620 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST,  [April  i,  18931 
— ^ 
CHINA  SHIPPING  TRADE  AND  TEAS. 
But,  of  course,  the  China  trade  is  not  what  it  was 
now  that  Chinese  tea  is  being  steadily  run  out  of  the 
English  market  by  Indian  tea.  Tea  was  always  the 
best  paying  cargo,  but  the  freights  now  common 
would  have  paralysed  the  old  clipper- owners  merely  to 
think  of.  And  just  as  the  annual  export  seems  to  get 
less  and  less,  so  the  competition  for  the  carrying  of  it 
seems  to  get  more  and  more.  It  is  a remarkable  business 
this  tea  trade,  and  it  has  had  a curious  history.  As 
long  ago  as  the  time  of  Buddha,  according  to  tradition, 
China  exported  tea  to  Japan,  Corea,  Tonking  Coohin, 
Siam,  Bnrmab,  Ceylon,  and  India,  as  well  as  to  Arabia 
and  Persia,  both  overland  and  over-sea  in  jnnks. 
This  was  when  the  world  was  young  indeed,  but 
everything  in  China  is  so  old  that  one  dare  not  doubt 
any  of  the  records.  A curious  thing  is  that  notwith- 
standing the  enormous  development  of  the  trade  with 
England  and  America,  the  total  exports  of  tea  are 
said  to  be  smaller  in  the  19th  than  they  were  in 
the  17th  century.  If  that  were  the  case  in  the  days 
of  the  tea-clippers,  how  much  more  fo  must  it  be 
today!  Since  1870,  sav  in  twenty  years,  the  China 
tea  trade  has  fallen  off  about  75  per  cent.  By  the 
China  tea  trade  in  this  connection,  we  do  cot  mean 
the  exports  merely,  but  the  total  production  and  con- 
sumption. Not  only  are  Britons  taking  to  Indian  tea 
in  preference,  but  even  the  Chinese  are  more  and 
more  taking  to  other  beverages  in  place  of  their 
own  once  invariable  brew,  while  the  burden  of  taxa- 
tion bids  fair  to  crush  the  tea-grower  out  of  existence 
altogether.  What  he  has  not  to  disgorge  for  tax-  s 
he  has  to  pay  over  to  the  middleman,  who  advances  him 
money  at  10  per  cent,  per  month  on  his  growing  crop 
who  only  takes  that  orop  in  payment  at  the  prices 
current  at  time  of  delivery.  When  the  time  of  de- 
livery arrives,  the  tea-planter  knows  by  experience 
that  prices  will  be  down  to  the  bottom  dollar.  Even 
a Wall  Street  operator  might  find  something  to  learn 
in  China,  of  the  trioks  of  “ manipulating”  a market. 
One  effect  of  fleecing  the  tea-grower,  however,  has 
been  to  spoil  the  quality  of  his  produot,  and  Chinese 
merchants  have  been  for  the  last  twenty  years  doing 
their  best  to  “ kill  the  goose.” 
They  have  pretty  well  killed  it  already  in  some  of 
the  once  favoured  and  prosperous  tea-growing  districts, 
but  some  other  areas  have  been  opened  up — DOtably 
Formosa.  The  tea  of  Formosa  is  accounted  by  Ameri- 
cans, and  some  others,  the  finest  in  the  world,  and  as 
the  output  of  the  Beantiful  Island  is  steadily  increas- 
ing we  shall  by-and-bye  see  a direct  steam  trade 
between  Formosa  and  the  United  States  and  Europe. 
As  present  Formosa  tea  goes  to  Amoy  and  Hongkong 
for  transhipment.  And  the  tea  for  American  con- 
sumption is  now  for  the  most  part  carried  in  British 
vessels  and  paid  for  through  British  bankers.— Fair 
Flay , JaD.  13. 
THE  CEYLON  TEA  FUND. 
Minutes  of  proceedings  of  a meeting  of  the  Stand- 
ing Committee  of  the  Ceylon  Tea  Fund  held  at  Kandy 
on  Thursday,  the  16th  day  of  February  1893,  at 
(3  p.m.),  3 o’clock  in  the  afternoon. 
Present  : — Mr.  Giles  F.  Walker,  Chairman  Plant- 
ers’ Association  of  Ceylon ; Hon.  L.  H.  Kelly, 
Kandy  ; Messrs.  H.  M.  Toller,  Chairman,  Maskeliya 
Association ; James  H.  Barber,  Kandy  ; J.  Ander- 
son, West  Matale  and  Kandy  ; A.  Melville  White, 
Kelebokka  and  Kandy  : W.  D.  Gibbon,  Kandy ; 
J.  A.  Spence,  Medamahanuwara  ; A.  E.  Wright, 
Maskeliya ; and  A.  Philip,  Secretary  to  the  Plant- 
ers’ Association  of  Ceylon,  Kandy. 
The  notice  calling  the  meeting  was  read.  The 
minutes  of  proceedings  of  a meeting  of  the  Com- 
mittee held  at  Nuwara  Eliya  on  Friday,  the  9th  day  of 
December  1892,  were  taken  as  read  and  were  confirmed. 
Read  letter  from  Mr.  A.  L.  Cross. 
Read  letter  from  Mr.  John  H.  Starey,  Manager, 
Eastern  Produce  and  Estates  Company,  Limited, 
intimating  that  the  Directors  of  the  Company  have 
authorized  him  to  contribute  to  the  Ceylon  Tea  Fund 
on  the  scale  proposed. 
Read  letter  from  Mr.  J.  W.  Gosset. 
CEYLON  TEA  KIOSK. 
Considered  application  by  the  Manager  Syndicate 
Boat  Company,  Limited.  Resolved “ That  the 
action  of  the  Chairman  in  the  matter  be  endorsed.” 
CEYLON  TEA  AT  THE  WORLD’S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION 
AT  CHICAGO  IN  1893. 
Read  letter  fiom  the  Special  Commissioner  for 
Ceylon  to  the  Exhibition  transmitting  an  early  copy 
of  the  catalogue  of  Ceylon  exhibits. 
Read  memorandum  from  the  Government  Printer 
inviting  attention  to  the  “ Chicago  Guide  ” or  official 
handbook  and  catalogue  of  the  Ceylon  Courts,  and 
requesting  that  if  it  is  proposed  to  insert  an  adver- 
tisement to  have  a copy  sent  to  his  office  at  once. 
Resolved : — “ That  any  advertising  be  left  to  the 
discretion  of  the  Commissioner.” 
Read  letter  from  Mr.  W.  Herbert  Jones  on  the 
subject  of  his  proposed  lectures  on  Ceylon  at  the 
World's  Fair.  Resolved  : — (I.)  “ That  a copy  of  Mr. 
W.  Herbert  Jones’s  letter  be  forwarded  to  Hon.  J.  J. 
Grinlinton  with  an  expression  of  general  approval  by 
the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Tea  Fund  of  Mr. 
Jones’s  proposal  as  far  as  it  relates  to  Chicago.” 
Resolved: — (II.)  “That  Mr.  Jones’s  letter  be  acknow- 
ledged.” 
CEYLON  TEA  COMPANY  OF  NEW  YORK. 
Read  letter  from  Messrs.  Wattson  & Farr  acknow 
ledging  receipt  of  the  minute  and  resolution  passed 
by  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Ceylon  Tea  Fund  in 
reference  to  .the  Ceylon  Planters’  Tea  Company  of 
New  York. 
Read  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Ceylon 
Planters’  Tea  Company  of  New  York  ,Mr.  R.  E. 
Pineo)  conveying  thanks  for  the  grant  of  9,000  lb.  of 
Ceylon  tea. 
Read  letter  from  Messrs.  Darley,  Butler  & Co.  (I) 
enclosing  copy  of  a letter  from  Messrs.  Wattson 
& Farr,  New  York,  also  acknowledging  the  grant  of 
9,000  lb.  Ceylon  tea  from  the  Tea  Fund  ; (II)  trans- 
mitting invoice  for  54  packages  tea  shipped  per 
“ Ethiope”  to  the  Ceylon  Planters’  Tea  Company  of 
New  York  amounting  to  Rl,494’90.  This  being  the 
second  instalment  of  the  grant  of  9,000  lb.  made  to 
that  Company. 
CEYLON  GREEN  TEAS. 
Read  letters  from  Messrs.  Darley,  Butler  & Co. 
(I)  on  the  subject  of  the  samples  of  10  packages  of 
choice  growths  of  China  and  Japan  teas  received 
from  America,  and  mentioning  that  the  Government 
on  being  informed  of  the  circumstances  under  which 
the  teas  have  been  imported  passed  the  teas  free 
of  duty ; ( II)  letter  enclosing  Mr.  A.  M.  Gepp’s  Re- 
port on  the  Japan  teas.  Resolved: — “That  Messrs. 
Darley,  Butler  & Co.  be  requested  to  make  up  160 
lots  of  samples  (being  a series  of  ten  each)  of  those 
green  teas,  and  to  forward  them  at  the  earliest 
opportunity  to  the  Secretary.” 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  FRANCE. 
Read  letter  from  Mon.  W.  de  Peyster.  Resolved  : — 
“ That  consideration  of  the  correspondence  be  post- 
poned to  a future  meeting.” 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  GERMANY. 
Considered  letter  from  Messrs.  Kroning  & 
Schrader.  Resolved : — “ That  Messrs.  Kroning  & 
Schrader’s  application  be  entertained,  and  that 
the  amount  of  duty  disbursed  be  remitted  to  them 
as  suggested  by  the  equivalent  in  tea.” 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  RUSSIA. 
Read  and  considered  letter  from  Mr.  M.  Rogivue. 
Resolved  : — “ That  a grant  of  9000  lb.  of  Ceylon  tea  in 
three  instalments  of  3000  lb.  each  be  made  to  Mr. 
M.  Rogivue  in  acknowledgment  and  furtherance  of 
his  work  in  Russia,  and  that  the  purchase  and  ship- 
ping of  these  grants  be  intimated  to  the  Ceylon  Tea 
Company,  Limited,  to  be  seleoted  on  the  lines  in- 
dicated in  Mr.  M;  Rogivue’s  letter. 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  THE  TRANSVAAL. 
Considered  intormation  supplied  by  Mr.  A.  E.  Wright 
Resolved;— (I)  “ That  the  Ceylon  Tea  Company  Li- 
