2 
A CONSULAR REPORT ON CEYLON (PRO- 
DUCTS, &c.) FOR THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT. 
" To see ourselves as others see us " has, since the 
days of Robert Burns, been fully recognised as a 
desirable thing by all reasonable men, and it is 
interesting to us all to see in what form this Colony 
is represented to the old masters of the island, the 
Dutch. We have had the opportunity of perusing 
the annual report from the Netherlands Consulate 
at Colombo for 1885, a report which doubtless has 
been seen and read by a large number of the 
Hollanders who are interested in the progress of the 
country. Although figures for exports, &c, are 
embodied in this report, we are pleased to find that 
instead of its being a dry document bristling with figures 
and statistics, the greater part of it takes the form 
of an agricultural report embracing all the principal 
products of the island under their respective head- 
ings and arguing a more extended acquaintance with 
its resources than might perhaps be expected under 
the circumstances. Under Coffee we find a short 
resume of its history and of the leaf-disease, and 
some allusion to the possible prospective destruc- 
tion of coffee altogether threatened by the green 
bug which is now a subject of discussion in the local 
papers. 
Under Tea a handsome compliment is paid to the 
spirit and energy with which Ceylon planters have been 
converting their old coffee estates into plantations 
of tea, and the statement is made that to rectify the 
difficulty arising from their own inexperience of tea 
manufacture, the services of experienced men were 
engaged — both for field and factory, as well as 
offices. The wonderful adaptation of the tea plant 
to all elevations and soils in the island is alluded to, 
and that time alone can show what will constitute 
paying concerns in the end. 
Under Cinchona it is shown that the trees planted 
years ago, which have not been rooted out have 
assumed the proportions of forest trees, and pro- 
duce individually pounds weight of bark, where 
ounces were hardly expected a few years ago, and 
this is supposed to account for the marvellous way 
in which exports have maintained their enormous 
amounts, and will probably do for some time 
in the future. Under Cocoa there is a short sketch 
of the curing operations and a reference to Black- 
man's air propeller as the American fruit drier. 
Cardamoms, products of the cocoa palm, kittul and 
areca palms, rubber, rice, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane 
&c, have each a separate paragraph with remarks. The 
restoration of irrigation works by the Government 
is just touched upon with the suggestion that ad- 
vantage might be taken of times of scarcity in 
India to introduce a sufficiency of population for the 
at present almost deserted country where the 
ancient tanks are situated. Ceylon is not credited 
with much in the way of manufacture, a fact 
which cannot bo denied and which we should like 
to seo amended. 
The condition of the inhabitants of Ceylon is 
considered, and for this purpose they are divided 
into three classes: Europeans) natives and immi- 
grants. In the condition of the first-named class, 
improvement was observable to some degree, more 
especially planters and land-owners, whilst the 
decay of the mercantile houses is rather forcibly 
pointed out, and we fear the remarks contain more 
of truth than we care to think of, though with the 
new tea industry fully established and more capital 
in circulation, it may be hoped that the merchants 
w;IJ at their share of its benoliU. The " natives " 
included all who are neither European nor immi- 
grants, and their condition in 1885 was decidedly 
worse than it had been previously and shewed no 
sign of improvement, and the distress and poverty 
consequent on the collapse of coffee was deplorable. 
The immigrant class on the other hand shewed 
more improvement than either of the abovementioned 
classes, and the demand for labour exceeded the 
supplies — with every prospect of this state of affairs 
continuing in the future. 
Commerce between Ceylon and the Netherlands 
Possessions in India is of unimportant dimensions 
and since the export of machinery to Java has 
been discontinued, is restricted to seeds and plants 
on a very small scale. Even imports from Holland : 
beer, cheese, butter and cotton goods, have come by 
way of London. 
The resucitation of the Oriental Bank is men- 
tioned and under Navigation we quote : — 
" Most of the steamers flying the Netherlands 
flag, which call here on their way outwards have 
done so for the purpose of coaling and on their 
way home for the same purpose and to fill up with 
cargo generally for the Meditteranean ports. 
The lines of mail Steamers : — 
The Stoomvaart Maatschappij Insnlinde, 
do do do Java, 
do do do Nederland, 
do do do Rotterdam, 
have made Colombo almost a regular port of call 
on their way from Java to Marseilles and thence 
to Rotterdam, but no great efforts appear to 
be made to procure cargo and passengers. " 
One sailing vessel under this flag had filled up 
for New York. 
Allusion to the completion of the Breakwater and 
proposed Fortifications closes the Report from which 
the good folk of Holland may learn that Ceylon 
has not gone to sleep over its misfortunes and they 
may possibly take a hint or two to help them 
to get over a similar deplorable state of affairs 
obtaining in Java to that which bade fair at one time 
to drive our planters from the hills of Ceylon. 
+ 
GOW'S PATENT WITHERING AND 
FERMENTING MACHINE. 
It will be remembered that after the trail of 
" Gow's Witherer" on Mariawatta, Mr. Jameson 
wound up his report to the Observer as follows : — 
The great test that remains to complete the success 
of tho machine is the London Market, and if teas 
made i n t is system pass muster favourably their, I 
think Mr. Gow may well be congratulated, and will 
deserve the thauks of tea planters for having confer- 
red such a boon on them. 
We and the planting public have been waiting 
for this London tost not so much to see whether tho 
machine turned out a tea superior to that ordiu- 
arliy manufactured, but one fairly approaching the 
standard. For, it will be at once acknowledged 
that tho advantago of the " Witherer " is to en- 
able planters — especially at high elevations — to get 
through work which otherwise could not pro- 
bably be overtaken at all in certain weather, 
and aUo to save them in a great mea- 
sure the necessity for night-work — a very import- 
ant matter in Tea Factories as overworked plant- 
ers well know, We are now favoured with the 
test of the teas in London — sent there under 
special private marks — and we think it will be 
owned that the result is extremely satisfac- 
tory, so that wo are not surprised to learn that the 
