April 2, 1894.J THE TIlOPlCAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
673 
low priced Teas, and under present conditiona this 
ia the only chance for the coatlauaDca of traje ia 
Amoy OoiongB ; but other countries are low cra- 
atiag for tbat demand, and unless some radical 
ohaoge quicicly takes place, the foretunniDg shadow 
of which is not yet apparent, tho Amoy Oolong 
trade will soon become as extinct as the Amoy 
Uoiigou trade. Tuere ia no question here of any 
rivalry with what Sir Andrew Olark desciibea as the 
uerre disturbing, t-a-intosicatiug Indian and Oeyloa 
varieties. Amoy Oolcing-', like those frona Tamsui, 
find tbeir itarket in America, where tliey come inio 
competition only wiih tbe Jipau product anc there 
is, unlorluuately, no doubt as to which kind is likely 
to gain tbe complete control of that market, in many 
respects — with its yearly increasing population and 
i,68 exlendiug afllueijce— the most promising market 
in the world. lu the la-t 10 years the export of Japan 
Teas to tbe United Status is taid to have nearly 
doubled ; iu the same time the Amoy eipjrt thiiher 
has fiUeii more tlian 50 per cent. The Tea duties 
in Japiu are siid to be Jess than balf of tUose ruliug 
lu China; but it is mora tnaa prob&blo that extra care 
in ouitivanrig and a willingness to adopt the latest 
and beit ountciviuces tor preparing the leaf hive dooe 
mora lor the development ot the Japan tea trade 
than even light tnxalioo. As an instance of the 
different spirit which pervades the rival produ«ing 
countries, it may be mentioned, on the authority 
of a Yokohaoaa journal, that at lea^t one enter- 
prising Japautise tias already invented a tea-preparing 
uacbiue on modern principles, whicli is said to be 
excellent of its kind. It need hardly bo said that 
either any machine nor any improvement on time-worn 
metbuds nae beej as yet adopted by the Amoy culti- 
vators, and no local effort wortby of tbe nameha? been 
made here to improve upon the ancient or Jer of things. 
And yet it might be thought that the recovery for 
this district of such a large circnlation of capitals as 
the tea butiuesa of former dajs brought was an object 
worthy ot an energet.c struggle. Even 10 years ago 
tbe annaal export of Amoy teas represented over a 
million of dollars more than it does today, and such a 
heavy yearly lojs to a district which, after ell, is not 
very extensive, would, it migut well tje supposed, urge 
the losers to mafeo every effort to regain the position 
thus forfeited. But, so far aj ordiuary observers can 
delect, no suoh effort has been tbouijht of ; no out- 
cry such as would have been haatd in any other 
country has been raised ; not a symptom is dis- 
cernible to show thic any serious ditfereuce in tlia 
welfare cf the people has taken plice. Mo doubt 
a great many of those formerly engagu l in the Amuy 
Tea distrio.s have transferred their labours to Nortu 
Formosa, camy also have gone t ) s uell the riainfj tide 
of emrgratioo to Java or tin Straits , but the bulk, it 
may be assumed, remain on tho oltl gioonJ, t.xerois- 
ing their native lugenuity and iuJustty in est acting 
from their fertile soil a crop of some farm produce 
snffioieut to meet their simple daily want?, stoically 
inditferent to the loss o£ an oocnpition in which they 
had bien once supreme and which under proper 
guidance iiud encouragement, they might still coudnct 
with tidvautage to themselves and with substantial 
benefit of then country. 
EAJRLY PLA^NTINU TIMES BY AN 
ANCIENT. Iv.C.B. 
The town ot Kaody, charmingly aitna'-.ed amid 
encircling hills, cannot be taid to poaseaa a balmy or 
eixharating climate. In constmt sympathy with weep- 
ing skies above, Kunily may bo culled the '■/»»•» af 
tail--:." Towards the month of iNoveraber 1853 (tba 
year of tbe Mutiny in Itidiii) I found myself a visitor 
at the old Club House, now tbe Qaeeu's H. tel, wait- 
ing for tlu Sexton's fiea-bittuu Araj mare, well 
koown in thoao early days, as by far the best nag 
!or hire in Kaudy. I hail a long ride before Die which 
brooked no delay and the prospect w.is not a very 
pleasaut one, as the raui wis falliiijj steadily if not 
heavily. I was bound for tbe filephuat i'la.us eatatei 
At last after waiting a long time all things have an 
end. Beeswing, Muttu and "elf started in the early 
morn for a spot among V e Kan:iyan mountains, 
called Otta Karen, or in ioglifh "one bazaar," 
which I was informed a! i boasted of a private 
resthouse. Our journey v as not altogether too 
pleasant, for we had to do battle with rain, heat 
and wind, as we ascender*, the Jtandyan hills, and 
it was high noon day era we reacbe'l the "one bazaar ' 
aid pulled np in front by a very tiny cot, or cottage, 
called by courtesy a resthouse. After shouting for some 
time a very small specimen of humanity appeared ana 
said ".lam the reathoaee-kteper," ''Ulad to see you." I 
replied, "for we i.e. the mare. Muttu and self are hungry 
and tired." "Come in Durai, I will give breakfast." 
"Well, what have you got, appu?" "Cot, got, sir, sar- 
dines and boiled eggs," "Well, appu, tbosa victuals are 
for folks with weak digestion, is it not so? but 
look you here, appu, I am fainting' from hunger, 
and must have a rt al good breakfast, do you heir 
me ?" " Master please wait a couple ot hours and I 
give master grilled chicken and curry and rice." I 
was tired and did not care to dispute the arrangement, 
only stipulating that Beaswins: should have a couple 
of measures ot clean paddy without delay. Sooae- 
how, 1 iorgot to include Muttu in tbe feeding 
arrangement! ; and my cable guide made me aware 
of my cruelty, later on, and beture we reached tbe E. P. 
estates. Tbe appu took his time to give the grill and 
carry and rioe ; Muttu took his time before he brought 
Beeswing round to the front-door; and it was late and 
cloudy and dreary and 3 o'clock of the day ere we started 
again for the K.'a district and fortheE. i'. e3tate<. 
Mutta led the way, and suddenly turned off the 
Queen-8 highway and leading me first of all, down a 
very slopy hillside, then through a rapid stream and on 
to a native hamlet, where Beeswing and self narrowly 
escaped being chucked into a sweet-potatoe garden 
by the horns of a venerable and aarly Sinhalese buS»lo 
who made a determined charge at horse and rider, 
and missed his mark, through the agilit;/ of Beeswiug 
and the ahility of her rider. My sabie triend enjoytu 
the occisioa greatly and said good, "Good," iiie only 
Engliah word he seemed to know. Having esoapcd 
de&trnction from the venerable bulfalo, I inwardly 
rejoicad ; but Muttu had another penalty in store ; 
for before we reached the tavalam road and right 
in the centre of a patch of jungle, some one, to pre- 
vent right of roadway from being disputed, had 
hewed down a giant of the forest and let it fall across 
the road. I could see Muttu's face beaming with 
joy — no chorrti for Muttu, eh ! doubtless he inwardly ex- 
claimed, "Now, master— what do.f' ' But Beeswing and 
master were equal to tbe task, and over went, planter 
and mare, to the astonishment and delight of the cun- 
ning horaekeeper, who again and again exolaimed ''Good, 
good." Soon we reached the wretcheJ tavalam road, 
along which we travelled for some miles, when h 
swift-flowing stream oonfronted us, and over which 
old Charon ferried us in a boat made from two 
hollowed trees fastened togetber with coir-rope. Then 
we entered the Stygian regionp, gloomy and dreary, 
till at last emerging from the primeval forest, wa 
arrived at what — for all the world seemed to me to 
be an Irish village, it consisted of a couple of dozen 
of mud huts of all shapes and sizeg, enlivened by tho 
grunt of balf-a-dozen long-snouted swine, and here 
Muttu pulled up and exclaimed " Totam, dorrie, 
llistate aorcie." 
^ . 
THE RESOURCES OF IIRITISH KAST 
AFRICA. 
At the Imperial Institute on Jan. 39 a lecture wfl3 
given by Sir. W. A. Fitzgerald on the " Agricul- 
tural Resources of tho Coast Lands of British East 
Africa." Tho iNIarquess of Jjorno presided, and 
there was a crowded attendance. 
Mr. Fitzgerald explained that ho was not nr» 
official of the British East Africa Company, but 
tbtiiQ (9 iu3pei:( (b^ CQuatry (tu<4 tg rvpor\ 
