fei&EMSER r, 1888.] TH£ TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
picking coffee berries during a time of big crop, 
daily or at longest weekly wages with leave to go 
to their own houses every night, was generally the 
stipulation where such labour was employed. 
The case is very different now. Our " lowcountry " 
in the Kelani Valley, Labugama, Kalutara and all 
down the Western and Southern qoast districts as 
far as Matara is being gradually but steadily — 
in some districts very rapidly— covered with tea plan- 
tations, Theso districts are surrounded in many cases 
by Sinhalese villages and often by a class of very poor 
pcoplo ready to do a good day's work for the much- 
coveted regular food and wages offered by the planter. 
So much is this the case, Unit the Sinhalese are even 
ready to leave their villages and in some instances 
travel a good many miles, to take up their residence 
in " lines " (huts) provided by the planter. They also 
receive advances of food in coast rice which they are 
as gla 1 to have as country-grown graiu, and wuik 
steadily on for a month ata time, only after that period 
claiming settlement of wages in full. Here we havo 
several of the long-cherished notions respecting Sin- 
halese labour knocked on the head ; but more than 
that we have the authority of a gentleman— Mr. W. 
J. Forsythe of Nahalma, who is perhaps the largest 
i mplcyer of Sinhalese labour on any one plantation 
in Ceylon,— for saying that he finds the Sinhalese, 
men, women and children ready to work alongside of 
or even among Tamils and under the control of 
Tamil kungnnies. Mr. Forsyth has as many as 
L50 Sinhalese helping to pluck hia tea and doing 
other estate work. Some of theni have come 
from villages 15 miles off. They come iu family 
groups and make themselves comfortable in their 
"lines" and stay on for a month at a time — 
that is they arc pleased if paid up about the 
27th or 2sth, and allowed three days' leave on 
condition of returning to work on the 1st of 
tho following month. No advances are given, 
but rice is supplied from the outset, and a 
very few weeks are sufficient to show a great 
change for the better in the health and bearing 
of these Sinhalese from the effects of the regular 
and ample supply of food they receive. 
We should have mentioned that although there 
iu. no ruonoy "advances paid to the Sinhalese who 
ooiue to work on tea estates, one main inducement 
in some oases is that afforded by giving the head of a 
party of villagers— their leader— five cents a day, 
the usual kangnny's pay, for every Sinhalese of 
In village turning out to work. In this way, the 
headman who brings 20 labourers, earns his rupee a 
day for doing nothing. With reference to Sinhalese 
working with Tamils, a Colombo merchant informs 
us that ho has just engaged for a Kelani Valley 
•B(ate, a gang of 20 Sinhalese and 9 Tamils 
under a Sinhaleso kangany, who made the journey 
to the capital iu order to have his mixed gang of 
21) men, women and children taken on ! 
All this is very interesting; but it ..' > tuu- 
veys a lesson pregnant with the promise and 
potency of greater things in the future. We may bo 
sure that thousands of our rural population now 
earning a very precarious living,— eking out their 
small portion of rice with fruit and roots,— will 
soon copy the example of their neighbours 
when thoy learn tho comfortablo results to 
them of such occupation. To work on the 
tea watti.-i, will beoomo tho great cry of tho Sinha- 
leso in the poorer lowcountry districts, and we 
leovo tho Governor and his Executive advisers to 
judgohuw speedily may ooiue tho time when through- 
out many tea planting districts thoro will bo far more 
Sinhalese, than Immigrant Tamil Coolies employed. 
(JM advantage from tho change will undoubtedly bo 
that tho wages earned, beyond tho food supplied, 
will bo Bpcnt in tho island in place oi boii)^ 
ukou away to ludia. 
DRUG TRADE REPORT. 
London, October lib. 
Annatto.— Very dull, at 2d per lb. for good" Ceylon 
Seed, three bags fair quality but mixed with tea 
sold at I Jd per lb, today. We hear that the cultiva- 
tion of annatto is being very largely extended in Ceylon 
at present. 
Cinchona. — At today's auctions only a few parcels 
were offered, but no attention was paid to them. 
South American flat Calisaya, good bright, partly bold 
was bought in at la lOd for damaged to 2s 3d for 
sound. Thirty-two cases Ceylon baric, bold heavy 
silvery, but slightly-damaged Succirubra quills were 
bought iu at Is per lb., au offer of 9d being refused. 
Tho exports from Java during the month of July, 
the firBt of the season iu that island, have been remark- 
ably small, tho figures for the month, as compared with 
its predecessors, being ; — 
18SS 1887 188(5 1885 
lb. lb. lb. lb. 
Private ...102,980 219,787 171,500 51,009 
Goverumeut... 11,021 70,699 49,519 06,102 
Total... 174 001 293,486 221,115 117,771 
Ou.s (Essential).— Citronella : It is said that then: 
has been a little more life in the article, but prices 
still remain quoted at J J to |d per oz. for nativo 
brands. At today's auctions 10 cases bought in. Clovo 
oil has advanced to 6s per lb. iu sympjthy with tho 
rise in the spice. Essential oil of Almonds can still 
be had at 25s per lb. Cinnamon leaf oil neglected 
at l£d per lb. Throe cases Spanish Eucalyptus oil 
were offered and bought in at Is lOJd per lb., Jd 
less being declined. French Lavender unchanged. A 
parcel of about 500 oz. " Neroli " sold again without 
rcscrver at Cd to 7d per oz. Japan Peppermint is 
reported in somewhat better request privately, but 
there is still plenty offering. American oil firm at 
14s Od per lb. for H.G.H. American Spearmint 
(H. G. H.) quoted at 15s per lb. Otto of rose is said 
to be dearer in the East. Prices here are firm. As 
regards Mitcham oils, the future of the .market, this 
week has been tho demand for Chamomile oil, of 
which very little is now left in the growers' bands. 
The price has advanced about 10s per lb., viz. to 52s. 
0.1 to 55s, and there is very likelihtood of a further 
advance, os the demand is not yet satisfied. The 
total quantity of this seasn's oil is put at consider- 
able under 200 lb. Pepermiut is dull and almost ne- 
glected at about 24s to 25 per lb., but there seems 
every appearance of an advance shortly. Iu Laveudor 
there is nothing new. 
QoTNINB, — There has been a further decline this 
week, aud considerable sales of German in Wulk are 
reported] first at Is 5d and subsequently at Is 4£d 
per oz., although it appears that at the close there is 
a somewhaa better demand, which buyers at the latter 
figure. At the auctions 7,500 oz Auerbach quinine 
in 100 oz. tins were offered for sale. Tho holder 
would have taken Is 3id per oz., but could only 
< btained Is 3[d at tho auctions, and bought in the whole 
prrcej. 
VANILLA. — 186 tins were rather pressed for sale- to- 
iy, and mostly disposed of at a decline of fully 2.) 
for medium and good lots ; common dry foxy at la 
oil, rathor brownish chocolate 2s to (is; ordinary, 
door flavour, slightly crystaliscd 5 to 8 inch, IsOdto 
6s 9d ; fair flavour ditto 5 to 7, os 3d to 7s Od ; 
8 to 7i, 7s tolls; good 71 to 8, lis 9d to 13s Od; 
fine 7$ to 9, 15s to 18s Od per lb. — Cheminl tuul JJruyyist. 
+ 
THE AMSTERDAM CINCHONA AUCTIONS. 
Amstbkdam, October 4th. 
At today's cinchona auctions 1,764 package* Java 
bark were offered, of which 1,655 sold at au average 
unit value of 10 cents per J kilo, or 1 4-5tud per lb. 
being somewhat below tho parity of the Inst London 
auctions. Tho bulk of tho sales consist* d of Imogen- 
ana in chips nnd broken quills, Succirubra being com- 
paratively npitringly represented, liru, gists' burkt) in 
quills . and ihip«, n nlisi d, from 12 to t>5 cents per 4 
kilo. («ddi to lud. per lb.) ; ditto root, M to 88 ceut.i 
peri kilo. ( — 3jd. to Mi per lb.) ; manufacturers' barks 
