MANA-GRASS EXPERIMENTS AND THE 
COMPLAINTS REGAl;.DING CEYLON 
TEA CHEATS. 
London, Oct. 30. 
We have heard nothing very recently about what is 
to be done respecting the mana-grass tea chests. We 
presume that those concerned are yet avraiti'ig tbe 
result to their reference to (Jeylon. Bui. Mr. 
Kogivue, in his letter asks very particularly as to the 
ohanoes of hia being supplied with suoh tea chests. 
He writes that those wooden ones in which he 
receives his consignmonts of Ceylon tea are very 
bad, and that they do not bear the long railway 
journeyB. In his opinion " it would be a great 
thing if they could be replaced by better ones." He 
would evidently be well pleased if he could receive 
his tea in stronger and more durable chests. We 
can readily understand that this would be so, for 
the distanoes to be travelled by railway in Russia 
are so enormous that the weak boxes which are 
now received from Coyloa canoot be well calcu- 
lated to stand tbe shaking and rough handling they 
are certain to receive, it might be as well, should 
your estate superintendents know that they are 
packing teas to be forwarded to Mr. Rogivue 
if they would give a little extra strength to 
the boxes. Mr. Elwood May, we kijow, makes 
similar complaints as to your tea chests, 
and that he intends repacking all the tea he dis- 
tributes throughout the States in highly finished 
boxes of local manufacture. These complaints 
are not only well' founded, but they should act as 
a stimulus and encouragemont to these who are 
now working the Stanley-Wrightson Syndicate in 
conjunction with the mana-grass experiments. 
I forgot, when quoting Mr, Rogivue's latter, to 
tell you that the principal points of encourage- 
ment mentioned in it have been communicated to 
Messrs. Travers & Sons of 119 Cannon Street, and 
that that firm propose to give them publicity in the 
Produce Markets Review. A letter from the firm 
Bbown to mo evidences that they think it question- 
able if China tea can be further displaced here to 
admit of a profitable market being found in Great 
Britain for the large, annually-increasing produc- 
tion of Indian and Ceylon tea, and that they are 
therefore fully alive to the necessity that exists for 
yon to open up new markets abroad. — London Cor. 
CHOPS IN SOUTH INDIA. 
SEASON telegram: to the GOVEENMENT of INDIA, EE- 
VENHE AND AGBICDLTURAL DEPAETMBNT, CALCUTTA. 
Week coding 7Lh November. Rainfall continued 
heavy io Madura and Tinuevelly ; fair and moderate iu 
all otter southern and western districts, northern parts 
Gaujdm and at three stations iu Vizagapatam ; else- 
where in five northern coast districts and in Caddapah, 
Karnool and Bellary little or none. Auantapur light 
rain tolerably general. Yf eather on 8th, Bellary, pro- 
mising, tiome improvement Ganjam and Auantapur, 
but more ram urgently required there and in uplands 
of KIstua, Nelloro, Karnool, BuUary Cuddapah, where 
crops withering and oallivatiou greatly retarded. Pas- 
ture ftod water-supply improving lu all eoutheru dis- 
triotn, but dry fodder soarcc. In Bollary, Auantapur 
and Kurnool pasture and fodders scarce and cattle 
suffering, but no general want of water. Previous 
high prices ooniiuug genorally, though fallen slight in 
Chiuglepiit, South Arcot, Taujoro, Trichinopoly, Tiuue- 
vflly and on West Oouat and risen slightly Madura 
Cuddapah, Vizagnpiitiiin, G.viijivni ; sharp ri.se Kuruool, 
Bellary and Auauiapur. Works— numbers employed 
— Uliingleput 0,ti2G, Wanlivvublj Ula, I'olur 1,0'Jl, 
Kalahaati 2,771*, Gadilapab 501, Ooimbatoro 1,233 and 
Salem 3,85-J, total 10,0 ^'S, agaiust 22,303 last week, 
6o 
K L cus— numbers fed— Obingleput, 1,443, including 
831 .;i.iklieij; Waudiwash 6-55, including 383 thildrpn • 
olu 13 '. including 100 childrtn ; Kal«hasti 1,51'.)' 
including 1,120 children ; CoiiiibntorQ 856 and Salem 
24, including 116 children ; total 4,869 ; decrease from 
In -5 week 673. Lrans disbursed from commencement 
of distress— Chiugleput Pv3,70,146, Wandiwash and 
Polur 1,52,069, Ouddapah, Nellore, Coimbatore, Tinne- 
velly, .South Arcot .iiid Salem 1,81,045. Wells con- 
structed— Ohingleput 1,409, Wandiwash and Polur 209, 
and six other districts 216. Wells under oonstractioa 
— Chiuglcput 2 465, Wandiwash and Polur 1,257, and, 
six other districts 998. 
SOUTH AFRICAN DIAMOND MINING. 
The production of the diamond mines of Griqua- 
land West, South Africa, baa been steadily declining 
during the past three years. This does not, however, 
appear to be due to any falling off ia the supply of 
the precious stones, but rather to the measures 
taken for the restriction of production by the larger 
companies which h^ve recently absorbed many of 
the smaller undertakings. The great object of the 
consolidation of a unmber of small companies and 
subsequent restriction of output was to increase the 
price of diamonds, and it seems from tbe statistics 
of diamond mining in South Africa that this step has 
been so far successfnl. The amount and value of the 
output of these mines iu 1890 has not yet [been 
ofHcially returned. For the throe years preceding the 
statistics are as follows: — 
O CD t- 
00 ^ 00 
"3 in O -1 
^ CO O Ol 
i-i CO 
00 05 ^ « 
CC ^ CO — < 
-X) -Xi 
CX) -1i j:^ O 
— • O lO OD CI — 
05 CO CO O 
O O ^ 00 GC 
00 ^ O CO O 
CO CJS 
CO O --D IO CO 
CO O »o O 
59 oo CO CD 
O OO CD O 
'^i.OO^Ol tr- 
o cvfc-Tci c^T 
cvi CO r-H cs 
^ X' CO CD lO 
CO 31 c* CO 
CO O «3 W CO 
io CO CO 
CD M eS '5 CJJ 
a a „ 
DCP-, 
02 g » U 
cu'SCn 
.2£-s a 
S « =rt S 
.rt g Q) n 
The Kimbtrley mine, which is now practically iu 
the hands of the Central Diamond Mining Company, 
had been upcned in 1877 to a depth of 740 ft.; in 
1888 it was sunk to 825 ft., and in 1889 to 845 ft. ; no 
further depth ia reported iu 1890. In 1887 the De 
Beers mine wag down 700 ft., and iu 1888 805 ft. A 
groat duvfclopraeut uf thu uiidoi-ground systoni took 
place iu 1889. This mine is owned by tbo Dd Beers 
GouBulide,tLd Mints (Jompany, which in 1889 also secured 
control of the BultConteiu property, which had attained 
a depth of 460 ft, at tlie close of 18?>7, aud 620 ft, 
