THE. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1889. 
nnder the provisions of the Merchandise Marks Act. 
— I am, sirs, yours faithfully, A. PHILIP, Secretary. 
London, 30th Nov. 1888. 
A. Philip, Esq., Seoretary, Planters' Association, 
Kandy. 
Dear Sir, — In continuation of my letter of 16th 
instant, I have the pleasure to forward report of the 
further proceedings at the Mansion House yesterday 
in the case against Mr. A. J. Ellin. I also enclose 
copy of broker's reports on 
1. The 1 lb. packet of Bungalow Tea bought from 
Messrs. Loe & Son, Woking, by Mr. W. R. Wainwright. 
2. The I lb. packet of tea, priced at 6d and with 
some label as above, handed to me by Messrs. Loe & 
son after the first hearing. 
The other £lb. packet handed to me by Messrs. 
Loe <fe Son and priced at 7Jd was marked only 
" Pure Oeylon Tea," without the small letters below, 
and contained a very good Ceylon pekoe souchong 
valued by the brokers at Is 3d in bond. 
The result of the brokers' examination of these two 
packets made me think it unwise to follow the case 
further unless compelled to do so. And as soon as I 
heard from Mr. Wainwright that he was unable to 
trace how the 1 lb. paoket came into his hands, I 
communicated with Mr. Gray who advised a with- 
drawal of the summons. 
Accordingly our solioitor called on Mr. Ellin's soli- 
citors with the result that they produced to me un- 
doubted evidence that on the day in August last 
when the packets of the blend were made up by Mr. 
Ellin for Messrs. Loe & Son, the teas blended were : — 
160 lb. Dikoya mark 2,032 ex " Rohilla " 
401b. Darragalla „ 176 ex " Buluna " 
40 lb. China Tea 5,753 ex "Prometheus " 
I was a little surprised to learn that the teas were 
blended by hand on a table, and I suppose that the 
large proportion of China tea found* in the lib. 
packet must have been due to uneven blending. 
Under the circumstances I trust that the settle- 
ment arrived at will be considered by your Com- 
mittee satisfactory. 
I have felt a great responsibility on me in the 
matter and have looked only to the effect of our 
action on the sale and distribution of Ceylon teas. 
— Iam, &c, (Signed) Wm. Martin Leake. 
F. S. — I shall send you by next mail copies 
of correspondence re new Crane Wharf case. 
Reports on Tea, Bungalow Brand, in one pound 
Packet purchased at Woking-. 
13, Rood Lane, London. — Mixed leaf both in colou r 
and size, the tea contains but very few ends, the liquo r 
is soft, and has a decided China character. It is ou^ 
opinion, that the tea is a mixture, largely composed o' 
the China variety. — (Sigd.) Gow, Wilson & Stanton- 
41, Mincing Lane, London, 28th Sept. 1888.— The 
" Bungalow Brand" is certainly not pure Ceylon, but 
contains a considerable proportion of China Kaisow ; 
whether the balance is composed of Indian ©r Ceylon 
we cannot say ; the strong but rather course favour 
of the Kaisow predominating to such an extent as to 
overcome that of any other tea it may be blended 
with. This sample is of good strength, but of poor 
quality ; an Indian Pekoe Souchong at 85CI per lb., gives 
a much better liquor. — (Sigd.) Wilson, Smithett & Co. 
Reports on quarter-pound packet " Bungalow 
Brand'' Tea priced at 6d. 
13,' Rood Lane, 22nd Nov. 1888.— Concerning the 
packet which was open when you handed it to me and 
which is stated to be pure Oeylon tea blended with 
Assam tea. My opinion is that the tea contains a pro- 
portion of China tea, which is noticeable in the flavour 
of the liquor. My opinion is that this quarter-pound 
sample does not contain China tea of so course a nature 
or so large a quantity as the large one-pound packet, and 
that the two teas not indentical. I do not think this 
is as clear a case as the former, although I think 
there is no doubt that tho tea is partially composed 
of China Tea ; but you have not so strong a oase.— 
Iam, &c, (Signed) A, G. Stanton, Gow, Wilson & 
Stanton. I 
W. Martin Leake, Esq. 
41, Mincing Lane, 21st Nov. 1888. — We have com- 
pared the second sample (i lb. packet) of the " Bun- 
galow Brand " with the original one in three diifertut 
liquorings and have on each occasion, especially 011 
the first, found it superior in cup ; we fully believe 
it to contain some China tea, but it has not the 
same strong Kaisow flavour as the sample from the 
original one pound packet. Different samples from 
the same blend might no doubt give liquors varying 
to some extent, but the difference in the two samples 
under review is so marked, that we can scarcely 
believe them to be from the same blend. 
(Signed) Wilson, Smithett & Co. 
W. Martin Leake, Esq. 
♦ 
COSTA RICA AND CULTIVATION. 
The state is divided into three departments — the 
eastern, western and that of Nicoya. Each of these, 
again, is subdivided into districts, each with an alcaldi 
in charge of local affairs. Costa Rica's area is 26,000 
square miles, and her revenue approximates $2,000,000 
per annum. Some 88 years ago the Government granted 
to M. Lafond, the French consul general, a tract of laud 
extending from the Gulf of Dulce, on the Pacific, to 
Baco del Torso, on the Caribbean Sea, for the pur- 
pose of opening a route between the two oceans. 
That across the isthmus, by San Juan river, along part 
of the frontier line of Costa Rica, is so far opened 
that steamers ply in connection with others on the 
Lake of Nicaragua. There is also a railroad on the 
Atlantic side into the interior. 
The Oasdillera of the isthmus, which is really the 
connecting link between the Andes of the south and 
the Sierra Madre6 of Mexico, leading on to the Rockies 
of the north, throws off numerous purs on 
either side, running diagonally across this little 
republic, giving the surface a continuous alternation 
of abrupt heights and sudden depressions, interspersed 
with extensive forests and barren tracts. The primary 
range bristles with an unparalleled series of volcanoes, 
extinct and active, including Osasi, Votas, Oartigo, 
Irazu, and a dozen others of that " burning gorilla " that 
surrounds the Pacific. From the summit of the central 
table lands, on a clear day, both the Atlantic and 
Pacific oceans can be distinctly seen. 
In all parts of Costa Rica, except along the burn- 
ing shores, the climate is salubrious, subject neither 
to excessive heat nor cold, and experiencing few 
changes, except from the wet season to the dry. 
It is therefore admirably adapted to agricultural pur- 
poses, especially in the table lands and well watered 
valleys. The remarkably fertile soil is capable, of bring- 
ing to perfection most northren fruits and cereals, as 
well as those peculiar to the tropics ; but nothing is 
cultivated but coffee, sugar-cane, rice, tobacco, Indian 
corn, and a very little wheat. The yearly export of 
coffee now amounts to more than 200,000,000 pounds 
— though that berry was first introduced into Costa 
Rica less than 60 years ago. Previous to that time the 
people were very poor, and it is only since the culture 
of coffee has been so extensively carried on that they 
have attained to anything like prosperity. 
The woods of Oosta Rica are particularly valuable 
including tulip, aloe, rose, and other rare varieties, 
besides vast forests of mahogany, cedar and India- 
rubber trees. Cocoa, sarsaparilla, wild indigo and various 
dye woods are among the indigenous products. Pearls 
are found on the western coast, below Nicoya Bay, and 
an extensive trade is carried on in their she!ls. An 
excellent quality of tabacco is raised, which is chiefly 
shipped to Nicaragua, though some of it goes to British 
markets. Costa Rica — "the Rich Coast" — derived its 
name from the once wonderful gold mines of the eastern 
mountains, and much silver and copper are also known 
to exist. But for more than 100 years little attention 
has been paid to the miueral resources — for to wrest 
from mother earth tho treasures she has hidden requires, 
as a rule, more enterprise and money than these people 
possess.— Cor. " Massachusetts Spy." 
