THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Tanuary i, 1890. 
Objeot, to acquire any mines mining rights or licences, 
or metalliferous land, and to explore, work, develop 
and turn to account the same. There shall not be less 
than three nor more than five directors, the first to be 
appointed by the subscribers to the Memorandum of 
Asso ciation. Qualification, 50 shares. Remuneration, 
£500' divisible. This syndicate is formed for the pur- 
pose of obtaining reliable examinations, and reports on 
the gem bearing capabilities of the Suffiagan district in 
Ceylon on obtaining which it is intended to convert 
the syndicate into a Ooa pany with a capital sufficient 
for gem mining purposes. An experienced mining 
expert will shortly visit the island in company with 
Mr. E. Harding, a Oeylon planter. 
The editor of an industrial journal says, " A gentle- 
man conuected with the tea trade pub'ishes each year 
a table of Indian Tea Company balance-sheets. Some 
twenty-four companies are comprised in the statement, 
and they have a combined capital of £2.652.000 em- 
ployed in the ownership and cultivation of 56,813 acres 
of tea plantations. The crop gathered is stated at 
19,011,000 lb., for which the average price realised 
was ll'23d. per lb. After deducting cost of production 
an average profit of 2 52d. per lb. is shown. The sur- 
plus represent an average net profit of 6 87 percent, on 
the investment. Twenty out of the twenty-four com- 
panies paid dividends last 3 ear, the remaining four 
using their surpluses to pay off debentures, and to 
meet interest charges. The highest dividend was 12 
per ceut. , and the lowest 3| per cent, on the share 
capital. Seventeen companies have reserve funds, 
which, in the aggregate, exceed their paid-up capital 
by 10 per cent. Considering these favourable results 
it is surprising the lack of interest hitherto manifested 
in these ooncerns." Apart from the question as to 
6*87 per cent being a satisfactory return for invest- 
ments in India, we would remind the editor in question 
that the twenty-four tea gardens included in the above 
statement, represent probably not more than a tenth 
of the entire Indian tea industry. What about the 
annual returns on the remaining nine-tenths ? 
The Battalgalla Estate Company has recently been 
registered with a capital of £15,000 in £10 shares. 
Object, to acquire the Battagalla Estate, Ceylon, and to 
carry on the business of tea growers, tea manufacturers 
and merchants. There shall not be less than three 
nor more than five directors. Qualification, £200. 
The first are E. H. L Hencock, O. A. Reiss, and A. 
Zimmern. Remuneration to be determined in general 
meeting, but not to exceed £300. — " Ceylon Advertiser." 
»■ 
CINCHONA IN JAVA. 
The report by Mr. Van Romunde, Director of the 
Government Cinohona Enterprise in Java, for the 
3rd quarter of 1889, dated Tirtasari, 10th Oct. 1889, 
has reached us, and we give the following trans- 
lation : — 
In the latter part of July the weather continued 
pretty dry. During the second half of August and 
the month of September also few rainy days were 
registered. Whilst during the rainy season operations in 
the plantations were chiefly confined to the keeping 
clean of the young gardens, on the setting in of the 
drought the soil in the youag and old plantations 
alike was turned up. In consequence of this stirring the 
plants have everywhere grown vigorously. During the 
past quarter only a comparatively small quantity of 
bark was gathered. The plantations were kept pretty 
thick during the dry season, in order as much as 
possible to protect the crown of the trees from the 
influence of the injurious rays of the sun. During the 
course of thi-i year altogetl; r about 500,000 pounJs 
of hark have been gathered, of which by the end of 
Sep'i mbor 449.700 ha f-kilograms were dif-patchfd 
to I undjong-Pridk. As in the previous year eater- 
pill irs again caused con iderable damage to the plants. 
The Nagrak establishment suffered greatly from the 
plaguo, and the insects also appeired though in less 
regre.e at Tjibe.urcum and Tjinjiroean, on which last- 
i amed establishment the original ledgerianas had 
t o oudur» a severe attack of the insects. But it 
was once again chiefly the graft plantat ; ons at 
Tirtasari that were severelv affected by caterpillars^ 
so that even here, in order to maintain a maximum 
of leaf in the plantations, the gathering of bark 
was as good as stopped. The evil was as ■ far as 
possible combated by the catching of the insects, 
but the plague could not be entirely checked, as the 
catching of the caterpillars on high branches is 
pretty well impracticable. In consequence of the 
continuous rains the seed of ledgeriana and succirnbra 
ripened very slowlv, so that up to the present it had 
been impossible to hold any sales of cinchona seed. 
Not until November and December of this vear will 
some lots of seeds be put up for sale. On 13th June anol 
18th Julv sales of cinchona bark of the crop of 1888 
were held at Amsterdam. The average prices at these 
sales amounted to 27-10 and 2745 cents per ha'f- 
kilograra bark. At these sales, although the bark 
prices fell to a hitherto unknown low point, verv pro- 
fitable prices were paid for ledgeriana and officinalis 
barks,— 35 21 and 3770 cents respectiyelv. Pharma- 
ceutical barks in quill form also obtained good and 
even verv high prices, — uo to 91 cents per ba.lf- 
kilogram for succirubra. According? to the detailed 
reports received, at the sales of 18th Julv, 5*h 
September and 3rd October the unit prices calculated 
per half-kilogram bark and per cent quinine sulphate 
amounted to 7, 8J and 9| cents. 
The total number of plants in the Government 
Gardens »t the end of the 3rd quarter of 1889 amonnted 
to 3,293,300. In the nurseries there were : — 1 205,000 
ledgeriana (inclndine 15,000 grafts) and 180,000 succi- 
ruhra : total 1,385,000. In the open there were : — 
l,220,0fl01edgeriann (including 225,000 euttingsand grafts 
and exclusive of the more or "less 3,000 oneinal ledge- 
riana) 300 calisava and has karliana, 616.000 succirnhra 
and oalontera, 68,500 officinalis, and 500 lancifolia : 
total 1,908,300. 
THE BRITISH EAST AFRICAN COMPANY: 
At the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. 
Last night the inanenral address of the session 
was delivered in the Svnod-Hall, Edinburgh, to the 
members of the Roval Scottish Geographical Society 
bv Sir Lewis Pelly. E C b., M P., Dr. Murray, of the 
" Challenger" expedition, presided in the absence of the 
Duke of Argyll. There was a large attendance. 
Sir Lewis Pelly in the conrse of his remarks re- 
ferred to the operations of the British East Africa 
Company. He said that a most gratifying feature 
of the active explorations of the company's officers 
was found in the peacefulaesa of their progress and 
the good- will which they bad everywhere succeeded 
in winning from the natives by their method of deal- 
ing with the various chiefs and tribes. The first 
year's progress in opening the interior to civiliz- 
ing influences, with a staff merely initial and a 
base of operations limited to a line of coast (about 
150 miles long) promised large and rapid results. 
Now that the company's sea base had been ex- 
tended some hundred of miles further to the north, 
and that the company was stretching itselt to a more 
comprehensive grasp of its great work westward, 
the extension of British influence was free to the 
confines of the Congo independent State beyond the 
Albert Nyanza and northwards. Much had been done 
during the few months of the company's exist- 
ence in a practical direction at Mobassa and else- 
where by the construction of a pier, a lighthouse, a 
short line of rail, and other ordinary appliances 
of civilization. The first strand of a railwav (about 
40 miles in length), intended to connect the port 
of Mombassa with Lake Victoria Nyanza, was 
being sent out from England. The coast hue from 
Mombassa to Kipini was being connected by telegraph, 
and road arrangements had be en completed under wh'ch 
Mombassa was connected with the sea cable of Sir 
John Pender's company, and thus placed in direct 
communication with London, Aden, and Bombay. One 
or two small coasting steamers bad been ordered for 
feeding commerce. A shallow steam craft would ply 
