6 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
(July i, 1890. 
With very grateful acknowledgments, I have the 
honor to return herewith Doctor Wallich's most 
agreeable letter to Your Excellency. ' 
Mr. Normansell having arrived, I should prefer 
remaining at Peradenia until 1 have given him over 
charge, after which I shall most willingly revisit New- 
era Ellia and Badulla, if Your Excellency requires it. 
I am extremely sorry that I know of no person whom 
I should like to trust, at liberty to take charge of 
Your Excellency’s property at the latter p’ace. I 
did not examine the soil on Namanakoolakanda, 
but I have been well informed of its capabilities 
for coffee. 
I have the honor to be, Sir, Your Excellency’s 
most obedient faithful Servant, 
J. G. Leab. 
P, S.— The whole of the tea seeds now sv>im 
on the surface being put in water. 
J. G. Lear. 
Royal Botanic Garden, December 26th, 1839. 
His Excellency the Rt. Hon’ble the Governor. 
Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the 
receipt of your Excellency’s letter of yesterday’s 
date and with respect to the mangosteen and nut- 
meg plants, the former I believe would succeed 
well, if put out in a border or bed at the Queen’s 
House, with a little fresh moderately wet soil 
about their roots, occasionally watered, and for a 
week or two sheltered from the strong heat of 
the sun. 
The nutmegs, if I may judge from the general 
state in which they arrive from the coast, had 
much better be sent immediately 'to the Botanic 
Gardens, where I would see that they received 
the necessary attention, which they require to 
have paid them, on their first landing in boxes ; 
they would then be also on the way to Badulla, 
and gaining strength against the time that land 
was there prepared for them. 1 think they would 
not thrive so well, or be so little likely to suffer 
in Colombo as in Kandy, if the same attention 
could there be paid them ; but if Your Excellency 
prefers their remaining in Colombo, my belief is, 
that they could not be materially hurt (if planted 
in elcse beds, where they could be conveniently 
covered with cadjans from the sun) in a month 
or two a compost should be made for thein, ra- 
ther free and strong, than rich ; a loam, with a 
mixture J of good vegetable mould, is the best, 
and as the plants are supposed to be small (about 
6 or 8 inches high) the distance of 9 or 10 inches 
asunder every way would be quite sufficient for 
the time above specified. 
Mangosteens require the same treatment if the 
same size, or increased distance in proportion as 
they are larger, until they are finally planted out, 
when they should be at least 20 feet asunder. 
May I be permitted to enquire of Your Excellency, 
it the weather is ' now in Colombo, such as to 
warrant the safety of the plants required by Your 
Excellency to fill the borders in the Queen’s House 
Garden, which are ready for dispatch at Your 
Excellency’s pleasure, and accordingly shall have 
every attention. 
I have the honor to be. Sir, Your Excellency’s 
most obedient humble Servant, 
J. G. Lear. 
Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradenia December 
His Excellency the Rt. Hon’ble the Governor. 
Sir,— I have the honor to acknowledge th® 
receipt of Your Excellency’s letter and 2 packets 
of lea seeds, which 1 am sorry to say (like the for- 
mer) swim in water and otherwise appear some- 
what unlikely to vegetate freely. They were 
sown this morning, and my constant hest a ten'ion 
shall be paid to them. With reference to the 
culinary seeds from “ Ronalds,” upon enquiry I 
found that portions of those remninine had been 
sown by the Pavilion gardener at different times, and 
in the manner I had directed, hut none of them 
after the first sowing succeeded, which I have 
but little doubt was owing to their age and bad 
condition when received, to which must bo added 
the length of time thev have been in the Island. 
If there are any of them left, I will most eladlv 
see to their being sown agreeably to Your Excellency’s 
direction , 
I think Mr. McGregor* would be quite competent 
to the charge at Badulla, if he had 6 months’ 
instructions and experience from a coffee planta- 
tion now in its infancy, where he could get an 
insight of the regular routine of the business as 
it proceeded, and with a steady communicative 
person. 
I have the honor to be. Sir, Your Excellency’s 
most obedient grateful Servant, 
J. G. Lear. 
Royal Botanic Garden, Dec. 31, 1839. 
Newera Ellia, October 26, 1840. 
The Rt. Hon’ble the Governor. 
Sir, — I have the honor to enclose cony of a letter 
and a taxed bill for Your Excellency’s information. 
I believe it is not required that the remittance 
alluded to should pass throush my hands. T have 
also great pleasure in acquainting Your Excellency 
that I have received the seeds which vou were 
pleased to entrust to my charge, and in a fine 
plot of ground in Your Excellency’s lately pur- 
chased property I have sown them, and expect they 
will do well. The tea plants I am sorry to say 
are not so flourishing as could be wished ; they 
have had, I find, to contend against a very bad 
season, and being rather weak when they were 
planted out, sufficiently accounts for their present 
appearance. A few of them are looking well which 
is proof enough that the climate is suitable and 
that they will eventually succeed. If I can be of 
any other service to Your Excellency during mv 
stay at Newera Ellia, T earnestly hope you will 
please to command me. 
T have the honor to remain with the greatest 
respect Sir, Your Excellency’s most faithful obe- 
dient Servant, 
J. G. Lear. 
Government Agent’s Office, Colombo 21st Oct. 1840 
Sir, — I have the honor to enclose copy of a taxed 
bill received from the Surveyor General dated 15th 
instant, amounting to £42-10-2f, being fee due to 
Mr. Bagenall for surveying the piece of land at 
Palampittia in Lower Bulatgama purchased by you 
for the Right Hon’ble the Governor on the 30th 
ultimo, and to request that you will have the good- 
ness to remit to this office the sum of £27-10-2| 
being the balance due on the above account. 
I have the honor to be. Sir, your most obedient 
Servant, 
0. B. Duller, 
J. G. Lear, Esq., Kandy. Agent. 
* Mr. Lewis Macgregor, one of our pioneer planters, 
who subsequently migrated to California and died there. 
His brother Roderick was better known in later times. 
-En. T. A. 
