Oct. 2, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
239 
discovored by chemical teats. The teas exported from 
China and Japan are nearly always " faced" with some 
mixture to impart a colour or gloss to the leave*. The 
prt- fiaratiooa eajploieil foe this purpose contain Prus- 
sian blue, tumeric, indigo, and plumbago. Damaged 
and imperfect leaves are treated in this way to improve 
their appearance. The substance most commonly 
used for black teas is plumbago— black lead. — E. and 
C. Mail, Aug. 11. 
« 
CEYLON TEA IN RUSSIA. 
London, Aug. 11. 
My last letter mentioned that there was a pros- 
pect of my having an interview with Mr. Kogivue 
before this my next writing. It unfortunately 
happened, however, that the delay in my receipt 
of that gentleman's note before alluded to prevented 
my reply to it fri.ni ruiiohing him before he had 
started on his return journey to Russia, He had 
left a request with his London agents, Messrs. 
Malcolm, Keartcn & Co., of 17 Fenchuroh Street, 
that my letter, when received, should be opened 
by them, and that they would endeavour to see 
me and discuss with me the oiroumstanoes of his 
enterprise in Russia. Mr. Piper of that firm 
accordingly made an appointment with me and 
gave me the opportunity desired by me of gaining 
more extended information than I had possessed 
of the situation of affairs. It was known to me 
that Mr. Rogivue had expressed bimaelf a feeling 
that he had not reeeived from Ceylon the acknow- 
ledgement of and support to his services rendered to it 
that he considered he had a right to expect. Mr. Piper 
explained to me what the nature of those services 
has been. Upon this topic it is hardly neces- 
sary for me 10 enter, for recent communications 
by Mr. Rogivue that have appeared in your own 
columns will have made you very fully acquainted 
with all that he has aooompliehed towards in- 
troduoirg your teas into the great empire of the 
Tsar. On my stating to Mr. Piper my belief 
that there was no disposition in Ceylon to un- 
derrate those services, but that I could readily 
understand how it might be difficult for the 
public bodies there to vote assistance to an en- 
terprise undertaken primarily for the saving o£ a 
private interest, that gentleman remarked: — ^"You 
seem scarcely to realise all that Mr. Rogivue 
has achieved. It is not only that he has been 
gradually working up a business for himself that 
may in the end prove remunerative and that he 
is even now disposing on his own account of a 
very considerable amount of Ceylon tea, but 
that what he has done has been the means of 
breaking down the opposition felt by the tea 
trade throughout Russia to the introduction of 
a competitor with the classes of teas in which 
they have an eslablished interest. Probably you 
have no idea of the increasing extent to 
which Ceylon teas are now being ex- 
ported from London to Russia. I htkve not 
the figures at hand, but will obtain them 
for you very shortly. I can only say at present that 
the trade is becoming a very large and important 
one. This is solely due to the fight Mr. Rogivue 
has fought during the three years of his residence 
in Ilnssia. When he first went there he met 
with every kind of opposition, both from private 
parties and officials. In spite of this he has li- 
terally forced Ceylon tea into coi suroption and 
demand, and that so f nocoBffully that the Ruseian 
toa firms are now obliged to hold supplies rrady 
to iiioet this. Is that nothing to have done on 
behalf of Ceylon ? And you must remember that 
from Ihisi inoroaeipg trade Mr. Rogivup himso!f 
dtrivoH not a penny of benefit, while the Cojlon 
planters obtain from it a great Ef'Tpntrge Mr. 
Rogivue has therefore rendered a public service to 
Ceylon quite apart from the serving of his own 
interests, and he feels, naturally as we think, that 
this service has not met with the reoognition 
that it should have done." 
On my asking how Mr. Rogivue thought 
that recognition could best be afforded, Mr. 
Piper replied that, in his opinion, that 
gentleman should distinctly state what he 
thought the Tea Fund could do to assist him in 
the development of his business. " He wants," 
Mr. Piper continued, "to greatly extend the num- 
ber of his distributing agencies. This necessarily 
demands either a considerable first outlay or a 
large extension of credit. This last we have 
already ourselves afforded to him to a very con- 
siderable amount. But we feel Mr. Rogivue is a 
man thoroughly to be trusted, and we do not there- 
fore object to helping him as far as we possibly 
can. We buy largely for him in the London 
Markets, and here you see an invoice showing 
that during his recent ten days' visit to England 
we purchased on his account for shipment to 
Russia £800 worth of Ceylon tea. But this is a 
trifle to what could be disposed of if either his 
capital were larger or his credit wider." My 
next remark was that probably the Cejlon Tea 
Fund could send Mr. Rogivue supplies on good 
terms of credit if it was asked to do so. Mr. 
Piper replied that "this suggestion would hardly 
meet the case. Mr. Rogivue told us when re- 
cently here that the nature of his present busi- 
ness is such that he cannot foresee either the 
amount or character of his demands beyond 
a month or so in advance. If he wired at a 
considerable expense to Ceylon he could not get 
tea thence under three or four months. Therefore, 
you see, he must buy in the London market. 
The larger volume of his business is of course in 
teas costing here from 7d to 8d per lb., but we 
have orders from him which we have long been 
unable to execute for teas at 2s 6d the lb. There 
are none of these to be bought at present. The 
Russian families will have the cheap tea for their 
own consumption, but when they go to the stores 
to purchase these they always buy a proportion 
of the finer teas to give to their gurasts. Mr. 
Rogivue says he should lose the latter trade if he 
did not supply the demand for the cheaper sorts. 
You ask how for the prices charged by him for 
Ceylon's correspond with those aeked for the 
other teas sold in Russia, Well, they are about 
even throughout all grades. You see the enormous 
duties charged tend to bring the prices for all sorts 
to a comparative level. It cost Mr. Rogivue nearly 
£90 for the duty upon the £30 of tea with which he 
was supplied by the Ceylon Tea Fund when he 
first went to Russia, and it is the payment of 
this heavy duty upon the late grant of tea made to 
him that hampers his financial position. Mr, 
Rogivue while in England lately saw Mr. Whittall, 
and I believe that gentleman promised that ha 
would write to the Tea Fund uiging that further 
support should be accorded to him. Mr. Whittall 
feels that a very good work has been done on 
behalf of Ceylon, and that Mr. Rogivue is en- 
titled to that assistance which will enable him to 
himself reap some benrfit from the exertion 
he has made.'' I think the above account des- 
cribes pretty fully all that Mr. Piper told me on 
behalf of his client. It seems to me that the 
development of the export of Cejlcn tiatoBussia 
must in all fairness be attributed to Mr. Rogivue, 
and that had he not gone to Buss a that market 
would have been at the present time quite o'osed 
to you. So much has been said to me in many 
