434 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[December i, 1891. 
at the close of 1888. The St, AufjuBtiuo miue has 
been worked to comparatively small extent. At the 
close of 1888 the main ehaft had been carried to a 
depth of 450 ft., and in 1890 it was sunk 75 ft. further. 
The Otto's Kopje mine had reached a depth of 800 
ft. in 1889. 
The average value of the diamonds raised at the 
Kimberley mine in 1889 was |6.74 per carat; in 1887 
the average value was but $4.89^. Similarly, at the 
De Beers mine the average value increased from |4.98i- 
per carat in 1887 to 16.73 in 1889, At the Dutoitspan 
minis there whs an advance from per carat in 
1887 to |9 48 in 1889 ; at the Bultfontein mine from 
#4.94 to !$6.70i; at tlie St. Augustine from $6.16 to 
^8.12 ; at the Otto's Dopje from |4.51 iu 1888 to 
^7.32, and at the river diggings and mines from 
^9.93 in 1887 to 112.90 in 1889. It will be observed 
that the most valuable diamonds are raised from the 
river diggings. 
The number of persons employed in the diamond 
mines of Griqualand West in 1890 is ofBeially returned 
as 7,249, as compared with 8,103 in 1889, and 11,453 
in 1888. The number of lives lost last year was 38 
as compared with 105 in 1889 and 303 in 1888, The 
large nnmber of fatal Ojccidents reported is attributed 
to insubordination among native miners, their disregard 
of orders involving a heavy proportion of the loss of 
life which has occurred during the last three years. 
The wages paid to white miners in the Kimberley and De 
Beers mine range from |17.50 to |34 per week ; Kaffirs 
received 17-80 per weekj with wood, water, lodgings 
and medical attendance- In the Butoitspan and 
Bultfontein mines, wages ara somewhat lower. — 
Engineering and Minincj Journal. 
GOVBRNMBWT QUININE. 
Sir Charles Elliot's remarks on Brigade SnrgeonG. 
King's report of the Cinchona Plantatioaa and Factory 
in British Sikkim for the year 1890-91 are worthy of 
the attention of District Officers and all Civil Surgeons. 
It is twenty-nine years ago since the Bengil Govern- 
ment entered upon this cinchona enterprise, not with a 
view to profit, but with the avowed intention to reduce 
the price of quiijine which then stood at a practically 
prohibitive rate, to one rupee per ounce. The 
plantation and factory have met all expeotition?, and 
not only does the price now stand at the latter rate, 
but the net profits for the year under notice amounted 
to seventeen thousand lupees. It is truly remarked 
that " hardly cny greater blessing to a fever-stricken 
country can be imagined than oheup quinine ; " and 
with respect to the Sikkioj prorluct, we have ample 
BBSurance that cheap quinine does not m ean inferior 
quinine. Government quinine, Dr. King assures us, 
has been shown by repeated analysis to be of the 
highest po9.sible pnrir.y, which ha goes on to remark, 
"is a good deal more than can be faid of much of the 
foreign quinine that is sold in Calcutta," and he might 
have added, " eleewhere in India." But this ia not all. 
There is in ttook a large amount of raw matesial and 
of manufacturing product, proving that the producing 
capacity of the plantation and factory is greater than the 
demand for the product ; and it would be possible still 
further to reduce the price of quinine if more charitable 
dispensaries were to supply themselves with th 
Government drug instead of buying elsewhere at prices 
from 12 to 25 cents* higher. The Lieutenant-Governor 
of Bengal is drawing the attention of the Inspector- 
General of Civil Hospitals of that Province to tha 
matter, and it woukl be as well if a similar course 
were adopted in the Punjab. The necessity of having 
a pleutiful supply of real, genuine quinine ready at 
baud for distribution ia the Punjab is not so urgent 
this year as it w«8 last ; but it cannot Le too promi 
nently brou(.;ht home to the responsible authorities 
where sucli ^:in articlo fan be obtaiui'd iu quantities ; 
it wouM cri;i]jle Ihc fiiiancos of no Municipality or 
District Board to purchase liberi-.lly. In cases of 
unufual iiud sudden outbreaks of fever, purchases are 
ai)t to be made in the nearest market, irrespective of 
price:, and on such occasions dealers are tempted to 
adulterate an already interior antiperiodic to meet 
such requisitious and to make a gooi thing of them. 
This could easily bo guarded against by layi' g in a 
reasonable ftock of pure and cheap Government 
quinine, and it is somewhat surprising that this has 
not been insisted upon long ago. The Punjab Govern- 
ment has made spasmodic attempts to induce district 
otiicers to distribute the drug liberally, but, like all 
such attempts, they r'o no lasting good. When the 
cipaoities of the Sikkim plaatatioes become better 
known, we are confident that quinine, cheaper even 
than a rupee an ounce, will be obtamable in abundance 
p India,.— Givil and Slilitary Gazette. 
♦ Per cent?— Ed. T.A. 
Tab Tea Tkade continues, and Eome demand 
exists for better grades than those in request for 
some weeks past. Settlements of leaf to date 
are 235,000 piculs against 208,000 same time last 
year, and exports foot up 27J million pounds 
against 28f millions at the same date last year. 
—Japan Weekly Mail, Oot. 17th. 
Gebman e_nterprise in New Guinea is increasing. 
With the object of ettablishing plantations in the 
territory of the New Guinea Company, for the 
cultivation chiefly of tob.ioco, a company, to be 
known as _ " The Astrolabe Company," has just 
been formed in Berlin with a capital of 12O,0O0J. 
Experts are of opinion that parts of New Guinea 
are admirably suited for the growth of the tobaeoo 
leaf, and, of course, any quantity can be absorbed 
in the manufacture of German cigars, which, by 
the way are being exported in larger quantities 
than, ever to this country. — i,'. Mail. 
Me. Wyndham, the British Consul at Paramaribo; 
the capital of Dutch Guiana, in a report just issued 
by the Foreign Office, refers to gold mining in 
that colony and saya that the industry is steadily 
increasing, and with the introduction of capital 
wHl be a great business. A slight decline in pro- 
duction has occurred during the last two years, 
but this is to be attributed largely to placer owners 
building their hopes on companies and syndicates 
buying their land, and, iu the meantime, ceasing 
the developments necessary to keep up the average 
returns. The auriferous belt extends throughout 
the three Guianas from Cayenne to Venezuela in 
an eaEterly and westerly direction, in width about 
100 miles. The formation of the gold belt is meta- 
morphio, slates, sohiats, and occasional dikes of 
sandstone and gneiss. Mining has been principally 
confined to alluvial washings, and very satisfactory 
results have been so far obtained. The amount 
of gold exported increased from 475,953 grammes 
m 1879 to 1,029,777 grammes in 1888. Last year 
the export amounted to 987,218 grammes. The 
Government has done nothing to open up the 
country by the construction of roads, or making 
the river more navigable for small steamers to 
advance the mining interests of the colony. Private 
enterprises have had to rely upon their own 
resources in this respect. It is only during the past 
two years that any attention has been given to 
quartz mining, and the developments during this 
time have produced highly satisfactory results. 
After describing the work done on various mining 
properties, the Consul adds that there is a good 
field there for capitalists, and when the reefs now 
dijoovered have been developed and suitable 
machinery erected, the results cannot fail to be 
satisfactory. The ore is free milling, and wood 
and water are abundant for all mining purposes, 
consequently the cost of working will be nominal. 
All machinery for manufacturing and mining 
purposes ia admitted free of duty, — London Times. 
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