(nine to ten pounds sterling) according to cost of freight at the time. 

 The inferior breeds referred to, could be obtained for much less money, 

 but my calculation is for the best bred animals only. 



" The usual mode in executing such orders is to open a credit for me 

 with a London banker, with permission to draw, say a fourth, when the 

 goats are bought, and the balance with documents, bills of lading, &c, 

 attached when they are shipped. 



" Persian or Yellow Berries. — Sometimes also called ' French berries, ' 

 or the ' Rhammis infectorius,'' of Linnaeus, a species of ' buckthorn,' another 

 article of export from this district, is the fruit of a hardy shrub, propa- 

 gated from cuttings or seeds, and produces the fruit in two or three years. 

 The bushes yield from 15 to 25 lbs. weight (fifteen to twenty-five pounds 

 weight) annually, and require little or no cultivation. The crop is almost 

 entirely gathered in by the women and children of the growers, so I have 

 no data on which to calculate charges. Six individuals are expected to 

 collect 20 cwt. (twenty hundredweight) in two to three weeks. The 

 berries are worth from £7 to £8 per cwt. (one hundred and forty to one 

 hundred and sixty pounds sterling per ton) in Liverpool, and are largely 

 used by dryers, drysalters, calico printers, and others, producing as they 

 do some of the finest yellow dyes known. 



" Gum tragacanth, from the Astragalus plants, of which 150 varieties 

 are indigenous to Asiatic Turkey. The varieties, 'Astragalus verus,' and 

 "Astragalus gummifer,' are the most valuable for producing the gum 

 known in commerce and pharmacy, and worth at present £15 per cwt. 

 (fifteen pounds sterling per hundredweight. ) The bulbous root of the 

 plant, when ripe, is cut a little above the ground, the gum exudes during 

 the day, hardens at night, and is collected in flakes the following 

 morning. 



" Tobacco Seeds, from which the various qualities are propagated that 

 have made Turkish tobacco famous all over the world, is another article 

 of produce I could buy to advantage. The price varies very much, 

 being sometimes as low as lOd. per lb. for the best qualities, and often 

 as high as 2s. per lb. 



" The causes that make such produce peculiar to, and especially suc- 

 cessful in this district seem to me to be mostly atmospheric. The 

 excessive dryness and lightness of the air are noteworthy. Little dew 

 falls at any time, and from April to October it rains seldom. Given a 

 corresponding elevation (3,000 to 3,500 feet above the sea-level) and a 

 mean temperature of 42 degrees in winter, and 86 in summer, there 

 seem to be no reason why the valuable products of this district should 

 not be successfully transferred to other climates. 



" Should any fuller information on these subjects be desired, I shall be 

 happy to correspondwith you. The addition of Constantinople to my 

 address is indispensable as there is no direct postal communication with 

 Angora, and " I remain, Sir, 



" Yours faithfully. 

 "Gavin Gatheral, H.B.M.C.A." 



After some discussion it appeared to be the sense of the meeting that 

 the introduction of the pure Angora goat by any one who had oppor- 

 tunities of managing the flock properly, could not fail to be a most pro- 

 fitable undertaking. It was also thought that the cultivation Of the 

 Turkish tobacco might be tried with very good prospects of success, 

 although in the opinion of some of the Fellows, the heat of the climate 

 was scarcely high enough to ensure perfection in the plant. 



A vote of thanks having been passed to Mr. Swan and the donor* of 

 presentations, the meeting separated. 



