

 thinks that the Rev. Mr. Teuison- Woods was rather 

 piemature in stating that Europeans cannot make 

 tin-mining in Perak a success. Ha says : — 



The advice I would offer to European miners is /cs/iMa 

 loite, and reduce as far as possible the risk, whether as to 

 nature of ground or ainotmt of money sunk in the venture. 

 If the investment of a small capital proves successful oper- 

 ations can gradually be extended ; if it fail, there is a 

 possibility of withdrawal without much loss. Companies, 

 however, do not usually care to prove the ground by a 

 small expenditure and one pump, and it is only operations 

 on a very large scale indeed, something I fancy as yet 

 imtu-ed and for which the chaiacter of Ihe Malay tin de- 

 jiosits may lie unsuited, that can support a numerous 

 highly-paid European staff and a quantity of powerful 

 machinery and still bImw a fair margin for dividends. 

 Mr. Swettenham concludes his report by contrasting 

 the state of Perak as it was when be first visited it 

 more than eleven yeai's ago. naraowly escaping sharing 

 the fate of Mr. Birch, with its present condition. 



The Straits Times also notices the administration 

 report of the Kesident Councillor of Malacca (Hon. 

 D. F. A. Hervey) for 1884, from which we learn that 

 the revenue for last year was 835,000 less than the 

 expenditure, but was ,S2.000 over the 1883 revenue, 

 so that it is hoped that erelong there will be a balance 

 to thegood. We read that 



The tapioca planting has been to a great extent given 

 up Owing to the great fall in price of the maimfactured 

 article but the extension of frontier roads, and the open- 

 ing of roads through the assistance of this Government 

 in the Native States, must eventually tend to make Ma- 

 lacca an important and prosperous country. 

 The Pieport states that 



There is plenty of tin near Kulla Pilah and also in 

 Gemeucheh, and it is to be hoped that the opening up of 

 communications will be the means of attracting capital to 

 work it. 



Tin-working has already been taken up hi two places 

 iu llembau. 



There is plenty of fine hill country in .Tohol, Kembaa, 

 Sri Menanti, and Jclei, which it would be worth planters' 

 while to iu.spect. 



