740 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
[May r, 1895. 
The tea, cardamoms, and coffee wer e the only fredi 
exhibits sent me, or given me at Chicago, and I 
much regret more were not sent direct from Ceylon 
I may mention that li The artistic decoration of 
the Ceylon Court," was done by myself and under my 
directions, during the enforced absence of Mr. Foster, 
through illness. — I am, yours faithfully, 
Thomas A. Cockhihn. 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
My Dear Sir, — On this cold 6th day of 
February it made me feel warm to think of your 
beautiful Ceylon. The weather is indeed wintry, the 
ooldest of the season. In and about New York the 
mercury dropped four degrees below the Zero 
mark, whilst in the Ottawa district of Canada the 
record stands 82 degs. below Zero. And yet on these 
cold wintry mornings one of the sights of New York 
is to see five turbaned sons of India, those on the 
staff of the India Tea Commissioner, trudging their 
way complacently across the big Brooklyn bridge, 
which is a mile and an eighth in length, in the teeth 
oi the bleak and wintry winds with the same ease as 
they would walk across the sands of India. It is on such 
mornings when the cold goes to one's marrow that 
I wish myself in the sunshine of Ceylon. 
I mailed you yesterday a copy of a letter that I 
have addressed to the " Thirty Committee" with 
other matter that I trust will reach your hands in 
good season and that the contents will interest you 
and all Ceylon. 
I wish to mention the excellent time the 
Overland edition of the " Obxerm-" of Dec. 20th 
male ; with a post mark of the Colombo Post Office 
of same date, the paper arrived at the New York 
Pent Office on Saturday Jany. 12th and came to me 
with the first mail on Monday morning of the 14th. 
This is the quickest time in which the " Observer" 
has reached me. The same mail brought me also 
a letter from the Hon. Sir John J. Grinlinton. This 
information and the quick transit made by your 
valuable and much-prized " OVsei'ver," I thought 
would interest you. 
I am waiting to buckle on the armour and I know 
our good friend Mr. Cockburn is also waiting ; we 
are more than anxious to get to work quickly to 
continue the good fight. I fear very much that if 
we have to wait another spell the armour may be- 
come somewhat rusty and it might take a little 
time to polish up so as to get into good fighting trim. 
America has its missionaries in Ceylon trying 
to do all the possible good they can among 
the natives of the island, and Ceylon's mis- 
sionaries are badly needed in America to do 
this among the consumers of tea. A clean cup of 
t3a, properly made, will set right many an American 
stomach, and in gratitude the Americans will have 
our delicious tea. This missionary work cannot be 
put into practice too soon. 
It needs more than private enterprise to push along 
this work, to reach desired results. Private enter- 
prise would only be interested in a particular brand 
and would not care particularly about the general 
a access of Ceylon teas, so long as such brand was 
successful. The territory being so vast no one brand 
could control the trade of the United States as the 
late company at New York hoped to do. 
It is urgent in order to bring the fame of 
Ceyon tea prominently before the American public, 
that the American campaign be directly and promi- 
nently made by the island of Ceylon to obtain the 
best arid most practical results. Opportunities enough 
will present themselves as we go along to advertise 
Cevlon tea well and to good advantage. 
With such exhibitions as the Cotton States and Inter- 
national . at Atlanta this year, the great Canadian at 
Montreal' in '96 and the Baltimore Centennial and 
international in '1)7 the numerous Pure Food shows 
t' roughout the United States, Country Fairs, Church 
Fairs and Store Demonstrations I am sure that the 
time can be well and profitably taken up and Ceylon 
tea receive that attention that no private enterprise 
will give it. Of couise such firms and Companies 
who have special brands, upon prool of the gennli « 
nature of contents of packets, will certainly shun- 
in the various modes of advertising and exhibition* 
that will be adopted from time to time and gen- 
eral and widespread good will be done. 
This success cannot be accomplished in a month or 
in six months, particularly after the long lapse of 
time since the closing of the World's Fair, but as I 
quoted in mine of February first to the " Thirty 
Committee," it is never too late to mend and when 
we start we will have need to work like Trojans. 
Ceylon is to be commended for the most admirable 
disp-ay made at the World's Colombian Exhibition. 
Ct-ylon is to be congratulated in having sent so enter- 
getic a Commissioner as the Hon Sir John J. Grin- 
linton. It's true the representation was an expensive 
one for tha little island of Ceylon, but what has it 
done ? Brought Ceylon out prominently before the 
American people and opened a way that will make 
a'iy future demonstration on the part of Ceylon a 
welcomed one and I am sure the question " Where 
is Ceylon"? will not be asked as often as it was at 
Chicago. Another grand commendation for Ceylon is 
the self-imposed tax on your staple product— Tea. 
As I remarked, this work canuot ue accom- 
plished in a month or in six, but if the 
desired results can be brought about within the next 
three years I am sure the verdict will be that I 
have done well in imposing this tax upon yoursrlves, 
it has been money we'l ani profitably put out, and 
we congratulate one another that we have won the 
fight for Ceylon Tea in america. 
And I consider that, if with an annual expenditure of 
say $50,000, the desired results can be brought 
about in the next three years, or five, if yon please, that 
is doing well and it will be a cheap and lasting adver- 
tisement for the tea interest of Ceylon in America. 
It is also my opinion that if it should become 
necessary to continue the campanign after the third 
year that the expenditure might be scaled by half, 
and yet do the object full justice. 
I am thoroughly in sympathy with your success in 
America, and I trust that it nil be my privilege to 
share iu the same, and that I shall sustain and 
merit the confidence of the " Thirty Committee,' 
the Planters' Association, and Ceylon generally, in 
the final accompli j hment of a successful campaign 
for the teas of Ceylon in America. 
Mr. Thomas A. Cockburn, who worked so hard at 
Chicago, is waiting and is quite prepared to enter into 
any arrangement that will aid in furthering the Ceylon 
industries and more particularly its tea? in America 
His Ceylon experience coupled with what he has 
gained in the last few years in America, makes him 
a valuable man for the " Thirty Committee" to secure 
in aiding and pushing Ceylon Tea throughout the 
United States and Canada, and I do know that it 
would be quite agreeable to him as it would be to 
me, if we could be placed in a joint position to 
further this object with a suitable staff of natives 
at command, working in thorough harmony and 
consulting one another, comparing methods, mutual 
advice etc., etc. I am sure such appointment wou'd 
be advantageous to Ceylon. 
Our work would be conscientiously performed and 
it wou'd be our aim to do it in such a manner that 
we could point, with pride, to our accomplishments. 
I was very much pleased in reading the minutes 
of the proceedings of the " Ceylon Tea Fund" that 
Mr. Cockburn's application received favourable con- 
sideration and that by a resolution the same was 
referred to the ' Thirty Committee," and that, by a 
resolution Mr. Foster's case wai disposed of as it was. 
Mr. Cockburn's letter of Nov. 20 h, publi-hed by the 
T.A- on page 483, I am sure is full of good qualities. 
What he says about tea packages is true and the / 
could be improved so that the trade when receiving 
the tea that came from the Paradise of the world, — 
your beautiful Lanka, — would take great pleasure in 
displaying handsome packages, and thus do the product 
the justice that it is fully entit ed to, coming, as it 
does, from the Spicy Island of the Eastern Sea ; and 
Americans are attracted by goods well packed. — It 
would pay to do so. 
