March i, t888.] THE TROPiCAL 
AGRICULTURIST*. 
570 
even have beon willing to pay 2.1 per ox. above the 
current quotations to effect the purchase At that 
time the price of quinine was nominally Is d£ct to 
Is 4(1 per oz. with a very weak market, and after 
the article had risen to Is 8d the iutendmg specu- 
lators agaiu considered the advisability of buying with 
Is 8d as the basis,, and 2d e/tra as the inducement 
to secure a largo quantity. Finally they did buy, 
though not to the extout previously intendod, and 
it is believed that they paid as much as 2s 2d 
per oz. for some of their acquirements. Besids these 
speculators it is said that there is a powerful syndi- 
cate now operating on a similar basis. 
It is thought that the lirst lots bought in this 
mannor wero sold, not by speculative holders, but 
by the manufacturers thcmsolvos. This mforeuco 
is drawn by the fact that, except r,0,00() oz. sold at 
auction at Is .'lid to Is Id, no transactions worth 
rocording were entered into, while tho quotations 
remained at tho lowest range of rate3. A littlo was 
bought at Is 7d to Is 8d after tho drop from Is lid, 
at which latter figure the last extensivo business was 
done, and as tho buyers in this particular case de- 
clare that they have not yet rosold an ounce, there 
was practically nothing in speculators' hands that 
would not on resale leavo a great loss and it is 
scarcely likely that holders of stock would begin to 
sell at the moment of an upward movement, especi- 
ally after they had seen all weak holders cleared 
out. On the other hand, it seems but reasonable to 
3upposo that the slightest upward rnovemont would 
be the signal for them to recommenco buying, and 
this they probably did. Tho syndicate, carofully 
watching the clearance of tho weak ones, seized the 
opportunity to get manufacturers to freely offer 
firm in a flat market, and commenced operations 
forthwith. No doubt manufacturers had accumulated 
large stocks, and were desirous of clearing these 
They therefore sold freely, not only what they had 
ready made but also their future turnout, for for- 
ward delivery. Tho move to flatten the bark market 
enabled thorn to lessen their losses in tho repurchase 
Of quinine, but it prevented their getting the bark 
cheaper, as the large proportion was bought in by 
the importers. Thero is an impression that most of 
the quinine manufacturers must have lost a good deal 
of money in their struggle against low and constantly 
docliniug prices, combinod with fierce competition 
and strenuous- efforts to keep their works going, and 
that they will require all their strength to Stand against 
the forces now arrayed against thorn. — OheimH " 
Dmggitt, 'fan. 7th, 
COCOS ISLAND 
was first visited in the year 1826 by a Captain 
Ross, who, on going back home, brought out some 
people to aottlo horc, being struck by tho natural 
advantages of the place. When he got back, how- 
ever on his return voyage with a party of colonists 
from his native Highlands, he found that tho island 
had boeu taken posso ssion of by a man callod Hare 
who, whether of the Mormon faith or not, so far 
agreed with tho tenets of the creed as to havo sixty 
wived. Ross managed to make it warm for him, so 
after a time llaro loft, and the original discoverer 
then brought over aome Javanese and founded a colony. 
The work on the island was carried on by Ross's 
oldost son, who married a native; and their descen- 
dants, five sons, who have all boon to Scotland to 
bo educated, now manago tho business which their 
grandfather, in tho first instance, started. Tho eldest 
brother, the " Governor " as ho is callod, is a very 
clover and hard working man. to whom it was quite 
a pleasure for ns to talk. Ho seemed to bo con- 
versant with everything that wivs going ou in the 
outtndo world, ami said he had been to Eng- 
land hint year on a visit to bis riatera. His particular 
studv when nt home for his education hail been the 
engineering profusion; another brother learnt doctoring, 
each having his sp ei il department in the intercut 
of t II" community at large. They are grand bo.it - 
builder-, on lh« inland, aud built a 200-ton schooner 
claused A I at f.lnyd'n for eighteen yearn, which took 
Mr. G. Ross home on his last visit. They have als » a 
bi igantinu that they purchase] com'nauded by a X n - 
wegian named Flack, which carries the pr ducts to 
B.itavia for sale. Besides the Boas family an American 
merchant skipper, Bonsley by name, has also settled 
ou the island, and, like the others, is married to a 
Javanese lady. Thero is a splendid lagoon between 
the reef and the island, which affords safe sailing for 
boats, as, although there is always half a galo of wiud 
blowing, there is hardly any sea inside the lagoon ou 
account of the shelter which the island affords, making 
it almost land locked. The older Mr. Uoss, the Gov- 
ernor, teaches tho natives everything, and all the varied 
products of the soil arc utilised. The island abounds 
with coconut trees, from which is made copra, a well- 
kuown article of merchandise largely importe I into 
England from Fiji and elsewhere, consisting of the 
kernel of the nuts crushed up and dried in the fcun. 
It is said that it is used 1 irgely iu Europe fur a! ii- 
terating butter, and m iking a large proportion of the 
eodliver oil of commerce.* Here the natives, by pres- 
sing the nut, make their own sugar, vinegar, oil, soa2>, 
and a species of " toddy " a* they call it, a raw spirit 
very strong aud almost more deleterious than arrack. f 
There are no animals on the island for food except 
fowls, although at Horsburgh, the "capital," there 
are some deer. The main food of the inhabitants is 
rice, fish aud coconut, the first-name I article being 
imported. There is no money in the islan 1, men 
being paid for their labour in sheepskin m its, which 
they exchange at the store for anything they want. 
Wages are good, and they are given half Saturday aud 
all Sunday ou which to fish and gather nuts ou the 
adjacent islands for their own use. The place is very 
healthy and cool, the average temperature being about 
7"> degrees, and the height of the barometer between 
29 and 30 inches. The population is divided into the 
regular Oocos-born natives and Malays from the ad- 
jacent peninsula, These keep quite distinct, theCocosi- 
ans numbering 95 men and 101) women, with nearly an 
equal number of each sex to represent the rising 
generation; while the Malays muster 57 m m, 17 women, 
1!) boys, and -10 girl). The Cocosians are by far the 
finest race of the two. — Vupt of It. M -S'. " Raltloiu" 
" HORTUS ZEYLA.XICU3." 
We have to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of 
this very useful compilation, the full title of wh ch is : 
"A Classified List of Plants, both Native an I Exotic; 
Growing in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, 
Ceylon ; Compiled by Henry Trimen, iw.n. P l.h., 
Director. Price One Rup^e. Colombo: George J. A. 
Skeen, Government Printer, Ceylon. 1888," Tho 
classiliod list extends over 120 pages, while a very 
handy alphabetical index of 8 pages is added. From 
Dr. Trimen's " Introductory Note" wo quote as 
follows : — 
With tho exception of a " List of P,auts suitable for 
Distribution," issued eight or nine years ago, and con- 
taining between 1,800 and 1,400 names arranged accord- 
ing to their uses, the present is the first attempt to give 
a Catalogue of tho contents of the Peradeniya 1! >tauie 
Gardens. I should, therefore, wish it to be considered 
as provisional on'y, and am fully conscious of its im- 
perfection as a complete record of this rich colleitio i. 
A considerable number of species, which still remiin to 
be determined, cannot be entered: these are mostly 
trees and shrub* of otner blfrrfates which havo never 
llowere I here, and of which th • history and origin are 
lost. The correct identification of a good many others 
remains in doubt, and th; list generally suffers from 
the unavoidable drawback of want of a-cess t i i larjfM 
Botanic il and Horticultural T, : linry, s> often essonti il 
to a right decision on in itt >r- of n» n«n 4 Vur •. I' will. 
• Coconut oil has been recoiumaodod as a tubs ita 
for uodlivor oil, but the olour is a tiiiil bir I 1 i - 
employment as an adulterant of Imltcr.— Ki>. 
t Toddy U the s.iacharino juic.- of tli" il.n.r 
■pathe, intONirating when formoutoJ ; bn' d -tillit >i 
i« necessary to convert it into a spirit.— En. 
