COFFEE COUNTRIES. 233 



in mid Java also, where it is widespread in the 

 province of Bagelen, it is to be feared that the 

 Coffee yield will fall off in consequence more than 

 ever. 



Sumatra is under the same rule as Java, and 

 shares for the most part its good and bad charac- 

 teristics, though it has never made itself quite 

 such a home of the shrub as the delightful and 

 beautiful sister island. No other Coffee acquires, 

 except by artificial means, the dark yellowish- 

 brown shade that marks the Java and Sumatra 

 bean, which colour governs, in a great measure, 

 its commercial value. Another very good indi- 

 cation of genuineness is the size of the bean, 

 which is considerably larger than that of other 

 kinds of Coffee, excepting Liberian. There is, 

 however, some Coffee produced in the other 

 islands of the Malay Archipelago which does 

 not differ materially in size of bean or general 

 appearance, but which, as a rule, is inferior in 

 flavour. 



The Java and Dutch India crops of 1885 

 are calculated to be 8,000 tons less than those 

 produced in the previous year. 



FIJI 



" Is not a country for the white man," said Sir 

 Arthur Gordon ; but, as usual, the white man is 

 loath to admit it, and the island is being slowly 



