June i, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
above figures before us, we may well ask ourselves 
what there is to justify the high prices that hove 
been paid for mining lands in Southern India ? This 
is a matter, however, that chiefly concerns speculat- 
ors in England ; if they are satisfied it is not for 
Indian landholders to complain. 
The reports before us contain some useful hints 
for the managers of the companies that are commenc- 
ing operations in our midst. The importance of having 
improved machinery is strongly insisted on. Though 
the gold-saving appliances in Queensland are ac- 
knowledged to be "the mest modern and approved 
obtainable in Australia," yet, we are told, it has 
been demonstrated by practical assay that as yet, 
"only about 50 per cent, of the gold contained in 
quartz is obtainable by our appliances. In some few 
reefs, where the mundic is largely impregnated with 
sulphides, especially zinc and lead, and nothing like 
50 per cent, of the gold can be obtained, even when 
the reverberating furnace is used." Indeed the im- 
portance of the proper treatment of tailings, and 
matter which has passed through the quartz-crushing 
mills, is becoming universally recognised. The Queens- 
land report avers that one-seventh of the yield of gold 
in one district had come from the "pyrites works," 
the owners of which are supposed to have made 
large profits. It is worthy of remark that the total 
value of quartz-crushing machinery in Queens- 
land, is put down at £270,000 only, a small sum in 
comparison with the capital that has already been 
raised for mining in India. But with this machinery, 
the yield of quartz-gold in the colony in 1879 was 
about 190,000 ozs., worth at £3-10s. per oz., about 
£650,000. The yield from alluvial mines (chiefly 
worked by Chinese) in the same year, was 98,815 
ozs. The total yield of gold for the year was 288,556 
ozs., valued at £1,009. 946, the number of miners being 
3,191 Europeans, and 5,621 Chinese; and the average 
earnings of each individual miner was £114. For the 
year 1878, the earnings were as low as £74. 
From the same official documents, we gather the 
interesting fact, that the total Australian gold supply 
from 1851 to 1878 was £240,000,000. And yet gold- 
mining flags in Australia, though any quantity of 
auriferous land may be had for £1 an acre. "The 
want of means to carry on prospecting operations 
for the discovery of the new gold-fields, and the 
gradual exhaustion of those easily worked deposits of 
our known gold-fields, have been the main causes of 
the decrease in the number of our gold-miners, and 
until new fields be opened, or the necessary capital 
and skill for working the deeper or more difficult 
deposits of our older gold-fields be forthcoming an 
increase of our gold-yield can scarcely be expected." 
Such is the opinion of Mr. Harrie Wood, the ex- 
perienced Under Secretary for Mines at Sydney. It 
is some consolation to reflect that gold-mining in 
India will not languish for want of capital. — Madras 
Mail 28th, March. 
CINCHONA BARK. 
The local agent of the New Zealand Loan and Mer- 
cantile Agency Company has forwarded us the fol- 
lowing interesting extracts on Cinchona, received from 
its London Manager, and which will doubtless prove 
of interest to our readers. 
"The cultivation of cinchona bark in various parts 
of the world has of late attracted considerable at- 
tention here, and in view of the possibility of its be- 
ing exported from Fiji, we have endeavoured to pro- 
cure some information on the subject for your guid- 
ance. You will find it embodied in the enclosed 
copy of letter addressed to us by Messrs. White, Binnie 
and Co., produce brokers, of this city, and the results 
of an auction held here on 30th alt., and set forth 
in the accompanying copy of the Public Ledger of 
yesterday. We believe that the best variety of the 
" Quill " bark grown in Jamaica (under the direct au- 
spices of the Government) is most successfully treated 
at an altitude of about 5,000 feet above the level of 
the sea, and that the first essential towards its healthy 
developement is a dry well drained soil of good rich 
quality." 
Extract from White, Binnie and Co.'s Circular : — 
" There are no statistics to show the increase in 
the production of Bark in the East Indies (commonly 
called Cinchona Bark), the stati-tics in London 
comprising about South America and East Indies. 
The increase has however, during the last five years, 
been very great, and has been largely stimulated 
by the unexpectedly high prices realised in the London 
market, where three years since as much as 15s 6d 
was obtained for good Government grown quills. The 
market here has fluctuated considerably from time 
to time, but the consumption of sulphate of quinine 
is now so large that notwithstanding the large sup- 
plies of Bark, price of sulphate, which used to vary- 
between 5s 6d and 7s per oz., has, during the last 
three years, averaged double that money, and is 
even to-day lis per oz. 
"Of the South American Bark lately imported, a 
large proportion is of very inferior quality, with a 
low percentage of quinine, whilst the EaBt India is 
generally of superior quality and is greatly in favor 
with makers of sulphate. 
"The unit is percentage of crystallised quinine sul- 
phate which the bark contains, e. g., 1 lb. (7000 grains) 
contains 98f grains or 1*41 per cent., at Is 6d per 
unit = 2s id per lb. 
"A large admixture of alkaloid (Cinchonine) will 
depreciate the value and vary the price." 
London, December 2, 1880. [Fiji Times. 
GOLD IN CEYLON. 
The following is Sir Samuel Baker's reference to 
the first discovery of gold in Ceylon : — 
It has hitherto been the opinion of most writers 
on Ceylon that the precious metals do not exist in 
the island ; and Dr. Davy in his work makes an 
unqualified assertion to that effect. But from the 
discoveries recently made, I am of opinion that it 
exists in very large quantities in the mountainous 
districts of the island. It is amusing to see the 
positive assertions of a clever man upset by a few un- 
educated sailors. A few men of the latter class, who 
had been at the gold-diggings both in California and 
Australia, happened to engage in a ship bound for 
Colombo. Upon arrival, they obtained leave from the 
captain for a stroll on shore, and they took the road 
towards Kandy, and when about half-way, it struck 
them, from the appearance of the rocks in the uneven 
bed of a river, called the Maha Oya, ' that gold 
must exist in its sands.' They had no geological 
reason for this opinion ; but the river happened to be 
very like those in California, in which they had been 
accustomed to find gold. They accordingly set to 
work with a tin pan to wash the sand, and to the 
astonishment of everyone in Ceylon, and to the utter 
confusion of Dr. Davy's opinions, they actually dis- 
covered gold ! The quantity was small ; but the men 
were very sanguine of success, and were making then- 
preparations for working on a more extensive scale, 
when they were all prostrated by jungle fever ; a 
guardian-spirit of the gold at Ambepusse', which will 
ever effectually protect It from Europeans. 
They all returned to Colombo, and, when con- 
valescent, thoy proceeded to Nuwara Kliya, naturally 
concluding that the gold which existed in dust in the 
rivers below must ue washed down from the rioher 
stores of the mountains. 
Their first discovery of gold at Nuwara Eliya waa 
