152 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Skpt. 1, 1898. 
But everything was arranged for his departure by 
Isfc September, and all business arrangements 
settled, Mr. Stephens of Kadnor estate having taken 
charge on the 26th August, the very daj' on which 
Mr. Sabonadiere fell ill. The doctor was sent for 
next day, but did not think the case at all 
serious and left his patient much better on 
Friday morning the 28th. Dr. Castle, how- 
ever, did not think Mr. Sabonadicre, weakened 
by a diarrhcetic attack, would be able to take 
the long ride down to Gordoutown en route to 
Kingston, and he therefore arranged that 
a buggy should be sent to Moy Hall ((julte close 
to ArntuUy) to drive into Kingston on Sunday 
by a new and easier road lately opened. On 
Friday evening, the Dr. returned to Arntully 
and seemed to have thought all was going 
on well ; but at 10 p.m. a great change came 
on, through failure of the heart's action, and 
Mr. SabonadiGre passed away soon after 
niidniglib, very peacefully, lie was in his 68tli 
year, almost exactly the sanie age as ' his brother 
at/M* death. The illness was therefore a short one 
and there was little or no suffering. Even in his 
latter Ceylon days, Mr. Wni. Sabonadiere useil to 
be careful about his heai-t which was pronounced 
weak. Overwork and excitemei.t towards the end 
of his stay in .Jamaica, no doubt was the reason 
of what seemed a slight, but yet proved a fatal, 
attack. Few if any Planting Colonists in the 
East or West had so ruled their lives as to be 
readier for the great change than Mr. W. A. 
Sabonadiere. He was known in Ceylon as a 
truly humble-minded sincere Christian man, and 
both brothers left a high example to succeeding 
generations of younger planters. The remains of 
Mr. W. A. Sabonadiere were laid beside those of 
his wife at Woburn Lawn close to the East End of 
the Church which had been enlarged some few years 
previously, chiefly through his personal efforts. 
We cannot do better than close our notice of 
the Messrs. Sabonadiere, thaa by quoting our 
letter, Sept. 11th, 1896, to the Ccijlon Observer 
from London where the news of Mr. Wm. 
Sabonadiere's death reached us. We do so at 
the risk of some repetition. 
He wrote as follows :— 
Loudon, Sept. 11th. 
I was indeed sorry to see the death of 
MR. WM. SABONADIERE 
announced in the Lou Ion Times two days ago, and as 
occurring "very suddenly on the eve of his emoarkation 
for England." I had been under the impression 
that he was already safely settled at Norwood, to 
enjoy rest and calm after much hard wak an^ buffet- 
ings both in the Far East and West. Mr. Sab madiere 
was a pattern planter in Ceylon for some 30 ye.irs and 
he wrote the most elaborate, in some respects the 
beat, treatise, ever penned on " coffee planting," and 
dedicated it with the loyalty that ever distinguished 
him, to his elder bro'her "Frank" who preceded him 
as MansRerof Delta, when it was perhaps the lar^st 
Whil.Th Pf'^'^P^'T-s '^^'ffee Plantntion in C.evlon. 
While the esteemed brother left planting to give hi. 
T'%Xo, "T^'Tn"".^^'^ large Agency House which 
Teld out W ,r' d as long as coffee 
held out, William— ujore fo.-tunate so far— eathend 
together all the capital he co.ild out of liis Ceylon 
investmeLts and clewe<i oot b.fore the criLh c Jue 
bo far, we have said, he was " fortunate "; tut query' 
If It had not been better had he stuck to his first l-ne 
and passmg through our days ,.f trial and di-presdca 
had . merged wilh some more of the old haiidl on the 
sunny Bide of prosperity in - tea." For, as matters 
turned out, Mr. W. SabonadiGre, with the beat inten- 
tions, but in au evil hour for himself, left his retire- 
ment in England to invest in a hiJI colfee garden 
in Jamaica, and there he struggled on under disad- 
vantages— as regards /,,/«,f,- and transport especiallv— 
which would not at all hive tried bini. had he 
returned or even sent out his capital again to Ceylon 
lUving, however, .. ade the clioice at a time that none 
ot us could say it was au unwise oue, he stuck to his 
poit like the plucky, industrioua planter he wa« 
Hverything that intelligenca and hard work could 
ensure, we may be sure, was done; but in his 
SLXties. he could not work in the field under a 
tropical sun-albeit on tue hills-aa he could 
have done during bis third, fourtli or even fifth de- 
cade, and it must have been both trving and de- 
pressing to the old Ceylon coffee planter-accustomed 
to clieip aud superabunUnt coolieK-to work with 
the labour avadable in .Jamaica. Hat we need not 
pursue the story: much of it is familiar to our 
readers through the racy little letters which the late 
JUr. .Sabonadiere was accustomed to send the Ul,sc,-yer 
and Iro/ncal Afinciillui tnt from the Far West We 
have his very Utest letter befoie us as we write It 
IS dated "Ariuully. Cedar Valley. Jamaic*. May lUh" 
and la the beautifully clear neat "hand" of the 
veteran (of CT years ), it tells ns that he was to leave 
Jamaica 'for >7ood about 21st Julv" and so givmi; 
his new address at Norwood where he hoped to iiear 
from us. .Mr. Satonadiere went on to report a 
bumper coflee crop on the Blue Mountain', includine 
his own place. Arntully, from which, too. he thought 
it would now pay with a road close bv, to send 
away oranges to be shipped to the Uniied Slates. 
lliecofTee he had planted he wis leaving "in 
full beaiing '-no doubt hoping to reap the return 
in the old country, well earned by one who began his 
planting career 51 years ago (when only If, years of 
age) at Jmbu pitiya and Wahagapitiya in July 1S4.'-. 
No wonder though he added I feel the laborious 
work of a Coffee Planter's life getting a little beyoud 
my diminishing powers." I fear that illness and 
possibly worry accounted for the delay of six weeks 
beyond the date fixed for his .tepirture as above- 
and tins delay as it turned out, proved fatal:— 
'•After life's fitful fever 
He sleeps well." 
A good m vn in the highest sense, Wra. Sabonadiere 
over was— a truly sincere humble Christian ; a model 
of an lutelhgent, industrious planter; of au upright 
straiihtforward man of business; a good friend and 
no mans enemy: — 
" Peace to the memory 
Of a man of worth " 
if ever there was one among the Planting community 
of Ceylon or .Jamaica. Our condolence is due to 
relatives-especially to the daughter, and to the 
son (m whom he rightly felt pride) for the distil 
gni bed place he had won for himself in the lud au 
The name of 
SABONADIERE 
will always hold a leading place in the Planting and 
Mercantile annals of the first of Crown Colonies, and 
both brothers-Messrs. F. E. & W. A. Sabonadi8re- 
may be fearlessly held up as examplcB to young meq 
of the present and succeeding generations. 
