Feb. 1, 1900.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
547 
To the Editor. 
THE COCOA 3IARKET. 
[Special repiort.) 
London, E.C., Dec. 29bh, 1899. 
Dear Sir, — This being Christmas week, 
and the end of the year and no business having 
been transacted down Mincing Lane, the usual 
Tea and other Circulars have not been issued. 
The next Cocoa sale will take place on 
Tuesday, 9ch January, when it is hoped and 
expected that the Government will be buyers, 
if sufficient cocoa suitable for their require- 
ments is offered. 
Althovigh nothing has been done with cocoa 
in London, the market is very strong, and 
prices are looked upon as being higher all 
round. The Liverpool ma.rket, which is almost 
entirely confined to Africans, is very firm, 
36 bags having been sold this week at 63s. 
The present stock of cocoa in Livei'pool on 
the 23rd December vt^as -1,265 bags of all 
growths against 1,766 bags in 1898. On the 
same date the stock of Ceylon cocoa in Lon- 
don was 5,708 bags, and of all growths 83,641 
bags, or 11,713 bags less than the same time 
last year when it was 95,.354 bags. — The con- 
tinental mai'kets are very firm. — Yours very 
truly, HAROLD HAMEL SMITH, 
THE WEST INDIES AND COCOA. 
London, Jan. 5. 
Deak Sik, — It will be interesting to wateli the 
results of the appointment of Mr. Sydney Olivier, 
C.M.G. , as Colonial Secretary of Jamaica, for as 
the author of the es.say on " The moral aspect of 
the basi.s of Socialism" published by the Fabian 
Society in 1890, he may perhaps instil some 
new ideas into the monotony of Colonial 
official ways. The essay is divided into three 
parts, (a) the evolution of morality, (b) property 
and morals, (c) the Re-integration of Society ; and 
is provisionally described as an attempt to justify 
socialist ideals by the appeal to canons of moral 
judgment accepted generally, and supported by 
the results of positive ethical science. Mr. Olivier, 
who is a B.A. of Oxford, is best known as having 
been the Secretary to the West Indian Commis- 
sion for 1896. 
This has virtually been a holiday week for 
Cocoa, though several lots have changed hands 
privately, and the demand is very .'Urong. It is 
not yet' definitely known whether the Govern- 
ment will be in the market next week. So far 
as I can find out about 600 bags of Ceylon will be 
offered, and it is expected, will bring good prices, 
"as the trade are bidding 60s for common stuff 
tor which they would not give 58= for last sale. 
The stock of Ceylon on 30fch December was 6,924 
bags of wliich about 8 to 900 bigs are available for 
offering. Today's quoto.tion for dull to good red 
ig' 69s to 80s, line bold has sold to 87s, but tliere 
i:5 none offering now. Cadbury's are offering 
65 tons of their cocoa butter for sale next Tues- 
day (9th ) 
'Although 495 500 quintals of cocoa, was received 
at Guayaquil durinu' 1899, against 420,000 qts. in 
1898, and tiie receijits of African at Lisbon were 
223,000 bags against 166,000 bags last year, the 
I stock of all growths in London is some 16,000 
I bags less than at the end of 1898, being (in round 
figures) 82,000 bags against 98,000 in 1898. The 
stock at Havre is 100,593 bags, against 72,101 
bags in 1898, but in October the Havre stock was 
140,000 bags, so it lias considerably diminished in 
the last two months. 
My correspondent in Trinidad writes me as 
follows : — " Last mail I calculated that the cocoa 
crop next year would be 25 per cent short, I see 
now the members of the Legislative Council have 
refused to sanction next year's estimate on the 
grounds that the cocoa crop will be 30 per cent, 
short, as estimated by experts. The drought has 
been something awful, the peasants will have a 
hard time of it next year, for their ground pro- 
visions (vegetables) started in September, got no 
rain and suffered terribly,"— Yours truly, 
HAROLD H^MELSMITH. 
THE LONDON COCOA MARKET. 
Sir, — According to Mr. Ed. Kynaston's West 
Indian Circular, the following are the cocoa 
statistics of London for the past four years ; — 
1899 1898 1897 1896 
bags bags bags bags 
Imports 202,000 236,000 198,0C0 204,000 
Home consump- 
tion 143,000 169,000 146,000 133,000 
Stock 82,000 98,000 93,000 140,000 
"The apparent faliing-off in Home Consumption 
in London is misleading, and is attributable to 
the increasing imports of Bahias, and Africans 
which pass direct to our large provincial manu- 
facturers— chiefly through Liverpool." The deli- 
veries of Liverpool were 90,067 bags in 1899, 
against 31,446 bags in 1898 and 16, .380 bags in 
1897 : this would make the combined total deli- 
veries, for Home Consumption, of London and 
Liverpool to be 233,000 bags in 1899, against 
201,000 bags in 1898, and 163,000 bags in 1897 
which confirms what Mr. Kynaston says : 
The sale last Tuesday went off' with good com- 
petition especially for fine Ceylon which was 5s 
to 7s dearer, some Warriapola mark selling at 
95s 6d, against a previous record of 87s 6d last 
month — and present prices show Ceylons to be 
worth 63s for mixed native, good red 75s, fine 
red 88s to 9ds 6d. The sales include 125 bags 
Yattewatte at 85s 6d, 28 bags Asgeria S2s, 10 
bags Allagala Al 76s, 16 bags Bandarapola ak 
79s 6il, 13 bags New Peradeniya 1 at 83s, 80 bags 
North Mataie at 90s, 90 bags Warri'ipola at 88s 
and 89s and 45 bags of the same mark at 95s 6d cwt. 
Generally speaking all cocoa was up 2s 6d to 
.3s. Triniciads selling up to 82s 6d, Grenadas to 
72s 6d, Dominieas to 70s 6d. For the time 
of year the sale was a ^veiy small one, 
only 3,200 bags being offered against 11,849 
bags on lOtb January last year. Since the sale 
the firmness and high rates have been maintained, 
anything apjroaching good red in Trinidad 
fetching 1879 and 1880. With Ceylons all the 
fine red has been sold, but prices for lower grades, 
although not in such active demand as the liner 
qualities, are very firm. 
About 25 tons cocoa shells were offered and sold 
at slightly easier rates. Cocoa batter of which 
65 tons was offered and sold, also went about Id 
a lb. easier, selling at Is 5d to Is 6Jd per lb., or on 
an average of Is 5 9-16d against Is 6gd in December. 
The average price of this article at the Dutch sales, 
which took place on the same day (9th) was Is S-Jdlb. 
The stock of cocoa of all growths is nearly 
20,000 bags less than in 1899, being 80,256 bags, 
against 100,270 bags in 1899. The stock of Ceyfon 
and Java on 6th January was 6,770 bags. 
