THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1888. 
4,129 acres ; our cocoa has increased from 357 to 604 
acres ; and our cardamoms to 80 acres. On the 
other hand the Cinchona shows a slight decline, 
but this is owing to scattered patches having been 
dug out on some of the estates to mate room for 
tea. This does not in the least affect our Cinchona 
property ; that is, those acreages where Cinchona 
flourishes and does well. I mentioned last year that 
I believed we had a million and a half of cinchona 
trees. The result of the census taken shows that 
we have 1,800,000 trees, and, consequently, that I had 
understated the number of the cinchona trees. During 
the year additional buildings were constructed, and 
the necessary machinery purchased and established 
on the Ceylon estates, and a considerable amount of new 
machinery was also purchased and established on 
the Mauritius estate of Britannia. The report of the 
working of this machinery, which is all of the most 
approved pattern, is favourable, and the results 
appear to be very good. All our estates are in 
excellent order, and we have had maps prepared and 
drawn to scale, showing the respective acreages of 
forest and cultivation, and, so divided according to the 
date of the planting, that we are able to follow upon 
them the reported progress of our agricultural opera- 
tions. This is a great advantage because it gives us 
more control over our properties. You will see some 
of those maps hanging round the room, and will be 
able to inspect them and others at the close of the 
meeting, as no doubt it will interest you to do. I had 
almost forgotten to mention the circumstances re- 
lating to our litigation with the official liquidator of the 
Oriental Bank ; but I will say a few words on the sub- 
ject, because some shareholders were made nervous 
by seeing the name of the company figuring on one or 
two occasions in the Chancery cause list. We did 
not engage in these proceedings without long and careful 
consideration. We hadrigbts, for breach ot which we felt 
bound in your interests to obtain redress. In the first place, 
there was an important difference between the official 
liquidator and ourselves with regard to the inter- 
pretation of a olause in our first agreement with him, 
and under his construction of which produce to the 
extent of between R30.000 and E40.000 was withheld 
from us. Secondly, and what was of more import- 
ance, we found on overhauling the accounts relating 
to our Mauritius estates previous to the date of our 
Eurchase that certain sums of money that Bhould 
ave come to us under the agreement had not been 
paid. We arrived at these conclusions after an in- 
quiry extending over more than a year, and after 
calling for account sales of many million pounds of 
sugar, &c, large calculations of much nicety enga- 
ging all our attention. The official liquidator entirely 
denied the soundness of our conclusions, but the 
result of the legal proceedings was in your favour in 
both cases. (Applause.) The issue has been, as I 
have previously stated, that we have recovered 
already and written off oapital £11,000, and there 
is something more, though not nearly so much, of 
course to come uuder the accounts not yet com- 
pleted. In matters of difficulty and complexity there 
will always be two opinions, and we do not blame 
the official liquidator for not having acceded without 
consent to our demands ; but we think we are en- 
titled to the credit of successful management by 
having engaged in a very arduous task in the face 
of bo formidable and powerful an adversary, and 
in having brought our dispute to a successful and 
honourable conclusion with large profit and so little 
expense to you, because the greater part of the costs 
were paid by the other side. (Applause.) As to the 
future, our prospects are bright and full of promise. 
Our receipts, it is true, hav6 been lessened by ex- 
ceptional years of drought; but notwithstanding these 
drawbacks we have been able to give you a good return 
on your capital, and if this be the case when only one- 
half of one of otu [ i 'ncipal products is in bearing — only 
a quarter in full bearing — and when our revenues are 
saddled by such large expenses for the upkeep of 
this, as yet, unproductive part of these products, 
the conclusion seems to be undeniable that when 
our estates are in full bearing our profits will not 
be merely good, but very arrr-lc indeed ; and 
that time seems from every sign to be rapidly 
approaching. (Cheers.) The Chairman then moved : 
" That the directors' report and statements of account 
now submitted be, and are hereby adopted." 
Mr. Grant Heatly Tod-Heatly seconded the motion, 
which was then carried unanimously. 
The Chairman proposed, and Mr. Andrew John 
Macdonald seconded : " That in accordance with the 
recommendation of the directors a dividend at the 
rate of 7 per cent per annum upon the issue of pre- 
ferred capital of the company fur the half-year ended 
March 31st, 1888, and a dividend at the rate of 6 per 
cent per annum upon the ordinary capital of the 
company, in proportion to the amount paid up, for 
the half year ended March 31st, 1888, be, and they 
are hereby declared, and accordingly, that the sum 
of 3s 6d per fully paid preferred share sixpence per 
fully paid ordinary share, and a proportionate sum on 
the ordinary shares with one shilling paid, be paid 
on and after the first day of August 1888, upon the 
shares on the company's register at March 31st, 1888." 
Carried unanimously. 
Mr. Macdonald moved: " That the retiring director, 
Mr. Alex. Wm. Orichton, be, and is hereby re-elected." 
Mr. Tod-Heatly seconded, and the motion was passed. 
Mr. Macdonald further moved " That the appoint- 
ment by the directors of Mr. Alex. WiHiaua Orichton 
and Mr. William Cotton Kohdo as managing directors 
of the company as from July 26th, 1888, on the terms 
mentioned in the report be sanctioned." 
Mr. Tod-Heatly seconded, and the resolution was 
carried unanimously. 
Mr. Miller moved: "That Messrs. Quilter, Welton 
and Co., be, and they are hereby appointed, auditors 
to the company for the financial year ending March 
31st, 1889, and that their remuneration be fixed at the 
sum of fifty guineas." 
Mr. Ness seconded, and the motion was carried. 
A vote of thanks was accorded the chairman, on 
the motion of Mr. Nicholson, seconded by General 
Beville. 
This concluded the business of the meeting. 
♦ 
PEPPEE CULTUEE. 
Dbumduan, Johoee, May 2nd, 1888. 
The Editor, Tropical Agriculturist. 
DeaeSir, — Seeing that soine information about plant- 
ing pepper has been askeu lor in the above publi- 
cation, 1 take the liberty of sending you some notes 
on the same. I send taem with the full knowledge 
of the Singapore Free Press, and trusting they will be 
of some use, I remain, yours faithfully, 
J. R. Watson. 
Notes on Pepper Cultivation, 
(By a tlanttr.) 
Pepper. — (Nigrum). The plant affording black pep- 
per is a perennial climbing shrub, indigenous to the 
forests of Travancore and Malabar, and cultivated 
also in Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, 
Siam, the Philippines and the West Indies. 
Cubebs (Piper Cubeba; Fr. Cubebes; Ger. Cubeben; 
Cubeba Officinalis). The fruit of the Cubebs is very 
widely used in the treatment of gonorrhoea. The 
plant, a member of the Pepper family, and a woody 
climber, is a native of Borneo, Java and Sumatra; 
The fruit is gathered when full grown, but before 
it has ripened; and is then dried. It has a strong 
aromatic and slightly acrid bitter flavour and a pleasant 
aromatic odour. The great similarity of the fruits 
of other species of Piper renders their confusion 
with the true drug an easy matter ; they are prin- 
cipally P. Crassipes of Sumatra, P. Lowong of Java, 
P. Ritesioides, P. Caninum throughout the Malay 
Archipelago, and extends to Ijatirus Cubeba of S. 
China. — (Prom Spon's Encyclopaedia of Manufactures, 
etc. 
Climate. — A warm/ moist climate, with an average 
rainfall of 80 to 100 inches annually, and evenly 
distributed, is most suitable for the successful growth 
of pepper. 
