35 
* [t remains to be seen whether this absence of indigo-red in 
the artificial indigo will limit its application. 
anwhile it ought to be mentioned that in some of the 
asa formations of indigo-blue a red colouring matter is 
obtained as a by product, which is X eod to be identical with 
the natural indigo-red, and if this is the case no doubt special 
attention will be given to this beta with the view of 
remedying the defect of the artificial indigo at present sent into 
the market. 
“The Badische Anilin and Soda Fabrik proposed to manu 
facture during last year a quantity of indigo-blue, equal to 1 200 
chests of 125 kilos. each, whilst the e annual export from Calcutta 
alone is estimated at 32,000 chests.’ 
The main source of supply of indigo is India. The Kew 
Bulletin for 1894 (pp E contained a brief aecount of the 
C.I.E. 
India in 1892-3 was of the value of 41,411,793 rupees, or about 
two-thirds of the value of the export of tea. According to the 
same authority the total area under the crop for all India might be 
estimated at about 1,400,000 acres. (Dict. Econom. Prod. of 
India, vol. iv., 1890, p. 422 
DXCVII.—GAMBIA BOTANIC STATION. 
The British Colony on the River Gambia (Colonial Office List, 
ws pp. 119-120), consists of the Island of St. Mary, British 
o, Albreda, the Ceded Mile and MeCarthy's n situated 
IM the falls of Barriconda and Bathurst, and 153 miles from 
the latter. The total area of the Colony proper is about t 69 Square 
miles or about one-fourth the size of Middlesex. 
The P productions are ground nuts, hides, beeswax, rice, 
ous (Pennisetum), palm kernels, india-rubber and 
> or country cloths. A considerable entrepót trade 
ry an temperature is 82°. The rainfall from 
Tus to Quis is astalty very scanty, and there are prolonged 
seasons of drought. The cool Harmattan winds blow from 
bruar 
he ee acu 1 PUDE: ces of the Gambia have been discussed 
in the Kew Bulletin (1889, p. 142 ; 1890, p. 261; and 1892, p. 109); 
the meteorology for the years 1887-189 Lin Kew Bulletin (1892, 
-110); the cotton cultivation im the manufacture of the 
interesting " *pagns" or native cloths in Kew Bulletin erts 
n. 19 the botany in Kew Bulletin (1891, p. 268, and 1892, 
p. 45) ; Gambia mahogany in Kew Bulletin (1890, p. 168) ; and the 
native medicines in K. B. (1893, p. 371). 
In 1894 the Administrator made application to the Secretary of 
State for the services of a Curator to take charge of a Botanic 
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