March  x,  1893.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
581 
Lakes.  On  the  shores  are  large  populations  which 
would"  contribute  their  productions  to  mako  the  rail- 
way remunerative.  There  is  a little  railway  about 
140  miles  long  in  West  Africa,  and  the  latest  Con 
sular  report  says  that  the  natives  freely  patronise 
it  and  that  the  passengers  traffic  is  already  very 
large.  Now,  if  there  are  20,000  porters  leaving  the 
East  Ooast  every  month  for  the  interior,  those  who 
are  responsible  for  those  oaravans  would  naturally 
utilise  the  railway  to  get  700  miles  further  on  their 
way.  Among  the  customers  of  this  railway  would 
of  course  be  the  British,  German  and  Congo  States 
Administrations,  the  Roman  Catholic  mission,  the 
Church,  the  London,  and  other  religious  missions, 
the  Arabs  with  their  caravans  in  addition  to  which 
we  have  European  traders,  Government  agents,  agri- 
culturists, tea  and  coffee  planters,  hunters,  and 
tourists.  It  is  a three  months’  journey  on  foot  to 
the  lake  from  the  sea;  allowing  one  month  to  rest 
it  makes  a seven  months’  journey  there  and  back 
which  would  be  shortened  to  seven  days  if  the 
railway  were  constructed.  Further  considerations 
are  the  economy  of  life,  labour,  and  time,  and  that 
immense  army  of  porters  now  wasted  in  carrying 
these  goods  would  be  utilised  as  policemen,  soldiers, 
and  food  producers.  Look  at  the  money  side  of  the 
question.  It  has  cost  the  British  East  Africa  Com- 
pany 40, OOOZ.,  a year  to  retain  Uganda.  In  ten  years, 
with  interest  at  4 per  cent  , that  is  equal  to  488,000L 
and  yet  the  Company  is  not  richer  by  a penny 
because  every  possible  profit  has  been  absorbed  iu 
paying  that  extravagant  freightage  of  300f.  per  ton. 
The  German  Government  is  giving  at  least  50,0001. 
a year  towards  the  development  of  the  interior  iu 
support  of  her  military  stations  exclusive  of  the 
coast.  In  ten  years  that  means  600,000?.  with  in- 
terest. Then  you  have  over  a million  pounds  ex- 
pended unramuneratively.  There  are  the  missions, 
which  spend  30,0001.  a year  combined.  That  is 
360,0001.  in  ten  years  paid  for  carrying  supplies.  We 
will  not  count  the  Arab  traders.  Put  those  three 
sums  together,  and  you  will  see  what  a vast  amount 
of  money  has  been  lost  by  not  proceeding  to  build 
that  railway.  It  would  be  a capital  idea  if  the  Eng- 
lish and  German  Government  could  combine  to  cot  - 
struct  it  and  make  it  a sort  of  International  railway. 
Baron  von  SodeD,  Governor  of  German  East  Africa, 
has  issued  an  order  with  regard  to  the  passage  of 
caravans  through  the  German  protectorate.  Most  of 
the  attaoks  on  Europeans  have  been  caused  by  the 
improper  conduct  of  the  members  of  the  expeditions, 
whom  the  leaders  are  frequently  uuable  to  prevent 
from  committing  excesses  against  the  inhabitants  of 
the  districts  through  which  they  pass.  The  result  is 
that  the  natives  either  avenge  themselves  on  other 
caravans,  or  withdraw  from  the  trade  roules  and  eo 
render  them  impassable,  owing  to  the  lack  of  provi- 
sions. In  order  to  put  a stop  to  this  state  of  things, 
Baron  von  Soden  has  forbidden  all  caravnns  to  pass 
through  the  German  Protectorate  without  permission 
from  the  authorities,  and  has  ordered  that  they  shall 
deposit  a sum  not  exceeding  twenty  rupees  for  each  of 
their  members,  as  security  for  the  indemnification  of 
the  natives,  the  damages  to  be  fixed  by  an  arbitrator, 
whose  verdict  shall  be  binding  on  the  leader  of  the 
caravan.  The  security  must,  in  every  case,  be  depo- 
sited by  caravans  consisting  of  foreigners  who  are 
either  not  domiciled,  or  do  not  possess  property  in  the 
Protectorate. 
In  a further  artide  on  the  question  of  Lake  Tchad,  the 
National  Zeituny  points  out  that  the  Anglo-German 
Agreement  fixes  the  Anglo-German  boundary  only  as 
far  as  Jola,  and  adds  that  the  commercial  road  north 
of  the  Benue,  as  far  as  Lake  Tchad,  must  not  be  closed 
against  either  of  the  two  Powers.  Eogland  is,  there- 
fore, still  able  to  take  possession  of  the  no-man’s  land 
between  Jola  and  Tchad,  especially  as  the  energetic 
Royal  Niger  ( ompsnyhes  already  established  a station 
at  Garun,  in  the  Ribago  district  above  Jola.  It  is 
desir  ble  that  Germany  should  not  wait  to  be  sur- 
prised by  Treaties  concluded  by  England,  that  tho 
question  of  meum  and  tuum  be  settled  betimes,  and 
tbat  the  continuation  of  the  frontier  from  Jola  to 
take  Tohad  be  better  done  than  the  fixing  of  the 
running  from  Rio  del  Rey  to  Jola,  especially  as  Lieut- 
enant Morgan  describes  the  latter  in  his  new  book, 
“ Through  the  Oumeroons  from  South  to  North  ” is 
very  disadvantageous  to  Germany. 
The  Katanga  Company.  At  a meeting  of  the  share- 
holders of  the  Katanga  Company,  held  in  Brussels 
on  the  16th  November  it  was  unanimously  decided  to 
accept  the  proposals  mado  by  Commauder  Cameron 
who,  at  the  meeting  held  on  Saturday  last,  offered 
on  behalf  of  the  Transport  Company  established  by 
him  for  South-East  Africa,  to  couduot  the  whole 
of  the  trausport  work  of  the  Katanga  Compauy,  by 
a service  connecting  that  Company’s  territories  with 
the  East  Coast  by  way  of  the  Zambesi  and  the  Great 
Lakes. — Ed.  T.A.] 
VARIOUS  NOTES. 
Liberian  Coffee  in  Travancore. — We  call 
attention  to  the  very  encouraging  account  given  by 
an  old  Ceylon  planter,  now  in  Travancore,  of  his 
experience  of  Liberian  Coffee.  We  trust  his  ex- 
ample and  letter  may  encourage  the  further  spread 
of  the  cultivation  in  Ceylon. 
Ivory  Trade. — Owing  to  the  increasing  scarcity 
of  ivory,  manufacturers  are  putting  on  the  market 
quantities  of  plated  knife  handles,  known  in  the 
trade  as  “ solid-bandied,  hard-soldered”  work,  which 
are  being  made  to  oarry  steel  blades.  These  pre- 
sent a most  durable  appearance,  and  for  ships, 
hotels,  and  restaurants  are  serviceable.  They  are, 
however,  inferior  to  ivory  or  whoL  handles  of  any 
description.  The  tone  of  the  ivory  market  for  1892 
has  been  much  firmer,  yet  the  uncertainty  which 
attends  the  acquisition  ot  a supply  sufficient  to  meet 
the  great  demand  is  such  that  manufacturing  cutlers 
will  have  to  look  for  a substitute  in  order  to  mako 
themselves  safe  from  possible  surprises,  as  ivory  is 
iu  increasing  request  — Work,  Jan.  14. 
PurnMAAD,  Jan.  12. — My  prophecy  of  some  six 
months  ago  tbat  coffee  crops  would  bo  above  average 
is,  I am  pleased  to  record,  being  fulfilled  and  I hear* 
that  as  a rule,  estimates  will  be  obtained.  I 
hear  of  more  Liberian  being  planted  up  this  season. 
One  planter  has  put  down  five  bushels  of  seed  ; it 
sermii  atei  well,  and  the  young  plants  in  the 
nurseries  look  promising.  When  down  South,  I 
met  two  or  three.  Planters,  who  hrve  gone  in  for 
Liberian,  and  they  are  very  cheerful  at  the  fair 
promises  of  success  in  their  venture.  At  a time  when 
nearly  every  other  phnter  you  meet,  is  as  strong 
in  his  depreciation  of  coffee  of  any  kind  as  in  his 
praise  of  tea,  it  was  quite  pleasant  to  meet  with  some 
who  hold  similar  views  to  one’s  own. — Madras  Times, 
Jan.  19. 
Gamb  in  Mysore. — A correspondent  of  the  Asian 
says: — Heaven  knows  when  the  long-wLhed-for 
game  laws  are  to  be  instituted  id  Mysore ; it 
probably  won't  be  done  in  this  century.  The  other 
day  two  grand  cock  bustards,  some  dozens  of 
pea-fowl  and  hundreds  of  quail  and  partridge 
were  brought  alive  into  the  town  for  sale.  The 
mild  Hindu  is  not  the  only  aggressor,  other  jaths 
occasionally  come  in.  The  shikari  of  a man  Here, 
who  loves  to  pose  as  a sportsman,  shot  a doe- 
ohital  big  with  young,  for  his  master,  and  also 
wounded  andlost  another.  We  are  all  aware  of  what 
the  consequence  will  be  of  this  sort  of  thing  in  tho 
long  run.  Why  can't  the  person  who  ought  to  “lep” 
on  these  people  ek  dum.  Apropos  ot  chital,  good 
heads  cannot  be  bad  now  unless  by  pure  accident, 
as  the  bucks  are  either  without  horns  or  in  velvet, 
j and  it  is  doubtful  if  a clean  pair  oould  be  had  till 
| March  or  April.  I am  glad  to  hear  Captains 
| Fairhoimo  and  Lecky  bagged  fifty  six  couple  of  snipe 
in  one  day,  but  their  score  f as  been  beatec. 
Something  very  close  to  that  number  has  been 
j lately  made  by  one  gun  not  very  ft r from  where 
‘ they  made  their  big  bag, — Pioneer. 
