Sept,  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST: 
161 
FROM  THE  METROPOLIS. 
London,  July,  1. 
. Mining  and  Minerals  in  Ceylon. 
Soon  after  the  readiDg  of  my  paper  before  the 
Royal  Colonial  Institute,  I had  a request  from  the 
Editor  of  the  Mining  Journal  (one  of  the 
leading  metropolitan  authorities  in  its  department, 
whose  head  offiae  is  in  Finch  Lane  close  to  the 
Royal  Exchange)  asking  me  for  more  detailed 
information  about  the  mineral  resources  of  the 
coloDy,  and  if  I would  consent  to  be  “ interviewed  ” 
and  to  give  a photograph  for  engraving  to  accom- 
pany the  letterpress.  There  could  not  well  be  a 
refusal,  especially  as  the  editor,  a namesake  from 
the  Lothians,  had  been  acoustomed,  when  connected 
with  another  journal,  to  review  our  Ceylon  Hand- 
books and  Manuals.  The  result  appeared  in  the 
Mining  Journal  of  last  Saturday,  June  25th  ; but 
owing  to  the  exigencies  of  spaoe,  the  reporter’s 
notes  of  my  remarks  on  our  minerals  had  to  be 
much  compressed,  so  making  them  appear  rather 
deficient  and  disconnected.  The  editor  has  done 
his  part  in  a flattering  way  giving  all  the  personal 
details  whioh  he  insisted  on  learning,  but,  alas  ! when 
he  says  the  engraving  is  a good  likeness,  he  is  the 
reverse  of  flattering,  for  it  is  rather  a smudge. 
On  the  other  hand  a sketch  of  a gem-digger’s 
hut  and  working-place  by  our  friend,  Mr.  John 
Dent  Young,  which  I found  among  my  papers— in- 
tended with  others  some  day  for  the  Graphic , has 
been  rather  well  clone.  I have  ordered  blocks  of  the 
engravings  to  be  forwarded  to  you,  for  whioh  perhaps 
you  may  with  the  letterpress  (now  sent)  be  able 
to  find  a place  in  one  of  your  Supplements — the 
Literary  or  Household  RegisUr. 
In  this  connection  I had  the  opportunity  this 
week,  during  a call  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  E.  T. 
Delmege,  of  learning  from  that  gentleman  the 
disgust  with  which  he  regarded  the  inadequate 
operations,  feeble  enterprize  and  final  collapse  of  the 
BAKWANA  GEM-DIGGING  COMPANY* 
Whioh  he  originally  promoted,  but  from  whioh  he 
retired  when  he  saw  a full  use  was  not  to  be  made  of 
machinery  and  other  resources.  Mr.  Delmege  said 
that  at  the  time  the  Company  gave  up,  there 
was  in  his  opinion  ample  encouragement  with  a 
further  call  of  capital  to  prosecute  both  gem  and 
plumbago  digging  aDd  a trade  also  in  mica  sheets, 
and,  if  I understand  aright,  there  was  machinery 
on  the  spot  or  on  the  way  out,  which  had  not 
been  applied.  In  proof  of  the  soundness  of  his 
judgment,  there  was  the  fact,  contained  in  a letter 
just  reoeived  from  Ceylon,  that  the  lessees  of  the 
Everton  diggings  (from  the  Company  ?)  were 
getting  handsome  returns  every  month.  It-  is  a 
great  pity  that  this  opportunity  of  doing  justice 
to  our  gemming  industry  by  the  application  of 
European  machinery  and  the  most  recent  improve- 
ments was  lost.  Nothing  is  heard  at  present  of  the 
Syndicate  for  which  Mr.  Barrington- Brown  reported. 
And  yet,  as  Mr.  Delmege  rather  bitterly  re- 
marked, even  in  the  most  depressed  times,  many 
money  is  found  in  London  for  gold  mines  in  strange 
lands  where  there  is  no  gold— as  for  ruby  mines 
in  out-of-the-way  uncertain  regions — while  for  the 
development  of  an  established  industry  in  one  of 
our  best-known  and  most  aooessible  colonies,  every 
shilling  is  grudged  by  the  British  capitalist. 
I learned  here  of  the  present  great  depression  in 
COCONUT-OIL, 
the  prioe  of  whioh  has  fallen  to  less  than 
one-half  that  which  prevailed  thirty  or  twenty 
years  ago,  and  with  no  immediate  prospeot  of 
retrieval.  Mr.  Delmege  is  rather  proud  though, 
SI 
and  with  some  reason,  of  what  the  Company  he  is 
connected  with — 
“ THE  CEYLON  TEA  GROWERS,  LD." 
(•‘  Kangani  Brand”),  managed  by  Mr.  Hutohinson — 
has  done  to  promote  the  consumption  of  pure 
Ceylon  Tea.  All  suoh  Companies  and  Firms  like 
Messrs.  Shand  & Haldane,  the  Ceylon  Pure 
Produce  Company  of  which  I have  already  written, 
deserve  specially  well  of  the  Ceylon  tea  planters,  as 
contrasted  with  Lipton’s,  Mazawattee  or  other  con- 
cerns whioh  deal  ohiefly  in  “ blends,”  The  “ .0. 
T.  G.  Co.”  had  first  got  up  a very  neat  prioe  list 
in  French  for  guaranteed  pure  Ceylon  tea  and  0000a 
with  prices  stated,  which  ought  clearly  to  tempt 
French  hotels  and  households.  Mr.  Delmege  is  so 
well  acquainted  with  the  South  of  France,  Nice, 
Cannes,  &c.,  that  he  has  been  able  to  make  our 
teas  and  cocoas  well-known  there.  That  the  Com- 
pany gives  a good  article  at  the  minimum  of  profit 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  its  satisfactory  dividend 
last  year  was  earned  through  an  average  profit 
over  all  the  tea  sold  of  only  T\ths  of  a penny 
per  lb.  May  all  such  Tea  Growers  and  Pure 
Produce  Companies  and  Firms  go  on  growing  and 
prospering,  will  be  the  hearty  wish  I feel  sure  of 
every  Ceylon  planter. 
MR.  T.  CHRISTY 
of  Drugs  and  New  Produots  fame — who,  by  the 
way,  belongs  to  a family  closely  oonneoted  with, 
as  he  himself  is  a member  of  the  “ Society  of 
Friends” — I learned  some  curiouB  faots  about  the 
raw  product  used  by  the  great  chemists  for  the 
manufacture  of 
“ CAFFEINE.” 
This  is  ohiefly  tea,  the  sweepings  and  re- 
fuse apparently,  for  it  is  bought  at  about 
£2  a ton  and  the  Messrs.  Howard  aloDe  are  sup- 
posed to  use  about  9 tons  a week ; the  Messrs. 
Behringer  and  others  no  doubt  get  as  much  more. 
Now,  where  does  all  this  tea  eome  from  ? The 
“ Caffeine”  is  sold  at  about  7s  a lb.  Asked  about 
its  use,  Mr,  Christy  mentions  it  is  beooming 
very  valuable  to  Dentists:  it  is  an  absorbent,  a 
nerve  tonio  and  a sedative  almost  approaohing  to 
an  anaesthetic.  It  has  the  property  of  rapidly 
hardening  the  gum,  and  is  much  less  of  an 
irritant  than  cocaine.  Mr.  Christy  also  mentioned 
that  a large  demand  for 
KOLANDT 
in  various  forms  was  springing  up  on  the  Con* 
tinent — he  sends  to  Germany  as  muoh  as  6 
or  7 tons  a week,  I think  he  said.  Some 
experiments  recently  made  among  the  mili- 
tary in  Vienna  in  doing  without  ordinary 
ratious  for  24  or  more  hours  are  believed 
to  be  explained  by  the  use  of  kolanut,  and 
if  so  may  develop  an  extraordinary  demand. 
Ceylon  planters,  in  searoh  of  a new  and  paying  pro- 
duct, ought  once  again  to  turn  attention  to  kolanut. 
-*■ 
MR.  JOHN  HUGHES  ON  SHODDY  AS  A 
MANURE. 
The  Secretary  of  the  Planters’  Association  sends 
us  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  John  Hughes, 
London,  Consulting  Chemist  to  the  Planters’  As- 
sociation of  Ceylon,  ransmitting  a pamphlet  in  the 
Agricultural  Value  of  Shoddy 
Copy.  Analytical  Laboratory,  79  Mark  Lane, 
, , London,  E.C.,  June  8th,  1892. 
Alexander  Philip,  Esq.,  Kandy,  Ceylon. 
Dear  Sir, — I send  you  a few  copies  of  my  paper  on 
the  Agricultural  value  of  Shoddy  which  if  you  will 
kindly  bring  to  the  notice  of  the  members  of  your 
Association,  some  of  them  may  be  glad  to  have  a 
