49 



16. Hitherto I have expressed the opinions of 

 The iriences ex " others regarding the difficulty attending 

 the introduction of new articles into the market, how- 

 ever valuable they may be. I now propose to give my 

 own experience. Shortly after my return from India 

 (on two years' furlough) in September, 1876, 1 turned 

 my attention to the development of a trade in the 

 Indian fibres, which I had with me ; and with this 

 end in view I circulated among the leading manu- 

 facturers of paper and rope samples, with detailed 

 information respecting them, requesting an opinion 

 on their quality, and tenders for consignments should 

 they meet with approval. Without exception the 

 replies were satisfactory in the extreme. The manu- 

 facturers were unanimous in their praise, but though 

 loud in encomiums, pronouncing the fibres fit for 

 first-class paper, textile fabrics, and rope manufac- 

 ture, no one seemed willing to make a bond fide offer, 

 each apparently wishing some one else to make the 

 first trial before speculating himself. 



17. At that time I had not read Dr. Royle's work, 

 The Author's ex- and I could not understand how it was 



periences con- 



that all were so slow to seize so valuable 

 an opportunity, especially at a time when the high 

 price of paper, &c., was maintained by a scarcity of 

 the raw material. Though somewhat disheartened I 

 was determined to unravel the mystery, and finding 

 more was to be done by personal interview than by 

 correspondence I resolved to adopt the former 

 course. I soon found that the difficulty to be over- 

 come was a stubborn belief that if India possessed 



