February i, i?92.] THE TROPICAL AaRICULTURIST. 
573 
THE EXPORT TRADE OF CEYLOK 
FOR TEN YEARS : 
TEA FROM ITS FIRST APFEARAJNCE IN 1873. 
The Cuatoms figures pnd those of tho Cbarabpr 
of Commcrca for the export of tra from Ceylon 
in 1890 differ by tnme than a million of pounds. 
The Chamber cf Commerce table shows the 
enormous export for the laet week of tho year 
of 3.793,687 lb , or more thnn the quantity opposite 
most of the months of 1850. The result of thig 
addition to previous figures is to br.no up the 
total for 1891 to the largfl turn of 68,274,4-20 ib. 
The discrepancy may be due to the fact that only 
completed earfiofs of ehi^s which have sailed aie 
included in the one case, while daily ehipments 
are included in the other. If the Chamber of 
Commerce figurrs really rrpresent the quantity 
taken away from the island, they Isrgoiy support 
the guess we at one time hftzardcd that tho exports 
of 1891 would closely approximate to 70 millions of 
pounds The quantity consumed in the island 
would go far to make up a total crop of 69 
millionslb. for 1891. The figurt^s in our Directory 
which represent the history of tho enterprije from 
the firet small quantity sent away in 1873 arc those 
of the Custjms, and to those previouF-ly ^iven 
we now add the figures for 1891. This done, we 
get the following phenomenal advance ; — 
Year. Packages. lb. R, 
1873 ... 2 2.3 ,58 
1S74 ... i 493 1,900 
1875 ... 4 1,433 2,102 
1876 ... 7 767 1,907 
1877 ... — 2,105 .'',457 
t878 ... — 19,(ifi7f 20,900 
1879 ... — 95.969 85,229 
1880 ... — 162,575 lf0,64l 
1881 ... — 348,157 322,993 
1882 ... — 697,268 591,805 
1883 ... — 1.665,768 916.172 
1884 ... — 2,392,973 1,435,784 
1885 ... — 4.37J,722 2,842,269 
1886 ... — 7,849,888 5,102,427 
1887 ... — 13,e3l,057 8,30»,<3t 
1888 ... — 23,820,723 12,624, ii9,) 
1889 ... — 3i;!45,852 17.8.59,810 
1890 ... — 46,71)11,519 22,899,759 
1891 ... — 67,021.777 33,510,888 
As the two paekflges in 1873 pecm to have 
been separate from the 23'lb., we suppose 
we may take B58 value as reprtsenting a like 
number of pounds of tea. The results are that in 
19 years the export of tea from Ceylon has risen, 
by leaps and bounds Intterly, from 58 lb. valued at 
R58 to 67,021,777 lb. valued at no less than 
E33,. 510,888. This is still more than a million of 
rupfes below the value reached by coffee in its 
culminating glory ; but then there was nn sudden 
rueh upwards in coffre as there has been in tea, 
the annual value of which is likely eocn to leave 
the highctt figures ever attained by cofiee far behind, 
In tho table showing tho distribution of our teas 
tho Chamber of Commcice figures are used. The 
vast proportion of our exports, 63 745,000 lb. went 
to Britain, of which brtsvetn 1,500,000 lb. and 
2,000,000 Ib. were re-exported to countries on 
the continents of Europe and America, leaving 
01 J millions for consumption (about 53 millions in 
1S91) and to po into stoek. Our second great 
customer is Australia, pecplfd mainly by men of 
tlio British race, whose acquired taste for China 
tea had to bo combated and overcome. Tho 
fight was a hard one at first, as we personally 
know, but the progress recently in demand for 
our leas has been gteat and gralitjing, the 
export havinp risen from lb. 2,5l')0 000 in 1890 
to 3,aiO,O0Olb. in 1891. There can bo little duubt, 
therefore, that Ceylon lua will n-placH Cliina tea 
(the oonsumptioQ of which has reached to over 
20 millions of pounds) in the 'Australasian marketB, 
as it has done in Britain. The m(.rketa of the United 
States and Russia — next to Britain, the greatest tea- 
drinking countries of the wcrlJ— setm much more di- 
fficult to affect, by cl anging the taste of the tea 
dri kers. Hence the wisdom of the contemplated Chi- 
cago crusade and of every e ffort which can be made 
for the much more difficult eonqufst of the Russian 
marl at. At present cur exiiorts direct to America 
are represented by 163,000 lb. a fall from 
204,000 lb. last year. To Euesia we Bent direct 
only a misrrabje ll.fOO Ib. To both countries 
(America including Canada) there were exports 
of our teas from Britain, but only to a 
small though promising cx'cLt. China took 
of our teas almost exact'y the same quantity 
as America got direct, while India took no 
less than 620,000 lb. most of it for the Persian 
Gulf, no doubt. In the cases of China and India 
there have been considerable increases on last year, 
aid so indeed to Germany, France and other 
countrios on the Continent of Europe ; but as yet 
only about IJ million pounds of our teas are 
taken by other than countries peopled by the British 
race. All this will irelong be chaiiged, however, 
to tho benefit cqua'ly of those who consume and 
those who produce ( eylon tea.— As regards total 
exports of tea in the year on which we have 
entered, we can hi.ve no desire for the re- 
currence of the raettorologieal conditions which 
resulted in fiushi s so overwhelming during a 
portion of last year that ihey could not bo 
properly overtaken t-y the curing processes. 
But there can be little doubt Ibat the total ex- 
port of 1892 will bo little, if at all, short of 
90, COO 000 lb.; and we trus t the demand for our 
teas will expand in proportion. To secure this, 
attentio i must be earnestly devoted to upholding 
the reputation of the CeUoa proJoot for quality, 
— for retrieving indeed the geod nnme which some 
of the teas sent away in 1891, so seriously en- 
dangered. 
The histery of coffee anl cinchona in the past 
ten years has been very diiitr'-iit to that of tea. 
Tho course in be lb oas .s has bee n downwards, 
the export of coffee having fallen funi 463,000 owt. 
to 86,000 cwt.; while cinohoi a, i ftfr having risen 
from 4 400,000 ib. in 1882 to 14,838 0 01b. in 1886, 
has gradually decrer.srd to the still Iirge quantity of 
5,679,000 lb. Both articles are likely to shew 
still further diminution, unless the (disappearance 
of leaf furgns and green bug, leads to a return 
by pUnt(rj to their firet love. In 1873, when 
only a f-w pounds of tea appeared in our exports, 
the quantity of coffee sent from our ports was 
951,591 owt. valued at £4,220,750 sterling. Cacao 
has, with some fiuetuations, risen from 1,090 owt. 
in 18S2 to 20,532 cwt. last year. Conditions of 
soil aud climate are likely to prevent any large 
increase in this article. For quality Ceylon cacao 
r, nks first in the wor'd; and we may say 
the same of the cardamoms produoed in 
our island, the export of which has risen 
from 21i00ib. in 1S82 to 422,000 Ib. in 1891. 
Tho once famous cinnnmon of Ceylon, a pound of 
^vhioh at one lime realized close on a pound 
Bteiling, is now down to the unremunerative price 
of about one shilling average. The gradual ap- 
preach of this state of things has not hindered 
iccreased exports, which indeed must be largely 
the cause of lowered prices for a spice which ia 
eminently a luxury. The figures for 1882 were : — 
Haled I ark 1,587,016 lb. 
Chips 422,915 „ 
Total ... 2,009,931 lb. 
71 
