Sept. i, 1894.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
iff 
COFFEE. 
Ceylon Coffee Prices and Exports and 
corresponding values of eupee for 24 year3. — 
We received tha other day a return furnished of- 
ficially by Mesar3. Lewis & Peat of the avsrage 
pric.= B per owt. of Middling Plantaiion Ceylon Coffsu 
in Feb. and Oct. for the past 24 years. This is very 
interesting as well as reliable ; but to make the 
return more useful, we have added to it the total 
export of p'antati n Coffee on each year and through 
the aid of Bauking friends we have also been able 
to fill in the approximate value of the rupee for 
Felruary and October in each year. The result ia 
a useful little table for reference from which it 
will be seen that the price of Ccff e at least, does 
not fall in correspondence with e xehange : — 
The following are the variations in value of 
Middling Plantation Ceylon Coffee in London 
for the years 1870 to 1893 ; alst the Exports of 
the same from Ceylon and the approximate 
value of the Rupee ; — 
c3 - 
U* CD 
O O 
> 
*^ P 
'A CD O o 
11.2 p 
3 
2 & 
3 Ph 
Year. 
1870 
1871 
1872 
1873 
1874 
1875 
1876 
1877 
J 878 
1879 
1880 
1881 
1882 
1883 
1884 
18^5 
1886 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1892 
1893 
cwt. 
885,723 
814,710 
576,878 
860,366 
509,329 
873,654 
603,929 
850,911 
570,952 
774,774 
611,000 
414,365 
526, 68S 
248,557 
299,681 
283,824 
209,112 
1677,82 
127,112 
76,416 
81,334 
82,324 
39,013 
52,000 
Feb. Feb. Oct. 
76/ 
71/ 
81/6 
95/ 
135/ 
104/ 
111/ 
114/ 
109/ 
100; 
101/ 
89/ 
72/ 
82/ 
75/ 
66/ 
66/ 
ioi 
84/ 
93/ 
105/ 
112/ 
107/ 
110/ 
1/11 
1/11 
1/114 
66/ 
75/ 
84/ 
1/10} | 120/ 
1/101 118/ 
■1/9 J 
1/8* 
1/10 
1/8} 
1/6 rt 
1/7 J 
1/7 ff 
1/7 rV 
1/7 h 
J/71 
1/6 rV 
1/5 J 
1/5} 
im 
1/4* 
l/4if 
1/5* 
1/3} 
1/21J 
116/ 
115/ 
111/ 
110/ 
93/ 
87/ 
73/ 
68/ 
80/ 
67/ 
67/ 
75/ 
96/ 
92/ 
102/ 
107/ 
92/ 
108/ 
103/ 
Oct. 
1/11 
1/11 
1/11 
1/10} 
1/9 If 
yfm 
1/8} 
1/9 
1/7 r ' 5 
!/8| 
1/7} 
1/7 
1/7 T V 
l/7r| 
1/7 ,-\ 
1/51 
1/5 r'a 
l/ 4 ! « 
1/6| 
1/4*1 
1/211 
l/3iV 
TEA AND SCANDAL, 
Changing honses in London with all the accom- 
panying worries is not conducive to correspondence, 
eo my communications under the above title bave 
not appeared in your columns lately, much no doubt 
to the grief of your read' rs. I shall try to make 
reparation this week though I cannot do more than 
send one extract, 1 fear. It was "written and com- 
posed by Mr. DibdiD, and sung by him in his new 
er tertaiument called ' A Tonr to the Land's End ':'' 
and ia named 
The Tea Table. 
1 
The inquest is set, for the tea-things they call, 
Mies Crab tave the kind invitation. 
Miss Verjuice, Miss Razor, Miss Spleen and Miss 
Tiff, 
Miss Hartshorn, Miss Scowl, and Miss Mump, and 
Misa Miff, 
Miss Cholic, Miss Ncse, and Miss Nerves, and 
MisB Gall, 
As a jury deliberate in grand consultation, 
Not over such stuff as the affairs of the na'v.D, 
But over their DeighbourV reputation. 
Silence I — You deolare by your forewoman that you 
will without hesitation, fear or favour, rent, tear, 
split, tatler, fritter, fransmogrif}', torture and dis- 
joint the reputations indifferently of friends, foes, 
strangers, neighbours, young, old, rich, pcor, married, 
single, handsome*, ugly, short or tall, and that you 
return an account of all tbeir vices, absurdities, failings, 
caprices, follies, fo ; bles, f*uitp, w eaWness, attachments, 
hobby horses, wanderings and back-sliriings with (sic I) 
hesitation, fe a-, favour, pnrtia'ity or affection as afore- 
said. Aud;hisyou by your, ferewemen eay and eo 
eay ;ou fall,: — 
Tat-e the oath, k'ss the cup. Anl thus atea h sup. 
Ta'-o the oatr>,];i-<j the cup. And thus at each sup. 
As of folly and folly and whim and caprice make 
a handle, 
Whi'e round go the muffin, the tea, and the 
scandal. 
2 
Like a torrent let loose new away go their tongues, 
Swift as wiuis tad as light as a feather, 
New bonnets, the cpern, "bath, waters, the hcur. 
The auctions, the nations, the beasts in the Tower. 
And as in succession they stretch out tteir lungs, 
The c u' try, blacl< pins, Matadore?, and the weather, 
In glorious ci nfusion lhey jumble together, 
And scandal let go to the end of its tether. 
How d'ye like your tea ? Vas'ly good. Where do 
yon buy it? I buy it at Congo's. Oh yea 1 recolleot 
the people that broke. Sad business that of tho wife, 
shockSng woman for intrigues. I knew her from a 
c.irl. Always as amorous as a cat upon pantiles. 
And it is impossible to find ber out, she has as many 
wigs as would serve to disguise a highwayman 
between Hounslow and Bagsbo\ Sad example for 
He daughter, great pity, pretty gi-J. Pretty ? why 
lord Maatn she's fiat-footed and bopper-hipped. Sad 
th'ngs for the fnther if you will. — Very true. — But 
lord Maam, vth?t c^n you expect fi om such people, 
no fashion, no life. The fellow was porter to an oii 
ehop, u ed to Garry out tra'n-ci', pickel herrings, 
zojbditty, match and wax flambeaux. — 111 tell you a 
comical circumstance — No ! true, well that's delightful, 
he, he, ha! 
Thus they sio and they sip, Have their friends 
en tbe hip, 
And of foibles and faults and caprices make a 
handle, 
AVhile round go the muffins, the tea, and the 
scandal. 
3 
The tea is removed, oud now grave and demure, 
The case bet! lea are ranged bo judicious, 
Noyau Katifie ala Teinture Vermeille, 
Eau d'ore, de mille fletus, fleur de lis, sans Parcille, 
And every scarce and ej pensive liquor. 
They sip anl they sip and each sip find de- 
licious, 
Till thpy get rather whimsical, queer, and ca- 
pricious, 
And thtir tongues if 't possible grow mere ma- 
licious. 
Dear me, I don't knew what I was thinking of.— 
I have a sort of a vertigo. — Only look at Miss Cholic.— 
She certainly tal a little drop before she came 
out ; otherwife, yon see, it is impossib'e. As for me 
now, who am not accustomed to these thiegs, a 
thimblefull turns me qui'e topsyturvy. Well, ladies, 
suppose we go to cards. With all my heart, bnt I shall 
insi-t upon your keeping your foot in your shoe. I 
don't name anybody but I do know people that 
hold up their fingers behind tbeir fans. And 
I Ma lam, for I p'aiuly see, you mean me, I know 
the people too. that when they are a little non se ipse. 
I desire Bla^m that you will make no reflections'. 
I never iudul^e mysflf to an improper degree. I 
havj beird of ycur Huskyta to be sure. Yes Maam 
and tasted it too. Why yes, I once took a teaspoon- 
full ju3t to oblige yon. Yes and a bumper just to 
oblige yourself. Well I declare, this is beyond bear- 
ance. Huskyba indeed! Here Miss Nerves declared 
she should go to hysterics. At last the company 
interfere;*. Miss Crab said there was nothing fonr 
about her disposition ; Miss Gall eaid 6he did not like 
bitter invectives: Miss Choh'c said that it gave her 
a p a ; n that her friends should fall out in this nanrer- 
at which M-ss Razor intr< atcd leave to notioe tha£ 
if she had said anything keen or cutting she t egge . 
pardon and was sorry for it. This was accepted a 
* ,>iV, Query— Bath Waters ?— A.MJT, 5 """~"' 
