January i, 1892.] THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURIST. 
453 
been far more diffident than he Bhowed himself 
in discounting the future, while performance in the 
present is so small and imperfect. We think the 
Newcastle people showed great good nature in 
thanking the over confident Dutchman, who, on 
Buoh utterly insufficient grounds, asked them to 
prepare for the extinction of their coal trade to the 
east. There is, no doubt, coal in the Malayan 
region, but it has not yet been discovered or 
brought to the surface in quantity and quality 
Buificient to justify such tall talk as Mr. Eekhout 
indulged in. Goal, some of very good quality, he 
might have remembered, is being extensively mined 
in British India.— Ed. 0. 0-1 
Last night, in the Lovaine Hall,Barras Bridge, New- 
castle, Mr. B. A. Eekhout, of Java, Fellow of the 
Koyal Dutch Geographic Society, lectured, under the 
auspices of the Tyneside Geographicrtl Society, on 
" The Dutch Indian Hallways, and the Develop- 
ment of the Coal Industry in the Malaya Archi- 
pelago." Aid. Thomas Bell presided. 
Mr. Eekhout said that everywhere in Sumatra, 
Java, and Borneo people were searching for coal, 
and were asking permissiom from the Dutch Indian 
Government for licenses to make mining investiga- 
tions. Together with that industrial movement the 
extension of railway building was steadily going on 
in the Dutch possessions of the far East. For that 
reason, he thought that it might be of some practical 
importance to speak in the land of George Stephen- 
son and in the heart of the coal trade, about what 
is going on that way in those splendid Eastern 
islands, and to draw their attention to the Dutch 
Indian railways and the development of the coal 
industry in the Malaya archipelago. He had lived 
ten years in Java, where he intended returning very 
soon, and where he had an opportunity of watching 
the whole movement very closely. Though in the 
Dutch Indies coal of different qualities had been known 
for a long time, it was only a quarter of a century ago 
that their exploration was taken in hand. The 
Dutch Indian Government itself worked it at that time 
in South and East Borneo for the benefit of its navy, but 
the quality did not give satisfaction. The exploration 
was at last abandoned, because it did not pay. In the 
meantime, the coaifitlds in the highlands of Wejt 
Sumatra were discovered, and the mineral recognised to 
be of excellent quality ; but it was not till 1888 that 
the Dutch Icdiau Government began to execute a 
serious plan for its exploitation by the buildiLg of the 
railivay now in course of construction. There was coal in 
Boruto, Sumatra, and Java, but the coal in Java and 
Borneo was of inferior quaJity. It was suggested that 
these coals, also, would prove to be of the same quality 
as the best English kinds as soon as the mines were 
excavated deepe r, and the lower seams opened out, 
where the coals would be of a far later formation. 
Before the end of this century, the Dutch Indian ooals 
would count for a considerable portion in the prosperity 
of the Dutch colonies. A coaling station was to be 
established at Sumatra, ID the Straits of Blalacca. The 
Bussian and French Governments had already officially 
declared that they latended to use that coaling station 
for their war vessels in theBast, and it seemed that the 
French mail steamers were not unwilling to frequent 
also that coaling station, as they would benefit by the 
lower prices. Probably the British coal trade would 
not be affected by the coal trade in the Snmna Islands 
for some years, but they must consider this fact, that 
within a certain tinae the whole cousumption of more 
than two millions of tons a year iu the region of the 
Dutch Indies would pass from the English coal to 
Dutch Indian coal. This would not only affect the 
British ooal t'ade, but it would also affect her steamers 
which now plied to the East with cargoes of Biilieh 
ooals, aud returned with cargoes of produce. This 
export trade would then be tinished, or at least dimi- 
nished, unless they consented to sell British ooals 
beyond the ocean at a loss, or to send the steamers 
without the conl cargoes to bring back the produce ; this 
trade would pass from the hands of those who at pre- 
sent carried on the coal trade; and into the hands of 
the numerous £)uiopeftn steam cavigaitiou companies 
which provided at present the regular communication 
between the Orient and the Occident. He had already 
stated that the price at wbich the coal could be deli- 
vered at the ports was 18s. ; he did not think that 
that would occur very soon, but it might bo considered 
as the definite price of ooal in the Malay Archipelago 
in the future. The coalfields could only be developed 
by the construction of state railways in the four great 
Sumna Islands and by private enterprise witfi the 
interest guarantee of the Dutch Indian Government. 
Votes of thanks to the lecturer and Chairman concluded 
the meeting,— ]V'eii7casUe Daily Chronicle, Oct. 24th. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
(From the British North Borneo Herald.) 
We hear that Count Galoes, who since Mr. Christian's 
illness has acted as Manager of the Borneo Coffee 
Company's Estate, has engaged Malays at 25 cents 
per diem to work on the coft'ee estate. This is good 
news for coffee Planters, and is much under the 
Estimates we have seen which provided for 30 cents 
a day per cooly. The Coffee Company ore fortunate 
in haying their interests in such good hands. 
Coft'ee planting appears to be in favor with the 
natives. We hear that Mr. Little, Acting Resident 
West Coast, has requisitioned for coffee seed to be 
distributed among the chiefs of the Putatan district 
who have expressed a desire to plant Liberian coffee. 
Mr. Henry Walker, Commissioner of Lands who has 
jnst visited Oeylon inform us tbat cocoa plantiog in 
Ceylon has ceased to be the precarious cultivation it 
at ooe time was now that shade has been introduced 
and that coco.t planters can now obtain very remunera- 
tive returns. Cue cwt. per acre is sufiicieut to pay the 
cost of working the estate and all above that (after 
allowing for the additional cost of collection and pre 
paration) is profit. We have only to remind our readers 
that natives in North Borneo have long cultivated 
cocoa and we should say it is a plant that would be 
found very remunerative if cultivated on a large scale. 
The few trees at Silam (of the caraccas variety) have 
borne well and from notes made at the time it was 
shown that they came into bearing in the 4th year. 
Mr. Walker reports that the patches of Liberian coffee 
on the Malapi estate on the Kinabatangan, of coffee and 
cocoa on the Seganan estate are looking remarkably 
well and are in bearing. Mr. Kennedy of the Seganan 
estate is fortunate in having soil of a very rich quality 
and the Bagahao range of mountains near the estates 
are said to have good soil. 
A LADIES' TEA ASSOCIATION IN 
LONDON. 
Housewives will be interested to hear that a Ladies' 
iea Association has just been started. The promoters 
two enterpnsmg young ladies who have an interest 
m a tea estate in Ceylon, are Miss E. G. Bartlett 
and Miss A M. Lambert, 2, Manchester-square- 
mansions. They told me that they mean to employ 
women only to help them in the oarrying-out of their 
project of selhng the best tea at a low price. From 
their deep knowledge of the subject one would think 
tht-y had been in the tea trade for years. They 
have certainly managed to get the true knack of blend- 
ing. When I went to see them the other evening I 
was given as a sample a cup of the "ladies' own" 
—the most delightful tea 1 have ever tasted. And I 
consider myself eomething of a connoisseur of tea, too. 
1 drink It whenever I want a stimulant, which is 
about tour times a day on an average. Fresh-made 
tea doesn't do one much harm. It isn't so demora- 
lizing as wine, and isn't half so likely to give one a 
red nose. The worst thing that can be said of tea 
IS that it is apt to moke havoc of one's nerves.— 
MiBs MantRlini ' iu ^all Mall Budqet, Nov. fitb. 
