AGRICULTURAL PROGRESS IN THE TROPICS 53 



own food and other necessaries, and growing also a very small 

 amount of produce for sale, with the proceeds of which they buy 

 the few external things that they find need for in their simple 

 mode of life. 



To such a population entered the enterprising trading nations 

 — first the Arab, later the European, the American and in some 

 cases the Chinaman. The first comers did not bring much 

 capital with them, but settled in places where transport from 

 the interior was easy and collected and exported the products 

 of the country, thus increasing the markets for these and 

 rendering possible a somewhat greater specialisation in their 

 production. 



The later comers, the white races, while at first they settled 

 at suitable places and collected and exported in the same way, 

 presently conquered the countries and set about obtaining 

 larger supplies of their products for export. The early method 

 of doing this involved the establishment of a Government 

 monopoly of these products, such as the famous cinnamon 

 monopoly, which lasted in Ceylon through the rule of the 

 Portuguese and Dutch, and until 1840 under the English. 

 Under these monopolies the natives were granted certain 

 privileges in return for bringing in definite supplies of the 

 spice, and any left over, after the traders to Europe had been 

 supplied, was destroyed, in order to keep up the prices and 

 to prevent the natives relaxing their toil in collection. 



In these monopolies the labour that was needed for anything 

 in the way of agriculture larger than the villager's garden and 

 little field was obtained practically by compulsion. The next 

 stage in agriculture under white management was the sugar 

 industry of the West Indies. The country proved good for 

 the cultivation but labour could not be got on the spot. With 

 the aid of the capital early invested in the work, slaves were 

 obtained from Africa and a prosperous industry soon sprang 

 up. With the abolition of slavery the industry fell upon parlous 

 times and has never really recovered its lost ground. 



The next phase was seen in Ceylon, where in 1824 the 

 Governor, Sir Edward Barnes, opened up an estate at Pera- 

 deniya, close to the great military road that had just been 

 opened through the centre of the island, and thus in a place 

 provided with means of transport. Slave labour here was 

 impossible ; but Ceylon then and always has had the great 



