July 1, 1901. J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
37 
and your correspondent followed, holding on 
to the lining of the perpendicular wall 
with a coir rope stopped at intervals 
between the steps. It was quite an 
undertaking to climb down, but what 
about getting up again ! I am glad the 
correspondent of the local "Times" was 
wrong in his statement that the shaft was 
two hundred feet deep. It was really only 
about flity, but on reaching the bottom we 
had to creep along a serpentine tunnel 
for about one hundied feet, passing small 
galleries to the right and left, until we arrived 
at another shaft of fifty feet with two feet 
of water at the bottom of this pit. W. 
jumped into the bucket and the men lowered 
him down to the water up to his knees. One 
Sinhalese was working in the side gallery, 
using a jumper, and the vein or seam of plum- 
bago, about four inches wide, was embedded in 
granite rock, requiring to be blasted out, when 
the plumbago would be reduced to chips and 
dust and require washing and picking over 
before being ready for despatch. My 
friend was well pleased with his adventure 
into the bottom of a plumbago mine and 
obtained a sample from the vein or seam, 
My sample of plumbago came from the heap ; 
however, my sample is still firm and in one 
block, whereas my companion's lump went 
to bits in his coat pocket. 
Now for the 
TUG OF war: 
climbing up the shaft into the open air again, 
we found youth won the prize and 
your correspondent made a bad third in the 
race; but being an old sailor, he would not be 
beaten and, though much out of bi'eath, 
climbed the side of the shaft to the pit's 
mouth, puffing and blowing like a grampus. 
We were glad it was over and much plensed 
with the civility of the miners and the young 
Sinhalese guide sent with us by the clerk of 
Mr. Peris, the proprietor of the mine. 
The clerk informed me that the mine had 
paid the three proprietors very well ; that 
they employed 200 Sinhalese, and that 
the output was from 40 to 50 tons, 
monthly, valued, at one time, at seven- 
hundred rupees per ton. We understood 
him to tell us that the Tumbage plumbago 
mine had made as much as £100,000 (one- 
hundred thousand pounds) and, when we re- 
marked that it was better than tea growing, 
he, the clerk, laughed long and loud and 
thought it a splendid joke. Since our conver- 
sation, some planters tell me that plumbago 
reached as high a figure as fifteen hundred 
rupees* a ton. The working expenses 
would be heavy as the work is very 
hard and disagreeable ; skilled men 
are paid 1| and 2 rupees a day and the 
foremen four and five, rupees daily. We 
found men washing the plumbago and spread- 
ing it out to dry. Then it is removed to a 
shed where a number of boys and girls are 
employed picking it over and sorting it 
into three qualities. We were agreeably 
surprised to find the Sinhalese plumbago 
miners willing and obliging and not the scum 
of the population as often mentionea. 
Our visit will, however, last us a long 
time for it requires " an effort " on the part 
of the visitor to understand the modus oper- 
andi, and he requires to be in "good form;" 
Many pits have been closed down through the 
fall m prices last year, yet as much as 
7,981 tons were said to have been quarried 
in 1900 in the Kegalle district. There is 
another plumbago mine at the top of Glkx- 
ALLA Estate, which is at present closed. 
It is called Knavesmire mine on Knaves- 
MiEE Tea Estate, also in the Kegalle dis- 
trict. 
Our horses were very restive, waiting 
on the cart-road, and we had difficulty in 
holding them in returning to Glenalla bun- 
galow to a late breakfast ; however, it was 
part and parcel of the morning's adven- 
tures and a good shake up, though un- 
pleasant at the time, mav be beneficial 
afterwards. Anyhow, we had a good appe- 
tite for breakfast and did justice to a good 
curry. 
The monsoon really seemed to have ar- 
rived on the afternoon of the 27th, and the 
wind and rain rushed through rwo gaps 
at once, making a great niaise— yet this 
morning was as fine as the day be- 
fore, and we .enjoyed the ride back lo Havil- 
LAND, the pony ridden being the third 
animal on chis trip kindly lent to me by 
the planters on this side in Kegalle, Kelan'i 
Valley, and West Dolosbage. We must ex- 
plore DooLGALLA next journey. 
H. COTTAM. 
PEARLS AND PEARL SHELLS FROM 
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 
The following is a li.stof tiie principal Westralian 
exports for the last three years : — 
Article^. 1898. 1899. 
£ 
20000 
7S7S4 
318li> 
£ 
20000 
90647 
29719 
1900. 
£ 
2OO0O 
86513 
39038 
*PearIs 
Pearlshell 
Sandalwood . 
* Estimated. 
Pearl Shell (decrea.se, ^4, 13 1).— This industry, 
as far as quantity of shell raised is concerned 
has practically kept up to the excellent record 
of the previous year; but the value seeni.s to 
have suffered a slight reduction. From returns 
published every year by this department, I have 
tabulated some figures which cover a period of 
eight years, and shed considerable light upon the 
state of the industry. These I now submit for 
your iufomatioD, as follows :— 1893, 523 tons • 
1894, 441 tons ; 1895, 350 tons ; 1896 361 (ons- 
1897, 366 tons ; 1898, 619 tons ; 1899, 783 tons •' 
1900, 737 tons.— Perth Herald, May 15. ' ' 
Rubber in Perak — The following para- 
graph appears in Mr. Derry's Report : - 
Ceiitral America Rubber "CastilJoa elastica."— Abont 
150 seedliug3 of " castilloa " from Ceylon seed.s have 
been raised. It appears doubtliil, however, whetner 
the Ceylon trees are "CastiUoa elastica" (true) or only 
an inferior variety, •'Castilloa Markhamiaua," the 
results Ceylon trees being far below South Africa. 
Mr. Derry must be referring to trees in our 
Botanic Gardens ; for nothing can be better 
surely than the Wiharagama tapping of 10-12 
year old trees, 9 months tapping giving 2 lb, 
of rubber worth 3s 6d per lb. 
