January i, 1890.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
5i3 
THE GEMMING ENTERPRISE IN SABARA- 
GAMUWA, CEYLON. 
Rak iana, Dec. 30th.— Gemming operations, tempo- 
rarily interrupted by the Leavj rains as regards « tew 
pits a' ne, are now b ing vigorously carried on over 
all the gem fields. Ttie deep pits on B. tiateune have 
beeu productive of gems ot some value. It is reported 
that the half of this land east of a stream has been 
secured by the London Company's local agents. The 
Everton pits are being worked by half-a-dozen lessees, 
one of whom, Joronis Appu, has been so fortunate as 
to obtain a sapphire valued at R700, but reserved for a 
bid of R1,000. The pits are very close to each other, 
but there is ample room for all those engaged to be 
well repaid their labor and enterprise. Mr. Symons, 
who is now at Springwood bungalow, has been visiting 
his Aberfoyle property, where, too, gems could be found 
in plenty, if pits were freely opened up. Rakwana 
gemfields have been lately visited by a prospector, who 
has been putting up at Ratnapura for some weeks and 
must by now be in Colombo. The general impression 
was that he was agent for the Gemming Company, but 
this was a mistake. He was once a Coconut Planter 
in Negombo and later in Jaffna, but the great collapse 
of the European coconut enterprize in Jaffua affected 
him badly, and later he was in Australia. He is 
believed to be agent for Mr. Siedle of Colombo, and 
should be well qualified to judge of land in the way 
of calculating the probable cost of digging up, super- 
vision and washing, though ignorant of the natural 
appearance of gems, comparing him with skilled native 
prospectors. Considering that Mr. Barrington Brown 
is the only European at present in Ceylon who really 
has anything more than a rudimentary idea of gems 
and gem lands, the agents of the Gemming Company 
have acted wisely in securing tracts of the lands 
whioh native tradition has credited with wealth of 
gems, and which native gemmers are ready to expend 
capital and labor on. The well-known gem Notary is 
credited with the dictum that gemming will seldom 
or never pay, and that money off gems is to be 
obtained by buying and dealing in gems. The Notary 
has seldom " gemmed," and on those occasions as a 
rule he has been one of the most successful gemmers. 
His pecuniary gain from gem-dealing is well-known. 
If Mr. Barrington Brown visits Rakwana, great 
advantage should accrue to the District, as there are 
many lands available and some of them cheap. 
Ratnapura, Jan. 4th.— The weather is all that one 
wish for. 
There was a large influx of visitors to the city of 
gems during the festive season, among them being the 
Hon. T. B. Panabokke and Mr. Thomas Dunuwille, the 
extra Kachcheri office assistant at Kandy. Mrs. Wace, 
the chie lady of the Province, gave a ball at her resi- 
dence o the 27th December, at which amongst others 
these t wo Kandyans were present. A Gan-Arachchi 
was go r ed to death by an elephant belonging to one of 
the De wales in this Province. 
Yesterday the Hon. F. R. Saunders and Mr Bar- 
rington Brown arrived here by coach, and left for 
Rak wana. The latter has offeied R400,000 for a gem- 
pit belonging to Iddalmalgoda Kuroanharuy ; but the 
offer has not yet been accep'ed. — Cor., "Examiner." 
i.'Oh, oh !" we must say to these figures : indeed the 
hole story is probably apocryphal. — Ed.] 
w ♦ 
THE LANKA PLANTATIONS COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 
Coffee ; Tea ; Cinchona ; Cacao ; Caradmoms ; 
Rubber, &o. 
Direotors:— George Allen, Esq., R. P. Harding, Esq., 
Edward Pettit, Esq., Sir Herbert Bruce Smdfoid, 
k.c.m.g., James Tnos. White, Esq. Agents in Co- 
lombo : — Messrs. J. M. Robertson & Co. Secretaiy :— 
Mr. 'William Bois. 
Authorised capital, £200,000 in 15,000 ordinary 
shares of £10 each, and 5,001) preference shaies of 
R10 each. 
Report. 
To be presented at the Ninth Ordinary Genera 
Meeting of the Lanka Plantations Company, Limited 
65 
| to be held at the offices of the Company on the 24th 
; Drennber, 1889, a' 3 o'clock in .lie afternoon. 
The Directors B.ubroit their Report for the twelve 
months en ing 30th juni lasl, together wjih li 
Balance Sh»et arH Accouu s o 1 the < : ' ni| ai : made 
to iba' date. The quality of Coff < hipped h rn< 
was l,t>56 cwt., agrtinibt »n estimate of 2.375 cwt.. and 
the amount realiswd therefrom was £7,tic>9 lis 9J, and 
11 cwt. sold in Ceylon for £39 2s, a return in crop 
but little better than last year's, but upwards of 
£1,800 more in value. The following statement shows 
the quantity of and the amount realised in eaoh year 
since 1881 :— 
„j iflOt-fflHH^IO) 
t-l HH 
03 IT5 CO CO GO UO CD CO 
■^ii/SCOiHO— OCO 
o co -h eg cn w w 
t~t— COCNOOOC5C- 
co cc CO co co ■flfirf c-T 
5™ 
o d 
■a tis 
cS3 
a s 
m a 
MB 
1*1 c5 
i.3 
I 5 
O) ?3 "* 'ftO 
iH CO O H CO CM 
CO Qi CO CM t*- 110 
rt(NH CM i-h 
OCMCOCOCOCMOO 
^OdCOOOJ-f Cft 
^ in x oo w n o 
ococM^sirecoc^-^ 
CMOCMrHOCOOO 
500r-icMvrat-»aooo 
as ■— < 'M t— i— 1 1- to 
(?) CM CO iH 
<M©a>eoTO©*-<(M 
cococoeoas^^ai 
OCDGOa- r-jCOCMW 
©cot*»t>'-icoco*ii 
CM CM CM 
noccocowoh 
CO^fTrtQOiCOOOO"* 
(O Ov >C r- p-t CC iO 
W TO CD ,« ift TO 
cotoD-^-coTn^cn 
OS ifi aO Tji io O CC iO 
CM CO ^ CO 
OJCOOr-rHf-_2; d 
CO rH rl 
OOCCMCMCMOCO 
t« i# in a o ^'f ifi 
co uj «n to oo as 
ce i— as cc ire »n> iH 
CMOCOCMOCMOCM 
NOlOHCOHOJOi 
COCMCOCO-->CNIOCO 
tO "J O) OO CO Q rl t-l 
<MCO"tfirecOD-COOS 
oooocooocoaococo 
ODoococoaoooooco 
"7777777 
(-"CMCOTfire^DOOO 
OOOOOOCCOOGOCOQO 
OOOOODCOCOCCOUOO 
The Cinchona Bark shipped has been about 45 071 
lb., whioh has been realised, and has produced 
£509 9s 8d. The depression in this market continues 
and at present there seems but little prospect of im- 
