630 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1890. 
interests of the Company with which my own prosperity 
and success are so closely identified. It must, how- 
ever, be borne in mind that we are starting in business 
in about the most extravagant city in the world and 
that our success partly depends upon a bold front and 
a fairly liberal outlay, — I remain, gentlemen, your 
obedient, faithful servant, It. E. Pineo. 
MB. SHAND'S LECTURE AT THE 
SOCIETY OF ARTS. 
The address read by Mr. J. L. Shand before the 
members of the Society of Arts cannot fail to 
further arouse the attention of people at home 
to the efforts made here in the growth of 
tea, as also to the intrinsic merit which our local 
produot is possessed of. To Ceylon readers, 
as was to be expected, Mr. Shand's lecture 
contained but little that was not before well-known 
to them, and we do not propose therefore to devote 
space in this article to add to the remarks upon 
it whioh were made in our London Letter by 
last mail. What will be, however, of special interest 
to them, is the contribution afforded by Mr. Shand 
to a subject we have but lately had under our 
consideration, that of the disputation as to whether 
or not a reduotion, or total abolition, of the 
present duty on tea would injure or improve the 
prospects of our local planters. 
We have already, when writing on this topic, 
admitted the difficulty of correctly estimating 
what the effect of such relief being granted would 
prove to be. The line of argument adopted by Mr. 
Shand tends to show that there are other circum- 
stances to be considered than the home financial 
casement. He contends that the abolition 
of the duty on coffee has been of ill effect ; 
that it has demoralized the trade ; and he 
argues upon that presumption that the same 
reBult would inevitably follow a similar course 
if adopted in respect of tea. In this respect he 
has drawn attention to the extension of adultera- 
tion whioh followed the removal of the duty on 
coffee, mainly consequent, he asserts, upon the 
lax customs supervision of imports of that article 
induced by the discontinuance of collection of duty 
upon it. Mr. Shand has not left altogether out of 
view the injurious legislation which fostered this 
adulteration, but he assigns the foremost place 
amoDg the several causes conducing to it to that 
which we have mentioned, that is the laxity of the 
customs inspection. Upon the statistics available 
he has shown how the consumption of coffee in 
Great Britain has fallen off as the result of that 
and the other causes contributing. That falling-off 
he maintains has been due to the demoralization 
of the trade, leading, as he asserts it has done to the 
great present difficulty in obtaining through the 
ordinary channels of supply a pure and satisfactory 
article. 
Now similar adulteration to that which has been 
practised with regard to coffee would, Mr. Shand 
believes, follow aDy large reduction in the duty 
upon tea. In his lecture he pointed out that, were 
China teaB so relieved, it would lead to there being 
exported from that country a large quantity of 
once-used leaf, rolled up and treated so as to present 
the appearance of freshly-made tea. At present 
the imposition of the duty prevents competition 
by such adulterated treatment. The price it is 
necc-ssary to put upon it must stay its sale 
in the English market ; while the practised eye of 
the customs officer during his inspection would 
at once detect the imposition. Remove these two 
safeguards, and according to Mr. Sband the home 
mark' t would be flooded with such, fraudulent 
preparations; Further, that gentleman is of opinion 
that the maintenance of the duty is a direct en- 
couragement to our planters to maintain a high 
standard of preparation, for it affords a protective 
element to the higher class of our teas. The 
view expressed by the lecturer on this matter adds 
a further additional light to the several aspects in 
which we have already discussed the question in these 
columns. 
But on the very same day as that upon which 
Mr. Bhand delivered his admirable address, a letter 
appeared in the Times, written by Mr. J. Aleo 
Roberts of the Colombo Commercial Company, 
advocating a view in direct oppo-ition to the argu- 
ments of the lecturer as well as to those previously 
advanced by Sir Roper Lethbridge in the letter he 
had previously contributed to the same journal. Mr 
Roberts places his side of the question in a very 
alluring aspect, and it will doubtless go far towards 
convincing the British public generally of the sound- 
ness of the opinions he has expressed in it. But we 
think that on this side of the water, among men 
experienced in the matter, it will be held that 
the writer "doth protest too much." And, that 
Sir Boper Lethbridge is not prepared to accept 
Mr. Boberts' arguments any more than his figures, 
was shown by his rejoinder in The Times of the 
25th ultimo. We must await the further development 
of the discussion and still more for news of Mr. 
Goschen's intentions ; for after all, the varying asser- 
tions made leave this matter pretty much where we 
left it when last touching upon it. Nothing but the 
experience of time could show what the actual result 
would be from a removal of the tea duty. 
THE CINCHONA BARK INDUSTRY IN 
JAVA : 
MR. CHARLES BOHRINGER'S VISIT TO THE JAVA 
CINCHONA DISTRICTS. 
Mr. Bohringer left Colombo on I »ecember 20th by 
the M. M. S. S. "Oaledonien" and returned by the 
S. S. "Iraouaddy" on 17th Feby. He arrived in Java 
juBt when the rainy season had set in, so 
he unfortunately had rain almoet every day on 
his travels, though it usually fell in the after- 
noon. Batavia, Mr. Bohringer considers a very 
fine place : the houses of the Europeans are in 
Weltevreden (a suburb corresponding to the Cin- 
namon gardens of Colombo) : they are all big and 
fine buildings, there are a theatre, public gardens, 
club, etc. In hour by rail the traveller reaches 
Buitenzorg about 800 feet above sea-level at the 
foot of the Golo and Salak, two of the finest 
volcanoes in Java. Here are the botanical gardsns 
with the residence of the Governor-General. The 
Gardens are smaller than Peradeniya, and contain a 
large quantity of specimens under the able man- 
agement of Dr. Treub, who was kind enough to show 
Mr. Bohringer round. About three miles distant 
is the Agricultural Garden where the different 
kinds of coffee, cacao, indiarubber, tea, etc., are 
planted on a somewhat larger scale under shade 
of a kind of acacia. In Buitenzorg it rains nearly 
every day all the year through and usually in the 
afternoon from 4 to 6 o'clock. The Hotel Bellevue is 
very nicely situated on the banks of a river with a fine 
view of the two volcanoes. From Buit=DZorg Mr. Boh- 
ringer reached Parken Salak Mr. Mundt's residence, 
after about 2 hours' drive by rail and carriage. 
The house is one of the finest country seats in Java 
furnished with all European comfort. There is a 
splendid view over the tea estate which produces 
about 800,0001b. tea in a year. The tea factory is 
a mo ld of a place on a large scale with abundant 
water power. Boxes are made on the spot. From 
there Mr. Bohringer went to Tjandjoer, the cen- 
