February i, 1892 ] THE TROPJCAL AGRICULTURIST. 
543 
Suasion to 
drinkable ! 
convince them that this beverage is 
Adveetisements in the preas has also becrx nsed 
by me on a modtrato Ecnio and proporlioned to my 
means as the medium of reclame. This is no 
doubt a very expensive item when done properly, 
but would be of great help for our success, and 
if I could, by some intelligenS sacrifices, pre sett 
generous entertainments, liberalities of champagne snob 
like extravanf;anoie4 gain the hearts of the reduction 
of our best newspapers and induce them to write now 
and then some favourable arlicles on Ceylon and 
Oeylon products. Tea especially. We would undoubtedly 
carry the cause before long. There are many other 
ways of doing good reclrtme, but even when done 
judiciously it requires much larger sacrifices of money 
than I can afford. 
Regard I NG Business in Geneeal, — As your Commit- 
tee is aware I, backed up by a firm in London have 
established myself in Moscow as part proprietor and 
manager of the Ceylon Tea and Produce Agency of 
Russia,"eellingiu my Magazine Tea, Coffee, and Cinna- 
mon, also Cocoa, of which I have small stocks, and 
other articles (only Oeylon) on commission. The 
business so far, proportioned to my modest capital 
about fst. 2,000 has shown pretty well satisfactory to 
enable me, with the aid of your funds, to cover 
expenses and to get now convinced that if it were 
done on a more important scale, with a larger capital 
Buffioient to conduct a well ordained reclame and to 
permit the import of larger invoices of tea leaving ready 
money at disposal for the clearance of duty whenever 
required, such a business would prove before long a well 
paying and lucrative concern. My capital is evidently 
not large enough to give the enterprise the desired 
rapid and noticeable progress or extension ; I missed 
the sales — on this aud the Nijini-markets — of many 
hundred chests of tea for the want of above-mentioned 
conveniences and this, I must say, rather impressed 
against me the public who at first expected to find in 
the Commissioner of the Oeylon P. A. Tea Fund for 
Russia represtutative of a large commercial company 
able and prepared to invest millions in such an 
important enterprise. 
In Russia most of the business are done on credit 
allowing to purcha'^ers up to 9 and even 12 months' 
terms ; my retail sales are all for ready money. At 
the opening.of my bnsiness, I have, however been obliged 
to give also credit to some extent in order to facilitate 
the introduction of our tea, but, although I have 
been luoky enough not to lose anything of importance, 
now that the circumstances are getting so critical 
and business so ditSoult by bad crops, famine, etc. 
all over Russia. I have establiehed my business on 
the safe basis of the sttiotest cash conditions which 
were, of course, somewhat troublesome at the begin- 
ning, but to which the amateurs of pure Oeylon tea 
must aow submit. 
Kesuming the foregoing, I may safely say that 
Oeylon tea is now partly introduced into Eassia, 
sold, drunk and appreciated as pure to and 
by a great number of people of all classes and 
that it only requires for the extension, the develop, 
ment of its import and sale all over the country, a 
well establislied enterprise, with a suiEoient capital 
capable of importing large quantities to be distributed 
Qu the principal Russian markets, of clearing duty 
on whatever quantity required at a time, of opening 
niBgazines for the sale of tea in retail and wholesale 
in all the principal towns of this great Empire and 
of advertising on an extensive scale and well con- 
ducted manner, especially throagh the press. 
l''rom the above figures it will be seen that out of 
the 1i!,000 lb. Oeylon tea I have up to date imported 
to Russia, ;i 4,000 lb. have been already sold with an 
increase uf about 3,4001b. per month for the last six 
months from Ist of iUy to 31st October. As pointed 
out I could have much exceeded there figures, and it 
is my firm belief that out of the about 70 millions 
of tea yearly consumed in lluesia one-fourth could 
why not y — become Ceylon ten before five years ha 
elapsod, if its import wore properly pushed furw^ 
the moro when ooDBidering that Ohin^sQ i^ualiti 
are visibly decreasing gradually. 
I still 'ipould strongly impress upon all the Oeylon 
p'anters the necessity of their tea paokagoa being of 
better make and in stronger condition; also more 
evenly tared in order to prevent farther complaintB 
on these respects. 
And should the business take the desired and tx- 
pected proportions, I would recommend as an important 
and indispensable factor the establishment of ft pur- 
chasing' forwarding agency with blending store in 
Colombo. 
It remains to me, gentlemen, in submitting the 
accompanying accounts to the examination of your 
Committee to beg for the continuation of their support 
in the welfare of an enterprise, which has now bo 
entirely taken possession of me, that it is my sole 
object to bring it to an end,* and trusting yonr Oom- 
mittee will understand that my not having furnished 
sooner and more frequently reports of my doings was 
only due to want of time. — I beg to remain, gentle* 
men, &o., (Signed) M. RoaivuB. 
{Appendix to BIr, Bogivue's Report,} 
Tbanslation. 
Mr. M. Rogivue, Moscow. 
Dear Sir, — After having bought from you » small 
lot of Oeylon Tea, I sold it with the greatest oare 
directly to consumers whereby I had the opportunity 
to get the opmion of several and to oonvinoe myself 
of its superiority over China Tea. 
The consumers immediately appreciated the strength 
of its infusion and its fine colour and generally praised 
the agreeable, though perhaps somewhat peculiar 
state to which they however soon get accustomed. 
Lately many large firms began to mix Oeylon Tea 
to China, therewith accustoming the public by degrees 
to the taste of Ojjlon Tea. For this reason the con- 
sumers buy willingly pure Ceylon Tea with preference 
to Chinese on account of its economy and strength, 
For the extension of this article it is necessary to 
open here a special magazine under your own firm. 
I am thoroughly convinced that the sale of Oeylon 
Tea would be successful as well in retail as by 
wholesale if you would give the buyers convenient 
discount and credit. With energetic work and good 
management of the business it would be easy to 
gain in a sbort time a great many purchasers. 
Many people who bought ftom me your Ceylon tea 
now refuse to return to Chinese and this is.'a guarantee 
to me that by proper dealing in this special baainesa 
this article would soon make its way amongst the 
public. According to above mentioned advantages I 
would propose the opening here of a nicely put up, 
well fitted small magazine which management I am 
willing to take under certain conditions. 
KarkofP, the centre of business for the South of 
Russia, has six yearly fairs visited by numerous 
merchants which makes this place the most favourable 
for the introduction of this article. 
All the important tea fiims like K. S. Popoflt, 
Kostorgujew Khinonchine, Wogan etc. have here large 
stores and magazines. 
If you are willing to give me for some years the 
management of this business, within a limited radius, 
I would be ready to come over to Moscow in order to 
arrange matters with you.— Waiting your reply, I 
remain etc. 
(Sign.) F. AssMAN, 
Karkoff, Oct. 24th. 
Extract of an article in the Pycckoc Zidozponia 
{Russian. Iteviie.) 
The Oeylon tea, worthy of the nighest praise for 
ftll Its good and predomment iinalities, is novv exported 
in considerublo quantity Vo England. As a proof of the 
progrcsi It IS makin- m ,ho trade wo give the following 
figures ;— 
Export from Ist Oct. 83 
do do Ist do 84 
do do let do 85 
do do 1st do 88 
to 13th 
to l3th 
to 13th 
to 13th 
June 84— 263,464 lb. 
do 8,i— 461,55',) ,, 
do 86—10(5,230-' ,, 
do 87— lS6,-lo07 „ 
