THG TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Juw i, 1891. 
ELEPHANT LEATHEE. 1 
" The tannipg of elephant hides," says the Boston 1 
Journal of Commerce, "is comparatively a new indus- 
try. The method employed is practically the same 
Bs in the tanning of cow bide, except that a stronger 
combination of the tannic ingredients is required, and 
greater length of time, about six months, is necessary 
to perform the work. When the hide is taken ont 
of the vat it is IJ inches thick. Articles made of ele- 
phant hides are expensive luxuriew. A small pocket- 
book of elephant's leather, without any silver or gold 
ornamentation, costs about 1840. A small satchel made 
of the same leather cofts trom to $400. Cigar 
case", card cases and i-imilar articles vary from §25 
to SIOO. Floor rngs are also made out of the leather. 
In tinisbing the hide no attempt is made to glaze or 
polish it. Everything is done to pref.erve its natural 
color and appearance. It is a very enduring leather, 
several year's wear having but little effect on it." — 
Bradstrcet s April 25tb. 
THE BATTALGALLA ESTATE COMPANY. 
CAPITAL £15,000, IN 1,500 SHARES OF £10EACH. 
REPOHT to the SHATiEHOLDEHS OF THE BaTTALGAI.LA 
Estate Company Ltd. 
Ladies and Gentlemen, — 1. In preaenting this our 
first report to the shareholders, the Directora have much 
pleasure in expreising their belief that the expecta- 
tions entertained at the formation of the Company are 
likely to be fully realized. The Company took poss- 
ession of the Battalgalla estate on the 1st of January, 
1890, and during June acquired the adjoining estate 
of Hadley (228 acres) at a cost of £4,552 lOs Od, the 
purchase money being provided by a further issue of 
shares to tho extent of £4,000. 
2. The produce sold in London during the working 
year amounted to 120,8.'54 ib. of tea, realizing nett 
£4,749 Is 7d, or an average of 10-70d (say lOJd) per ib. 
on London weights, and 11,251 lb. cinchona bark, realiz- 
ing nett £106 S". 5d. A certain quantity of green leaf 
from Hadley has al«o been sold in Ceylon and the pro- 
ceeds have gone towards the upkeep of the estate. 
3. Some quantity of coffee, say about, 90 to 80 cwts, 
now afloat, from both estates will go into the now 
year's working acoounts. 
4. The factory, now completed and fitted with the 
latest improved machinery, is fully capable of dealing 
with the proudee of both estates, and the Company will 
also manufacture a certBin quantity of tea for ceghbour- 
ing estates on terms leaving a fair profit ; some con- 
tracts have already been entered into. 
5. The total cost of the factory, which is one of the 
finest in Ceylon, will he about R28,000, exclusive of 
about £525 for machinery. Of these amounts only 
£1,752 Ss Od appear as yet in the accou;its. Tho 
halance still due to the contractors is now being 
gradually liquidated. This delay in payment is a 
considerable saving to the Company on account of 
the lower exchange now luliiig. 
6. "With this factory the heavy outlay for caving 
the Company's tea manufactured outside, which 
amounted during 1890 to no less than K13, 349-70, is 
avoided for the future. 
7. A considerable increase in the outturn of tea 
may be expected in the current year, as bo> h estates 
have now been put into excellent order by supplying 
vacancies where necessary, draining and manuring. 
The expense of this, it may be noted, has boen borne 
by revenue, and less will be required for this purpose 
during the current year. 
8. The Directors are pleased to express their full 
appreciation of the valuable services rendered them 
by the Manager in Ceylon, Mr. E. G. Harditsg, to 
whoso zeal and ability as an experienced planter tho 
BUCcefeB of (he Company is mainly due. 
9. After traiiHlerrinj,^ to the credit of prcflh and loss 
accounts the profit shown in tho estate working account 
of £1,205, providing for interest on debentures, and for 
the entire preliminary expenses connected with tho 
formation of the Company, there remains at credit a sum 
of £910. The Directors propose to pay a dividend at the 
rate oi 5 pf-r cnnt per annum, frre of income tax, ab- 
sorbing £575, anil to carry forward £341. 
E. H, Hancock, 0. A. Reiss, A. Zimmeru, Directors, 
A. B. Tomkins, Secretart/. 
51, Lime Street, London, E. 0., 13th April, 1891. 
THE CEYLON TEA PLANTATION COilPANY. 
Annual General Meeting, 
(Concluded from page 3//.) 
Mr. Shand said he should like » little more in- 
formation about the affairs of the company than that 
contained in the report. The report of the Ceylon 
Plantations Company was looked for, not only by the 
shareholders but by all interested in tea-planting in 
Oejlon, with almost the same amount of interest as 
the Budget was by the Britith taxpayer. (Laughter.) 
It was, therefore, of very great importance that it 
fhould contain as much information as possible. 
The report of two years ago contained abstracta 
of what each estate was doing, and when he saw 
that statement ho felt a very keen loogmg to be a 
shareholder of tho company. Islow they were in igno- 
rance of what the expenditure in Oeylon amounted 
to. The company had spent a great deal of money 
in purchasing estates recently, but he thought the 
main point ol the board should be, not only to ex- 
tend tt56 company's property, but to improve the 
position of the original shareholders. He took it that 
the directors were very satisfied with the purchases 
they had made, and he thought it would be an ad- 
vantage if the particuUra cf those purchases were 
conveyed to the shareholders. 
Mr. Seaton thought it would give greater confi- 
dence to the shareholders to be supplied with fuller 
details of their estates as af ked for -by Mr. Shand. 
Ho certainly considered that the directors should give 
them a list of their estates and the cost at which tea 
c uld be made on those estates per pound down to a 
decimal fraction, which was done by other tea com- 
panies. 
The Ohaihman, in reply, said that the position of 
the company, now and when they first started, was 
very different. When the, compary started it was 
perfectly true that, in ci !er to enlighten the public 
and advance the credit of Ceylon they had given 
fuller details in their report, but a great deal had 
been done in four years. The Ceylon tea industry 
was now in a different position, and was an established 
undert.'king. He believed a profit of something like 
£500,000 was made out of tea by the growers. Even 
assuming that the influence of the company was so 
great as represented by Mr. Shand, he did not think 
they were called upon to give all the details now that 
they did in the early history of the company. They, 
however, had nothing to conceal, and he believed an 
examination of thoir accovints would confirm even 
more strongly than the report showed on the face of 
it their sound (jnancial position. He did not think it 
was desirable to weary them with a mass of details, but 
to give them the basis on which their profit re^ted. 
ThKt bethought, was better than giving them elaborate 
details of the cultivation and cost of the estates. 
Mr, D. Reid (a director) pointed out that it seemed 
to him very unusual to give a full detailed account of 
their business to the shareholders at a public meeting, 
but if any shareholder eall( d at tho oflBce he wou'd be 
able to obtain all the information he required. 
Mr. Paine doubted whether he would be in the in- 
terest ot the company to publi.sh the details asktd for. 
■ The Chairman promised to consider the question 
when drawing up the next report. 
The motion was then put and carried unanimously. 
Tlis Chairman proposed the re-election of Mr. David 
Reid as a director of the company, which was seconded 
by Mr. Rutherford and carried. 
On the motion of Blr. Paine it was resolved that the 
remuneration of the din ctors for the current year 
should be at the rate of £600 per annum, 
