103 



demand, but there was only a limited demand tor extra cnoice and fancy 

 Bast Floridas, and about 1,500 bales remained unsold at the close of the 

 season. 



< Concession for Rubber. 



In the Consular Report for 1898 on Lourengo Marques, a Portu- 

 gese colony in South Africa, Mr. A. 0. Ross, writes : — 



In the end of 1897 a monopoly was granted for the exploitation of 

 rubber in the unoccupied lands belonging to the State within the dis- 

 trict of Inhambane with the hope of (1) putting an end to the destruc- 

 tive native method of collecting rubber, viz., cutting down the vines 

 and extracting the valuable sap by boiling, and (2) increasing the 

 production by fresh planting. The exports of rubber from Inhambane 

 have been going down of recent years ; in 1896, 39 tons ; 1897, 35 

 tons ; and for 1898, only 20 tons. 



The terms of the grant are as follows : — 



1. The monopoly is granted tor 25 years. 



2. The concessionnaires have to pay during the first seven years 

 50 reis per kilo of rubber exported and 75 reis during the remaining 

 18 years. 



3. Within two years 20,000 rubber plants must have been planted 

 on land selected by the concessionaires and the Government. 



4. A rent of 200,000 reis per annum shall be paid for this land. 



5. At the end of 25 years the concessionnaires may elect to hand 

 over the plantation or retain it at the same rent as previously paid. 



6. The concessionnaires are exempt from any other imposts. 



A company with a capital of 30,000/. has been floated to work this 

 concession, and it is confidently expected that during the present year 

 considerable progress will be made towards the fulfilment of paragraph 

 3 above mentioned. 



It is expressly laid down that the concession above mentioned does 

 not prevent any person growing rubber on his own land and exporting 

 it. 



Colonial Produce in Spain. 



H. M. Consul, Mr. C. A. P. Talbot, in a Report on the Trade and 

 Commerce of Corunna for 1898, says : — 



" The importation of cocoa in 1898 was 249 tons, of which 43 tons 

 came for the first time from France, and I would observe that a market 

 is now open for all Colonial produce in consequence of the loss of the 

 Spanish colonies, and London merchants would do well to push business 

 for spices, sugar, coffee, cocoa, especially the latter which enters so 

 largely in the daily consumption of every Spanish household. 



" These remarks also apply to coffee hitherto imported from Puerto 

 Rico, whence 80 tons only came in 1898, while during the same period 

 Belgium sent 25, France 10, Germany 20 tons, but none from Great 



