91 



15s per oz. ; on the 31st December, 187^, their quotation was 12s 6d 

 per oz., on 31st December, 1886, 2s fid per oz., falling by decrees, in 

 sympathy with Bark, till the lowest point was touched in 1897, when 

 business was done at lOd per oz.; at this time sales of German Quinine 

 (best marks) were made at 7^d to 8d per oz.; — the lowest price on 

 record. 



The cause of this great depreciation in value is not far to seek; in 

 1880 the discovery of Cuprea Bark from the United States of Colombia, 

 large quantities of which were imported in the years 1880 to 1885, gave 

 the first shock to the market, but it was the enormous supplies shipped 

 from Ceylon (these in the year 1886 reached their maximum ot 

 15,000,000 lb,) which after first destroying the South American Trade, 

 brought prices down so low that it was no long profitable to ship, and 

 in most of the Ceylon Estates the Bark was uprooted and Tea was 

 planted instead. The exports from British India have never reached 

 more than 4,000,01)01 b., and here as in ( Jey Ion, planters have generally (ex- 

 cept on a few estates in the Travancore district) given up its cultivation. 

 Java, however, owing to the superior quality of its Bark, has been able 

 to hold its own, and exports have steadily increased until now it has 

 practically the control of the market. 



The present statistical position is we think a strong one, the Im- 

 ports and Exports of bark in United Kingdom and Holland for the 

 three years 1896-98 compare with the previous three years as follows : 



1896-98. 1893 95. 



Imports Eng. lb. Eng. lb. 



into U. K 11.853,000 18,723,000 



" Holland 31,649,000 28,899,000 



Total ... 43,502,000 47,622,000 



Exports 



from U.K. 8,777,000 18,029,000 



" Holland 34,491,000 21,555,000 



43,268,000 39,584,000 



Left for English and Amsterdam ) 



quinine Manufacturers and V 234,000 8,038,000 



for replenishing Stocks ) 



thus showing that, even the increased supplies received in 1898, con- 

 sumption has of late practically overtaken production. (It is worthy 

 of note that the Exports from Holland during 1896-98 exceed the Im- 

 ports by nearly 3,000,000 lb.) This probability is further confirmed by 

 the statistics of quinine ; thus we find the Exports of quinine and 

 quinine salts from Germany during the same periods were : — 



1896-98. 1893-96. 

 oz. oz 

 Total .. 22,900,000 15,306,000 



As regards the prospects of supplies in the future, we have seen 

 that shipments from Java, if maintained as at present, are barely suffi- 

 cient for consumption, even when supplemented as they were last year 



