203 
La*-T Wekk's Tea Saleh.— The demend for Indifin 
ten, tnys llie Prcdvce Marl-ets' Bexuw, continues to 
improvp, and a good bii'inesB lias been transacted. 
Altbough the recent imrorts «re not r f better qunli y, 
with few exooptioup, tbau tbe previ' tu fbipnieuts, the 
deoline in values has itupcrti d more confidence to 
buyers, who now appear disposed to rejilenish their 
greatly reduced stock at the crmparatively low prices 
ruling. MoBfc of the supply brouj^ht lorwatd cai=.isted 
of tea under 101 per lb, wh'ch has been readily taken, 
but as the quantity tffered haa been suffiiiently large 
to meet the enquiry, prices hive remained steady 
throughout, A few breaks of fine tea frona the A'sam 
district, ai'hough c t of exeepfciunal quaUty, v.ere 
keenly bid tor and tttohed high prices, which indicates 
that good lea is wanted, and will meet wi'habiisk 
demai.d where attainable. 
America and the China Tkade.— A Niw York 
paper, under (behe.'.d "Mntations of the China Trtde," 
notices the failure and retir' ment from bnsini bs of 
the American firm ff Hussdi and Co., of Hong Kong. 
This event marks, it is e.iid, a dislir.ct change in the 
trade between the United States and China, The trade 
has not been ( xtinguished. It has merely changed 
hands, and bas gono from Americans ui Ei glifthmen 
andChire-p. The orce splendid sailing vtfsels which 
traded between Ntw Yorl! and Chin", h ive disappeared, 
ard many old fi ms which used to trj-.do din ctiy wiih 
Obinn have gone out; uith ihem, Tiio b inncss is sail 
Roing on, howevrr, alth< ugh indirertly. Tlie failuie of 
Messrs. Knssell and Co. remU( d simply fronj per- 
sistence in doing bnsiiie.=B upon old ujetLods. The 
writt r s.%ys nothing about llie high Protectionist ^3 stem 
of the United Stulos, which has tended to destroy 
direct trade with all ci untries producing mercbandisa 
^whith iswantfd in Am< r'c n markets, and to compel 
'American buyers to receive it indirectly, p.t additional 
co-t, through the inlerme iiatiou of merchants in other 
couniri s. 
The I'ink-Apple LsnusTRy.— There are less pro- 
fitftble irihi.-tiiHB than the oultivation of pine-apples. 
The piue-apple crop in Bahamas last year realised 
£49,795, as compurcd with £25,558 in 1889. Of can- 
ned pinc-opples there wore exported 20,789 cases, valued 
at £6,126, and in 1889 tho export was 21,653 oasesj 
with o value of £4,500 The Governor of the Babamna 
aa.' s steady progress continues to be made in fibre cni- 
tivation, with increabiug faith in its value and perma- 
nence. The importai ce of pineapple leaf fibre is fast 
developing. I'rofeisor Edison has diiected his attention 
to,the matter of decortication and be hopoa be bas found 
an effective method which avoids waste. The treatment 
is by a sohition of crude pi'troleum, and the Govern- 
ment of the Bahamas are now in c mmunioation with 
the professor. If the results meet our rr qu'reraents, 
a moat important Mid will b.wtiaiuod, which will 
hnvetho fnrther advan'.^ge ofonabli' g nn.'dl cnltivators 
to drc'89 their own 1. aves insti-ad ol beii.g compelled 
to sell thtm at a loPs t" a largo uoigbbonring planter, 
who is able to procure a machine. The process being 
enterprised by Profess r Edison embr.nci s other and 
moBt viihiable icti-rests in the oclouy. Jlr.ny thousands 
of tons of pineapple leaves nre now annually left to 
waste. The fibre 3cmmands a biLh price, trom £60 
to £80 a too, for use in fine lexiiiei The smal' quantity 
now pro.iuced comes fn.m China, whero it is roughly 
and oxptnsiveiy rr<^pnred for wu' t of a m;ichine euh;- 
eieutly d<'licatri to cx'r-iot th■^ tender libra witbouc 
injury. The rropoBe.l m' do wi uld seem to mpet this 
dihicnliy, and all i.t.;-in or fiietion is avaidcd, fu.d the 
icsult of pending enquiries U Inolred for with great 
intorr Kl^. The imrae liate effect ol sucoeasful experiment 
would be to turn h wEs'cd product; into au article of 
mucii value, addinfr m,> fi'nii' i I'.iy to tlio returns of 
pii.f'appb cultivation, a d this pv..C0B9 n.ay bo applied 
to \hi- growing crop. It is nudcrstood that tlie eamo 
pohi'io- rniy he used many tim.t-K, und, if present hopes 
are roalispd, tho potroUnini will bo admitted free of 
duly r;ow iraposrd.- //. and C. Mini, July .SLst. 
TKA JJKAJ.KKS IN COUNCJU 
Atthw annual mcctiLg of the membcrH ol the London 
Wholcsalo Tea Ltcalerb' Association, held last week, 
under the preeidenoy of Mr. Francis Peek, the subject 
of the recent Customs order about weighing tea to 
the hslf-poucd wan referred to in the report as fol- 
lows : — " All ('nltr wr.s issued by the Cuttoms authori- 
ties giving liotico that tea would be wtigbed to the 
half-pound instead of the pound, which had been the 
rule Bii ce tea waa first imported to this country. Thi? 
a'teratiou was si manifcsily unjust to buyerg, and 
would have involved euch au imnnense amount of cler- 
ical work, that yiur committee opposed the change 
by ail the means in their power, by ropre^cntfttion6 to 
tao Customs anlhoritits act the Chancellor of the Ex- 
otequ' ! ' ni] i also by convening pub'ic meetings upon 
ibe subju'l. The Customs HL length H I eivcd instruc- 
tions to rescind the order, and altbough these meet- 
!i;g8 involved much labour a&d expecfe the sncceesful 
result fully juftift'd iho course adopted." Nothing, 
^&id the cha'rn an, f bowed the abs lute importance of 
the wholesale trade holding and working together for 
their common interests more than that particular 
fight wbioli tbey had with the Chancellor of the 
Exchequer. The change would have involved aa 
immense amount of trou' 1=^ and annoyance to the 
wholesale trade, and would have retultc d in very 
considerable h sa to their customers if it had been 
curried ouk, and hod it not hcf n 'or the prompt action 
taken by the ass'^eiation there waa ni doubt it tronld 
hnve been carried. The report thai went en - — 
' C irop'aints hnve been made of the imj r. per condition 
in which pnckages of tea ate left in fome bonded ware- 
hou.-ea after ins| ecliou, and rppre entaticns have been 
made to the Committ. o ol th"^ Tea Cleariug-House, 
which it ia hoped wi'l Ktd to th j chests being more 
promptly fastened up in future, An improved metLod 
of ascertaining the average fare of teas by always se- 
leeting an odd number of packages ba^ bi ou adopted, 
wbich will lead to a more just tare being fixed, piirti- 
calarly in the case of Chiu'i teas." Ho thought they 
would have to ke< p careful watch over that matter, as 
well as upon another matter very nearly akin to it. 
There waa no doubt that a great many teas were 
imperfectly bulked, and acme of the warehouse 
keepers under pressure to get the teas forward, if 
they had not got the wholo parcel in their bonded 
warehouse, would bulk what tbey got and take the 
chance of the rest. It was a vtry serious matter 
which involved them as wholefale dealers in a very 
threat deal of trouble with their customers, and it 
was often an actual inj .slice lo them. Tlie com- 
mittee had considered that matter a good deal, but 
as yet bad not come to any definite conclusion as 
to what action to take with respect lo il; but it was 
a question wbich must bo carefully watched, and 
they thought it would be a good plan if some 
houses connected with the association would tend 
in to the secretary any complaint of the sort they 
might hftve, with the name of the bonded ware- 
boufes where it occurred. By that racana the ware- 
house where the buHciuij was bad would soon be 
brought to book. 'Jlie .secretary would be able to 
register all complai .'s he received, and then they 
would be able to say to the sinning warehouse, 
" fvook at your roooid 1 there are forty cases of bad 
bnl'iing agsiust you as ag.iinst an average of three 
or four in other warehouses." In that way he thought 
they \Tould be able to put a stop to the practice.— 
11. and 0. Mail, July 31>t. 
. ^ 
THE CEYLON TE^ FUND. 
The Gifts to the Empkroe and Dowageb Empress 
OF Geemany. 
Secretary's Offlee, No. 42, King Street, Kandy. 
August 22r,d, 1-91. 
Tlic Editor, Ceylon Observer, 
F'th,— I am r' quested by the Standing C mn it^ro 
ot li.e " Tea Fund " lo tron mit to you for -, uh- 
liciitiun letter fiom the Secretary t'f Ptatefor F-..r(!er. 
.Ml'.irF, Berlin on the subject if (ho preeer.ts (f 
Cl^jIoii' Tea sent to His Ivliij^jtty the Emp )..T. nnd 
Her Majesty the Dowager Eropn.sa Frcduitk, 
together with the authorized translation iben of — 
I am sir, ycurs faithfully, A. PHILIP, 
