July  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
29 
FROM  THE  METROPOLIS. 
May  13th,  1892. 
THE  TEA  TRADE  AND  PROSPECTS  OF  CEYLON  {TEA, 
Important  Dews  has  reached  me  from  the  City 
in  reference  to  the  China  trade  which,  in  respeot 
of  tea  and  silk,  is  said  to  be  in  a very  bad  way. 
Apart  from  the  disturbing  political  and  social 
outlook  in  that  Far  Eastern  land — which  some 
regard  as  importing  the  near  approach  of  the 
Revolution  of  far-extending  influence— London 
bankers  and  financiers  had  suoh  an  unhappy 
experience  last  year  that  they  are  reported  to 
have  refused  advances  to  a very  considerable  degree 
during  the  present  season.  The  chances  therefore 
are  that  the  import  of  China  tea  into  the  United 
Kingdom  this  year  will  show  a large  falling-of 
even  on  the  diminished  supply  of  1891.  I need 
soarcely  say  how  suoh  an  experience  is  calculated 
to  benefit  the  Ceylon  planters,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  make  quite  sure  as  yet  of  the  diminished 
importation ; because  the  persistent  cry  that 
Ceylon  Tea  Exports  for  1892  have  been  “ largely  ” 
overestimated  has  undoubtedly  encouraged  a spirit 
ofjjspeoulation  in  “Chinas”  for  whioh  a certain 
amount  of  capital  will  no  doubt  be  found.  Prob- 
ably, a good  deal  will  depend  on  the  ratio  of  the 
exports  from  Ceylon  during  May  and  perhaps  even 
June.  Should  they  show  no  special  inorease,  we 
may  see  further  orders  passing  by  wire  to  the 
China  ports.  Meantime,  the  China  tea  producers 
and  middle-men  are  likely  to  have  fewer  orders 
from  Eussia  owing  to  the  “ famine  ” and  the  con- 
sequent discouragement  to  trade  and  soarcity  of 
money.  This  may  perhaps  lead  to  such  a fall  in 
prices  even  for  fine  teas  at  Shanghai  and  Foochow,  as 
would  further  encourage  the  speculative  export  of 
such  to  England.  Wo  shall  see. 
NEW  MARKETS  FOR  INDIAN  AND  CEYLON  TEA. 
Messrs;  Gow,  Wilson  & Stanton  have  issued  one 
of  their  interesting  coloured-diagram  circulars  at 
this  junoture  on  the  above  subject.  A supply  of 
these  will,  I believe,  reach  you  by  this  mail  and 
the  circular  and  diagrams  are  oertain  to  exoite 
very  general  and  great  interest ; for  the  objeot  is 
to  draw  suoh  attention  to  foreign  markets  as  may 
aid  in  showing  how  they  can  absorb  all  the  Indian 
and  Ceylon  tea  not  required  in  the  United  Kingdom 
in  1892.  In  the  first  place,  they  estimate  the  crop 
of  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  at  about  210  million  lb. 
This  must  be  made  up  in  round  numbers  of 
Indian  Tea  . . 130,000,000  lb. 
Ceylon  ,,  . . 80,000,000  „ 
210,000,000  lb. 
And  of  this  they  do  not  estimate  that  the  United 
Kingdom  will  consume  more  than  170,000,000  lb. — 
leaving  40  millions  for  all  markets  outside  Great 
Britain.  Seeing  that  in  1890  countries  outside 
only  took  14  millions  and  in  1891  but  20  millions, 
double  the  latter  is  a big  order  to  deal  with  for 
export  in  1892.  Nevertheless,  good  reasons  are 
adduoed  why  all  concerned  should  aim  at,  work 
for,  and  expeot  suoh  a result.  There  is  no  need 
here  to  go  into  the  interesting  details  supplied  in 
the  ciroular;  but  certainly  in  respect  of  Australasia 
whioh  consumes  altogether  30  millions  per  annum, 
and  last  year  only  took  4^  of  Indian  and  3J  of 
Ceylon  teas,  there  is  ample  room  for  a special 
inorease.  Then  again  America  and  Canada  are 
undoubtedly  beginning  to  respond  and  they  ought 
very  shortly  to  take  far  more  than  3 or  4 per  cent 
of  their  teas  from  India  and  Ceylon.  The  Chicago 
Exposition  is,  of  course,  expected  to  exercise  a 
favourable  influence;  but  it  is  a matter  of  regret 
that  India  and  the  Indian  tea  planters  especially 
do  not  at  all  take  up  this  “Exposition”  business 
with  the  heartiness  of  Ceylon.  This  was  the 
oomplaint  to  me  this  week  of  Mr.  S.  Digby  — who 
has  been  nominated  Secretary  to  the  Indian  section 
of  the  Exhibition  Committee— though  he  is  hopeful 
that  at  least  the  Government  will  do  its  duty,  'if  it 
votes  as  muoh  as  Ceylon  in  proportion  to  revenue, 
there  should  be  a goodly  sum.  Persia,  Russia  and 
Holland  are  favourably  referred  to  ; and  in  regard  to 
the  latter  especially,  I am  surprised  to  see  so  much 
made  of  the  activity  of  the  Dutch  tea-oonsuming 
market ; for,  in  my  opiion,  Holland  should  take  off 
every  pound  of  Java  tea,  in  place  of  consuming  only 
563,000  lb.  of  tea  last  year  and  allowing  some 
millions  to  be  thrown  on  the  London  market, 
THE  CEYLON  TEA  INDUSTRY  AND  ITS  STABILITY. 
Suoh  is  the  subject  of  a very  interesting  disoussion 
in  the  Financial  News  of  this  past  week,  to  whioh 
my  attention  has  been  kindly  called  by  Mr.  William 
Gow  who  sent  me  the  cuttings  I forward  for 
insertion,  namely  a leading  artiole  (perhaps  more 
or  less  inspired  by  Mr.  Hawes),  a letter  of  correction 
from  the  leading  Brokers,  Messrs.  W.  J.  and  Henry 
Thompson,  and  a rejoinderfrom  Mr.  F.  Sutton  Hawes, 
also  a buyer  and  seller  of  teas.  I must  leave  to 
speak  for  themselves  in  the  meantime  : they  reached 
me  just  as  I was  starting  for  Bedford,  and  a 
suggestion  made  that  I should  notice  the  disoussion 
perhaps  by  a letter  to  the  tditor  in  further  cor- 
rection of  Mr.  Hawes,  may  perhaps  take  effect 
before  next  mail,  when,  of  oouree,  you  will  hear 
about  it.  For  the  present  here  is  what  has  reaohed 
me : — 
CEYLON  TEA. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Financial  News. 
Sir,— la  reading  your  interesting  article  about  tea, 
we  were  somewhat  surprised  to  find  it  suggested  that 
Ceylon  is  not  likely  to  remain  a good  tea-produoing 
country,  as  the  olimate  or  soil  exhaust  the  good  quali- 
uies  of  the  plants,  and  that  the  gardens  year  by  year 
decline  into  producing  only  common  and  medium  teas. 
In  some  few  instances,  where  an  unsuitable  site  was 
chosen  for  the  plantation,  this  may  possibly  be  the 
case;  but  there  is  ample  evidence  that  the  Ceylon 
tea  industry,  as  a whole,  has  the  elements  of  stability, 
and  has  no  special  reason  to  fear  deterioration  of  the 
plant. 
As  we  sold,  and  are  still  selling,  the  produoe  of  the 
estates  which  were  the  first  to  send  tea  to  market  ten 
and  twelve  years  ago,  and  have  constantly  before  us 
samples  from  an  immense  number  of  estates  which 
havo  been  producing  tea  for  six  or  eight  years  and  more 
we  have  reason  to  know  that  old  Ceylon  gardens  can 
produce  tea  of  the  finest  quality  when  it  answers  the 
purpose  of  the  proprietors  to  make  it. 
The  real  reason  why  the  bulk  of  the  crops  sent  home 
of  late  are  marked  by  what  appears  to  be  deterioration 
of  quality  is  that  the  position  of  the  tea  market  some 
time  ago  induced  the  great  majority  of  planters  to 
cease  making  fine  tea,  and  to  produoe,  instead,  as 
large  a quantity  as  they  could — which  has,  of  course, 
been  done  at  the  expense  of  quality  for  the  time  being. 
Many  of  the  Indian  planters  have  adopted  a similar 
policy  with  a like  result  : but  no  one  would  argue 
therefrom  that  the  tea  plants  in  India  are  deteriorating, 
which  would  be  contrary  to  all  experience. — We  are, 
sir,  yours,  &c.,  Wi,  Jas.  and  Henry  Thompson, 
Brokers. 
38,  Mincing-lane,  May  6. 
THE  CEYLON  TEA  TRADE. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Financial  News. 
Sir,— In  answer  to  the  letter  in  your  issue  of  today 
from  Messrs.  W.  J.  and  Henry  Thompson,  I beg  to 
state  that  I have  been  also  largely  interested,  as  a 
seller  and  buyer  of  Ceylon  teas,  ever  since  they  were 
first  imported  to  this  market,  and  follow  the  trade 
olosely.  My  experience  has  been  distinctly  opposite 
to  what  they  express  to  have  been  theirs,  and  I could 
