734 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Mat i, i88y . 
clared even the first year, and that as an invest- 
ment, not to speak of it at all as a means of open- 
ing up thoroughly the Australian market, it can 
be recommended to the public. Mr. Sinclair would 
launch the craft himself, and take the helm. That 
fact alone should inspire confidence, for he is not 
a man who has never sailed before. I fancy the 
public will hear more from Mr. Sinclair by and by 
in regard to his new Company : meanwhile, instead 
of issuing a prospectus and calling for local support, 
we learn from a paragraph in the Observer that 
he is off home, to consult some London company. 
I cannot close this letter without a word in 
regard to the fine weather we have been enjoying. 
As compared with last year, it is a striking con- 
trast, and everything seems to be doing well. 
The frequent showers of rain keep nature green 
and growing, and although the sun is hot enough 
and the atmosphere muggy enough, life is more 
worth living than it usually is in the hot season. 
Peppercorn. 
♦ 
TIN AND COPPER IN PEBAK. 
From the Adiministration Eeport on the Hwetta 
district for 1888 we quote as follows : — 
Mr. Pike, the Inspector of Mines in Kinta, recently 
collected at the tin mines of Lahat a large specimen 
of what was thought to be grey copper ore ; and, 
at the request of the British Resident, sent it to the 
Museum. On examination it was found to be ths 
mineral known as stannine, or bell metal ore, so 
called from its being a combination of the sulphides 
of tin, copper, and iron, and yielding, when smelted, 
an alloy much resembling that used in the manu- 
facture of bells. 
Mr. Taylor, the Manager of the Lalang Mine near 
Gopeng, in Kinta, also reports the finding of some 
masses of copper ore in the harang or "wash-dirt" 
at that mine ; while a sample of tin-sand from Kinta, 
assayed as far back as 1883, was found to contain 2 
per cent of copper : a result which, was, however, 
discredited at the time, the presence of the copper 
being attributed to accidental causes. But in the 
light of the two cases above mentioned there; seems 
to be every probability of the copper having been 
a natural constituent of this sample of tin-sand. 
The remarkable way in which tin and copper ores 
are associated in the great mineral lodes of Corn- 
wall is well-known, and the discovery of a like associa- 
tion in the mines of Perak is an encouraging one, 
as it points to the similarity existing between tha 
tin deposits here and the celebrated ones of Cornwall, 
and leads to the hope that some day real tin-mining 
will be established and so continue the prosperity of 
the State, after the best of the alluvial deposits 
have been worked out. 
DIMBULA "AS SEEN BY A STRANGER " 
FOR THE FIRST TIME. 
From paragraphs in the newspapers and the sad 
lamentations about the unnatural end of old King 
Coffee, somehow one gets the impression that the acre- 
age under coffee cultivation must be very small, and 
when you travel through a district like this, where 
you find hundreds and hundreds of acres of coffee 
trees looking healthy and vigorous, you are apt to 
think that you must have been misled by fome of 
those despondent souls with which society everywhere 
is so liberally sprinkled. The old favorite seems good 
for many a long cay yet, at least that 's the hope of 
those who are interested and have anything at stake, 
and the hope has been considerably deepened by the 
very promising blossom of the last few days. It is 
said to be the best for many a long year and to 
further give confidence the weather has been all that 
could be desired. The few showers have rather helped 
than hindered the " setting." The anxiety is past, 
and the fortunate ones are confidently counting on 1 
cannot tell bow many, bushels of parchment to an 
acre. Tea also looks well and the " flush " is suffi- 
cent to keep the coolies going. Should the 6howers 
we are having daily continue for a week or two 
longer, all hands will have to be mustered to over- 
take the rush of leaf, but this is a prospect, although 
pleasing, scarcely expected. 
♦ 
COCONUT PLANTING BEYOND CEILAW. 
(From a Correspondent.) 
You will be interested lo hear that another 
European is buying land for coconuts in this 
vicinity. I now hope to see a few more Europeans 
place confidence in our much despised but 
productive palm. Surely tea can spare a few of 
the many now engaged in cultivating it, with 
benefit to both. Nowhere have I seen trees grow- 
ing and thriving so well as in the Rajakadaluwa 
district. 
♦ 
PLANTING IN WYNAAD; 
TERRIBLE DR0U8HT — COFFEE SUFFERING — "SERIOUS FIRES 
ON ESTATES. — POOSHOLAH ESTATE BURNT OUT. 
Wyntaad, March 16th. — Every year is bad at this 
season, but we cannot help thinking that this " hot 
weather" surpasses all former experiences. The sky 
is like brass, not a cloud to be seen, and the country 
reeking with smoke, and dismal with blackened ashes ; 
we are in a really terrible state of anxiety. The 
spike is fortunately very backward on most places 
this year, but this frightful heat is a great trial to it, 
and, unless the rain comes soon, I fear much of our 
promised "bumpers" will be lost to us. This is es- 
pecially distressing, as we really had a splendid pro- 
mise of crop. Prices are so encouraging also that we 
dared to hope for better times. The drought is so 
excessive that the cattle are at starvation point, and 
the nullahs are nearly dried up. But the worst result 
of the excessive heat is the disastrous fires which it 
has been a great means of causing. Last Monday, a 
fire broke out in the Poosholah Estate, the property 
of Mr. Hockin, and, in a few hours, a really magni- 
ficent estate, of about 129 acres, was reduced to a 
heap of ashes. The flames were blown over from a 
neighbouring clearing, which had just fired. Unfor- 
tunately, there was a large quantity of felled timber, 
very dry, lying amongst the Poosholah coffee, and 
this took light like so much tiader. The coolies had 
been lately paid off, so but little assistance was avail- 
able. A crop of 50 tons was expected this year off 
the place, which made it all the more distressing. Of 
course, the neighbours were only too anxious to ex- 
press their deep sympathy with Mr. Hockin, by render- 
ing all the assistance in their power, and I was very 
glad to learn that it is hoped that a large proportion 
of the trees may be saved by sawing them down at 
onoe. But, of course, the loss must be considerable, 
and, in a planter's eyes, the catastrophe is a most 
lamentable one. The same day Mr. Castle Stuart's 
office just escaped destruction, and would probably 
have been burnt down but for the presence of mind 
of our Munsiff, who, seeing the flaming jungle, rode 
out with all his subordinates, and energetically as- 
sisted in beating out the fire. It must have been 
rather nervous work, as the building contains all Mr. 
Stuart's Settlement Records and Title Deeds, etc. 
The Belliaparah Bungalow was also burnt, and a new 
cattle pen on another estate, and I have just heard 
of yet another estate which barely escaped the fate 
of Poosholah, last night, the coolies having been ob- 
liged to work all night to keep the fires down. — Mad- 
ras Times. 
THE PLANTING AGRICULTURAL IN- 
DUSTRIES OF CEYLON. 
Review of the Planting and Agricultural Indus- 
tries of Ceylon, and Statistics of the Planting 
Enterprises in India and the Colonies. By J. 
Ferguson. Pp. IGo. (Colombo : A. M. and J. 
Ferguson, 1888.) 
This is a reprint, in a form of a small octavo 
volume, of information contained in " Ferguson's 
