THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb. i, 1895. 
A CEYLON PLANTER IN CALIFORNIA. 
San Francisco, California, U.S.A., Dee. 27, 1394 
My Dear Sir, — This must necessarily be my 
last letter to Ceylon for the year just about to 
close, and I regret the scarcity of news of much 
interest to you in Ceylon. I delayed writing in the 
hope of being enabled to send you reliable figures 
as to the cost of the fine tea chest of which I made 
mention in my last letter. 
I hope you have all hid a Merry Christmas and 
a Happy New Year, and that t!ie result of tea 
planting will fulfil all the wishes of those engaged 
in the industry during 1895. 
INTERESTING INCIDENTS DURING THE C1IUIKTM\K B8*B0M. 
After a protracted rainfall and cheerless cloudy- 
weather for over a fortnight previous to Christm is. 
severe storms on land and sea, wrecks and 
many miraculous escapes from watery graves, the 
weather cleared up on Sunday and Monday, and 
though slightly cold to one so long resident in I 
Ion, it was delightful, after the rain, of which we had 
over 12 inches, a great deal for this part of the 
world. It was the children's festival ; tin </ have 
a grand time in this country, and more is 
made of them, I think, than at home. One ri 
is, I suppose, because there arc fewer in 
family, and also that they arc mure with their 
parents, not so much left to the care, tender or other- 
wise, of nurses and servants. Then the toys they 
receive ; Santa Clans comes before Columbus With 
Young America, at. this season of the yen at all 
events. It is astonishing how the regulation X'vias 
dinner is partaken of in so many remote and distant 
parts of the world. I was sorry I could not divide 
myself up, and so dine with several different parlies 
from whom I received invitations. 
With some distant relatives, I " roughed it en 
oyster soup, devilled crab, roast turkey, with cranberry 
sauce, and stuffed with oysters, plum pudding, 
mince pies, and the usual wines and dessert. 
The " Examiner," the leading local paper of San 
-Francisco, ever foremost in good and charitable 
works, inaugurated a fund for the hospital for incur- 
able children, and gave up their entire Christmas 
edition to the fashionable society ladies, who edited 
and managed it for that occasion. I think it was 36 
or 40 pages in size I The number of copies sold was 
.140,000 at 5 cents a copy. I don't know how much 
•.was received for advertisements but some days 
before Christmas, over $5,000 was received ; 
$10,000 was also donated in sums of 25 cents and 
upwards, and I would not be at all surprised 
if the total amount reaches $30,000 or t't>,000 sterling. 
Curiously enough little notice was taken of the great 
benevolence of the "Examiner '' proprietor, by the 
other papers of San Francisco. 
A very completely furnished and fitted up Doll's 
House was on view in the "Examiner" Office window, 
to be raffled for the benefit of the above fund; the 
•kitchen, dining room, sitting room and bed room 
were quite pretty: a real iron cooking range and 
•coloured cook adorned the kitchen, while everything 
down to a small time piece under a glass shade, and 
•a bird in a tiny cage, were in the parlour. I took 
a ticket to help the fund and strange to say, mine 
proved the lucky number, and the house and its 
•Belongings proved a source of great delight to my 
host's. little girl on Christmas morning. 
THE COLOMBO HARBOUK. 
Your Editorial on Colombo Harbour was very interest- 
ing reading, and it is surprising so little notice is taken 
of the great work, in the recent "Message" to 
Council. Certainly San Francisco has a magnificent 
natural harbour, entered through the famous Golden 
Gate, but it is often very difficult and dangerous to 
" make" owing to the dense fogs prevailing so fre- 
quently. Columbus sailed past the entrance over 
400 years ago! 
POSTAL REFORMS. 
I notice your discussion of postal reforms and certainly 
America shows the way, in the matter of letters 
addressed to parties who have meanwhile removed 
to another address. Letters can be re-addressed to any 
part of this vast country, and no charge whatsover 
is made by the postal authorities! 
The Postage is only 2 cents (Id stg.i for one oz : and 
this rate carries letters to Mexico or Canada ! 
eLIl"* 1101 SE" AJil) HEALS. 
I suppose there are many in Ceylon who have 
visited the historic and renowned •• Cliff House" built 
on the rocks just outside the Golden Gate, and 
from the broad balconies of which, a magnificent 
view is obtained of the Pacific Ocean, the eutrance 
to the Harbour, and the Islands in the distance. 
Here hundreds of thousands of pejple have come 
to watch and listen to the seals swarming on the 
detached rocks a short distance fioin the Cliff House. 
These bold rocks have been the home of the ueaK 
for ages now. and they are never disturbed, as they 
are one ol the great " sights" of Haii Francisco. 
The "House" was burned down on Christmas 
night, and not a vestige remains standing. I went 
out to see the ruins yesterday ; thousands were there, 
and one missed tiie barking of the " sea lions" as 
the seals are called, for they were scared away by 
the tire and alsj the heat. Tney have gone to 
soii>e rocks about a mile away, and it is doubtful 
if they will return to their old haunts : time alone 
will tell. While out at the Cliff. I visited the now 
famous Sutro Baths, and they are really magnificent ; 
they are said to be the finest in the world, and I 
can well believe it. 
ADOI.I'II BCTRO. 
is the new Mayor, who was elected a jtojiular can- 
didate, against Republican or Democrat nominee-. 
He is a man of independence, both in means and 
politics, and will be ruled or dictated to by no poli- 
tical caucus or^jarty: his wealth is vast and the only 
regret is his age. though he li is the energy and go 
and perseverance of most men ten or twenty years 
his junior. He has just beaten the Southern Pacific 
Railway, who used to charge tiro fires out to the 
Cliff 5d stg: they now only charge one fare 5 cents 
(2(d) and Sutro is to build a Railway of his own ! 
This victory helped to carry him to the top of the 
poll by a tremjudous majority on a wave of popular 
admiration, enthusiasm and gratitude. 
LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL. 
"We are sorry to hear such sad news about the 
heath of the late leader of the now defunct "Fourth 
Party." Lord Randolph Churchill has had a strange 
experience, and at one time seemed to me as if 
he would follow in a great measure the career of 
Lord Beaconstield. A good deal of interest attaches 
to him owing to his having married an American 
lady. I have an impression that he never seemed 
to take things seriously, and entered into politics 
more as a pastime than anything else. Perhaps his 
indifferent health may have ha5 something to do 
with leading one to form such a conclusion. 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
I do not think the " Committee of Thirty " will 
have much difficulty in finding ways to spend the 
funds at their disposal ; rather they will be at a loss 
to find funds sufficient to do all they would wish to 
further the demand for our teas. There is the 
Atlanta, or Cotton States International Exposition, 
where I think Ceylon should most certainly be well 
represented. That is a portion of these States that 
has been somewhat neglected in the way of advertis- 
ing, and I would strongly urge the Planters' Asso- 
ciation to make a good effort there. I have received 
some literature relative to this Exposition, and 
believe it would be advisable in the highest degree 
to be represented there. From your Overland Edition 
I gather that Mr. Bierarch has formulated 
some scheme for the Atlanta Fair, and anything 
he suggests will be found all right I am sure. 
Then there is the graat Canad-.an Exposition of 
1896 to be held at Montreal ; I am in correspond- 
ence with the Director-General of this Exposition, 
and I am sure everyone in Ceylon will agree 
that every endeavour should be made to make a 
great and good impression there ; for Canada is a 
tea-drinking country, and is brought pretty close to 
Ceylon since the great Canadian Pacific route has 
