768 
THE TEOl'ICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 2, 190^. 
Committee laid down. A scheme for a 
Zoological Gardens Limited Company with a 
capital of R200,000, was ultimately submitted 
for the approval of Government, the main 
points of the proposal beiug that the neces- 
sary land should be leased to the Company 
on a nominal rental and that Government 
should subsidise the Company to the extent 
of Rr2,000 per annum. After prolonged 
consideration of the details by Government, 
t was agreed that an interview between the 
Lieutenant Governor, the Director of the 
Museum and Mr. Julius that the following 
terms appeared to offer a fair solution of 
the problem :— 
(a) The land (20 acres in extent) to be leased to 
the Company for 75 years with power of renewal. 
The original term, together with the term of 
renewal, not to exceed 99 years. 
(b) The rent to be K50 a year. 
(c) A clause to be inserted in the lease pro- 
viding that if the Company goes into liquidation 
the land will revert to the Crown and that the land 
will not be liable to be sold for the benefit; of the 
creditors. 
(d) Five of the nine members of the Board of 
Directors to be nominated by Government. 
(e) For the first two or three years a Governs 
nient subsidy of R12,000 a year be paid in full 
provided that a capital of not less than R50,000 is 
first raised and that after the third year the 
Government subsidy be paid only iu proportion to 
the actual capital subscribed (the nominal capital 
to be RIOO.OOO.) 
^I^His Excellency the Governor was prepared 
to approve generally of these terms, but it 
was recognised that before pledging Govern- 
ment assistance of this substantial nature, 
it was imperative that there should be some 
guarantee that the undertaking possessed the 
elements of stability. 
His Excellency, therefore, desired to be 
furnished with an estimate of the initial 
cost and cost of working the scheme and of 
the probable revenue anticipated from gate 
money, etc. Satisfactory estimates have, 
however, His Excellency regrets to learn, 
not been forthcoming. The promoters of the 
scheme point out that thegate money will be 
supplemented by the sale of animals born in 
the gardens ; but they do not appear able to 
form even an approximate estimate of the 
total receipts. The necessary staff is ex- 
pected to cost R7,560 per annum, but no 
estimate has been received of the other 
expenses of maintenance including the 
feeding of the animals. The initial expendi- 
ture necessary to start the undertaking is 
roughly calculated at R54,600, but it appears 
that this sum does not include the cost of 
an approach road from BuUer's Road— which 
Government are asked to construct— and the 
cost of providing the necessary water-supply. 
His Excellency also regrets to find that 
' the promoters of the scheme are apparently 
unable to give a closer estimate of the amount 
of capital which the public are expected to 
subscribe than that it may be R50,000 and 
even this is said to be largely dependent on 
the Government being willing, at any rate 
for the first few years, to contribute R12,000 
per annum irrespective of what the public 
may contribute above R50,0U0. 
His Excellency agrees with the Executive 
Council that the above very indefinite esti- 
mates cannot be accepted as affording 
reasonable grounds for anticipating the 
financial success of the venture and he does 
not feel justified in committing the Govern- 
ment to support a scheme which, according 
to his present information, runs no inconsi- 
derable risk of being foredoomed to failure 
through insufficient capital. 
In conclusion His Excellency desires me to 
say that if the financial stability of the 
scheme can be more reasonably assured, he 
will be pleased to reconsider the matter ; 
but I am to add for your information that 
a protest has recently been received from the 
owners of residential property in the neigh» 
bourhood of the projected gardens, and in 
any further deliberations on the proposal 
due weight will have to he given to their 
representation. 
A copy of this letter will be communicated 
to the press. — I am. Gentlemen, your obe- 
dient sei'vant, 
[No signature.— Ed., T.A.'i 
for Colonial Secretary 
THE DISCOVERT OF PURE INDIGO. 
ACHIEVEMENT OF MR. W. P. BLOXAM. 
Amongst the recent arrivals from Calcutta 
on his way back to England is Professor 
W. P. Bloxam, research chemist to the 
Dulsing Serai Indigo Research Station (Bengal 
Government), which was established years 
ago to assist Indigo planters, It is at 
this Institute that Mr. Hugh Martin Leake, 
son of the Secretary of the Ceylon Association, 
who is referred to elsewhere, was biologist 
— working under Professor Bloxam, who was 
recommended to the Secretary of State for 
the appointment of chemist in chief by Sir 
William Ramsay. The departure of Messrs. 
W. P. Bloxam and H. M. Leake sees the 
termination of the Institute for the time 
being, since, though an attempt has been 
made to secure the services of Mr. Rawson, 
the former's predecessor, to come back to 
the Institute, it is understood that this 
has not been successful : for when Mr. 
Rawson left India, it was with a general 
declaration that Chemistry could do nothing 
further for indigo. In the person of Mr. 
Bloxam, however, who was sent out to 
India as the best man available as a 
Research Chemist. 
AN INDIGO STANDARD OP PURITT. 
After serving as a Professor of Chemistry 
in Madras, he took up the special work 
of studying indigo, analysing it and estab- 
lishing a standard of purity at the 
various stages of its manufacture which 
had never so far been fixed, science has— we 
are glad to learn— done for indigo, what 
indigo planters have so long desired it should. 
Mr. Bloxam has been hampered in his work 
by planters' desire — too often unscientific— 
that side issues should be studied, e g. the 
manuring of indigo : 150 experimental plots 
were started, though Mr. Bloxam was 
of opinion that the constituents of indigo 
should h'-i studied first and a standard estab- 
lished, so as to know what was to be aimed 
at in dealing with growth and manufacture, 
