564 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [December r, 1881. 
the thanks of all who are interested in this part of 
the world. We quite believe that the former gave all 
the information procurable by the various Commissioners, 
and that every care was taken in the preparation of 
the papers. Perhaps it is doubtful if such an amount of 
actual knowledge of then- famous silks was ever before 
placed within the attainment of the Chinese themselves. 
It is certain that nothing so complete was ever before 
oftered to foreigners. And though the report on opium 
is of less importance, it is valuable as giving trustworthy 
estimates, which may help fair-minded people to sober 
conclusions on a subject, in the discussion of which 
much heat is evolved by those who attack, and those 
who defend, the use of and trade in opium. To those 
who are not connected with the trade of China, and 
whose interest in the country and the people springs 
from higher motives than commerce can supply, these 
two reports are very valuable. They give accurate infor- 
mation in two important matters;, one closely connected 
wiih the industry of a large part of the Empire, and 
the other, the indulgence, or it may be the vice, of a 
large portion of its inhabitants. And it is a great thing 
in these times to get information on which one may 
thoroughly rely. It too often happens that the works 
of authors and compilers ofter eveiything to the public 
except perfectly trustworthy information. In certain cases, 
this is not to be wondered at, for there are many tilings 
in all countries which lie beyond the observation of the 
shrewdest travellers or strangers, and which can only 
be supplied by having the special knowledge afforded 
by official life. Anyone, therefore, in the position of 
the Inspector-General of Customs, who makes public 
the veritable facts regarding any parts of the lives 
of the people, and their affairs, confers a boon upon 
all who take an interest in them. We hope that further 
reports will follow those that have been published this 
year. There are a sufficiency of subjects connected with 
the Chinese with which we wish to be made acquainted. 
And, as we believe in the progress of the Empire and 
the people, we are sure that, when those subjects which 
are in existence at present have been exhausted, others 
will be ready for treatment by the general staff of the 
Customs. If we compare those parts of China with which 
we are familiar, with the same parts twenty years since, 
we must own that great improvements as well as great 
changes have taken place in the mental attitude towards 
foreign ways of the inhabitants. The advance has been 
slow, but it has been steady and considerable. And the 
next twenty years are likely to show a great increase 
in the speed of this nation's progress, with, we hope, 
proportionably beneficial results to the country, and to 
the world. If any old resident who went home, say a 
quarter of a century ago, were to publish a faithful 
description of the Chinese with whom he came in con- 
tact, we should find that the portion of the race whom 
we met in business, have advanced beyond those immedi- 
ately before them as much as we have advanced 
beyond those who lived in England three-quarters of a 
century ago, when steamships, railways, and telegraphs 
were not. And as the Chinese are just beginning to 
run then - race of improvement, the next twenty years 
may bring them almost abreast of many Western nations. 
We hope that the Customs department Will, by the 
publication of such special reports as those which have 
lately been given, distribute full information as to the 
effects of the changes, and the development of the resources 
of the people and the country, which they bring about. 
These will be invaluable, not only at the time, but long 
afterwards, and the Inspector-General may feel sure, 
that, if he engages in the work, he will be heartily 
thanked by all who desire the extension of knowledge. 
We understand that Mr. Hart is now getting a series 
of science primers translated into Chinese. These will 
doubtless be distributed over the Empire, and we are 
certain will be in great request. This is a ready and 
excellent way of making the Chinese acquainted with the 
process and results of Western science and thought. 
Some attempts of the same kind have already been 
made with fair success, but the opportunities of intro- 
ducing his series to the notice of the people, possessed 
by the Inspector-General, gives him extraordinary advant- 
ages. That they will be fully used, and a great ex- 
tension of knowledge among the Cliiuese follow, is certain. 
Much of the credit for this will be due and given to 
Mr. Hart, who among the pressing claims of his offices 
has found time to initiate works which will have a 
very great effect for good on the Chinese character. 
We suppose it must be taken for granted that Westerns 
know more of the Chinese than the Chinese know of 
them. But at the sime tone, we should confess, honestly, 
that our knowledge of the deeper and best parts of the 
native character is very superficial. Even in judging of 
then- ordinary traits we believe we are often mistaken, 
and that the real Chinaman who deals with us, or 
transacts our business, is quite different from the idea 
that we have formed of them. Some, at least, of these 
mistakes on our part, will disappear with increased 
knowledge of the people. Whatever errors in judging 
the Chinese we may have made, we may be sure are 
light compared to the blunders they have fallen into, 
or adopted, about us and our works. The task of 
enlightening then - minds will be made easier by its 
being undertaken by a branch of the administration of 
theh country, and it was a wise thought of the Inspector- 
General to commence the work. We trust, and indeed 
we may say we believe, that the result will be in the 
highest degree satisfactory to himself and all whom he 
may associate with him in the labur. 
INDIAN DYES. 
(Pioneer, 14th September 1881.) 
The vivid colouring imparted to fabrics of various 
kinds by the natives of India, has probably been remarked 
by every European visitor to the country since the days 
of Alexander the Great. The partiality of the native 
mind for bright colours has been made the basis of 
many pictures in the style of Mr. Val. Prinsep, and 
the text of many verbal descriptions after the manner 
of Thomas Moore. But a really practical view of the 
subject was not taken until so late as the year 1875, 
when Mr. Thomas Wardle, an experienced English silk 
dyer, wrote to the then Secretary cf State for India, 
suggesting that the properties of Indian dye-stuffs should 
be investigated, and the resulting information thrown 
open to the public. He pointed out that — India being 
probably the largest dye-stuff-producing country in the 
world — our natural superiority in this respect only needed 
cultivation to distance all commercial competition by 
other less favoured nations. Government acted on the 
hint, and steps were quickly taken to collect the requisite 
information. Great delay and some incompleteness has 
been naturally caused by want of time and knowledge 
on the part of the reporting officers. Such particulars, 
however, as have come to hand have been duly collated 
and worked up into a Memorandum of some hundred 
and fifty pages by Mr. L. Liotard, of the Agricultural 
Department. This Memorandum is valuable and in- 
teresting, not only from the commercial importance of 
the subject-matter and the hitherto inaccessilble nature 
of the information it furnishes, but as a substantive 
contribution to a most sensible series in course of 
publication on the natural industrial products of the 
Empire. There are two points to be considered in the 
modus operandi of the dyer. First comes the preparation 
of the dye-stuff itself ; secondly, that of the mordant. The 
majority of the colours yielded by Indian dye-stuffs are 
produced from plants and extracted either from the root, 
stem, bark, flower, or fruit. Insect formations such as 
those created by the two species of the Coccus insect, 
Coccus lacca (lac) and Coccus cacti (cochineal) also 
furnish dye-stuffs ; and thirdly, there are various dyes of 
mineral origin. Of aniline dyes produced in Em-ope, 
