July r, 1889 ] THP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
55 
A voto of thanks having been accorded to the chair- 
man the proceedings ended, — L, and U, Express, Mayl7. 
CATSEYES. 
TO THE EDITOR OP THE " STANDARD." 
Sib,— Your interesting article of today on the large 
Catseye recently found in Ceylon is misleading in one 
particular. 
If a true Catseye, or " Cynophane," which we take it 
to be, it is far more than a " piece of glorified rock 
crystal." There is as much difference between the gem 
Catseye and its rock crystal would-be rival as between 
gold and brass ; nay, more— the first is a valuable stone, 
the second next to valueless. 
An analysis by Professor Church, m a., Oxon, gives 
roughly, for the gem Catseye— 
Alumina ... ... 76) 
Glumia ... ... 18 1 Parts in 100 
Ferrous oxide ... 4 J 
Rock crystal is very different- 
Silicon ... ... i6 ' 7 Irirts in 100 
Oxygen ... ... 53 . 3 funs m 1UU 
We are, sir, your obedient servants, 
P. G. DODD and SON. 
146, Deadenhall-street, E.C., May 10th. 
Sib,— The firm who have written to inform you that 
the Catseye is not a quartz, that it is the same as 
" cynophane," and— somewhat superfluously — that it is. " a 
valuable stone" are entirely wrong, except in the last 
particular. Every one knows that it is a "valuable 
stone ;" the object, indeed of your Article was to assess 
its properties. But, as any Mineralogist, or any book on 
Mineralogy— Nicol's " Manual " (page 111), for example- 
could have informed them, the Catseye, like the ame- 
thyst, the opal and a host of other gems, all belong to 
the quartz family, their distinctive merits being to the 
presence of minute quantities of foreign matter. 
The cymophane (not "cynophane") of Hauy, the pris- 
matic corundum of Mohs and Jameson, is better known 
as the chrysobervl, a very different mineral. It belongs 
to the same family as the topaz. The analysis given by 
your correspondents is also, as they put it, incorrect. 
The mineral contains from 68'67 to close on 79 per cent 
of alumina, and from 1883 per cent of glucina — not 
"glumia" — besides a little silica and titanio acid in 
some specimens, and a trace of other subst ;nees. The 
analysis of rock crystal is also imperfectly given. I may 
add that chrysoberyl is so unlike the Catseye that it 
is impossible for any one who has ever seen the two 
to confound them.— I am, sir, your obedient servant, 
F. G. S. 
May 11th. 
♦ 
NOTES ON PRODUCE AND FINANCE. 
TEA IN FRANCE. 
The Paris Exhibition is now open, and although it 
is not yet in anything like full swing, the control of 
the Indian tea-room in the Indian Palace is in good 
hands, and ready for customers. The Indian Tea Dis- 
tricts Association, by arrangement with the Tower Tea 
Company, have secured the services of Mr. Thomas 
Lous;h of that company, and this gentleman means 
busiuess. He keeps a poet and an artist on his staff 
apparently, for some neat verses in French are turned 
out, in which the qualities of tea are extolled, and 
the most fascinating illustrations are given of the 
bliss here below which awaits the tea drinker. Mr. 
Lough believe that the French will take kindly to tea. 
His company is distributing over France, to the tune 
of a million copies, a pretty little brochure in French, 
with dainty illustrations, and they are also issuing a 
big book to the trade. Although the French doctors 
talk the usual nonsense about the bad effects of tea- 
drinking the progress is great. The average quantity 
of tea taken in eaoh of the ten years previous to 
and including 1838, was 116,000 kilogrammes ; 1848, 
1-16; 1853, 199; 1868, 304; 1878, 318; 1888, 487,000 
kilogrammes, a kilogramme being two pounds. Al- 
though these figures are small, they justify the opin- 
iou that one hears everywhere in France that the 
demand for tea is increasing. When the native waiters 
arrive, Mr. Lough ought to carry u 11 before him. 
The Kangra Valley planters are annoyed because 
they think their tea is not properly represented, at 
Paris. They object to be "lumped" with others. They 
wish to have a special "Kangra Valley blend" on 
sale, but this the executive are averse to. The_ Kangra 
Valley planters think their tea? are just suited to a 
Continental market, and to blend theirs with tea 
from other districts would be a mistake. The execu- 
tive of the Indian Tea Association, at Calcutta, on 
the other hand, do not seem to approve of the pro- 
posal put forward by the Kangra Valley people. — H. 
& C. Mail, May 10th. 
♦< 
WESTLAND'S TEA EOLL BREAKER. 
In the course of a letter before us, Mr. James 
Westland of Matale East says of this roller : — 
" The small tea roll breaker here, with a cooly 
driving and another feeding, certainly does its work 
quickly and well and without taking the twist out 
of the leaf. 
" Here are sales of the Forest Hill estate tea, which, 
in process of manufacture, passed through it:— 
April 27th, B. P. 85c. ; P. S. 40c. 
May 2nd, B. P. 86c. ; P. S. 45c. 
May 16th, B. P. 76c. ; P. S 38c. 
May 29th, B. P. 77c; P. S. 39c. 
"When asked at the Exhibition, what the tea had 
been sold at which passed through the new machine, 
I quite forgot to mention Forest Hill tea sales in the 
local market ; as to the capacity for work, it has broken 
up over 61,000 lb. of leaf during this mouth, most of 
which passed through it a second time, i. e. after 
the 2nd rolling. In a few days I hope the makers 
will have the sieve arrangement completed and satis- 
factorily prove the merits of the machine." 
♦ • 
TEA FOR THE UNITED STATES- 
FREE OF DUTY? 
There seems to be some doubt as to whether 
any duty is charged on tea imported to America, 
whether in American or foreign ships. The Con- 
sul-General in Calcutta informs us that, according 
to the latest Tariff Act of the United States, 
that of March 1883, tea is placed on the free 
list without any qualification or reference to the 
nationality of the vessel in which it is imported. 
But Mr. Morey, the United States Consul at 
Colombo, appears to be of a different opinion, or 
why did he advise the Ceylon tea planters to 
charter an American steamer, so that their tea 
might be imported free of duty, when this would 
also be the case if it was sent in any other vessel ? — 
Calcutta Englishman. 
♦ 
THE SEYCHELLES ISLANDS. 
We announced on Tuesday that the Queen had 
been pleased to reform the constitution of the 
Seychelles Islands, and to appoint an administrator 
subordinate to the Government of Mauritius, with 
an Executive and Legislative Council for the Admini- 
stration of that dependency. It may interest our 
readers if we call to mind the most remarkable 
characteristics of this little group of islands, 
situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean a thou- 
sand miles east of the African Coast and from 
Mauritius. There are altogether twenty-nine islands, 
of whioh MaJiA, bearing the same name as the small 
Frenoh settlement on the Malabar Coast, is the 
largest, containing an area of about 70 square miles. 
The other principal islands of the group are called 
Pars'in, La Digue, Ourieuse, Felicite, Isle Aride, 
and St. Aune. The larger islands are granitio, 
resting on an extensive bank of sand and coral. 
To the S. W. of the Seychelles is a small 
1 group of islands oalled the form Almiranks, which 
