Feb. r, 1895.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 561 
been opened : Canada is like the Australia of the 
South, and bids fair to take as great a proportion 
of her tea from us as does Australia, so I am sure a 
good effort made there by Ceylon, will bear fruit in 
the immediate future, in the way of largely increased 
imports from Ceylon. 
I don't know if I wrote you in my last that the 
remaining Sinhalese Simon Fernando Gunesekeve 
had returned to Ceylon. I saw him off on the 4th 
inst. and he will have reached his destination some time 
before this letter reaches you. The information given 
me in reference to the impending failure of 
MR. FOSTER 
to carry on his restaurant place, proved to be only 
too true, for soon after writing you, he was " closed 
up." Waiters and others were left without their pay, 
and Simon informed me he had received no wages for 
the month of November. Mr. Foster "cleared out" 
to Los Angeles, 500 miles south from here, and left 
Simon and others to shift for themselves ! I gave Simon 
in charge of the Purser, Chief Officer and Doctor on 
board, so he would be well looked after on the voyage, 
and though his behaviour to me was disrespectful, im- 
pertinent and rude on several occasions before the 
public, he was not so much to blame, taking his cue 
doubtless from this man Foster who paid him. 
JOTTINGS. 
I regret to say that this Foster has relapsed to 
his old level ; his slight connexion with Ceylon 
enabled him to shine amongst unknowing ones with a 
borrowed light for a time, but now that this has 
terminated he is at it again. There was a balance 
due the Ceylon Government on the Pavilion of $1,250, 
since reduced by Government very generously to $375, 
This person has sold the Pavilion, and has " skipped " 
without remitttng the balance to Government to 
whom the Pavilion was hypothecated until payment 
in full was made ! I gave notice however to the 
party who bought the property, of the claim against 
it by the Ceylon Government, and am holding them 
responsible. Unfortunately for me, no private deeds 
of partnership or contract between Foster and myself, 
can be recognised by Government, and as my name 
appears along with Foster's on the original agree- 
ment of purchase from Sir John J. Grinlinton, 
I have remitted to the Colonial Secretary the 
greater portion of the amount due: this is rather 
rough on me, considering I did not touch a 
cent of the receipts taken at the Exposition, 
and did not even get the salary paid me 
that was agreed upon. However, one's name must 
be protected, and I trust Government will forward 
me the paper applied for necessary to give me 
standing in the Courts here. I thought everything 
had been settled long ago, but the letter received 
from the Colonial Secretary reminded me that 
honourable dealings formed no part of this man 
Foster's creed, and selling property that did not 
belong to him, confirmed me in my opinion that such 
was the case. 
A NKW TEA CHEST: DESCRIPTION AND PARTICULARS. 
Under separate cover I am sending you some 
lithograph forms of the tea chest of which I wrote 
you in my previous letter. I think these forms fully 
explain the chest, though the clamps (a strong 
feature in the case) cannot be seen, owing to the 
boxes being papered. I have seen the models, also 
the full-sized tea chests, and cannot too highly re- 
commend them. I have suggested to the patentee, 
that sample chests, complete in every way, be sent 
vou for the inspection of all interested parties, and 
1 know you will permit of their being kept on view 
at the Observer Ojici ; these will most probably 
reach you through Mr. R. V. Webster, of the 
Ceylon Co-operative Tea Gardens Company. 
The different sides of the chest are made of 
one single piece of wood, planed, they fit close 
together, and the clamping makes them renj 
strong. When the base attachment is fixed, these 
chests are ready to put on the shelves of the grocery 
sliircs and tea dealei.i' shops, attractive and original 
cases, direct from the tea gardens : there is a space 
on the fiont paper, oh which the individual name of 
each estate is to be printed. The capacity o each 
chest (and that most suited for the American Market) 
is from 62 to 75 lbs. averaging about 66 lbs. all over 
a crop : the total cost approximately F. 0. B. at port 
of shipment is 89 cents, gold, but this may be some- 
what reduced, as large quantities are required and 
machinery kept steadily going. No lead lining is 
required, the lining of the cases being made of pre- 
pared metalized paper on the outside, white paper on 
the inside and an intermediate ply of light cloth or 
muslin: only the white paper comes in contact with 
the tea. The requisites for each chest are packed 
up inside the "shucks" required for each box, so 
there can be no difficulty in the Tea Factory on the 
estates, or in the Packing Warehouses in Colombo. 
The only thing to be done at your end, would be the 
designing and lithographing of suitable devices, and 
the names of the individual estates, to be pasted on 
the blank space left for that purpose on the front 
of each chest. These goods will be introduced 
through, and handled by, Mr. R.V. Webster's Company, 
I have been given to understand by the Patentee and 
Inventor, who has most obligingly placed the for going 
information at my disposal for the benefit of the 
Planting Community. I am sending you a number 
of lithograph forms which please distribute suitably 
at your convenience, to Hon. J. J. Grinlinton, Hon. 
Giles, F. Walker, Melville White, L. H. Kelly. R. P. 
Macfarlane, A. W. Osborne, A. T. and John Rettie, 
Alex. Forbes &c. &c. and the leading Firms in the 
Fort. The leading tea brokers inform me, that tea 
packed in such chests would assuredly fetch Id per 
lb. at least more than if packed in the old and 
unsightly rough boxes. The saving alone in leakage 
will be large, and these boxes are ready to receive 
the patent attachment and would remain on the 
shelves of the stores until emptied in the ordinary 
course of retail sales from J to 1 lb., as the case 
may be. 
Your Article on 
"CEYLON TEA IN NORTH AMERICA"* 
is first rate, and I shall be glad to l'eceive some 
more copies, which will be inserted in the papers 
shortly before the arrival of the two Delegates. 
That is the way they do things out here ; people 
have to be announced, and their arrival looked forward 
to, attention being thus attracted to the object of 
their visit. 
In sending further copies of the Pamphlet, would 
it not be advisable to omit the resolution of the full 
Committee given on page 4, under para 4. That seems 
to be more for the guidance of the Delegates, and 
enters into the nature of their obligations to their 
employers for the time being, the remuneration they 
are to receive, &c, &c. This is only a suggestion 
on my part, however. 
The managers of 
THE DIRECT IMPORTING COMPANY, OP DAVENPORT, OHIO, 
with which Messrs. Tissera and Beling are con- 
nected, communicated recently with me, as to the 
possibility of their doing business in this part of 
the country, but I had to discourage hopes of 
business being done, as no tea coming any dis- 
tance by land, can compete with the Pacific coast, 
where the chests are landed at the wharf from the 
Hongkong steamers I imagine we. from this 
part, could successfully compete with Ohio ! How- 
ever, I could do nothing until samples and prices were 
sent me, and on looking at the latter, I at once gave 
up hopes of placing any orders whatever, for any 
grade. The prices were "away up " as they say here, 
and the best teas by a long way were from the 
well-known mark " Ardlaw and Wishford." This 
Davenport Company deserves the grea".est credit for 
the energy with which they have pushed teas in 
tliis part of the country. The luerature (pamphlets, 
circulars la-ge posters with a Sinhalese waiter 
ca rving cup of tea to a guest, &c, &c.) sent out 
by them, is good, pithy, to ihe point a tractive, a d 
well-got-up; a so the labeling of their 10 lb. cannis- 
ters ; eve-ythiuK is attractive and neat, aud I am 
sure they merit the well-deserved success which will 
I hopo be their's. 
* A large packet sent. — El>. T.A. 
