Drugs and Medicinal Plants. 



38 



curious brands made up in their wooden boxes of local manufacture. These cigars 

 are turned out in the Pettah by traders who import cheap leaf from South India, 

 and a large number of these cigars are also disposed of among the shipping in 

 harbour. The cigars are of a poor description, and are used locally by those who 

 prefer a light smoke at a cheap cost. The taste for light tobacco is undoubtedly 

 being developed among the people of the country in place of the crude and strong 

 smoke provided in the Jaffna tobacco cigar ; and there is no reason why cheap 

 light cigars could not be manufactured from locally grown leaf to supply this 

 growing demand for a light tobacco smoke. 



Turning however to our cigar bill for the year the 122,000 odd lbs., costing 

 nearly 3 lakhs of rupees, were supplied during the 11 months ended November last, 

 for home consumption, by the following countries: — 



Total quantities. Value, 



lbs. Rs. 



United Kingdom ... ... 101,336 ... ... 223,440 



British India ... ... ... 5,862 ... ... 11,725 



Holland ... ... ... 4,793 ... ... 17,171 



Philippine Islands ... ... 3,731 ... ... 8,750 



United States ... ... ... 2,622 ... ... 8,320 



Egypt ... ... ... 1,802 ... ... 9,950 



Germany ... ... ... 1,468 ... ... 5,157 



China ... ... ... 371 ... ... 1,160 



Malta ... ... ... 185 ... ... 885 



Belgium ... .. ... 165 ... ... 240 



Spain ... ... ... 115 ... ... 758 



Aden ... ... ... 99 ... ... 542 



Hongkong ... ... ... 95 ... ... 403 



Burma ... ... ... 65 ... ... 90 



Straits Settlements ... ... 15 ... ... 68 



France ... ... ... 6 ... ... 17 



Total.. .122, 720 288,676 



It will strike one as strange that a tobacco growing country like Ceylon 

 with its varying soil and climatic conditions, where tobacco of varying flavours 

 could be grown, should expend nearly four lakhs of rupees a year on foreign 

 tobaccos. Some of the brands of cigars imported are no doubt unrivalled, but 

 Ceylon could undoubtedly produce cigars to equal a large proportion of those 

 imported from countries enumerated above. There is then scope for a larger, local 

 market, not to mention the exportation of cigars of a guaranteed quality. Turn- 

 ing noAV to the export of a local grown tobacco from the Island, we note that during 

 the eleven months ended November last manufactured tobacco to the extent of 

 3,908,503, lbs., of the value of Rs. 835,998 were exported f rom the Island, of which, 

 with the exception of 24 lbs. valued at Rs. 15 sent to Burma and the Straits, the 

 rest were shipped to India. No cigars of local manufacture were exported. The 

 local Agricultural Society will iindoubtedly have much material to work upon 

 in connection with the proposal to investigate the question of the tobacco produc- 

 tion of the Island.— Ceylon Independent. 



THE BRITISH-AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY (CEYLON), LIMITED. 



Registered November 30th. Capital, £10,000 in £1 shares. Objects, to 

 carry on in Ceylon or elsewhere the business of tobacco growers, manufacturers 

 and merchants, manufacturers of, and dealers in, cigars, cigarettes and snuff, 

 general merchants, agents and indent brokers, &c, provided that the Company 

 may not, without the consent of the British-American Tobacco Company, 

 Limited, (a) carry on any of the said businesses outside Ceylon; (6) cultivate, 

 manipulate or deal in leaf tobacco in Ceylon ; (c) manufacture tobacco or its 

 products in Ceylon ; (d) export tobacco or its products from Ceylon ; or (e) be 

 interested in any other business connected with the manufacture or sale of 

 tobacco and its products. No initial public issue. The first directors (to number 

 not less than three or more than nine) are W. R. Harris, W. B. Ogden, H. 

 von R. Cunliffe-Owen, T. Gracey, J. Hood, L. Hignett, A. C. Churchman, and 

 A. G. Jeff ress, with one other to be appointed by them. Qualification, one share. 

 No remuneration. Registered office, Cecil Chambers, 86, Strand, London W,C. 



