550 
THE TROHOAL AGRICULTURIST. [February i, 1892. 
this disability to any very great extent. The 
Straits Government, it is added, would be willing to 
(jive every aid in the acquirement of land as well 
BB in every other way. Careful experiments are 
to be begun on a small scale before committing 
the shareholders to any large expenditure. I 
oonfess that for myself, having in memory how 
Ceylon suffered in reputation owing to the Ceylon 
Company having had connexion with the Mauritius, 
I view with some dislike the notion of the " Ceylon 
Tea Plantations Company " commencing enterprise 
in another colony without some modification of 
the' name by which it is so generally known. 
The Grocer of the 12th inst. had a long article 
on " Ceylon Tea." The first part of it dealt 
with figures illustrative of the progress it has 
made in the home market as compared with Chinese 
and Indian teas. It estimates the shipments to 
reach the United Kingdom this year at 64 millions 
lb. The article reiterates the complairifc " that 
among the importations of Ceylon tea this year 
there have been numerous samples of complete 
rubbish, which would not have been received by 
the trade as tea in the smallest sense, if they 
bad been ofiered as invoices or breaks of Indian 
or China, and it is the magical name of 
Oeylon alone that has enabled importers 
to dispose of the said tea." It finds an 
explanation of these miserable imports in the 
continued rains experienced in Ceylon this year, 
Expectations are entertained, according to the writer, 
that this cause will not again often operate. 
Stocks are stated to be excessive, and the view is 
expressed that until these are worked down " quota- 
tions generally may be reckoned to rule as much 
as ever in favour of both retailers and consumers." 
At the half-yearly meeting of the British North 
Borneo Company held this week, it was announced 
that Sir Butherford Alcock, in consequence of his 
declining strength and advanced age, had decided 
upon retiring from his more active management 
of the Company's affairs. The news received from 
Borneo was declared to be tolerably satisfactory; 
but the land sales had almost ceased, psrtly owing 
to general linanoial depression, but mainly to the 
crisis which had overtaken the tobacco trade of the 
East. The production of this article in Sumatra 
alone has risen from 690 bales in 1868 to 236,323 
bales sold this year, and the price bad fallen to 
72J cents per half-kilo, or about one pound. Two 
important companies in connexion with Borneo 
had to liquidate, and the island generally had 
suffered much from the late bad times. The 
President made the following allusion to the capa- 
city of their lands for coffee cultivation, observing 
that " coffee planting was increasing, and an 
expert who had had considerable experience in 
Ceylon, was about to visit and report upon the com- 
pany's territory with a view of drawing attention to 
the capabilities of the soil for coffee, cacao, and tea," 
Several of the Indian Tea Companies have de- 
clared their interim dividends during the week. 
Thus the Brahmaputra Tea Company declares such 
a dividend of 8 per cent for the half year at the 
rate of 16 per cent per annum. The Jorehaut Tea 
Company announces that the crop of 1891 has 
amounted to 1,612,0001b. of packed tea, being an 
inoroase of 150,000 lb. over that of 1890, and that 
100,003 lb. have been sold at an average price of 
90^!-! per lb., or about Jd per lb. over last year for 
a ijimilar quantity. The directors of the Assam 
Company also recommend an interim dividend of 
2fc per cent, or lOs per share, payable on January 1, 
aiid the Majuli Tea and Attareo Khat Tea Uompiinies 
(Limited) have declared interim dividends of 2^- per 
cent on the working of current season, both payable 
forthwith. 
BARK AND DRUG REPORT. 
(From the Chemist and Druggist.) 
London, Dee. 5th. 
Cinchona.— Tuesday's bark aactioua were ot fair size as 
regards the number of packages offered ; but the total 
weight of bark was not considerable, many of the pack- 
ages being below average weight. The catalogues com- 
prised :— 
Packages. Packages. 
Ceylon... ... 826 of which 731 were sold 
East Indlaa ... 23s „ 228 „ 
Java ... ... 233 „ 238 „ 
Soath American SB'i „ 946 
African ... 169 „ 169 „ 
1,871 1,618 
Holders seemed rather anxions to sell, and there waa]no very 
lively competion among, the buyers, two or three agents 
only participatins seriously. The average quaality of 
the barks was fairly good, and the samples shown com- 
prised several nice lots of Snccirnbras and a lair pro- 
p rtion of good grey bark. Yellow ; barks ot eastern 
growth were scarce, but fconth American Callsayas were 
well represented. A parcel of 472 packages ^feilgher^y 
bark, which would have added greatly to the interest of 
the auctions, was withdrawn at the last moment. The 
result of the auctions was hardly satisfactory, and prices 
must be pronounced slightly ;eaBier, the average unit 
being barely 1 l-16ths d. per lb. 
The following are the approzlmatej qaantities piuchased 
by the principal buyers :— 
Lb. 
Agents for the Mannheim and Amstcrdamlworks... 14l,63T 
Messrs. Howards & Sons ... ... ... 13,071 
Agents for the Italian and American >,w«rka ... 37|368 
f, French works ... ... 31,605 
I, Auerbach works ... ... 91,145 
„ Frankfort o/M and Stuttgart works 10,670 
>, Brunswick works ... ... 7,660 
Sundry druggists.. „ .« „ 4e;Blo 
Total qoantityjofi bark^sold 
Bought in or withdrawn... 
... 309,864 
... 60,270 
Total quantity of bark off«red 370,134 
Cinnamon.— The last periodical anotions of the year 
were held on Monday, when 3,070 bales Oeyloa cinnamon 
were offered, including an uiiusually large proportion of 
good and fine qualities. The demand was a fairly good 
one, over fonr-fifthB of the supply finding buyers at steady 
prices for ordinary and medium grades, while g»ol and 
fine varteties declined in value from Id to 2d per lb„ 
as coompared with the previous auctions. The following 
prices were paid :— Pine to superior firets 9d to Is 3d ; 
common to good ditto 6Jd to 8Jd per lb ; eeoonds, ordi- 
nary to superior 61d to 18 per lb thirds, ordinary to 
superior bid to lid per lb; fourths, common to superior 
6jd to ICid per lb. A quantity of unworked cinnamon 
sold at Sfd to 7d per lb , broken at 6d ta 6^ I per lb., 
and about 200 bags qniUings and cuttings .at 4d to e^d 
per lb. 
QunJiNB.— Oq Friday a second-hand hol'ier accepted 
gd per 02 for a 10.000-oz parcel of German bulk, thas 
reducing the price |d. per oz >below the nominal qaeta- 
tion and bringing it down again to the " lowest on re- 
cord" figure. Again, before the bark auctions, a fair 
quantity of second-hand German bulk quinine changed 
hands at 8d per oz. The total sales are estimated at 
30,000 to 40,(K)0 oz. Today It would not be so easy to buy 
at that figure. 
♦ 
Coffee Land, &c.. in Peeak. — From the re" 
port on Taiping District for October we quote 
follows : — 
During the month several planters from Oeylon, 
who were amongst the first ten applicsnts for the laud 
offered on special terms in the Circular of the 22nd 
April 1891, visited the coffee estates in the district 
and inspected some of the land in the immediate 
neighbourhood of Kuala Kacgsar, with a view to 
making seleotioDs here. They seemed beet satisfied 
with the land at K<tmnning. but appeared to think 
that most of it thit was worth having was included 
itt the Libctian coffee estate of Mr. Hill. I am in- 
formed, however, that Mr. Buchanan, who was 
amongst those that visited this district, has decided 
to take up a block along the road 'uotweeu Knmur iog 
aiiil Ipoh. The tollowing day I : coompanisd the Col- 
lector and Magistrate to Tronok, which is now the 
principal of the Blanja mining villages. Although 
mining has only been commenced compBratively rc- 
contly, there are already a large number of Chinese 
in the locality, and there appears to be every promise 
of its turninff out au important miuiug district. 
