COFFEE COUNTRIES. 243 



Coffee, and spices. Such men are offered (by 

 reiterated advertisements) free grants of jungle 

 land in the Tavoy district, in a tract lying 

 between the 13 and 14 parallel of north latitude. 

 The lots placed at altitudes ranging from 100 

 to 6,800 feet above the level of the sea, and 

 exposed to a rainfall of about 200 inches, vary 

 in size from 100 to 1,200 acres. The only 

 immediate payment required is 8 annas per 

 acre for cost of survey and demarkation. The 

 grantee will not be called upon to pay any land 

 revenue till the tenth year of possession, when 

 he will be taxed at the rate of Rs. i 4 annas 

 an acre. He is welcome to every stick of 

 timber he finds on his lot, but the Govern- 

 ment reserve to themselves all possible minerals 

 which may exist underground, with due compen- 

 sation for any damage caused to the grantee's 

 land by search or mining operations. To 

 encourage pioneers in the Coffee and Cinchona 

 enterprise in Tavoy, Government promised to 

 " pay to the first four grantees who began bond 

 fide planting operations Rs. 15 per head for every 

 Indian or Chinese coolie, male or female, over 

 sixteen years of age, who may be settled and housed 

 on their plantations before the ist of March, 

 1885." One of the advantages of the district is 

 that steamers to and from Rangoon touch weekly 

 at a port in the district. The Chief Commis- 

 sioner seems to be very anxious to establish 



