Dec. 1, 1898,] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
423 
TEA IN NORWAY, AND FRANCE. 
Writing to us from Ediiiburi^li, 27tli Oct., 
Mr. A. Ij. Cross gives us some interesting iu- 
foriiiation : — 
'When in Norway it seemed tome there was 
a field for pusliing Ceylon Teas. I gave some 
of the Norwegians I became acquainted with 
a little of our Ceylon high-grown tea, and they 
liked it. The teas they got, poor stuff mostly, 
cost five to six kroners per lb. duty paid, and good 
teas nine to ten kroners. The duty is two kroners 
per kilo, a kilo being 2Jth lb. English. They 
might easily relieve the Ceylon market of one 
million lb. of tea. The Norwegian housev^ives 
are however splendid coffee makers, and after a 
course of good coffee drinking, tea does seem 
poor stuff. Coffee is drunk at 4 o'clock in place 
of afternoon tea, and tea is given at supper at 
8 o'clock, a bad hour for those who can't sleep 
well after it. 
"Push Ceylon teas in France as much as pos- 
sible, but I (lon't believe the French Government 
will reduce the duty. In fact I have little belief 
in exhibits at Foreign Exhibitions. They simply 
pick the brains of exhibitors, and keep prohi- 
bitive duties against the introduction of the 
articles. What was the result of the previous 
French Exhibition? They, the French, talk of 
growing tea largely in their Tonquin possession." 
Mr. Cross does not tell us the value of kroners." 
The "Statesman's Year Book" gives the Nor- 
wegian "krone" at Is I^d or "18 krones to the 
pound sterling." This would give prices of tea 
5s V-^d to Us 3d per lb ! Prodiaiious ! Tiie duty 
as given in our " Handbook" is 9jd for Norway, 
while at 2^ 8d per kilo, it should be quite Is 
per lb. Mr. Cross nsay be able to clear up the 
monetary difficulties. 
HANDBOOKS, &c. 
What thk "pluck" of ceylon planters 
DID. 
Ferguson's Ceylon Handbook and Direc- 
tory for 1898-99. (Colombo : A. M. Ferguson ; 
London : John Haddon and Co., Salisbury Square.) 
Aberdeen has long taken a special interest in 
Ceylon, and much of the best literature on the 
subject of the island has been contributed by 
Aberdonians. Just 101 years ago a young Epis- 
copal clergyman '-set out"— as he quaintly tells 
us in his admirably written book of travels — from 
the New Inn, Aberdeen, after saying "good-bye 
to the great and good Dr. Beattie." The fly left 
at 3 a.m. ; the passengers breakfasted at Laurence- 
kirk, and slept at Perth. In Edinburgh he met 
Dr. Bell, the educationist, and in London took 
part in the rejoicings on hearing of the Camper- 
down victory. Sailing from Portsmouth on 6th 
November, 1797, our traveller reached his des- 
tination in 63 months. There were giants in 
those days, and he got interesting introductiong 
to and glimpses of Wellesley — the great duke 
to be — Clive, and Mr. Nordi, afterwards the 
Earl of Guildford and first English Governor of 
Ceylon. Altogether we have an elaborate and 
fairly accurate account of Ceylon by this keen 
and very industrious observer. Forty years later 
we had another work on this favoured and most 
interesting of tropical islands by our late neigh- 
bour, Mijor Forbes Leslie of Kothieuorman, 
perhaps the ablest and most important work in 
luauy lespecls >vliicU lia« yet appeared on the 
subject, tracing, as it does, in polished and 
beautiful language the history of the Sinhalese 
for well-nigh 3,0U0 years. With the help of his 
friend Mr. T urnour he interprets the Mahawanso 
— the :)rincipal historical records — while his 
^lescriptive writing is eminently accurate. Ceylon, 
indeed, has been peculiarly fortunate in her 
historians. Putting aside the monstrous fables- of 
Sir John Mandeville, the De Rougenjont of six 
centuries ago, few countries can show a more 
copious, interesting, and reliable history. Early 
in the thirties and forties a few earnest and 
capable young men went out to tins " utmost 
Indian isle " for the purpose of introducing an 
improved system of tropical husbandry, parti- 
cularly the cultivation of colfee. Amongst these 
were our Boyds, Haddens, Ty tiers, Gavins, etc., 
and more recently shoals of youths have gone out 
eager to blend tea with sport. 
Nowadays there are few in Aberdeenshire who 
have not a relative or friend in Ceylon, and not a 
grocer of the least pretensions to respectability 
who does not piide himself in supplying 
the best products of the spi'-y isle. Mr. Fergu- 
son's Directory shows what has been accom- 
plished and what is being accomplished from year 
to year, and no one interested in the island, 
however remotely, ought to be without a copy of 
this invaluable handbook. " I doubt very-nmch," 
said Lord Stanmore, " whether any colony, ex- 
cept perhaps Victoria, where they take immense 
pains with their annual returns, has anything 
approaching to it in completeness and acciiracy." 
There is literally nothing one could desire to know 
with regard to Ceylon that may not be found in 
this goodly volume of 1,600 pages ; and all who are 
interested in the antiquities or products of this 
flourishing and beautiful island would do well to 
secure a copy. 
Amongst the numerous facts and figures in this 
wonderful compilation the outstanding develop- 
ments of the past fifteen years are theorise of the 
tea enterprise and the increasing iniportance of 
the port of Colombo, tea having increased from 
l,(tOO,000 lb. to 120,000,000 lb., while the shipping 
has gradually grown to about 7,000,000 tons per 
annum. It is interesting to note that the revenue 
which 100 years ago was only £22S, 000— chiefly 
derived from pearls, cinnamon, arrack, "amblin" 
and cockfighting !— now amounts to 23,411 000 
rupees one of the principal items of which ' we 
are sorry to see, is from a tax on rice, the chief 
food of the people— a blot on the escutcheon of 
the Colonial Government which -we hope will not 
long remain. On the whole, however, the island 
is well and judiciously governed, the best" test 
being the increase of native poimlation from 
1,250,000 to over 3,000,000 during the present 
century. The acreage in cultivation has increased 
by leaps and bounds, notwithstandinj; the vicis- 
situdes encountered. Everybody knows of the 
calamity that befell coffee planters, but everybody 
does not know how the jduck of the planter 
carried him through the dark d.iys of transition 
from coffee to tea, till now Ceylon is in a better 
position than ever it was in its most palmy 
(lays. Free alike from the hurricane which 
devastates the West Indies ;ind the earth- 
quake which shatters the hopes of the Java planter 
Ceylon is an ideal tropical home, and while its 
mild, nmist climate is eminently' suited for the 
abuMdant productions of the linest flavoured teas 
i'.s pr >ximity to an inexhaustible labour supply 
and f.icilities for transport give it an advantage 
few countries can compete with. More healthy 
than Asisam, better jjovexned tUdu any {south 
