April i, 1890.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
resident upon them. On purchase of the land, 
these settlers are by law or oustom bound to 
work for the owner ; other labour is also pro- 
curable by application to Government, who re- 
quisitions it from the heads of the distriots. The 
labourers are mainly the native Indians of the 
Red Indian type, in some instances more or less 
mixed with Spanish blood. 
Transport is at present the greatest difficulty 
to the country. There is one railway, 76 miles in 
length, from Guatemala to San Jose, on the 
Paoifio coast, and it is to be extended to Coban 
and no doubt eventually to the coast on the 
eastern or Caribbean aide of the Republic When 
the latter is completed it will be an immense 
saving and obviate the Cape Horn route by which 
much of the produce of the country has still to 
be transmitted. At present the cost of sending 
the coffee from Coban to Livingston exoeeds the 
freight to Europe. The distance is 200 miles, and 
is traversed partly by road, by lake and river ; first 
for about 90 punzos, by carts and mules ; then 
down the river Polochis to Yzabal, where it is 
transferred to large stern-wheel boats, and taken 
to LiviDgston; it has thus to be shipped three times. 
The coffee is packed in bags lined with waterproof 
paper. Some ooffee is now being sent to London 
in parchment to be there finally cured. Most of 
the Nicaragua ooffee goes to Bremen, via New York. 
Some is also sent to London, and the coffee 
from the southern districts finds its way to 
Europe round Cape Horn, San Jose being the port 
of shipment. 
Roads are bad, especially on the eastern slope ; 
they are not maoadamized, 
Pbopeietobs are mostly Germans, there are some 
other foreigners and Americans but very few English 
in the country. The two largest plantations are 
owned by German companies, are each from 1,600 
to 2,000 acres in extent, one is named "Lois 
Mercedes " the other " El Provenir." The machinery 
is chiefly of German manufacture, the pulpers are 
on the diso prh oiple. 
Politically the country has of late years been 
disturbed, and there was war with Salvador : the 
late President was killed in battle, and was suc- 
ceeded by the Vice-President, General Barraundia 
who attempted to seize the Government, but having 
been defeated was exiled the oountry. 
Thoro are wild animals, but not so bad as farther 
south, 
The natives are nominally Roman Catholics, but 
are still very superstitious. The food of the oountry 
is by no means tempting, it consists ohiefly of 
tortillas and frijoles, oorn oakes and small black 
beans. The accommodation for travellers is very 
btid, and one has to carry a hammock, as there 
are generally no beds in the resthousts, and one 
must eleo take tinned provissions, as the native 
food is very coarse ; bread cannot be got away 
from the towns. 
As to Central America generally, when the rail- 
ways and oanals are completed to the west ooast 
it must become even more a rival than it is 
at present to the Brazils and the West Indies as a 
ooffee-producing country. Muoh however, must de- 
pend upon a sufficient supply of labour at a moder- 
ate cost. W. S. 
Coconut Butter.— Veyangoda, March 11th. — Every- 
body iutere&tod iu coconut cultivation cannot but bo 
glad that new uses are being found for the nuta. I 
near that a butter manufactory ia being started in 
Colombo by atSjudioate. The supply of nuts on this 
side of the country is by no means equal to the demand, 
and as a oousoqueuce we have very lair prioes. — Cor., 
looal "Examiner." 
AGRICULTURE &c, IN THE SOUTH- 
EASTERN DIVISION OF CEYLON. 
HIS EXCELLENCY AMONG THE VEDDAS— CAMP NEAR 
FBIAB's HOOT) — DRIVING THROUGH THE MrjOBISH 
VILLAGES — JUNGLE LAND UNDER CULTIVATION — IERI - 
RATION — VISITING THE POUR GREAT ANIOUTS 
PAILUEE OF THE N.-E. MONSOON — VISITING "VISARAl" — 
DEMONSTRATIONS OF WELCOME — AT TIRUKKOVIL 
ARUGAM BAY TIMBER — MAGCLMALA VIHARAI — VISIT 
TO THE " CHIMNEY HILL " — WANT OF IMPROVED 
COMMUNICATION — JOURNEY SOUTH. 
As already announced in our columns, His Excel- 
lency entered the Eastern Provinoe travelling from 
Badulla via Nilgala, whioh is now one of the few 
localities where eenuine Vpddas are to be fr>und. 
Thenoe His Exoellenoy proceeded by the old Badu'la, 
Road to Mandur, as far as Ka ndikkaddu 
where the camp was pitched near the bund of that 
great tank and under the picturesque heights of 
Kampudimalai and not far from whnre the 
" Friar's Hood ' rears its " turbaned head " (Trp- 
paran Kaddimalai — Turban-tied hill — is the Tamil 
name for this mountain). Here the route went 
across country via Wiragoda tank, completed last 
year, to Chadaiyanta'awa tank, where it joined the 
recently made gravelled road whioh both the Agents 
of this and the adjoining Provinoe desire to see 
extended via Nilgala to Bibile (on the Badulla- 
Batticaloa roaa), thus giving the populous and 
highly oultivated South Battioaloa district direot 
and easy access to the Uva markets for their 
produce. 
The doings at Kalmunai have also been fully 
recorded in our oolumns, and we need only add 
that on the morning of the 24th His Excellency 
and party started for Irakkamam, driving through 
Kalmunai, Eudiyiruppu and Sanohamarutu, large 
Moorish villages which were all en fete, the roads 
lined with gaily dressed orowds and His Excellency 
graciously stayed a few minutes at each of the 
pandsls where he was freely sprinkled with rosewater 
and presented with innumerable limes (the usual 
mark of respect in this oountry and a reminesoence 
of the old oustom which forbade appearance before 
a superior emptyhanded). Proceeding via Arasadi, 
His Excellency had every opportunity of appreciating 
the industry and energy of the population whioh 
has brought over 25,000 aores of jungle land in this 
part of the district under the cultivation of 
paddy within the last third of a oentury and who 
are still clamourous for further extensions if only 
corresponding facilities for irrigation are provided. 
These facts surely justify the foresight of the late 
Mr. Woodford Birch, whose efforts it may be remem- 
bered were opposed at the time by an influential 
seotion of the oommunity, even as those of others 
have been since decried both here and elsewhere ; 
but let us hope that the grand suooess at Battioaloa 
may teach those impatient of suooess and discouraged 
by the want of immediate returns, the neoessity of 
allowing sufficient time for "irrigation to pay." 
At Senkappadai, His Exoellenoy visited the four 
great anicuts on the branches of the Pattippalai Ar 
whioh admit of its water being diverted in numerous 
directions as the exigencies of cultivation require. 
Above these anicuts are situated the great tanks of 
Ambarai and Irakkamam with a spread of 3,000 aores 
whioh are filled from the river when in flood and the 
impounded waters stored for distribution during the 
long dry season whioh prevails on this side of the 
island from February to October. Unfortunately the 
failure of the N. E. monsoon this year has prevented 
the tanks being filled as usual, so that when the Gover- 
nor arrived at Irakkamam His Exoellenoy found 
that tank had only about J of its usual oontents at 
this season of the year. Ambarai tor is in a similar 
