150 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept. 1, 1898. 
extensive rides with fine scenery. Sucli.was tlie 
home and scene of labours for 17 year, of Mr. 
F. R. Sabonadiere and afterwards for 6 years of 
Mr. W. A. Sabonadicre— one of tlie largest and 
for many years) ino-st i)rosperous cofi'ee planta- 
tions, Ceylon, or even the world, has ever seen. 
Meantime, Mr. ¥. R. Sabonadiere married a 
second time on Augutit 19th, 1834, ]Sli.ss Mary 
(Minnie) Layard— sister of Sir C. P. Layard, so 
long Government A.s^ent of tlia Western Province — 
and tliey continued to reside on Delta till her deatli 
which occurred on January 4th, 18G4, leaving two 
daughters, Sophia who was married to Mr. Alex. 
Crabbe, merchant, Graceehurch Street, and died in 
1895 ; and Emily Antoinette, now Mrs. A. M. Hurst. 
After 23 years; uninterrupted residence in Pusscl- 
lawa (15 of wliich were on Delta), I\Ir. 1'". It. 
Sabonadiere took a trip home in 1867 and in 
1869 retired from Delta (in favour of his 
brother) to begin a mercantile life in Colombo 
as the head of the new firm of SabonadiOre & 
Co.; having for his partner !Mr. Jolm Northmore, 
both being joined later by Mi: Wia. liowden 
Smith. 
As a Planting Proprietary and Agency House, 
Messrs. Sabonadiere ^: Co. (liaving <^eeuredthe su])- 
porb of Mr. G. S. Dull', Messrs. Crabbe & Co , and 
other liome proprietors) quickly took a leading posi 
tion — indeed in our Directory for 1883 they stood 
at the top of our Agency list— having the produce 
of some 28,564 cultivated acre.s from 113 estates to 
■ attend to. All was prosperous in the " seventies " 
and until the gradual decay of coffee through tlie 
fungus licin'ilcia vastatri.c, and then a struggle set in 
for the partners (as for nearly all Ceylon) which 
culminated in the failure of the old Oriental Bank, 
and Sabonadiere & Co. closed on 4th September 
1884. It was at once succeeded by Messrs. 
Cumberhatch & Co., Mr. Cuinberbatch having 
been a trusted assistant in the old lionse, and in 
' due season (March 1885). Mr. F. P. Sabonadiere 
in due time, became a partner in the new firm and 
■ watched the transition from coffee to tea, while cin- 
. chona, in many cases, affording the means to enable 
the new product to be started. Mr. Sabonadiere 
. could never be idle, even in his old-age, and lie was 
always chatty and cheerful ; but his life-work was 
drawing to a close and the end came on ISthJuly, 
1891. All that was mortal of Francis llichard Sa- 
bonadiere was next day committed to the grave 
in the General Cemetery, Colombo, amid a large 
assemblage of all races and classes, many of 
whom felt they had lost a true friend; while 
all realized that the island was poorer through the 
death of as honorable, true hearted and upright 
a colonist as ever helped to develop its prosperity. 
No one in the . long list of Ceylon planters and 
merchants was ever more deservedly loved and 
respected tlian the (subject of our memoir whose 
whole life practically was given to Ceylon since 
''e arrived a lad of 16 and never left it till he 
died in his C8th 
DEATH OF MB. F. E. SABONADIRBE. 
(From t/ie"Cajlon Ob^erttr" -JOth July 1891.) 
Another of the ancient hindmarks is gone. Mr. 
F. K. Sabonadiere died on Saturday niRhl, aud last 
evening his remains were interred in the General 
Cemetery in the presence of a large number of tho*e 
who kuew and respected liiia when living, as an 
honest man and uu amiable gentleman. As the 
manager of tlie great Delta coffee property of Baron 
Dehnar. in Pussellawa, in "the forties " and " fifties," 
and subsequently as estate proprietor and head of a 
mercantile firm, Mr. Sabonadiere has been for h, 
period in excess of half a century connected with 
the planting enterprise in Ceylon. The collapse 
of coffee brought misfortune to him as to so many 
others, and amidst trying physical sufferiug the 
closing yeara of his lilo were devoted to the 
task of enabling him to say " I, ' owe no man anything.' " 
In his death European society in Ceylon has lost 
one of its most worthy members, while his departure 
will be mourned by the comrnuuity generally. Much 
sympathy is due to his family, especial'v to Misa 
Sabonadiere, wno was deeply attached to one ttbose 
death leaves her an orphan. Tlie deceased gentleman 
was connected by marriage with the Layard family, 
having married a sister of Sir Charles Peter Layard. 
His brother, Mr, William Sabonadiere, author of a 
standard work on coffee cultivation, will, in far-off 
Jamaica, receive with giief the news that the elder 
brother whom he esteemed so much and loved so 
well has been taki--n away while he is left to tight 
the battle of life. On that battle-field but few remain 
of toe generation, who were connected with the early 
days of coffee, who experienced its vicissitudes, and 
lived to see it finally superseded by tea as the staple 
product of CeyloB. 
THE FUSER.VL. 
The funeral took place last evening, the procession 
. leaving Netheicourt at o 30 p. m., me first carriage 
being occupied by Miss Layard and .Mr. and Mrs. 
Jiowden Smith. At the cemetery the funeral service 
was conducted by the Archdeacon. The pall-bearers 
were the Hon. F. 11. Saunders, Dr. Kvuscy and Messrs. 
Henry Bois, Staniforth Green, l-". C. Oswald, and F. 
J. de Saram. There was a large and representative 
gatheiiag at the funeral. 
On the 18:h July, 1891, at Nethercoiirt, Colombo 
FilANCIS PJCHARD SAHONADlESE, aged 6&'. 
We must now return to Mr. William Sabo- 
nadiere who after .six years' management of 
Delta, determined ta retire lo the old country 
in 1875, selling out of his properties, Choisy in 
Ilaniboda and Cobo in EiduUa. Before this, 
however, we should notice the preparation by 
j\Ir. Sabonadiere and the publication of " The 
Cofifee Planter of Ceylon" at the time by far 
the best and most practical book published on 
the subject. It first appeared in 1866 and wai 
characteristically dedicated as follows :— 
F. R. SA BONA DIE UE, Esq., 
OF DELTA. PUSSILAVA, CKYLON, 
BY HIS AFFECTIONATE BROTHPll, 
THE AUTHOK. 
