September i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
nine Provinces, preference having been naturally 
given to the Province of Myburg in which is situated 
the grand harbour of Sandakan Bay. Here 199,000 
acres have been granted or applied for, including 
If timber leases" to the extent of 12,000 acres of 
forest on the edge of Sandakan Pay. Most of the 
land seems destined for tobacoo cultivation, although 
sugar is mentioned in one case and " various " 
products in others. Blocks of 09,000 and 00,000 have 
been granted to parties who having purchased 
at $1 per aore will doubtlosa sell portions at a 
profit, the selling price of land having lately been 
increased by Government $2 per acre. Next to 
Myburg Province comes Martin Province with 
HO, 000 acres and then Alcock with 75,239 aores all 
of which are destined for tobacco, except 300 
aores against which we find Liborian ooffee. 
In Dewhurst Province 09,000 acres have been 
granted or applied for, and in Mayne Province 
f>2,000. The aggregate is thus 475, 239 acres, which 
is but a small proportion of a territory that we 
suppose extenda over 15 to 20 millions of acres. It 
is regrettable to notioe that most of the land is 
or is to be devoted to tobacco culture, and that so 
few of the applicants for land are British subjects. 
Most of the numes are Dutch, such as Teile, Doom, 
vander Hoeven, Houthhuyaen and bo on. " Count 
G does " is a man of large ideas, for we find him 
down for 20,000 acres in one Province and 10,000 
in another. Then there is Baron T. von Ameron- 
gen down for 10,000 acres, and Baron A. von Stein 
lor 20,000. We find only three distinctively 
Biiglisli names in the list. Mr. Walker, in a letter 
to our address, very naturally expresses the hope 
Chat new and old (Jeylon may become more inti 
mutely oonneoted than is yet the case, anil North 
Borneo bung a country specially rich in timber he 
throws out the idea of an enterprise similar to 
that in Japan, by which at present India and 
Ceylon are so largely supplied with tea boxes. 
Unlcs.i papier mache, or a combination of paper and 
Other .substanoes, supersedes wood for teaboxes, the 
idea id a good ono and worthy of attention hero 
in Coylon. On this point and others Mr. Walker's 
letter is so interesting, that we here quote it: — 
"1 send you a sketch map of British .North Borneo 
and h list of lauds taken up and applied lor. Tobacco 
appears well uuited to our climate aud rainfall, and 
the quality of. the leaf is said to be quite equal, to the 
best Deli. Tho price obtained this year will Lie a great 
criterion of this, but the small quantities hitherto sent 
to Amsterdam bear out tho statement. 
" We expect to be largely connected with old Ceylon 
shortly by sending you tea cheats. Wo havo suitable 
wood and yon want boxes by the million. Your 
capitalists should put up saw mills here. Our rates 
for land are low. Timber leasus (without cultivation 
clause) are given at 20u * au acre rent, and permits 
to cut timber on Government land have bo far been 
given at a nominal sum. We are olfored steam com- 
munication with China, Europe, and Australia by three 
line-', and I expect daily to hear of a settlement of 
tho mattor. When the steamers run you can receive 
tea chests in Colombo direot from the mill in British 
North Borneo. 
" This is a very important matter to your colony and 
to ours, and I hope to see a Tory considerable business 
arisu between the two countries. In addition to tea 
cheats, you want oil a id c It'ee casks. 
" I say our rates lor land are low. Up to tin- end of 
Jul} we charge SI (one dollar) per aero, but alti i tliit 
(late 82 will l>o churned for laud on the east coast. 
We do not anticipate it will prevent any one from 
■i t't>l> ing for land." 
NOTES FROM UTCOUNTRY. 
Kankv, 23rd August. 
The Dumbara tobaoco fields on the old sugar 
* About 40 cents of a rupee.— Ku. 
estate and the huge drying sheds for the 
leaf are most interesting. Cacao, rubber and 
other products are flourishing on the old 
tobacoo fields, so that the Dumoara soil is not 
likely to be exhausted. — Grand cacao crop on 
Pallakelle. — Sunset last night, as witnessed in 
Dumbara Valley, magnificent ; sunrise through the 
Medamahanuwara Gap this morning a sight to 
remember I — Kain much wanted in the Dumbara 
Valley as everywhere else. 
Mr. Holloway, the lather of the Panwila plant- 
ing district, is busy over a new estate already 
fully planted with tea which he is to call Maria 
galla, and which, through high cultivation, the 
conservation of rainfall and special attention to 
scientific agriculture, he is to make a rival to 
the Mariawatte, in yield of crop. Mr. Holloway 
is sanguine : he has every possibility, with the 
high road as a boundary for manuring. We shall 
see the result. 
Messrs. Owen, Bayford and Wetherall have 
taken up some 500 to 000 acres near Ukuwala 
for tea and cacao. 
Mr. Akbar is opening his Kadugannawa pro- 
perty for tea very carefully ; a number of new tea 
clearings in this old district attract attention. 
INDIAN TEA COMPANIES EEGIS1EEED 
IN LONDON. 
The Home and Colonial Mail of August 3rd contains 
the results of the working ot the above companies in 
1887, and most satisfactory must most of them be to 
the shareholders. Three only declared no dividend, the 
Land Mortgage B ,uk of India, the Upp r Assam 
aud the Noiiliacharee Tea Oompauies, but the profits 
were £14,4j8 Ids 4d, £16,453 5s lOd and £4,025 19s 
3d respectively. The tirst produced 1,969,120 lb. tea 
at the rate of 2S7 lb. per aero from 8,039 acres 
costing 94;d and selling at lid per lb. on a capital per 
acre of £42 ; the second produced 1,155, 044 lb. at 
the rate of 470 lb. per acre from 2,45(5 acres, 
oostiug 9£ and selling at Is l£d per lb. on a capital 
per aire of £79; aud the last produced 548,705 lb. at 
288 lb. per aere from 2,200 acres, costing lid and 
selling at Is id on a capital per acre of £31. 
Tho British Indian Tea Company declared a divi- 
dend of 14; per cent, producing 097,935 lb. at the rate 
of 401 lb. acre from 2,037 acres, costing 74 and selling 
at 94, on the highest capital of £119 per acre. The 
Scottish Assam aud the Dejoo Tea Companies de- 
clared a dividend of 5 per cent, each, the former 
producing 240,01Glb. at the rate of 348 lb, per aore 
from 765 acres costing 9Jd and selling at Is 2j 1 per 
lb. ou tho seooud heaviest capital per acre or £HH, 
the latter producing 2 10,2(40 lb. at 438 lb. per acre Irom 
745acres oostiug 10^ ' aud solliugat lsOjd per lb.onacapi- 
tal pur aero of £59. The Indian Tea Company of Cachar 
deolared a dividend of 0 per oent, having produced 
341,080 lb. at 408 lb. per aero from 030 acres, costing 
9d aud selling at Is ljd por lb. on the third largest 
capital per aoro of £101. The Luckimpore Tea Com- 
pany of Assam deolared a dividend of Gt per cent, 
producing 453,890 lb. at 488 lb. por acre from 985 aores, 
costing 9|d and selling at Is Ojjd per lb. on a capital 
per acre of £78. Tho Dooars, Darjeeling, and Borolli 
Tea Companies all declared a dividend of 7 per cent. 
Tho Dooars produced 747,578 lb. at 454 lb. per aero 
from 3,276 aores costing 8 I aud selling at lOJd per lb. 
ou a capital per nores of il'M. The Darjeeling produced 
651,007 lb. at 308 lb. per acre from 1,900 acres, costing 
9jd and selling at U 2d per lb. ou a capital ot £71. 
The Moabuud Tea Company declared 7A per n lit 
dividend, on a crop of 280,020 lb. at 509 lb. per acre 
from 620 acres, costing 9£ i and solliug at Is 2jd 
per lb. on a capital per aero ol £56. The Leboirg 
Tea Company declared 8 per cent, dividend on a 
crop of 371,303 lb. at 3821b. per aoro from 1,442 acres, 
cosTing It)d aud selling at Is Id per lb. The Doom 
Dooms Tea Company deolared 8j por ceut dividend 
ouaoropof 012,020 lb, at 532 lb. por acre from 1,085 acre. 
