6yo 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[May  i,  1S93. 
PROPOSED  LINE  OF  TEA  SHIPS. 
The  following  correspondence  has  been  oircnlated 
to  tea  garden  proprietors  : — 
103,  Clive  Street,  Ca'cutta,  15th  March. 
Dear  Sir, — I have  received  a letter  from  Messrs. 
Dnnoan,  Brothers  & Oo.,  dated  14th  instant,  of 
which  a copy  is  subjoined,  proposing  to  run  a first 
class  line  of  steamers  und=r  an  agreement  to  carry 
teas  at  a certain  fixed  rate.  As  most  firms  have 
already  referre  1 the  question  of  tea  freights  to 
London,  1 am  desired  to  ssk  you  to  request  vour 
London  friendB  to  communicate  with  the  Committee 
of  the  Indian  Tea  Dhtrio^s’  A.sociatioD,  and  to 
authorise  thfm  to  make  such  terms  on  your  behalf 
as  may  be  considered  best  in  the  interests  of  tea 
shippers.— Yours  faithfully,  (S'gned)  J.  N.  Stuart, 
Chairman,  Tea  Shippers’ Committee. 
From  Messrs.  Duncan,  Brothers  & Co.,  to  Mr. 
J.  N.  Stuart,  Chairman,  Tea  Shippers’  Committee, 
dated  Calcutta,  14th  March  1893: — 
Dear  Sir, — Referring  to  your  circular  of  9th  ulitmo 
regarding  tea  freights  and  to  our  subsequent  in- 
terviews, we  now  beg  to  state  that  actirg  on  behalf 
of,  and  under  telegraphio  instructions  from,  our 
principals  on  home  side,  we  shall  be  prepared  to 
proviue  a servioe  of  steam  vessels  of  the  highest 
class  at  Lloyds,  or  equal  thereto,  aud  to  regulate 
sailings  suitably  for  the  carriage  of  tea  from  Cal- 
cutta to  London  in  terms  of  the  resolution  passed 
at  the  meeting  of  Tea  Shippers  held  on  the  28th 
January  last  viz: — “An  agreement  to  be  entered 
into  for  the  term  of  three  years,  freight  to  be 
calculated  at  10s  above  the  average  rate  for  wheat, 
linseed  and  jute,  ruling  during  the  previous  month 
with  a minimum  rate  of  30s  ; no  rebate  danse,” 
This  undertaking  is  conditional  on  shipments  being 
guaranteed  not  to  fall  short  of  60  million  pounds 
for  any  one  season,  and  is  also  Bubieot  to  immediate 
reply.— MacRcw  Mail,  March  21. 
TEA  AND  BUDDHISM  IN  TIBET. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society 
held  20th  Feb,  Captain  H.  Bower  read  a paper  in 
which  he  gave  an  interesting  description  of  his 
journey  across  Tibet.  Regarding  the  Buddhist  reli- 
gion he  says  that,  as  seen  in  Tibetan  countries, 
it  has  nothing  in  common  with  the  pure  morality 
preached  by  Gautama  Buddha.  The  doctrines  of  the 
Founder  are  too  abstract,  he  thinks,  for  the  average 
Tibetan  mind,  and  this  has  led  to  innovations 
which  have  developed  until  the  grossest  superstition, 
little  better  than  African  fetishism,  and  hardly  bear- 
ing any  resemblance  to  the  original  precepts,  is  all 
one  meets  in  this  stronghold  of  Buddhism.  The  no- 
mads are  described  as  greedy,  faithless,  and  suspicious. 
Their  suspicions,  however,  do  not  attach  only  to 
foreigners,  as  every  camp  seems  to  view  every  other 
camp  as  not  only  a possible  but  a very  probable 
enemy.  Though  provided  with  Chinese  passports, 
considerable  difficulties  were  experienced  in  crossing 
portions  of  the  country,  the  people  fearing  death  as 
the  penalty  of  receiving  strangers.  These  difficulties 
were,,  however,  invariably  overcome  by  boldness  and 
tact.  At  one  camp  tea  was  produced.  “ They  drank 
it  in  Tibetan  fashion,  mixed  with  salt  and  butter ; 
but,  having  found  out  from  our  servants  the  Euro- 
pean fashion,  they  gave  us  some  plain.  After  a con- 
siderable consumption  of  tea,  bowls  of  mutton,  boiled 
with  rice  and  onions,  were  brought  in.  It  was  really 
excellent,  but,”  adds  Capt.  Bower,  “ eating  rice  with 
chopsticks  is  an  art  that  requires  practice.”  Many 
questions  were  asked  about  England,  and  the  people 
were  much  surprised  to  hear  that  it  was  surrounded 
by  water,  and  that  people  went  to  it  in  ships.  They 
had  not  the  faintest  idea  what  a ship  was,  and 
asked  if  it  went'throuhe  the  water  touching  the  bot- 
tom the  whole  way.  Like  true  nomads,  they  were 
particularly  curious  also  about  the  water  and  grass, 
J It  would  seem  that  the  vendor  of  lotions  for  forcing 
I the  production  of  hair  has  a new  field  opened  to 
him,  for  Captain  Bower  says:  “The  Kushok  rather 
astonished  me  one  day  by  expressing  admiration  of 
; our  -beards,  aud  asking  if  we  had  any  medicine  that 
1 wou  d make  his  grow.  . . . The  Lama  was  very 
| anxious  to  know  if  w’e  had  any  English  poisons. 
1 Poisoning  is  very  prevalent  in  Tibet.  If  one  offers 
I a man  tea,  he  generally  refuses  it  unless  some  one 
1 first  drinks  some  in  his  presence,  and  when  offering 
| anything  to  eat  or  drink,  a Tibetan  invariably  osten- 
, tatiously  takes  some  to  show  there  is  nothing  to  be 
afraid  of.  Captain  Bower  heard  marvellous  tales 
from  the  Tibetans  of  countries  peopled  by  men  who 
possessed  only  one  arm  and  one  leg,  and  of  others 
where  the  people  had  pigs’  heads,  but  no  one  would 
allow  that  he  had  seen  any  of  these  interesting 
people.  Captain  Bower  estimates  the  population  of 
Tibet  proper,  i.e  , the  country  under  the  rule  of  the 
Deva  Zhung.  at  about  feur  millions.  1 hinese  Tibet 
probably  holds  another  four  millions,  and  of  these 
eight  million  Tibetans  nearly  half  a million  are 
monks.  The  dress  of  (he  common  people  consists 
generally  of  a long  sheepskin  robe,  very  dirty  and 
greasy,  which  serves  the  double  purpose  of  clothes 
by  day  and  bedding  at  night.  The  country  is  de- 
scribed as  bearing  a great  resemblance  to  many  parts 
of  Kashmir,  and  as  being  at  least  equal  to  it  in  beauty, 
— lJctibj  News,  Feb.  21. 
THE  TEA  DISTRICT  OF  NATAL. 
A BIG  TEA  \ ALLEY. 
The  following  account  of  a visit  to  the  one 
Tea  Valley  of  Natal  is  from  the  Natal  Mercury  : — 
Ten  milrs  beyond,  with  Stanger  midway,  is  Hears- 
oey,  the  home  of 
THE  PLANTER  PRINCE, 
James  Liege  Huliett,  M.E.C.,  where  hospitality  is 
dispensed  with  a geterous  band,  from  whom  I had 
a long-standing  invitation.  Tho  way  to  Kear-ney  is 
a gradual  ascent,  amiu  lovely  ci  UDtry,  well-wooded 
anu  well-watered,  bearing  tea  and  sugar.  Tbiough  a 
long  avenue  of  gum  and  o\ press  is  reached  the  family 
mansion,  with  iis  broad  verandah*,  wide  b, Louies, 
spacious  apartments,  noble  hall  and  stairs,  and  cathe- 
dral windows— the  found' rs  of  the  house  of  Hulett 
in  the  midst.  From  the  tower  isgained  a panorama  of 
much  beauty,  bounded  by  the  Umvoti  and  l’ugla 
valleys  aud  margined  by  the  sea,  8t0ft.  telow,  10 
miles  away.  Underneath  Bweep  high  and  low  the 
5,000  fertile  acres  of  K(  arsney  nnd  Kiikley  Vale, 
with  Bulwer’s  4,000  to  the  north,  of  which  600  acres 
are  under  cultivation,  besides  other  lands  of  other 
owners  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Nonoti.  Fruit  of  all 
kinds  is  prolific,  and  on  the  tennis  ground  beside  the 
little  church,  I was  introduce!  to  Mr.  OhestertoD, 
who  has  come  out  from  England  to  manufacture  jam. 
Durban  was  well  represented  on  tbe  tennis  court  by 
Messrs.  Henderson,  Holwell,  and  Hailh  (Kearsney’s 
recent  represents! ive  at  Kimberleyj,  and  when  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Holett  and  six  Messrs.  Hulett,  jun.,  were 
present,  and  Mr.  aud  Mrs.  Hindaon  called,  I came  to 
the  conclusion  I had  alighted  upon  the  home  of  the 
H’s.  I fear  13  IBs,  are  unlucky,  for  it  rained  during 
most  of  the  next  two  days;  but  with  musio  and 
magazines  and  sooial  converse  a dull  day  wifhout  is 
not  a dull  within,  at  Kearsney  House.  Four  years 
ago  I was  a confirmed  water  drinker,  but  I have  been 
reclaimed.  I have  reformed.  Having  tasted,  cn  the 
Lower  Umzimkulu,  tea  from  Barrow  Green,  I felt 
it  to  be  my  duty  for  the  encouragement  of  colonial 
industry  to  become  in  habit  and  profession  a teatotaler, 
A CUr  OF'  GOLDEN  PEKOE 
from  the  opposite  extremity  of  Natal  confirmed  my 
noble  resolution,  in  which  I am  strengthened  by  the 
reflection  that  in  the  interval  the  consumption  of  tea 
has  increased  almost  fourfold,  and  this  season  will 
produce  upwards  of  helDa-million  pounds,  Mr.  HuleH 
