S*4 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. IFebruary i, i88g. 
" COCONUTS " TO BE THE CEY, NOT TEA. 
Mr. Beddington left by the P. <fe O. 
S. S. " Chusan" this afternoon for Calcutta. 
He will " tour" northern India, and then proceed to 
England. He, however, intends to invest in 
Ceylon, and so we shall probably see him back 
in the course of twelve months or so. His invest- 
ments in different parts of the world have been very 
successful. In reply to our inquiry, as to whether 
he was " going in " for tea, he replied : — 
"No, I don't believe in it. I think the planters 
here are too sanguine, and I fully believe that the 
average will go down to 8Jd before two years are 
over. How then will the planters be able to make 
tea pay ? I have formed this opinion on the best 
authority — on the authority of a great friend of 
mine who is a leading broker in Mincing Lane, 
and who visited India and Ceylon last year. 
He is a man who knows all about the business, 
and is right in his conclusions in 99 cases out 
of 100, and it is his opinion that Ceylon tea will 
not beat either China or the Indian districts." 
We suggested the name of a gentleman we 
thought likely to be identical with Mr. Bedding- 
ton's friend, but he would mention no names. Mr. 
Beddington purposes investing in cooonuts, but 
will not reside here. In the meantime he will 
appoint someone to " spy out the land" for him. 
We may also mention that Mr. H. A. Todd, who 
came out the other day, is — like his late father be- 
fore him, the wellknown Jaffna planter, — going in 
for coconuts, and this morning left Colombo for 
the Horrekelly estates, where he will " serve his 
'prenticeship," before going to the North. 
CEYLON AFFAIRS (TEA) IN LONDON. 
London, 14th December 1888. 
A. Philip, Esq,, Secretary, Planters' Association, 
Kandy, Ceylon. 
Dear Sir, — I now have the pleasure to forward copies 
of correspondence in regard to the sampling, &c, at 
wharves aDd docks in London. I will send you shortly 
copies of letters from nearly all the chief wharfingers 
on the subject. Having made direct inquiry as to 
the samples of coffee send by Mr. Humphrey to be 
kept in the dock warehouses, I find that he is correct 
as to the practice at St. Katharine's Dock, but not 
as to that at the London docks where no such 
samples are kept. There are two docks belong to the 
game Company. 
While discussing the question of short weights with 
Mr. Andrew Buchanan, he pointed out to me that in 
the case of tea it would often happen that a con- 
siderable loss might arise to the owner owing to the 
practice of taking as the gross weights of each 
package the pounds only and neglecting the odd 
ounces, while in the tare any odd ounces are taken 
as a full pound, thus on a package weighing gross 
80 lb. 14 oz. the gross selling weight would be 80 lb. 
only, and if the empty paokage weighed 22 lb. 2 oz., 
it would be taken as weighing 23 lb. and the tea 
which actually weighs 58 lb. 12 oz. would b e sold as 
57 lb. only, showing a loss of weight of 1 lb. 12 oz. 
As a remedy for this Mr. Buchanan proposes that 
care should be taken on the estates to make the 
tares always 2 oz- and no more under an exact number 
of lb., say 22 lb. 14 oz. And the gross weights should 
be carefully brought up to about 4 oz. over some 
number of lb., say 80 lb. 4 oz. Then on each package 
the loss from this source will bo reduced to 6 oz. 
on each package. 
The above refers of course to teas that are bulked 
in London. 
Mr. Buchanan says that if anyone will try the above 
lan and will send the tea to his warehouses (the 
City Bonded tea warehouses), he will be glad to arrange 
for any representative of the owner to attend, while 
the various operations are being gone through by 
the Customs. 
Paris Exhibition. —As it is necessary that some 
steps should dow be taken for completing the arrange- 
ments for the tea-room in the coming Exhibition, 1 
have taken on myself on behalf of your Committee 
to ask several gentlemen to act with me as a Com- 
mittee in dealing with Mr. Shand ; Sir Wm. Gregory, 
Sir Roper Lethbridge, and Mr. Whittall have agreed to 
act, and I am now asking Mr. Smither also. These 
gentlemen with Mr. Shand and myself will, I hope, 
be a Committee that will meet with the approval of 
your Association I am, &c, 
(Signed) Wm. Martin Leake. 
NEW CRANE WHARF CASE. 
Ceylon Association in London, 65 Fenchurch Street, 
London, 5th November 1888. 
Ernest Humphrey, Esq. 
Dear Sir, — At a meeting of the Executive Committee 
of this Association held on 25th ultomo. Right Hou'ble 
Sir W. H. Gregory in the chair, the attention of the 
Meeting was called to the above case, and especially to 
your evidence as reported in The Times of 15th 
ultimo, to the effect that it is the custom at yonr 
Wharf to keep samples of the goods stored and to sell 
them on your own account. The matter is one of much 
interest to owners of Ceylon produce. And at the 
meeting above-mentioned a Sub-Oommittee was ap- 
pointed to collect information thereou. On their 
behalf I write to ask if you confirm the report of your 
evidence ; and in that case if you would kiudly say for 
what purpose the samples in question are taken and 
under what rules and checks. 
The custom is one unknown to several large im- 
porters from Ceylon, and however carefully guarded 
would seem one likely to be open to abuse. — I am, 
dear sir, yours faithfully, 
(Signed) Wm. Martin Leake, Secretary. 
39 Eastcheap, London, 6th Nov. 
Dear Sir, — I called to see you this morning in re- 
ference to your letter re coffee reference samples. 
The custom is one so wellknown to the trade, that 
I am surprised to find that your Committee are not 
acquainted with it. 
A small reference sample about a handful is taken 
from the sample of each pile, supplied to the selling 
broker. This is placed in a small paper bag marked 
with the rotation of fhip, and pile; and kept for re- 
ference in case of any dispute after the goods are sold. 
This is necessary alike for the protection of the 
merchant and th« dock or wharf; in case of any 
claim arising as to quality. The merchant or importer 
cannot possibly be a loser by this system, as, when the 
goods are weighed, a sample is by order of the Customs 
weighed against the gool6 equal in weight to the 
sample drawn. 
Any further information you may require, shall be 
most happy to afford you.- Yours faithfully, 
(Signed) Ernest J. Humphrey. 
W. Martin Leake, Esq. 
Ceylon Association in London, 5th Nov. 188S. 
To the Manager, London and St. Katherine Docks 
Company, and to the Secretary and Manager, East and 
West India Dock Company. 
Dear Sir,— In the report of the recent inquiry as 
to the sales of samples, etc., from the New Crane 
"Wharf there appeared evidence given by witnesses 
of experience and standing to the effect that a cus- 
tom has prevailed at some of the wharves in London 
of taking samples from the goods stored and of subse- 
quently selling them on account of the wharf owners. 
I am instructed to inquire on behalf of this Associ- 
ation whether there is any such practice in the 
wharehouses of your Company, and whether it is 
customary to draw any samples from the produce com- 
mitter! to dcrare other than those drawn by order 
of the merchants or their brokers ? — I am, yours 
faithfully, (Signed) WM, Martin Leake, Secretary. 
