$44 
TMl^ TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June i, i 892. 
absolutely destroyed in consequence of the method 
employed in extracting them from the shell. This 
method consists in placing the oyster in the fire. 
A syndicate is being formed in Lisbon at the pre- 
sent time for the development of these fisheries. 
In the month of August of this year the first fully 
granted Mining concession for mining of any descrip- 
tion in this district was given to a Portuguese syndi- 
cate for the development of diamond mines situated 
about 37 miles from this city, near the railroad. 
Other mining concessions for the development of coal, 
Rold and precious stones have been applied for, but 
have not yet been granted. 
Valuable coal deposits [are said to exist in this 
district in large quantities. As, however, according 
to law a mining shaft cannot be sunk more than 6 
feet before a concession is fully granted to work the 
mine, the samples of coal produced have been taken 
from the surface, and the real qua'ity of the coal in 
the mines themselves has not yet been ascertained. 
The same public works which were in hand last 
year are in hand this year. Those that were in 
contemplation have not yet been begun. All public 
works came to a standstill over six months ago, 
when such funds as were available were used for 
expeditionary purposes. 
The Netherlands Railway Company, which is con- 
necting this port with the trade centres of the 
Transvaal, is completing its line to within a few 
miles of Barberton. 
A survey is being made with the idea of construct- 
ing a railway from Komati Poort, at the frontier of 
this district, to the Salati River goldfields, and thence 
to Mashonaland. The proposed route would be 
three times the distance to Mashonaland that the 
proposed Beira route would be, but it is held 
that the advantages obtained in opening up the 
Salati goldfields on the way would more than 
equal the disadvantages of the more lengthened 
route. A large tract of valuable farming 
and grazing country would also be reached by a 
Salati River railway and homes could be estab- 
lished for thousands in a country practically, healthly 
and capable of producing payable crops of all South 
African produce. The proposed route, however, also runs 
through a country full of rivers, and is so hilly in 
places as to be almost impassable. The cost of build- 
ing a railway in such a country leads one to imagine 
that it will not be attempted. 
A company is about to Deformed in this city for run- 
ning tramcars for passengers and freight from the 
principal thoroughfares in town to the residential quar- 
ters on the hills surrounding the bay. The tramcars 
are to be propelled by steam. The company is to have 
the monopoly of all public delivering, and the financial 
success of^the enterprise is in this way partly secured. 
During this year a chamber of commerce has been 
formed by the merchants, with the idea of obtaining 
certain privileges in trade which do not at present 
exist. The chamber, however, seems to be a political 
as well as a commercial association, and it is a ques- 
tion whether any material advantages will be obtained 
by the department. 
It has been decided by the Portuguese Government to 
open up the country south of the Zambesi River by 
means of chartered companies. One of these com- 
Eanies, the Portuguese East Africa Company, has a 
lock of territory bounded on the north by the river. 
On the south the influence will extend to the Limpopo 
River, and on the east to the ocean, the islands near 
the shore coming within its jurisdiction. The 
company is compelled to construct a railway, 
connectmg either the Transvaal Railway or 
the Matabele country with the Jjimpopo River at 
the point where it ceases to be navigable (a distance 
of about 70 miles from its mouth) ; or with the port 
of Inhambane ; or with any railway system north of 
the Sabi River, according to a future agreement to 
bo made between the Government and the company. 
It is also authorised to grant sub-concessions, with 
the approval of the Government, for pearl, coral, and 
amber fishing. 
Other companies are to bo formed for the develop- 
ment of the remaining territory south of the Zambesi, 
and it iH hopod in thiH way to opon np the country 
both rapidly and thoroughly by introducing industries 
which, without doubt, could be followed to advantage 
in most of the luxuriant valleys that extend along the 
coast a few miles inland. 
CETLON TEA IN AMEEICA. 
Further information reepeoting Mr. Elwood May's 
mission to Ergland on the present ocoaeion does 
not prove very encouraging in respect of the 
prospects of the Ceylon-American Tea Company. 
No one can gay in view of all that Mr. May bag 
done in sreuring attention to Ceylon teas on the 
part of public men and the prees — and Bpecially 
by large adveitiBicg contracts — that he has not 
worked well, and entirely without fee or reward, 
for Ceylon tea. He has done eo, as he says, be- 
cause be has believed and still believes in the 
product as a thoroughly good article which his 
countrymen do well to conEume in place of the 
inferior, and in many cases adulterated, trashy 
China and Japan teas. But to change the taste 
of a people like the Americans so completely won 
over for many years to a liking for the green 
"faced" teas is not an easy matter, as Mr. May 
has found to his cost ; and yet he is quite certain 
that the lines on which he has proceeded are the 
right ones — that he has been laying a good founda- 
tion on which to build; and that if the procees 
can only be persevered in, the building Elowly, 
but surely proceeded with, — success is certain in 
the end. But meantime, as I have already slated, 
the " sinews of war " seem wellnigh exhausted. 
The trade of the Company bo far has not been 
Feif-supporting — far from it, Messrs. Watson & 
Farr — to whom the greatest credit is due and the 
special thanks of every Ceylon tea planters — are out 
cf pocket, if report speak true, to the tune of 
£3,000 to £4,000 sterling, and naturally, they do 
not care ss men of business, rather than of 
speculation, to advance further unless simultaneous 
support can be got from thoee more immediately 
interested. So with Mr. May himself, any further 
effort beyond the Atlantic for ihie Company depends 
on CO operation in England or Ceylon or both, 
Already the rrracur is that the store of the 
Company ir New York which Mr. Pineo 
managed, and lor which a heavy rent was paid, 
may have to be, or has sLeady been, closed ; and 
Mr. May mpkes no secret that unlefs his mission is 
crowned with come degree cf success be will as 
an honourable man have to throw up the advertising 
contracts and generally to suspend operations— in 
other words the Ccmfaiiy must collapse. This 
would be an especially unfortunate circumstance 
on the eve of the Chicago Exposition ; and no one 
seems to recognize that fsct more clearly than the 
Commissioner, Mr. Grinlinton. He has also 
personally not the least pecuniary interest in the 
Company, of the Ceylon Ehareholders. One question 
may be whether the Company thould not be in 
some way identified with the Cejlon Tea Court in 
the Exhibition. Probably as regards this point, as 
well as in respect of the financial requirementp, 
the coULSel of Sir Arthur Birch may be sought ; 
and no one has manifested a greater interest in 
the future expansion of the consumption of Ceylon 
tea in America, than our foimer Litut. -Governor 
and Colonial Wicrelhry. 
Mr. Gbinlinton. who continues very busy, is likely 
to 'ake his pissflge ly t e S. S, "City of New 
York,'' the last boat in which be returned frcm 
America in 1890. Leaving Liverpotl by it on 4th 
May he should be at Chicago by the 17th — in good 
time for the purpote in view. He has been seeing 
the American Minister, and leading Atnerioan 
citizens in London and getting introductions to 
leaders m the tea import trade in New York, &o. 
