June 1, 1904.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 857 
THE CEYLON ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
THE REPLY TO GOVERNMENT. 
We are requested to publish the following 
letter to Government on the subject of the 
proposed Zoological Gardens for Colombo, 
and to give the same publicity to it that was 
given to the communication from Govern- 
ment dated 12th April :— 
Colombo, May 12. 
The Hon. the Colonial Secretary. 
Sir,— In reply to your letter of r2th April 
on the subject of a proposed Zoolos;ical Garden 
for Colombo, we would olFer the following re- 
marks : — 
2. The scheme proposed by Dr. Willey was 
that the Zoological Garden should be run entirely 
by Government as a Society, the alternative being 
a public Company, and His Excellency the Gov- 
ernor expressed his preference for a Company, and 
asked for a draft prospectus to be furnished. It 
was not projected as a money-making concern, 
but in the interests of science and for the instruc- 
tion and entertainment of the public. 
3. An estimate of expenditure was asked tor, 
and one was given on the supposition that KoO.OOO 
was the amount of money to be expended. It is 
palpably impossible to give a detailed estimate of 
receipts and expenditure until the amount of 
subscribed capital is ascertained, and that cannot 
be ascertained or a prospectus issued until the 
amount of Government subsidy is fixed. 
4. Without a subsidy from Government a 
Zoological Garden run by a public Company would 
not be a financial success. We do not know of 
any Zoological Garden in England or its Colonies 
carried on without Government aid, and we may 
mention that the Government subsidy to the 
Calcutta Zoological Garden is K20,000 per annum. 
5. An estimate of the cost of feeding the 
animals has not been given because it is naturally 
impossible to give this, unless it is known what the 
stock of animals will be ; and this, of course, de- 
pends on the money available for purchase of 
animals. On the other hand, no estimate is given 
of the gate money to be received, as this will 
largely depend on the attractions offered. 
6. The cost of feeding animals in the Calcutta 
Zoo for the year 1899-1900 was Kll,765, and the 
gate receipts were Rll,927 ; and there is no reason 
to doubt that, with the large number of passengers 
passing through Colombo, with few local objects 
to attract them, the receipts for entrance to the 
Colombo Zoo should equal those of Calcutta. 
7. With reference to para. 15 in your letter, 
residential property in the neighbourhood of such 
Gardens would be more likely to appreciate than 
otherwise, and the only recent erections that we 
are aware of on land in the vicinity are plumbago 
sheds. 
8. The letter under reply seems fatal to the 
scheme proposed, and any further initiative with 
a view to the establishment of Zoological Gardens 
must be started by Government. If any reason- 
able scheme is set out, there are men at present in 
the community who would be willing to give 
money, time and knowledge for the furtherance of 
such an object without any desire for a financial 
return for themselves. — We are, Sir, your obedient 
servants, 
(Signed). V A JULIUS, W HENRY FIGG, 
W W MITCHELL, JOHN HAGENBECK, 
THE KHEDIVE'S PEKIDOTES. 
A RUMOURED CEYLON STONE. 
A brave attempt has been made to revive the 
lustre of the peridote. The Crusaders knew the 
precious stone well, and in the reign of Edward I. 
even, there is mention of it in the Royal Ward- 
robe Book among the jewels escheated from the 
Bishop of Bath and Wells. "Unas annulus cum 
pereditis" runs the note. It was known to the 
ancients as "topazion" and as a mineral product 
of Egypt. The royal mines of the Khedive, in 
fact, turn out the finest specimens of the stone, 
although it can be found at Talisker in Skye, at 
Haalival in Rum, at Unkel on the Rhine, near 
Vesuvius, in Ceylon, in Peru, and in Brazil, The 
lapidary prefers, however, the Ecyptian or Esneh 
stone. In colour it is pistachio or leek- green ; 
never the emerald green. To the Goldsmiths' 
and Silversmiths' Company in Regent-street has 
been the given opportunity of reviving an interest 
in the gem, The Khedive has lately granted a 
concession to this company and yesterday the 
first fruits were on view, The stone has been made 
the dominant note of many ingenious settings. 
Pendants, bracelets, brooches, ear rings, and neck- 
laces of beautifvJ craftsmanship have been used to 
set off the delicately-transparent green of the 
peridote. As mineralogists inform us, the stone's 
one drawback is its native softness, its hardness 
being estimated at only 6 '5, or a little above that 
of glass. In consequence, the greatest care has to 
be exercised in the polishing. The final touch is 
given on a copper wheel moistened with sulphuric 
acid. The sheen of the polished surface is sur- 
prising, and it is not a matter for wonder that the 
stone has many admirers, including it is stated. 
His Majesty King Edward VII. Natitrally the 
intrinsic value of the stone is much below that of 
the emerald, and although the Goldsmiths' and 
Silversmiths' Company have secured the Egyptian 
monopoly, they do not purpose increasing the 
price in the usual manner of monopolists, 
A charming brilliant cluster necklace, with a 
peridote pendant in a circlet of pearls especially 
appealed to the eye,—Daili/ Teleqraph, 
Thorium in Ceylon.— W^e are indebted to 
the Government Mineralogist for an inter- 
esting statement on page 853 upon the dis- 
covery he recently made in Balangoda district. 
The letter of Sir William Ramsay, which 
we have already published to which he 
alludes, is of additional interest, showing 
that the great University CcUege chemist 
had had as much as 3 cwt of the ore 
from Mr. W, D. Holland here, and had already 
made some considerable study of the mineral. 
Mr. Coomaraswamy does not go so far yet 
as to pronounce on the commercial valire of 
the discovery ; though he does x'ecord the 
obvious fact that scientifically it ranks very 
high in interest. We much look forward to 
any further home reports on the subject. 
Our Government Mineralogist, were he to 
make no other discovery, has earned lasting 
kudos for the present one. His reference to 
the indication of new elements was, it will 
be noted, written besSfe the announce- 
ment in our Thursday's issue that Professor 
Charles Baskerville of New York had found 
out that the mineral thorium dissolved into 
two new elements, both illuminativu— namely, 
Carolinium and jBaizeliou. 
