THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Apsil 2, t8^: 
THE COMMERCE OF EAST AFRICA. 
Yesterday, before the Lindou cbamberot Com. 
Ueroe, Sir A. E. BoUit, M.P., in the cbair, Mr. 
George S. Mackenzie (director of the Imperial 
British £aBt Africa CompaDy) road a paper on 
*' The Commerce of East Africa and ita Proepects of 
Future Development," Mr. Mackenzie, premising 
that he epoke only ae a member of the Obamber. 
remarked that he was deairoua of advocating 
measures for the protection of the common interests 
of Great Britain and lielaud. At a time when 
they were Buffering,' from serioue commercial 
stagnation, it was dtsirable that Chambers of 
Commerce throughout the couDtry should oooBider, 
cot only bow we could best maintain our hold on 
the markets we already occupied, but how we were 
to ensure elbow room for tbe'r future expansion. 
(Cheers.) The development of British East 
Africa would not only aSeot our trading com- 
munity, but would afford a new and much needed 
outlet for the energies of the young men of 
this country in commercial and administrative 
offioes, just as India and our other dependencies 
had done in the past. When they con- 
Bidered the rapid progress that had been already 
made in the face of great diffioultiee, they might 
' .'rely upon development of the country iu the near 
'.iuture if only the task were undertaken with 
.'/intelligence and persistency under the new cocdi- 
tions ot a British Protectorate. (Cheers.) Whether 
ohaitered companies under the now altered con- 
ditions were any longer a necessity or not, it was 
an indisputable fact that it was largely owing to 
their intervention that this country enjoyed the 
commanding position it now occupied, (Cheers.) 
The activity of the German, Belgian, and Italian 
Governments in developing their commercial 
interests vf&s calculated seriously to injure British 
trade in African territory if some corresponding 
steps were not adopted by our own Government. 
As a Loudon merchant, and as one who had 
tet-i'ed for two years at Mombasa, he had no 
hesitation in saying that East Africa justified far 
more siinguine hopes than Persia, for example, ever 
dil or bad done. All that he believed to be necessary 
in order to open up this vast undeveloped and 
important field to the commerce of this country 
was a strong, just, and liberal Government, which 
uould maintain law and order and improve the 
means ot communication and transport by the 
construction ot telegraphs and a trunk r. ad, or 
! "better still, a railway. (Ohoers ) The only ob. 
Btacle to the immediate con etr action ot a line from 
the coast to the Great Lake Victoria was the 
hesitation of Parliament to guarantee the interest 
. CD the required capital. The presence of the 
British East Africa Company did not now and never 
bad impeded tli3 ao ion of her Majesty's Govern- 
ment, The company was ready to continue to 
■ carry on the administration of the territory under 
fair conditions ; on the other hand it was equally 
prepared to stand aside if her Majesty's Government 
considered, in coming to a settlement, that such 
an arrangement would best further the public 
interest. (Qheers.) Mr. Mackenzie then exhibited 
and described specimens of the native products of 
British East Africa.— 0. Mail, Feb. 23. 

CEYLON PLANTING NEWS. 
(Notes by Wanderer.) 
March 10. 
Such Rain as has fallen has been most tantalising. 
Certain districts ha_ve been favoured, others have had 
only a few drops, if we have not soon a general fal 
of 3 or 4 inches, there will be a load and bitter cry 
lei. Companies.— W^itb the exception of Yata.deria 
thei^e so far have not declared dividends eqoal to Unt 
year. 
Cocoa.- -Tbfr i;rower of this prodoct ia at preMnt 
not so pleased with himself as his tea brother Rfi.l 
as against KhO per cwt. locally makes a great differ- 
ence. StockM reveal the cause of the faJl. Wi'son, 
Smithett & Oo. iu their last circnl:ir qaote: — 
Guayaquil shipmentB, 189^ 403,707 1892 315,285 
Grenada „ — 23,5.'i6 — l«,4e0 
Messrs. Rucker & Bencraft in their last oircular 
give the stockx thus : — 
1894 81,840-l.>^!)3 72,599 
Till these stocks and siirpluR shipiuents have b«en 
righted, cacao planters will have to lie low. 
CiN'CHONA Pi.ANTtns Will likfcly soon have a fair 
time of it. The stocks of cinchona and cjuinine in 
bottles are much reduced, and the unit stands 
close on the penny. Let it go up to 2d and the 
Ceylon press will have a good time in advertising 
cinchona seed, seedlincs and plants. We shall alHo 
have experts giving us the relative virtues of hybrid 
Noa. 1, 2 and 3. How the wheels go roun4 ? 
Tea Pbices. — The Tea Clearing House returns 
show that the gamblers there believe more in a 
rise, by last mail, than they did in the beginning of 
January. The future rate for December 1694 ia 
now quoted for fair whole Indian leaf 6 2-16d. In 
January it was only quoted for that period 6 5-16d-, 
a rise of 7-16d. 
ANOTHER TEA ESTATE FACTORY 
BURNT. 
We learn with regret that Alton Estate Factory 
(Maskeliya) has been burnt down. It belongs to 
the Ceylon Tea Ilantatione Company, and besides 
their own teas, they make the ttas from Beacons- 
field estate (United Planters of Ceylon Co.) adjoin- 
ing, and of these there were about 15,000 lb. in 
store at the time. Ko doubt the place was insured ; 
but will the insurance cover liability for outside 
teas in store ? The estate is no doubt liable. 
An Upper Maskeliya correspondent writes : — 
" You will be surprised to hear the Alton Factory- 
was burnt down completely on Friday night at about 
10 o'clock ; nothing saved but the books. Everything 
was burnt within an hoar, and I was was told a 
lot of tea packed and ready for despatch belonging 
to Beaconsfield estate, all destroyed by the fire." 
Another report runs:— "It is the most complete 
wreck imaginable ; the rollers, frames, the tiiroccos 
and desiccators, and wheel, also turbine spouting 
and pillars are to be seen, but the rest is fiat, 
a charred heap ; tea, everything gone, the sheets of 
roofing twisted iu all directions and utterly useless. 
It was caused by the chimney of the No, 1 which 
went bang through two floors ; it happened 
about 1 hour after they stopped work. Mr. Welldon 
on getting news of it started out and saw the 
factory that Mr. Liesohing built a sheet of flame 
and before be reached the dam the other was ia 
a blaze. The only thing left is the receiving 
house; everything below ia gone for ever. Of course 
a factory is most inflammable, but the gums, 
bamboos and even tea over the stream are bad y 
scorched; they got out the hose, but the great beat 
prevented them using it. Blairavon tea only went 
out of the place a few hours before it was burnt. 
A Maskeliya correspondent of the local " Times " 
writes as follows : — You will be sorry to 
hear that the factory on " Alton " estate has 
been totally destroyed by fire. It occurred on Fri- 
day afternoon, and, from what I can gather, every- 
hing has been destroyed. All the the machipery 
