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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [August t, 1889. 
Lectures might be delivrred in populous village 
oentres, elementary at first, confined say to the 
marked advantages to digestion of drinking hot 
water, with tea in it. I believe in the long run 
this would pay no better than selling it to our 
coolies, to which I don't think any of us take at all 
kindly. Peppercorn. 
THE FUTURE OP CINNAMON : THE 
NEED OF SUPPRESSING CHIPS. 
We can do no more in view of the late hour at 
which his letter reaches us, than call attention to 
the important communication in which Mr. Jardine 
of Negombo deals with the above subject. The letter 
has been written, we believe, very muoh at our sug- 
gestion and from his long experience and position 
as manager of perhaps the leading cinnamon 
plantation in the island, there is probably no one 
more capable of advising his brother planters to 
apply a remedy for the low prices of their staple. 
Proprietors — native gentlemen especially — will only 
have themselves to blame if they decline to adopt 
and follow Mr. Jardine's advice, should the recent 
unprofitable state of the market be continued and 
even intensified, by the further shipment of " chips." 
♦ 
GEMMING AS NOW CARRIED ON IN 
SABARAGAMUWA. 
EXTENSIVE GEMMING OPERATIONS AT RAKWANA — 
ABANDONED COFFEE LAND TURNED INTO GEMPITS 
OPERATIONS SUSPENDED ON THE EVERTON ESTATE 
— BOWITIYATENNA A SCENE OF LIFE AND HAPPI- 
NESS — -ABOUT l,00l) SINHALESE AND MOORS AT WORK 
THEIR 'MODUS OPERANDI ' — THE NATIVES PREFER 
TO PAY THE OWNER OF THE LAND ONE-FIFTH THE 
SHARE OF THE PROCEEDS — DISHONEST GEM-MINERS 
— THE FIND OF A VALUABLE SAPPHIRE BY A RANG- 
WELLETANNE ESTATE COOLY WOMAN — A EUROPEAN 
GEMMING COMPANY OUGHT TO BE FLOATED WITH 
MODERN APPL.ANCES — A PENNILESS CARPENTER 
TURNED OUT A RICH MAN FROM THE BOWITIYA- 
TENNA GEM PITS— ILLICIT GEMMING ON CROWN 
LANDS — GEM STRATA TO BE FOUND AT CERTAIN 
PLACES IN SABARAGAMUWA— THE NATIVES GEM 
THEIR OWN LANDS — A COMPANY OUGHT TO BE 
STARTED BY MESSRS. SYMONS AND SHAND FOR 
GEMMING ON EVERTON AND RANG WELLETENNE 
WELL WORTH A COMPANY WORKING WITH DREDGERS 
IN THE KELANIGANGA AND KALUGANGA — REFUSAL 
OF ALLEGED OFFERS TO GOVERNMENT BY THE 
ROTHSCHILDS AND OTHERS. 
Sabaragamuwa, 22nd June 1889. 
When on a recent visit to Rakwana 1 1 was aston- 
ished at the extensive gemming which is carried on 
by natives, and agreeably surprised to see the enter- 
prise exhibited by some of the miners who have 
systematically carried on operations for years past. 
As you have been publishing a good deal about gem- 
ming lately my observations during an hour's visit to 
the mines at Bowitiyatenua may not be without 
interest. 
A walk of four miles from the town of Rakwana 
by the Kukulu Korale bridle road brought us to the 
top of Everton Gap, where the land (abandoned 
ooffee) was peri(c iy Wft'dle'd by gempits, both on 
Everton estate on ihe one side and Bowitiatenna on 
the other. Owing to the gentleman who was looking 
after the proprietor's interests on the former (Everton) 
property, having left the district and no one being 
authorized to receive tbe rent from the gemmers, all 
operationH have been suspended, leaving the remains 
of a small village of tumble-down kadjan huts, &c. 
On the latter, however, a scene of Jile, happiness, 
prosperity, and plenty of the good things of this life 
presents itself. Scattered about over an area of about 
50 acres of abandoned coffee there must be at least 
one thousand miners at work, mostly of Sinhalese 
and Moorish castes, fine, muscnlar, robust-looking fel- 
lows who by repute are the worst characters the 
Western Province can produce. There is a good thatched 
shed erected over the mouth of each shaft, which looked 
like a dwelling-house till we got inside, where we found 
a shaft 16 fathoms — 96 feet — deep, regularly built all 
the way to the bottom with a framework of jungle wall- 
plating wliich supported a lining of 18 by 1 in. planking 
all round the sides which measured at the top 12 by 
6 feet narrowing towards the bottom. There is also 
a line of beams from the to the bottom sepa- 
rating the shaft into two squares of 6 by 6 feet each, 
on both sides of which, set on a strong framework 
of timber, there is a winch, a plain wooden one with 
a handle fixed on at each end, with two men work- 
ing it. A heavy coir rope about 3 inches in dia- 
meter was bringing up the water barrel on the one 
side and sending down an empty one on the other. 
On the other winch the same performance goes on 
taking up earth, I could see the water glittering at 
the bottom, and was quite surprised when told that 
a man was coming up in the barrel. Sure enough 
out he popped. I was told that no less than 20 
men were in the pit at the time of our visit, and 
that their work would be over at 6 p.m. when 
a second relief would go down, making an aver- 
age daily outturn on the checkroll of 40 men at a 
cost of about R600 per month in the one pit. If 
stone or rock was met with it was blasted out till the 
present depth was reached. Upon inquiry as to what the 
20 men were who were said to be in the pit, were doing, 
I was informed here and there all over the place, tunnel- 
ing in different directions, looking for the "illian," which 
I was informed had just been struck by some of the 
men of one party. I would not believe this till con- 
vinced by the man shouting at the top of the shaft to 
those below for a reply, which was freely responded to 
in different directions. It appears the gravel varies in 
thickness from three to seven feet, and sometimes two 
gravels are found, the second about 20 or 30 feet be- 
low the first, and much richer in precious stones of a 
far superior quality. " But where is the difficulty in 
always finding and working the second illiar?" I asked, 
and was told " Water, water, is our enemy." We cannot 
keep it down when below 120 feet or when we get to 
the level of the stream," — pointing to it below. "We 
were then shown a tunnel into the side of the hill be- 
low, made for the purpose of allowing a free draught of 
air into the mine, where work goes on night an<i day 
with lamplight. Another contrivance worthy of notice 
is the spouting for taking down tbe "illian" to the 
stream to be washed. 
The owner of the land, Dr. Fernando, Mr. O. H. 
De Soysa's son-in-law, is paid a rental ofl-5th share 
of the proceeds from the sale of the gems found. This 
mode of rental is preferred by all natives because 
it is more profitable than accepting R10 per man 
per month, as is done on the adjoining property 
of Everton. Europeans cannot afford the time to 
look after their share of the gems: at all events 
the superintendent of Aberfoyle estate, who had plenty 
to do to look after his tea work, could hardly be 
expected to do so when he lives about 10 miles away; 
so I presume Mr. C. E. H. Syraons finds it pays him 
well enough to accept the above rent instead of running 
the risk of having the gems stolen, and perhaps be 
charged with causing the death of a good many miners 
from constipation (I) through their swallowing the 
gems wholesale, as is usually done when they work for 
Earopeans. So that it is not to be wonoVred at one or 
two gentlemen who tried pits got little or nothing 
of any value. I have heard of several natives who 
have enriched themselves at the expense of planters in 
Rakwana. The temptation to steal a good gem is so 
great, and the devices adopted for the purpose of carry- 
ing out the intentions are so well performed, that the 
native geramers themselves find it an impossibility to 
prevent thefrs, which are constantly coming to light 
after the gem has been sold — probably at J of its value 
-. — and the thief disappeared, 
