February t, 1889.] THF. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
507 
which will form excellent ballast for the railway. 
[By the way, this reminds us that a long disused 
cabook quarry has, in view of its being taken 
over by the railway, beon awakened into full acti- 
vity !] Mixed with laterito aud lime (broken chips 
of coral unburnt, even, will correct the acidity and 
bring out the fertility of the rotted vegetation) the 
swamp lands will become eventually as fertile 
and as capable of supportinglife, — vegetable, animal, 
and human, — as is now the seashore fringe, and so the 
inland nolitudes will be mado lively and vocal by 
measures of redemption which the railway willronder 
possible. And why should not the backwaters be- 
come scenes of the breeding of superior species of 
fish and of oystors such as those for which Bentota 
is famous, as it is for its beautiful and airy position, 
overlooking the soa and the river, the latter passing 
from brackish water into fresh. 
One of the regrets of a most enjoyable day and 
trip when concluded, was that time did not permit 
of a visit to the lighthouse, which we saw rising in 
columnar grace from the beautiful palm-covered islet 
oil' Beruwala on whicli under the direction of Mr. 
Pilkington and his assistants, it has so rapidly risen. 
At Beruwala may be said to commence that system 
of low hills, running down from the mountain ranges 
to the seashore and breaking up into undulations, 
and rocks, and capes, and bays, and islets, which 
render the scenery of the coast at and on each 
side of Galle, so strikingly romantic, — so " beautiful 
exceedingly." We trust that many years will not 
elapse ere all this splendid seashore scenery, (with 
cool sea breezes) to the southern point of land in 
Ceylon which looks from beneath a tropic sun to 
antarctic fields of eternal ice, may be available to 
travellers and tourists by railway. — One other regret 
we may be permitted to mention beforo we conclude. 
It is that one who for twenty-two years has done 
such good service to the colony as Mr. Cantrell, 
hhould have been so inadequately rewarded. He 
lias now a grand ohance of showing what scientific 
Mkill and local experience can accomplish. We have 
no doubt the result will be good work at a minimum 
oost, and we trust the ruling authorities of the 
colony will respond to what we know is the wish 
of the colonists, that good and faithful service should 
bo rightly appreciated and duly acknowledged. 
COFFEE AND TEA. 
I have iiuite recently heard of some marvellously 
good coffee crops from tho Uva side of the country in 
localities ton high and dry to be within reach of that 
fell destroyer — bug, The Badulla property of Air. C. 
B. Smith, 1 am assured, yielded in one year not less 
than "J c-wts. per aero of good marketable coffee and 
at the rate mentioned to me quite recently, at which 
Ceylon Plantation has been dealt in by private con- 
trict for the Coutinent, viz. 102s. This crop should 
prove most encouraging. Then again, I hear marvel- 
lous things of the returns from Mr. Oull's Badulla 
estate, as well as from Nayabeddo and Wiharng.illa 
in the Haputalo district. The Dambatenne estate also 
< ntinues to do well for its owuer. By the bye, I be- 
Ueve tho original proprietor of this property, Mr. J. 
n ri^ht. for inauy yours a timber contractor iu tho 
i Miu iinialoe district, is liviug iu perfect boaltb at some 
villago not very far from Ipswich. 
A special mooting of the Ceylon Tea Plantations 
1 niip.iny, Limited, will 1, hold on the 20th instant to 
I aflrm tie- arrangement! come to by the Directors 
101 the enlargement of tho Company's investments by 
lb'- amalgamation of the following properties with 
th itirei.iv belonging to them, viz , waiwha, Samba, 
Till} ri.'. Alton anil I pent, tho properties of Messrs. 
Talbot. Wi ll i,,u una u. Raid respectively, The Sguri . 
hi wl, n il tin .m pUiilatiiiii* huve been taken over have 
not lieeii mentioned to mo. hut I am assured they are 
such ay aru couBidcrod higa'y -atisfactory by both 
buyers and sellers. The Company will now have in 
their possession tea properties at both high and me- 
dium altitudes, so that in the event of any severe 
drought in the low-country affecting their crops there, 
they will have the shortfall in pluckings made up to 
them by the more favorable yield at such a time of 
their higher estates aud this is a contingency well 
worth bearing in mind. The charge of all these pro- 
perties will involve a good deal more responsibility as 
well as hard work, and Mr. Rutherford, therefore, does 
well to determine on taking a holiday in this country 
during next summer. 
The long pending case of Laiug v. Homerville & Co., 
regarding " Cash on de ivory," and which yeur readers 
will, no doubt, rememher as connected with a claim of 
Messrs. Baker and Hall against Mrs. Robertson, was 
finally heard and decided last week, when the Judicial 
Committee of the Privy Council (Lord Hobhouse, Sir 
Richard Couch, and Sir Stephen W. Flanagan), were 
moved by Mr. J. H. Helpman, barrister-at-law (in- 
structed by Messrs. Hickin and Fox of London), on 
behalf of Mr. Laiug, to dismiss, with costs, Messrs. 
Somerville & Co 's proposed appeal to their lordships on 
the ground of want of prosecution. The learned coun- 
sel having briefly stated the leading facts of the case, 
their lordships at once assented to the application. So 
the appeal is disallowed, and the appellants will have to 
pay the amount at issue with interest at 9 per cent and 
costs. — London Cor., local "Times." 
THE SUMATKA TOBACCO PLANTATION 
COMPANY (LIMITED). 
(To the Editor of the London and China Express.) 
Sir, — In your issue, dated 10th inst., in a paragraph 
in the Money Article, you mention that it is your 
belief that tho estates recently acquired by this com- 
pany were formerly under the superintendence of 
Mr. Tolson. If not troubling you too much, will 
you kindly correct this, as the estates have been 
held by Mr. A. P. Bernard only I am, &c, 
Chas. Bischoff, Secretary pro tern. 
40, Old Broad Street, Dec. 14. 
♦ 
ROOFING PAPER. 
Sandakau, 23rd Nov. 1888. 
To the Editor, British North Borneo Herald. 
Sir, — Through your aid I would call the attention of 
Planters aud of the public generally, to the great utility 
of Willesden Rooting paper which, so far as I cah see 
is < j 1 1 i to unknown here. — I was surprised to see vast 
quantities of ataps shipped from port to port on my 
way down hero not only for roofiiug but for walls. 
Willesden paper is very portable, cheap, indestructible 
almost, and perfectly watcrprooof and would last four 
or five times as long as ataps. I have used some of it as 
water spouting and have had it in use for some 8 years 
and it is now as water tight as it was when I put it up. 
I cannot imagine anything more suitable for tobacco 
sheds or for the style of houses you build here. In 
Ceylon Messrs. Cave & Co., are the Agents from whom 
all particulars as to prioe, freight &C., 8tO., can easily 
be obtained. — I am, Sir, Yours faithfully, 
McM. Chalmsok. 
♦ 
NOTES ON PRODUCE AND FINANCE. 
The Trust project, to which wo recently referred, is 
in active preparation. It is proposed to include se- 
curities other than toa shares in tho Trust, and no 
doubt the field is both wide and profitable if organised 
on a sound basis. 
Tho scheme for pushing the sale of Indian tea in 
America makes slow progress, although a great deal 
of individual effort has boon exercised, with the ohject 
of bringing it to a successful issue. It would be re- 
freshing to boar that active operation* had commenced 
and that the toa drinkers of the loading cities oj tho 
I'nited States were able t.i procure and taste Indian 
tea with a view to a regular demand for the Ameri- 
can market.-//. .J C. Mail. 
