Feb. 1, 1894.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
501 
than any living man, appealed 10 him in hi 
direst necessity, and was not sent empty a\yay. 
For ten years, Mr. Nicol continued in BanfFshii e, 
chiefly occupying himself with jSshing and shoot- 
ing. Then, after 1874, Mr. and Mrs Nicol spent 
four or five years on the Continent of Europe 
for the education of their children. Then during 
a few years more Mr. and Mrs. Nicol, with 
their interesting and accomplished family of 
daughters, moved about from place to place ; now 
at Elgin ; now at Glassaugli or Grantown ; now 
holiday-making in Jersey, or travelling in 
Germany. Mr. Nicol himself, however, made 
two trips to Ceylon during the "seventies." 
Then about 1880, he with his family, settled down 
in London for residence. 
In 1885 he again found it necessary to return 
to Ceylon through the exigencies of that fell 
leveller, the coffee leaf-fungus, a crisis, however, 
which brought out many of the best qualities 
of Ceylon's leading pioneers. 
Although no longer young, and no longer sup- 
ported by unlimited credit, with his own native 
shrewdness and latent energy alone Mr. Nicol met 
the disaster. Kight manfully did he set to work 
and right honourably did he meet all his en- 
gagements. During the critical days of transition 
from cotfee to cinchona and cinchona to tea, 
Mr. Nicol lived closely on his Dinibula estates, 
working with a will and cheerfulness that put to 
sliame many a younger man, so that at the 
end of four years, viz. in 1889, his estates were 
once more in a fairly flourishing condition. 
But by this time his own health was far from satis- 
factory, and when he returned home, as he did in 
the spring of this year (leaving Ceylon in February 
1889), — his friends saw witli concern that the 
end was drawing near. It was hoped that in the 
genial climate of Elgin, life might peradventure be 
prolonged yet a few years/ But it was not 
to be ; and on Sunday 23rd June, 1889, at the 
residence of a son-in-law, Andrew Nicol passed 
jjeacefully away at the age of threescore 
and ten. Altogether, it is said that Mr. Nicol 
had made tiie voyage between England and the 
East no less than twenty-three times, an evidence 
of his energy and activity. 
APPENDIX. 
It may be of interest here to shew what was 
said of Rangalla— the district above all others, 
identified with Mr. Andrew Nicol, — in our 
" Directory and (Jazetteer " for 1859, the (list 
published at tlie O.'neri'cr Press. We also give 
a list of all the Collce and Coconut properties 
owiKvl by Mr. Nicol or his firm, in that year 
in the Rangalla and Dimbula Districts, and in 
^he Eastern Province : — 
RANGALLA. 
This fine District was separated from "the Knuckles" 
by the Committee of the Planters' Association in 
1856. They defined it as bounded North by the 
Cottaganga ; East by tho Knuckles and Medamaha- 
ueura ridge ; South by the Bainbragamma Oya ; 
and West by the Hoolooganga. The Statistics 
referred to 8 Estates, the names of which were 
furnished to us as follows : — Cotaganga ; Girinde 
Elle ; Lovegrove ; Gallebodde ; Rangwella ; Batta- 
galla ; Rangclla No. 1 ; Rangalla No. 2. The acre* 
in bearing were returned at 1,200; not bearing 500 ; 
total 1,700. The average cultivation on Estates was, 
therefore, 239 acres, and the crop being returned 
at 9,000 cwt. ; the average yield per acre was so 
high as 8 cwts. The labour requiramenta of the 
District in crop time cannot be less than about 
3,500 coolies. The G-irinde ella Estate lies to the 
North of the Cottaganga River, and is therefor* 
not strictly within the limits fixed by the Planters' 
Committee; but it belongs to the District and must 
be included. It will be observed that our list now 
embraces 12 Estates, the cultivatiou on which ig 
as follows :— Acres in bearing or partially so 1,800 ; 
young 700; total 2,500; and more land is being 
opened this season. From this acreage the estimated 
crop of 1853-59 is set down at 13,500 cwts. or 7^ 
owt. per acre. Cultivation was commenced in this 
District in 1813-45, and nono of the land opened 
has beeu abandoned. The elevation is from 2,500 
to 4,500 ; the general altitude being 8,000 feet. It 
would be difficult to say which aspect is best — 
altho' the field which has borne, for a series of 
years, the largest crops happens to have an Eastern 
exposure. It cannot be denied, however, that the 
climate is, at times, too wet to be pleasant. The 
average temperature is from 60 to 68°. The District 
is not injuriously affected by wind, but Bug occa- 
aionally appears, 
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