December t, i88r.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
569 
Community of Penang, and, at the Bindings river, 
an "agreement has recently been entered into for 
re-opening a portion of the sugar estate commenced 
by Mr. Tooth. 
Other gentlemen are only waiting the solution of 
the labour difficulty at once to commence similar 
undertakings on an extensive scale. 
For a tropical climate, Perak is far more healthy 
than either Borneo or Ceylon, the low lauds in both 
of which extensive islands are everywhere subject 
to fevers of more or less severity. 
In Perak, where good proof of the climate is ac- 
cessible from the Chinese population scattered over 
the entire country, feviT and other sickness were 
almost unknown, until the recent attack of Beriberi 
broke out amongst the miners, whose numbers had 
largely increased in 1880. 
Two spots only are recorded in which fever was 
proved to be endemic, the one being the neighbour- 
hood of the Pass through the hills on the road to 
Kwsda Kangsa, and the other having been detected on 
opening the estates at Slim, which was doue on land 
of about the same elevation as that of the Pass, 
namely from 400 to 500 feet. The plantation of Messrs. 
Sohultze and Wray, situated 1 ,500 feet above the Pass, 
and that of the Government at .'5,250 and of another 
of the same elevation, have been entirely free from 
sickness, although about one hundred and fifty men 
have been employed ou each of them during several 
months past. 
The Malay population, which iu all, numbers about 
56,032, has never been accustomed to regular labour, 
or to work for wages. A marked improvement in 
them is visible, and by bringing to bear upon them, 
through their chiefs and in accordance with the usages 
of the country, gentle pressure in the way of requiring, 
for their own good, a certain amount of cultivation, 
I have no doubt that time will turn them into an 
agricultural race similar to the Javanese, but they arc 
not sufficiently numerous, nor can we hope sufficiently 
to change their habits to culculate on them as regular 
labourers to supply the steady industry necessary for 
an area of cultivation such as it has been my hope 
might be established in Perak under the auspices of 
Her Majesty's Government. 
Every range of mountains, and these run nearly all 
parallel to each other and the sea coast, contains 
valuable veins of the ore, which, having for ages been 
acted upon by atmospheric influences, have formed 
rich and easily accessible deposits at their bases. 
Eacli valley is traversed by a river sufficient, when 
cleared out, for all purposes of transport, so that 
with diminished cost of production, I have no fear 
that Perak will be able to compete in the market 
with any country iu the world at whatever price 
for many years to come, but it will He with the 
greatest sorrow that I shall receive from His Excellency 
conclusive intimation that this beautiful and fertile 
country, with a Government and people ready to 
sacrifice its prejudices and even its interests to sup- 
port Her Majesty's Colony, and anxious to iuvite the 
infta I of British enterprise and capital and to do its 
duty by them, is prevented, by fears which, I believe, 
fib at on insufficient information, from increasing its 
■aooroei, improving the circumstances of its immi- 
grants, and adding to the wealth, industry and com- 
merce "f its own and of Her Majesty's subjects. 
I have, &c, 
Hugh Low, 
Resident. 
Lord Kimbcrh y gave way after this, saying on the 
12th August last : — 
Mr. Low's arguments have convinced mo that tho 
experiment may be safely tried on a limited BCali . 
I will therefore, if the consent of the Indian Govern- 
113 
Immigrants should, 
near the station of 
ible, so that the 
supirvision. 
mcnt can be obtained, no longer withhold my sane 
tion to it. 
Immigration into the Native State must be subject 
to the same regulations and conditions as those which 
are in force in the Straits Settlements. 
It would be desirable tha 
in the first instance, be em] 
a Magistrate, if that be 
system m ly be started unde 
There can be no doubt that Tamil coolies will bo 
employed to great advantage on the Perak mountain 
ranges. 
We are sorry to receive bad news from Johore: the 
large clearing of the Company of that name, opened 
under Mr. Watson's auspices, at an elevation of 
about 700 feet above sea-level has been condemned 
for Coffea Arabica, although it is deemed suitable for 
Liberian coffee, cocoa and, perhaps, tea. Mr. Dobr< e's 
report was so adverse that the Directors decided to 
plant no more ordinary coffee at this elevation if, 
indeed, they do not abandon what hfts already b en 
put out. A planting correspondent writes to us as 
follows about the future prospect? :— 
'• Planting progresses fairly. Labor is now plentiful, 
but, as compared with Ceylon, John Chinaman requires 
rather too much (Untoug) gain to expect planting to 
pay handsomely — unless in such a matter as cocoa 
or Liberian coffee, where a fourth or one-eighth of the 
abor is sufficient, compared with Coffea Arubica. I 
find in " Cocoa as Grown in Trinidad and How to 
Plant in Ceylon, " 20 men might work a plantation 
of 200 acres, whereas the same acreage of Coffea 
Arabica would require from 1G0 to 200 c»olies per day. 
I guess our elevation is rather unsuited fo Coffee Arab- 
ca, unless one were accustomed to find it growing 
luxuriantly in the Bintenna country, from the foot 
of the Haputale range to that of Gongala. Our soil, 
from GOO feet down to sea level, is perfection in most 
cases : of course, there are parts with a clay subsoil, 
but that is by no means frequently found. I fully be- 
lieve that Ceylon cannot fully compete with it. However, 
we have our chenas in the form of abandoned Cam- 
bier clearings over a great part of the lowcouutry. 
These are not quite so washed out as the most of 
Ceylon chenas ; as they are much fatter and the 
grass is allowed to grow, being only cut down twice 
or three limes a >ear, and allowed to decay 
on the ground, which tends to enrich the soil 
considerably iu my opinion. I believe these clearings 
woulel pay handsomely yet in tea or even Liberian 
coffee, although virgin soil might be more profitable 
in the end. If a steamy atmosphere is suited 
to cocoa, I say Johore is the place to try : we have 
a constant rainfall, scarcely ever exceeding four days 
dry on end ; hence our steamy atmosphere, The-e 
rains are not thunder showers of great violence 
as in Ceylon; frequently gentle showers for hours on end 
in the lowcountry ; heavy dew every night. Liberian 
coffee must, I think, rind a suitable home here, and 
its success is already almost certain. 'T is only necess- 
ary to visit the plantation of His Highness the 
Maharajah, to find that the new products we hear of 
so often are receiving attention in Johore. This 
Liberian coffee referreelto, planted by His Highness, 
is a perfect picture of excellence ; it 's now a littlo 
over two years planted ; the trees are from 6 to S feet 
in height, bearing heavily and giving excellent blos- 
soms all the while, and tho beautiful dark green 
foliago seems unfading under any ci> cumstauccs, even 
though considerable picking* are being got every few 
days. There are, 1 believe, several other patches doing 
equally well in the vicinity of Johore. Teal Who baa 
not read that seve ral well-prepared samples by a y ro- 
