4 2/ 
As to your contention that there has been a satis- 
factory increase in the home consumption of tea 
since 1885, I must refer you for my view to a forth- 
coming number of the Financial Reformer. But, as- 
suming that you are right, and that a satisfactory 
increase in consumption is expressed " in quality," 
will planters gladly face the prospeot of a consump- 
tion praotically stationary as regards quantity and 
likely to be still further retarded in quantity by every 
improvement in quality? It is calculated that soon 
the 70 or 80 million lb. of China teas now consumed 
at home will be displaced by Ceylon and Indian teas. 
The displacement will be effected by a considerably 
smaller quantity of the stronger teas. When it has 
been achieved, the output of these teas will largely 
exceed any probable increase in the home consump- 
tion under existing conditions, and the disproportion 
must grow greater day by day. Then, either the 
price of tea must fall heavily, or else the output 
must be curtailed. Then, if not before, the Ceylon 
planters will perceive the absolute necessity of open- 
ing a fresh field of consumption in the United 
Kingdom. There is only one way of opening it up 
to him in a manner profitable to himself, and that 
is by the reduction or, better still, by the abolition 
of the Tea Duties. It cannot be tapped at all, but 
by a large reduction in retail price. Let the reduction 
then, fall on the duty and not on the cobt price of 
the Tea. If it fall on the duty, the bond prioe of 
the tea and the profit to the planter will be raised. 
For the evidenoe of this I must refer you to the 
proof I gave in my former article, that the lowering 
of the duty on tea invariably raises the bond price of 
the article, and must inevitably do so. 
You say that there is no fear of the Ceylon planter 
having to substitute fine for coarse plucking in the 
event of a fall in price. But are you not writing 
under the exhilarating stimulus of the high range of 
prices, particularly for the lower clesses of Ceylon 
Tea, that now prevails ? Look back to May and June, 
and you will find that what you scout as impossible 
has actually taken place. You will find that the pre- 
sent high prices are to a considerable extent the 
effect of the curtailment in the supply of low class 
teas that was forced upon the Ceylon planter by 
the influence of what I must persist in calling 
non-paying prices. 
Bear in mind that the high price for even Ceylon 
rubbish* today is the consequence of the low price of 
Ceylon quality yesterday, and that the high price of 
today is the antecedent of low price for even quality 
tomorrow. When the present temporary causes of 
high price have had their swing, when China tea is 
quite displaced, when the Australian market, res- 
ponding to the lowering of the tea duties in Victoria, 
has glutted itself with Ceylon tea : if then the 
home tea duties are not reduced or abolished, the 
Ceylon planter will find that his only chanoe of 
making a profit will lie in his making quality only, 
instead of quality and quantity combined. And 
with this solatium, that the better the quality of his 
teas the more difficult he will make it for the general 
consumption to increase in quantity. 
I am not, as you seem to suppose, iu favor of 
the reduction of duty merely. I am heart and soul 
for the abolition, but I will take the half-loaf as 
the precursor to the whole. 
As to the extent of the fresh field to bo opened 
up the abolition of the duties I would say a word. 
The home consumption averages about 5 lb. per 
head. But the consumption of, probably, one-third 
of tho community averages at least 10 to 13 lb. per 
head. On the lower scale, outof our total annual con. 
sumption of about 180,000,000 lb. somo 13,000,000 
people consume 130,000,0001b. leaving only 50,000,000 
There is no such thing, wo hope.— Ed. 
lb to be divided between 27,000,000 heads. That is 
to say the bulk of the population consume less than 
2 1b. per head. They are prevented from consuming 
more by the dead weight of the duties. Abolish 
those and the possibilities of expansion in consump- 
tion are almost infinite. Bemember it is the thirdclaf s 
custom that pays best. At present you do notget it. 
Consider, too, the impetus that would be given by 
the abolition to the extra consumption of tea amongst 
the upper third of the population and, further, the 
probable growth of a general habit of " waste " in 
tea drinking. Now, economy in tea use is carefully 
cultivated. The consumer is forced to economy by 
an annual bond of £5,000,000. If the bond were 
cancelled he might treat tea as he does mustard, 
He takes more mustard than he wants and leaves 
plenty on his plate. Similarly, the tea-spoonful of 
tea would be less accurately measured out. 
In fairness to myself and my cause I must ask 
you to publish this letter. C. J. Bowe, 
National Liberal Club, Whitehall Piace, S. W., 
October 30th. 
[The entire abolition of the duty we consider 
hopelesB, but Mr, Gosohen seemed to invite an 
agitation for reduction. A reduction even to 4d 
could not but increase consumption. — Ed.] 

THE BOYAL BOTANICAL GABDENS, 
PEBADENIYA. 
The name of the locality is derived from Pera, a 
guava, and deniya, an enclosed place ; and there can 
be no doubt that this beautiful and fertile spot in a 
loop of the great river which has its main sources 
on the si-les of the highest mountains in Ceylon, — 
Pidurutalagala, Kirigalpotta, and Totapala, — and in 
the tablelands of Nuwara Eliya and Maha Eliya, 
the latter 7,000 feet above sea-level, was once a 
royal demesne and a residence of the Kandyan 
monarchs. Indeed, according to the Bajaratnakara, 
as quoted by Tennent, Wikrama Bahu III held 
his Court here in the year 1371. Up to 1830-32, when 
General John Fraser, of Burgos and Kandyan war 
and rebellion fame, built the celebrated satinwood 
bridge, the Mahaweliganga (Ganges of Ptolemy) 
was here crossed by a ferry, which was the scene of a 
terrible disaster to the Portuguese arms, on one of the 
occasions of the advance of their forces to Kandy. A 
view, through the trees and up the river, of the satin- 
wood bridge is one of the sights of the Gardens ; 
while close by is a still greater triumph of engineeer- 
ing and structural skill in the shape of the iron 
lattice bridge by which the railway is carried 
into the heart of the ancient kingdom of Kandy, 
once as exclusive as Japan long was. It seems 
ridiculous now to read of the solemn ceremonies, 
amidst "dim, religious light," with which General 
MacDowall was received when ho went to Kandy as 
the Ambassador of Britain. Amongst other sights of 
the Gardens are monuments to the memory of two 
former Superintendents, eminent as botanists and 
in scientific pursuits of an allied nature, such as 
geology in the case of Dr. Gardner and entomology 
in that of Dr. Thwaites. As eminently qualified as 
either and fully abreast of the wonderful advances 
which science has made in tho present generation 
is the present Director, Dr. Henry Trimen ; and happy 
the visitor to the Gardens who explores their treasures 
under the guidance of one so wealthy in useful 
and interesting information and so ready to im- 
part it, in animated tone and popular form, 
as object after object passes in review, from 
the araucarias of the Himalayas and Australia, 
down to that woody creeper, with such a profu 
sion of beautiful light lilac flowers, which has 
spread all over the country in the short period 
since Dr, Trimen introduced it from Madras, — 
the botanical name of which is tyom'ea earned. 
