6?8 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
[April 2, 1900 
THE SEYCHELLES. 
Tlie Acting Administrator's report on tlie Blue 
Bonk for the year 189S h;is just been publislied 
by the Colonial Olfiee. Mr Bruwn's report shows 
a satisfactory state of affairs, the revenne havinj,' 
been ihe lar^^est ever col len.'ed in Seychelles, and 
ill excess of the expendilure by 1{39,791. The 
exports, less coin and bullirjn, amounted to 
Kl,278 382, and the imports, less coin and bullion, 
to K889,u4i. The laige increase in both exports and 
impoi is is rlne to the lartre vjjiil la, crops of 1897 
and 1898. VaniilM v-thied at R748,.S10 was exported 
in 1H90.— Commercial Intelligence, Feb. 17. 
THE BANK CLEARINGHOUSE" AND 
LOCAL BUSINESS. 
The figures we append show an enormous 
increase in the mass of local business during 
the past fifteen years : — 
R. 
1885- 86 
1886- 87 
1887- 88 
1888- 89 
1889- 90 
51,740,748 
53,530,720 
64,921,478 
74,072,097 
76,791,733 
1895- 96 ... 
1896- 97 ... 
1897- 98 ... 
1898- 99 ... 
1899- 00 
1890- 91 ... 
1891- 92 ... 
1892- 93 ... 
1833-91 ... 
1894-95 ... 
R. 
171,677,240 
171,429,740 
192,136,477 
169,991,275 
195,467,028 
R. 
83,607,049 
98,358,939 
105,914,810 
128,112,905 
133,812,072 
Since the " clearing house " was established, 
■we have had the means of obtaining reliable 
statistics which indicate the steady revival 
of business and prosperity, mainly through 
the rise of the tea industry. Still, it would 
never do to attribute all the increase in the 
clearing-house figures to the growth of 
local trade. True, the value of our imports and 
exports show much improvement in the in 
terval, as may be seen from the following 
comparison (the figures fbr 1898 being the 
latest published) : — 
Imports. Exports. 
1885 R 45,132,340 R 35,782,400 
1898 ■ 97,893,t)58 85,b72,622 
Increase R52,760,718 R49,590,222 
The increase here is also very notable ; 
but at the same time a good deal of allow- 
ance nuist be made for the gradual change 
in the modes of business in Colombo. Far 
more cheques are used by natives and 
planters now than in " days of old.' Chet- 
ties and planters were notorious for deal- 
ing almost universally in rupees— and of 
course a great deal is done still in payment 
of coolies — whereas now cheques are readily 
accepted by the carpenter or other artificer, 
the cart contractor, rice-dealer, &c., &c. In 
1885, we were slowly emerging from a period 
of great depression; the old Oriental Bank 
had collapsed the year before and its suc- 
cessor had by no means secured general 
confidence. Now we have five first-class 
Banks all doing a large business and .all 
therefore contributing handsomely to the 
Bum-total of the "clearing-house." 
VISIT OF A JAVA PLANTER TO 
CEYLON. 
We have had a call from Mr. Bley, 
a planter in the Samarang division of Java, 
and who has been out there for the past 
years without ever visiting Europe. Mr, 
Bley has had a great variety of experience 
in his day, as a Sugar, Coffee. Tea, Liberian 
Coffee, Cacao, Nutmeg, Pepper, Kapok and 
Cinchona planter. Now he confines his at- 
tention chiefiy to Liberian coffee with some 
Arabian, .ind cinchona with tea. Mr. Bley 
has enjoyed a fortnight in Cevlon very 
much, more especiillv in visiting Kandy, 
Per.ideniya. Galaha, 'Mariawatte, Dimbul.'i, 
Nuwara Eliya, Ragalla, and Bandarawela. 
Mr. Bley would at once describe Nuwara Eliya 
as the reinain,s of an old volcanic crater, 
so like is it tfi many such spots in Java. 
He finds that the co.st of labour in Ceylon 
is a little more than he pavs in Samarang, 
where, howevei'. nearlv all us done bv piece- 
work. Mr. Bley states that he is troubled 
with a bad disease in his cacao in Java, 
which he lias nowhere seen in Ceylon. It 
has not yet been scientificallv de.'scribed. 
Mr. Bley left for Europe last rnonth by the 
N.D.L.S. "Kasnigin Luise '" : we wish' him 
a pleasant trip and visit and that he may re- 
turn re-iavi^,'orated. Mr. Bley confirms ' our 
opinioii that the people of Holland and 
adjacent (iermanyare beginning to drink tea 
very freely. Java, he thinks, will never be- 
come a great tea-growing country. 
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION, 
The Report of the British Association 
for the Session of 1899 held at Dover 
reached us by a recent mail. It is a bulky 
voliune of well-nigh 1,000 pages, besides lists 
of members, &c., and, of course, contains 
the latest in " Science." The only plan or 
plate is the "plan of Dover Harbour" as 
prepared to accompany their, paper by 
Messrs. Coode. Son Sc ^Matthews. This bears 
considerable resemblance to the Colombo 
Harbour with two openings— one of 800 and 
the other of (300 feet. The area of the 
Admiralty division is 610 acres at low 
water; of the Commercial harbour 75 acres 
— together 685 against 640 acres for the 
Colombo har bom'.— After the present "Notes 
on Ceylon Botany " are done, it will be 
interesting to reproduce " A sketch of the 
History of Indian Botany" by Sir George 
King, in our Tropical Aqriculturist. Mr. 
Parkins' paper on Rubbei', given in our 
Manual, is summarized ; as also brieflj'- 
" Notes on Indiarubber " by R.H. Biffen, Cam- 
bridge, and this summary we give as foUows: — 
Notes on Indiarubber, by R. H, Biffen, 
Cambridge. 
Starch and caoutchouc appear not to occur to- 
gether. Caoutchouc occurs as small particles in 
latex, and coagulation begins with their runnins{ 
together. Certain reagents will bring this about ; 
but it is better to avoid all chemical processes, 
any of vvhich do harm. Two physical processes 
are now beingr used. (1) Ihe latex, mixed with 
water, is strained and churned ; the thick cream 
which rises to the surface* is pressed through 
rollers and converted into rubber. (2) The author's 
process consists in separating the rubber with a 
entrifuR-al apparatus. Details are given in the 
paper regarding the chemical properties of the 
ditferent kinds of rubber obtained from Hevea, 
Castilloa, Manihot, Ficus, Hancornia, Kickxia, 
Artocurpits, and Clusia. The author also raises 
some questions of theoretical interest with regard 
to possible relations between caoutchouc, starch, 
and resin-bodies, and indicates lines for further 
inquiry. 
