6o4 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1890. 
having the advantage of me by four " corrects" only ; 
the fa it being I unluckily hod a run on " Rain and 
thunderstorms '■ out of my ba2, while the "clerk " laid 
emphasis on " Fine generally and variable breezes." 
I have also tried another system of weather pro- 
phecy which runs my friend the " clerk " very 
close, and this is to foretell for the next day the 
same weather as exists at sunset on the present 
one. I find by doing this I sometimes obtain a 
correct run of several days, each day succeeding 
the other with similar wtather. Then comes a 
change and a fresh start ; but in the meantime, 
by way of equalising matters, it often happens the 
" clerk' 1 has wandered off the course and foretold 
a "change" before it occurs. Finding he is wrong, 
he is wont to fly for safety to the inmost recesses 
of his office in a sulk, and chalk outside the door 
—"Variable breezes, slight to moderate;" "Fair 
generally;" "Perhaps rain;" "Bright intervals;" 
"Weather unoertain." 
Then bang comes a gale of wind and a snow- 
storm, though, save for the trifling affair of the 
snowstorm, our prophet doubtless considers his 
forecast a most reliable one, and onoe more rejoices. 
Certainly the above samples of weather prophecy 
are very, very safe ones and most appropriate to our 
climate at times, though somewhat too general in 
their style to be called " prophecies." However, when 
all is said and done, the question is, Do our experts 
advance one iota in the accomplishment of foretelling 
the weather ? I doubt it. — Overland Mail. 
CEYLON PLANTERS' AMERICAN TEA 
COMPANY, LIMITED. 
The advertised general meeting of this Company 
was held at 1 o'clock this afternoon (Feb. 12th) at the 
offices of the agents and seore'aries, No. 9, Queen 
Street, Fort, After waiting for some time a 
quorum was formed by the presence of the Hon. J. 
J. Grinlinton (Managing Director), the Hon. W. W. 
Mitchell (representing the agents and secretaries of 
the Company, Messrs. Darley, Butler & Co.), 
Mr. Percy Bois (representing also Messrs. Alstons, 
Scott & Co., Mr. F. W. Bois, Mr. H. C. Buchanan, 
and Mr. A. C. G.bson), Mr. W. H. Davies and 
Mr. T. B. Campbell. 
The Managing Director took the ohair, and 
Baid he was sorry to see such a poor at- 
tendance, but the fact that there was no 
dividend to declare and no particular business to 
be brought forward would account for the absence 
of the shareholders, coupled with the fact that 
this was mail day. This was the first meeting 
of shareholders, and it was called in accordance 
with the 45th clause of the Articles of Association 
Whioh required that within six months of the date 
of the registration of the Company a general 
meeting should be held. There was a meeting of 
shareholders in Kandy on the 5th of July last, 
but that was an informal meeting, as the Com 
pany at that time was not incorporated. He held 
in his hand a list of shareholders, and he was 
sure it would be gratifying to the shareholders of 
the Company to hear that out of a total of 1,724 
shares, there were only 10 shareholders who had 
not paid up th/'ir allotments, and 26 who 
had not paid up their first call, thus making only 
36 defaulters altogether, which ho thought was 
very creditable to the Company. The number of 
shares that had bee 1 1 taken, however, was insuffi- 
cnt to work the Company in a thoroughly satis- 
factory manner, and they ought to have at least 
3,000 shares to be in a good position. It was, there- 
fore, hoped that their friends in Ceylon— more parti- 
cularly the planters — would come forward and 
take the balance of the shares which were so 
necessary to enable them to have a thoroughly 
good start in America. Most interesting letters had 
been received from Messrs. Watson and Farr, (the 
agents of the Company in New York), and from 
Mr. Pineo, showing the progress that they had 
made up to date, Some of the letters were on the 
table, and extracts from them would no doubt be 
read. 
The Hon. W. W. Mitchell, representing the 
agents of the Company, apologized for fixing the 
date of the meeting on a mail day, but owing 
to the numerous meetings of other Companies 
about this time they had to take whatever day 
was available, and they could not put it a day 
later or they would have exceeded the six months 
within which time the meeting must be held 
in accordance with the provisions of clause 45 
of the Articles of Association whioh require that 
a general meeting shall be held within 6 months 
of the incoiporation of the Company. The 
annual general meeting of the Company would be 
held as soon after the 30th June as possible 
when the accounts and balance sheet to that date 
would be presented to the shareholders. Mr. 
Pineo with two natives, sailed from Colombo on 
the 20th August last via Australia, San Francisco 
and Vancouver, and after visiting some of the 
principal towns in Canada and the States, arrived 
in New York at the beginning of December, 
where in conjunction with Messrs. Watson & 
Farr, the New York Agents of the Company, 
arrangements had been pushed on for the orga- 
nization and working of the Company's business. 
Premises that were deemed to be admirably 
adapted had been secured at 22nd Street between 
Broadway and 5th Avenue. Another packing 
machine had been ordered (the first one sent 
having been lost with the steamer taking 
it) and the necessary appliances obtained, 
whilst every effort was being made to make the 
place attractive and to ensure the effeotive 
starting of the work. From the 8th of November 
to date four shipments of tea had been made, 
and another was now ready. When this had been 
shipped on the 17th instant an aggregate of 18,773 lb. 
would have been sent forward, and this would be 
followed up with further parcels at frequent inter- 
vals, regulated by the advices received and the 
offerings in the looal market. On the 16th of 
November last Mr. Pineo wrote from Vancouver 
as follows : — 
We made the port of San FraDcisco on the 26th 
October and I have, sinoe then, visited Portland in 
Oregon, Tacona in Washington Territory, Victoria in 
Vancouver Island, and lastly this place. 
You are doubtless aware of the fact that only cheap 
low grades of Ohiua and Japan teas are generally sold 
on the Pacific coast, and that the vested interests are 
not only large bat deeply rooted, and that in coming 
here we are endeavouring to get our teas into a sec- 
tion where they are,_ almost, wholly unknown and 
much dearer than the teas generally used. In the 
cities just mentioned it would seem almost impossible 
to get any one to take up our teas and push a trade 
in them on conditions that would be acceptable to 
your Company. Propositions, in writing, are to be 
made and forwarded to New York when I can sub- 
mit them to Messrs. Watson & Farr and have time 
to give them impartial and necessary considerations, 
copies and replies will be forwarded to you in due 
course. 
Messrs. W. S. Coleman & Co., formerly doing a 
large busines-i on the Pacific coast failed last year, but 
their successors were visited by me, and they will, I 
anticipate, undertake to act as your Agents on con- 
ditions that will be made known to me in New York, 
and whioh will be communicated to you later on. 
