March i, 1850.] THE TROPICAL At&fc1t3X5t.TURl&T, 
CEYLON GEMMING SYNDICATES AND 
COMPANIES. 
When we penned our remarks in a former issue on 
" Sapphire Syndicates," we had no idea that the caution 
we then gave to intending investors in this new direction 
of gemming industry would so soon be needed. Com- 
menting on what has quite recently taken place, a 
London financial journal says: — "Within a brief 
period we have seen the prospectuses of three 
Ceylon Gemming Syndicates and one Gem Mining Com- 
pany in connection with that island. The Syndicates in 
question, with the modesty natural to those who are de. 
sirous of not misleading intending subscribers, declare 
their intention to obtain the most reliable information 
possible touching the gem yielding lands of certain dis- 
tricts in Ceylon, before venturing to convert their pre- 
liminary projeots into regularly constituted companies, 
and for this wise precaution they deserve our commen- 
dation. One of these bodies has gone so far as to des- 
patch to the island a gem expert, formerly on the ex- 
ploring staff of the Ruby Mining Company of Burma, 
for the purpose of ascertaining the resources of Oeylon 
in regard to sapphires, rubies and catseyes ; the others 
await advices from persons on the spot possessed of 
gemming experience. But with regard to the Company 
which has asked the public to subscribe £100,000, a 
very unfavourable opinion has been expressed by those 
who are well acquainted with the properties to be ac- 
quired. We sball be pleased to know, and our columns 
are open for any explanation on this subject which may 
be of interest to investors, whether it is a fact that the 
areas to be leased or bought are worn out coffee es- 
tates belonging, in fact, to those who have reported 
favourably on them ?" 
The writer of the above labours under the impres- 
sion that " worn out coffee estates " cannot be rich in 
gems, which is by no means the case. The further 
remarks on this subject are rather more to the purpose : 
— " Why should first-class engineers and costly 
machinery be sent out in the first instance, till it has 
been proved whether gems exist in these properties or 
not ? For it must be remembered that the Sinha- 
lese Coolies, using orowbars and native hoes, with no 
other adjuncts than washing baskets and buckets of 
water, would soon remove the few feet of surface 
whioh overlies the gravel and clay in whioh the 
gems are embedded. If deposits are thus found, 
and if they retain their richness, or increase in 
value as depth is attained, then we admit that first- 
class engineers and the best mining machinery, 
however costly, should be sent out. But until it is 
clearly ascertained that the rich deposits of gems 
exist in the estates acquired by the Company, we 
think that its resources should be husbanded with the 
most jealons economy." 
Note. — We understand that the directors of the 
" Ceylon Gemming and Mining Company " do not look 
to gemming alone, but intend that their mining opera- 
tions, in which the services of 3rst-class engineers will 
be required, shall be in the direction of plumbngo mines 
which exist to a large extent on their properties. They 
have reports showing the existence of thousands of 
tons of the finest ail very plumbago for whioh that district 
has long been noted.— "Ceylon Advertiser." 
The bice merchants and rice millers of Rangoon 
are not happy. It seems the Burman has dis- 
covered a system of increasing the weight of his 
paddy by wetting it with salt water, which has 
not the immediate deleterious effect on the grain 
that fresh water has. The merohants have asked 
for special legislation on the subject. After con- 
sulting district officers the Financial Commissioner 
ha3 replied that Government is not prepared to 
specially legislate to protect tho merchants or to 
give them a system of registering Burmese paddy 
boats, which would oauae considerable expense. — 
Madras Mail, 
PLANTING: LONDON-CEYLON NOTES, 
A good deal of progress is expected to be made dur- 
ing the year just ooming, in the development of tho 
Oeylon tea trade in the Canadian Dominion, where a 
number of agencies are already at work. 
Whereas in 1880 the total value of the tea crop ia 
Ceylon was only about £5,000, in 1888 it reached the 
sum of 1,155,095, and in the first nine months of the 
present year it was worth £1,170,262. The English 
evidently consume more tea than any other people. The 
Germans consume 1 lb. to our 53 lb., and the French 
1 lb. for our 159 lb. Indeed, while we and our Colonies 
use from 4§ lb. to 7 i lb. per head, and the United States 
1J lb., the only non-Anglo-aaxon people who exceed 1 
lb. are the Dutch. In 1885, out of every 100 lb. of tsa 
consumed in Great Britain, 37 were Indian, 62 Chinese, 
and only c ne the produoe of Oeylon. Two yews later 
the figures were 45 Indian, 49 Chinese, and 6 Oeylon, la 
the first thr e quarters of 1889 the figures were— 50 In- 
dian, 34 Chinese, and 16 Oeylon, 
A Ramie Company, with a capital of a million dollars, 
has just been started in Philadelphia to engage in the 
cultivation and preparation of Ramie, and build machines 
for its decortication and for mills to bleach and spin 
the fibre- It promises to be a grand success. Ramie 
is said to be an excellent fibre, better, stronger, and finer 
than cotton or wool, and about equal to silk in lustre. 
A most useful invention is a new bottle stopper, oon« 
sis'.ing of an acorn-shaped piece of hard rubber, in 
which runs a sorew of non-corrosive metal. At its 
upper end is a little swivel, and at its lower end a band 
of pure soft rubber. Turning the swivel downwards 
swells the rubber and closes the bottle tight, whilst the 
reverse motion loosens and allows the stopper to be 
easily withdrawn. 
The fiscal system of Brazil requires to be thoroughly 
revised and purified in every department. A great 
number of national and provincial taxes should be 
abolished. Brazillian coffee is exported, handicapped 
by a duty of 15 per cent. In the city of Rio de Janeiro 
the produce of a number of local taxes is absurdly 
insignificant. In the province of Minas Geraes the 
report of the Chancellor of the Exchequer yearly re- 
veals a lamentable state of fiscal affairs. In 1887, 
one division of the receipts consisted of 6 per cent 
duties on twenty-eight artioles, of whioh fourteen 
yielded, for the whole province, £20. One article gave 
a shilling. The administration of several of the pro- 
vincial custom houses cost several times their revenue. 
In 1887 a provincial treasurer reported that one special 
new tax of the previous year had "killed the in. 
dustry." — " Ceylon Advertiser." 
♦ 
TOBACCO CURING IN SOUTHERN INDIA. 
Letter from H. Oaine, E-q., Tobacco Expert, to the 
Secretary to the Commissioner of Revenue Settlement 
Land Records and Agriculture, dated Madras, 7th May 
1889, No. 174 : — I have the honor to submit report of the 
results of my visits of inspection to the Godavari lunkahs. 
I left Madras on the 27th March 1889 and arrived in 
Cocauada on the 29th. I made arrangmeuts about a 
boat to take me up to the canal to Rajahmundry. 
Mr. Happell, the Collector of Oocanada, was away, 
so I was unable to see him ; the Assistant Collector, 
however, gave me what information I wanted. I left 
Cocanada on the night of the 31st March and arrived 
at Dowlaishweram on the 1st April ; from thence I 
went by road to Rajahmundry, head-quarters of the 
Go-.iavari district. On arriving at Rajahmundry I 
found the Sub-Collector was away. I saw the Tah- 
sildar, who gave me tho names of the bast luukahs to 
visit, and on arrival of the Sub-Collector on the 5th 
April. I started on the following morning and inspect- 
ed several lunkahs, notably the Mullaka lunkahs, dis- 
tance eight miles from Rajahmundry. During the day 
I visited twelve curing sheds, and, with the exception 
of the tobacco grown on the " new lunkahs," there was 
no difference to be noticed in the size, texture cr 
general appearance of the leaF. The soil on the " new 
lunkahs " is mostly silt and but little sand ; the 
tobacco grown here was much cleaner, texture and 
