256 
[October i, 1891. 
THE AMERICAN CEYLON TEA COMPANY. 
The letter from Mr. Elwood May to Mr, Leake 
of which our London corresponrlent has sent us 
an abstract contained intelligence which will 
doubtless be welcomed by every member of our 
planting community. For it will be generally 
acknowledged, we believe, that our present pro- 
duction of tea promises to necessitate the opening 
out of fresh markets as rapidly as may be possible. 
The low rates now obtainable for it in Mincing 
Lane seem to evidence that at the present time 
the supply ia at least fully rqual to the demand 
for home oonsumption ; and there sefims to be no 
guarantee that, with fresh fields coming into 
bearing, we may not shortly pass beyond it. 
Sir Arthur Birch, who is prominently associated 
with our tea planting industry, ia reported aa 
having said that this need for new markets is 
becoming an urgent one; and we are disposed to 
think that there can be found few who are likely 
to disagree with that viesv of our former Colonial 
Secretary. Reliance has for some time past 
been placed upon America's furniBhiog us with 
this new opening for our tea ; and the intelli- 
gence we h ave now received Ee.;ms to promise 
that tha reliance is not likely to prove un- 
founded. Ever since Mr. Grinlinton paid his 
visit to the States and opened out negotiations 
with Mr. May, and more especially sinc3 the latter 
gentleman visited England and placed himsalf in 
communication with the Ceylon Association in 
London, we have expected that we shoul i soon 
hear of some great step in advance being achieved. 
This expectation seems to be now in a fair way 
towards realization. Not only as newspaper pro- 
prietors ourselves, but as part of the general 
public experienced in such matters, we have ac- 
knowledged how greatly success in the introduction 
of a new article of trade must be dependent upon 
liberal advertising. In a country like America 
this ia even more than elsewhere a fact that 
cannot be gainsaid ; and Mr. May seems to have 
been more than commonly fortunate in securing a, 
contract which will enable this advertising to be 
done without necessitating any financial outlay 
either by the planters of Oeylon or by those who 
are so energetically exerting themselves on their 
behalf in America. 
The imprimatur sought by Mr. May from our 
Planters' Association and from our representative 
body in London seems to have been productive of 
the happiest effect, and the result obtained his more 
than justified Mr, May's contention that the secur- 
ing of that imprimatur for his company would enable 
him to " go ahead," as the Yankees say, v/ith 
rapid strides. As we understand what our London 
correspondent has communicated to ua of what 
Mr. May had written, the compliance with the 
requests he made that his Company should receive 
official acknowledgment has enable i him to secarH 
the co-operation of men of very high social and 
financial standing in New York. The names o£ 
these parties, although given by Mr. May, have 
been withheld from us until it is known if that 
gentleman consented to their publication. But the 
main thing reported is that the proprietor of 
several very infiaential American papers and peri- 
odicals has consented to enter into a contract to 
do 50,000 dollars' worth of advertising o£ the 
American Oeylon Tea Company, he to receive pay- 
ment in the stock of that Company. Now 50,000 
dolla'S— or, roundly speaking, £10,000 sterling— of 
expenditure on advertising cannot fail to do much 
to advance the interests of the Amorioau Associa- 
tion dealing with pure Oeylon tea, and were this 
ftdvantoge the limit of good things promised, we 
should have much to congratulate ourselves upon. 
But this is not the limit which we ma y 
hope to see reached. The newspaper proprietor 
referred to has secured the privilage Cf ex. 
tending the operation, should be see fit 
to do go, to the extent of 200,000 dollars 
or £40,000. Indeed, he has expressed himself as 
most desirous to extend his promise to that ex- 
tent, but declines to bind himself to it in the 
fear lest, should he die bef ore he could carry it 
out, be would be subjecting his heirs to a very 
large liability with which he d oes not think it fair 
to charge them This, we can all see, is a 
perfectly good reason why he should decline to 
bind himself to the larger operation. It is, how 
ever, perfectly understood that, if his life be spared- 
Oeylon tei will ba advertised throughout the 
United States to this amount oE £10,1)00, without 
imposing the least charge upon our representative 
coLopmy in America. We need hardly point out 
— nor could we exaggerate— the advantages likely 
thm to be seour. d, No wonder that Mr. May has 
written jubilantly on the prospect before him, or 
that he expects in consequence soon to seek the 
execution of large orders for our tea and so open 
up fully that new market which the circum- 
stances of the time render us so desirous of 
securing. If, further, Sir Arthur Birch and Sir 
William Gregory may be willing to afford to Mr. 
Miythe cegis of their namss, the latter regards 
his position and prospects as being most fully 
a,ssured. We trust that both Sir William and 
Sir Arthur, in view of the interest taken by them 
in Ceylon, will be willing to grant the conoessioa 
sought of them by Mr. May. 
MR. MAY AND THE CHICAGO EXHIBITIOxV ; 
ADVERTISING OF CEYLON TEA IN AM- 
ERICA; SIR ARTHUR BIRCH AND 
NEW MARKETS FOR CEYLON TEA; •« 
ADULTERATION OP COFFEE. 
London, Aug. 21. 
A letter received duriug the present week by 
Mr, Laake from Mr. Klwooa May contains informa- 
tion of a kind which we feel will be very wcl ■ome 
to you all. This letter is a private one, so it is 
not permissible for me to give you its text in full ; 
nor, uutil Mr. May's oonsaot ba obtiined, to quote 
the names of tha several parties to whose coajuint 
action wtth himself ho refers. This letter opeoa 
with the statement that he had wired to Caylon 
"Rutherford's proposals aocapted." This of course 
refers to those based upon thj application made 
by Mr. May for aid wuh regard to the Chicago 
Exhibition. At last we pretume here that it does 
so. The letter, which is dat-ed from New' York on 
the 7th August, then goes on to say that the 
recognition of his enterprise by the Ceyion Planters' 
Association and that of tha Csylon Association in 
London had enabled him to obtain promises of 
active support by several gentleman of high social 
and fiaancial standing in New York. But beyond 
this Mr, May reports that he has been enabled to 
ooncluda a most favourable contract for advertis- 
ing his comp.-iny with a gentleman who is the pro- 
prietor of several important newspapers and 
periodicals. 
This contract binds the contractor to advertise 
the c impioy to the value of 50,000 dollars, stock of 
the Company to te accepted as payment. Thatia 
as far as the contract ex ends oa the si 'e of the 
contractor. But further than this, and on the side 
of the company, it is conceded that, shou d the 
coutrnctor see fit to do so, he can at his option 
extend the terms of the contract to 200,000 dollars, 
accepting stock of the Oompaay to that amouat 
