459 
Mr. Kussell, we may mention, spent some months in 
Ceylon about a year ago, and saw a good deal of our 
upcountry districts. He has been led to publish au 
account of his visit to the island partly in the hope 
that it may in some way help to make Ueylon tea 
more widely known than at present, and if for no other 
reason, we would hope that this will insure for it a 
favourable reception." 
Mr. .Russell's brochure of some 30 pages large 
type is printed on toned paper bound attraotively 
in green, and will no doubt have a wide circulation 
in the old country, his very brief account of a 
visit to Ceylon and of our tea industry being written 
after a lively as well as clever fasnion. Milton's 
well-known line is however as usual, quoted wrongly 
on the first page, " fresh fields and pastures new ;" 
while the great poet wrote, " Tomorrow to fresh 
woxls and pastures new." The greater portion of 
the little book is taken up with a sketch of our 
planting industry and the figures for tea, but put 
in such a way as to be attractive to home readers. 
As a specimen of the more general part of Mr. 
Euasell'a essay we quote as follows : — 
lu au island of but one-half the area in square miles, 
and inhabited by but oue-twelfth of the population of 
England, I have fouud eubjeota which, I think, cannot 
fail to interest and delight all sorts and conditions of 
travellers. Oeylon has been described, aud well de- 
scribed, and, on the high road to so much rich land of 
colonization, is visited by probably as many passing tra- 
vellers as any of our Colonies, but the descriptions are 
read as of inaccessible places far away beyond the seas, 
and, as a rule, the visitor drinks ' and riues away.' A 
halt of twenty-four hours in the harbour of Coiombj 
allows time for a dinner at the Grand Oriental Hotel 
(commonly known as the G. 0. H.), the doubtful enjoy- 
ment of a drive in a ' Kickshaw,' the opportunity to 
bargain for a stone which may or may not prove to be 
a sapphire, a scamper by the train to Kaudy, with pos- 
sibly an nour to spare for the incomparable Botanic 
Gardens of Peradeniya, aud then the traveller hastens 
oa his way to his floating home, to record in his journal, 
to write home to his friends, to cherish the delusion in 
his own mind for all time, that he has seen Ceylon. 
' Beautiful vegetation,' he writes and thinks, 'a lovely 
spot, but very small aud quickly seen.' More than 
once have I heard this description, but how far it is 
from being true only those can tell who have gone 
through the length and breadth of the island. The 
scenery along the line of railway from Colombo toKandy 
is undoubtedly full of objects of strange tropical beauty, 
by which none can fail to be impressed, but nothing 
short of travel and residence in the interior can fairly 
prove the right of Ceylon to be regarded as one of the 
richest and rarest gems in the precious Crown of the 
Empress of India. * * * 
For the artist, the field is inexhaustible. Sunrise 
and sunset beautiful beyond all imagination ; flashes of 
light, density of shadow, flush aud variety of colour, 
rarely to be seen in auy other condition of atmosphere; 
forest and jungle giving endless subjects for the pain- 
ter's brush, delighting the eyes with variety of foliage 
and with briihaut blossoms set like jewels in a network 
of dazzling green. 
' There is continual Spring aDd harvest there, 
Continual, both meeting at one time : 
For all the boughs do laughing blossoms bear, 
And with tresh colours deck the wanton prime.' 
For the sportsman there are far greater opportunities 
of varied sport than I believe to be generally known, 
as the following list of game to be found will show : — 
elephant, elk, bear, bultalo, wild boar, spotted aud 
other deer, cheetah, monkeys, wild cat, hare, jungle 
fowl, wild duck (innumerable varieties), pea-fowl, spur- 
fowl, partridge, aud suipe. All the above, and others, 
are to be found ou the plains, on the mountains, and in 
the juugle, where is to be seen the varied foliage of 
the tamarind, calamauder, ebony, cocouut palm, satin- 
wood, toon, acacia, sapan-wood, rain tree, eucalyptus, 
lak wood, mulberry, pootra or tulip tree, kadumberiya, 
ticus religiose, and others which I caunot veutureto euu. 
morate. Mangoes, melons, plantains, lime, pineapples, 
oranges, guavas, pumslos, sour-sops, figs, custard 
apples, rawbutans, are among the fruits. Birds of 
brilliant plumage, butterflies, endless lu variety, aud 
dazzling iu their tropical splendour, — an insect world 
of whkh the name is legiou, — are there to be found 
living amidst a luxuriance of flowers and spice-bearing 
plants which perfume the air. * * * 
And finally : — 
Should any of the readers of these pages be attracted 
by what I have said to visit Ueylon with auy one of 
the objects to which I have referred in view, I feel 
satisfied that they will, ou leaving, exclaim, in the 
words of the traveller, Marco Polo, — ' It is the finest 
island in the world !' 
The thanks of all interested in the prosperity of 
the island and of "tea" are undoubtedly due to 
Mr. George Bussell for " Sunshine aud a Cup of 
Tea." 
« 
THE EXAMINATION OF PEARL BANKS BY 
MEANS OF THE ELEuTtilC LIGHT 
is an attractive idea and seems feasible enough. 
The results of experience, however, are opposed to 
the idea, the British authorities consulted at the 
instance of the Madras Government only making 
a reservation in favour of a lamp carried under 
water by a regular diver, while in the United 
States there was scepticism even in regard to such 
a use of the light. As some years ago we saw a 
detailed account of a small vessel being sent out 
fitted with the electric light for employment in the 
Australian Pearl Fisheries, we are specially surprised 
to find in the papers supplied by the Madras Govern, 
meut distinct statements that no such use has eve. 
been made of the electric light. — Mr. Edgar Thur 
ston of the Madras Central Museum, when at home in 
Nov. 188a, made inquiries and wrote to the Madras 
Government : — 
I, in the fiist place, had an interview with the Edi- 
son and (Swan Limited Electric Light Company, who 
have written to me as follows : — " With reierence to 
your personal inquiry today in regard to the practica- 
bility of Ubing the electric lignt tor the purpuso of ob- 
servation of tue state of the nea bottom iu pearl-fishing 
districts, wo do not think that there would ue any very 
great difficulty in obtaining this result. A powerlul 
arc light enclosed iu a strong glass lantern maue water- 
tight, or an incandescent lamp of high caudle power 
(say from 10U to 200 U. P. actual) would enable the 
uiver to thoroughly explore the condition of matters at 
the bottom. The current tor the lignt would, of course, 
have to be supplied by a dynamo driven by a small se- 
parate engine, and heavily lusulated caules would oou- 
vey the current to the lamp. At the depth to which 
you reler (some 20 tathoms) we do not tnink that the 
light could be used for making observations from tue 
suriace of the water. If it were found practical to at- 
tach the lantern containing the electric light to one end 
of a very long tube (winch could he maue in lengths of, 
say, 20 feet and screwed together when required for 
use) then in still water excellent results coulu no doubt 
be obtained by the use of eveu a 50 C. P. incandescent 
lamp. The bottom section of the tube would, of course, 
be fitted with a strong water-tight glass cover, and the 
lauteru arranged to reflect the light across the bottom 
of the tube. An ordinary field glass could be fixed to 
the top oi the upper section, and an excellent view of 
the state of matters on the sea bottom would thus be 
obtained. Thisplau would be very easly carried out in 
shallow water, but we cannot, of course, say what degree 
ot success would be likely to attteiid it iu 20 fathoms. 
Tne chief difficulty, as n seems to u 3 , would be the use 
of a tube ot such great length. We should be glad to 
supply incandescent lamps of suitable candle power, but 
we are not ouroeives makers of arc lamps. — 24th Oct. 
1SS3. While staging in Liverpool recently, 1 had the 
opportunity of having some conversation ou the subject 
ot submarine lighting with Professor Herdman, Hono- 
rary Director or the Puthu Island .biological Station, 
whose experiences during a recent dredging cruise on 
| the Liverpool Salvage Association S. S. " Hy&ina '' uie 
