300 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
[October i, 1890. 
Julyand with all the di£hcultie«, formalities and bother oi 
Roseian Customshouse, I have been yet unable to clear 
them, but hope to get them tomorrow when I shall 
store them in a small warehouse got by me for the 
purpose and pack them in | and J lb. packets, label 
these packets with labels, as per enclosed patterns, and 
distribute them to the several tea merchants, dealers, 
&c., here in Moscow, Nijni-Novgorod or otherwise, along 
with a short circular printed in English, German, 
French and Russian languages, of which I herewith 
hand you a facsimile. 
Moscow and Nijni-Novgorod, I would like to visit 
shortly «s soon as I can get away from this place to be 
in time for the large fair of the latter place. 
Please note that I have to pay for duty alone of 
these tea, roubles 650 or a little over £70 ! other charges 
for warehouses, packing, petties &c., will amount to 
over £10. I should like to have the teas analysed by 
the Government Police analyst, another 60 or 100 
roubles — advertised in the Press &c, or otherwise 
&o., &c., all most important matters, which cost 
a lot of money. I must live and this is 
very expensive in Russia, a voyage to Moscow and Nijni 
and slay there for a couple of months is another ex- 
pense of at least 1,000 roubles ? In Russia, the most 
autocratic country of the world, everything is done “ a 
coupe de roubles”by “reclame” favors and tips and you 
can do nothing without tips ; to get the key of every- 
thing, of every door, of success in business or otherwise, 
you must tip everybody from the lowest “mougique” to 
the most influential swell, and it is only in doing so that 
we shall introduce our Ceylon teas in this country. I 
have been fold that a Chinaman last year has spent 
likewise over 30,000 roubles in opening a large Tea 
Retail Warehouse on the Nevskie Prospeckte (the 
largest and most central street here) ; he has now made 
his fortune; the Brazil Coffee Company has spent 3 
years ago roubles 60,000 to introduce their coffee here 
and are now doing all over Russia a very considerable 
paying business as their coffee is now to end [sic ?J and 
drunk by almost everybody. 
Another coffee company of some kind, who would not 
spend the necessary currency in tips or otherwise and 
tried to do without it, did nothing at all and failed. 
This is Russia, and it is the same for everything and 
everybody ! 
Everyone I have seen here, with my numerous 
letters of introductions, tells me the same thing. Ceylon 
teas, with their supeiiority over Chinese teas, have 
here a great future, but it is no use of thinking in- 
troducing them in Russia if your Association is not pre- 
pared to spend money largely for the purpose. 
His Excellency - ' ■ .Director of the 
Mining Department, with whom ] had a few days ago a 
long conversation on the subjrct, and who gave the 
same valuable infroduct ons for Nijni Novgorod, 
viz; His Excellency, &c. told me that it is most im- 
portant tbnt I should go there where everything 
connected with business and trade in general is done 
every year. There I must get my teas tasted and 
compared with Chinese teas, beat the big drum, and 
from my visit there will mostly depend our sac- 
cess. Captain , the Hon’ble Inspector 
of the Russian Volunteer Fleet, and Mr. , 
Government Engineer fbrother of the former), whom 
1 also visited, told me the same thing and gave me 
also some valuable letters for Moscow and Nijni. 
The fair has already opened oflScially a few days 
ago, but it is only about a fortnight, that all the 
“haut commerce” will be assembled there and treat 
real business. My idea would be to leave St. Peters- 
burg in a few days, after 1 have done here all the 
necessary ; stay a few days in Moscow and then go 
to Nijfii for a few weeks, coming afterwards back 
to Moscow, but this, after all my expenditure here, 
will necessitate a new grant of funds! All this is 
to show yon that the work and undertaking are very 
diffii ult and that the success of my mission in 
Russia depends entirely on the amount of money 
“ The Ceylon Tea Fund” is prepared to spend for the 
purpose, and I should like their committee to bear in 
mind that unit ss they are willing to make a real 
saorifioe of money to do the advertising properly and 
on a large scale, it would be of no use to do it at all. 
to throw away any more money, and I had better 
clear out of this country and return at once to less 
expensive shores. I have spent already in travelling 
expenses from London, duty of tea eamples, hotel, 
carriage hire, &c. a great deal over £100 (of which I 
received only £66 up to the present time, from the 
Association and you can easily understand that with 
the £100 granted to me, I cannot go very far. It is 
not £100 which will be required, but several one hundred 
pounds sterling ! Then 1 can almost guarantee the 
success. 
Ail the foregoing remarks and reflections induced 
me to send the other day, on the 20th July-let August, 
to Messrs. Malcolm, Kearton & Co., London, the follow- 
ing telegram: — '‘Beginning encouraging, large orders 
sure to follow, success d< pends entirely, Isrge expen- 
diture and voyage (to) Moscow (and) Nijni, duty paid 
(on) samples, Tea 60 pounds funds require! imme- 
diate communica’e Leake (to) open credit (with) credi'. 
M. R., Hotel Europ»,” 
which has been no doubc communicated to you by Mr. 
Leake, and I trust you have been good enough to 
place the master before the Oommittee of the “ Tea 
Fund” for their immediate consideration as tlierc is 
no time to lose in order to he in time for the Nijni fair. 
I .shall at any rate require at once the balance of 
£33 due to me on the £100 granted, as I do not 
like the idea to be left here wi'h mt money. 
1. Customs Duty and Weight of Tea Pacisages. 
Oustoms as a ready mentioned is most boiherscrae in 
Russia. The amount of papers, formalities of any 
kind, and time lost is simply airful, and here again 
you must tip every one from A to Z otherwise you 
can do nothing. 
2. Duty on Tea is 21 Gold Roubles per pood or 
40 Rus.sian Pounds of which 124 equal 112 English 
Pounds (1 cwt). Payments at the customs mutt be 
made in Gold Roubles or Government Coupons. 
The exchange at present is, about Roubles (si'ver 
or paper) 83, 75 to 84 for £10, 100 gold Roubles = 
135| to 135J silver or paper roubles. 
3. Weight of Packages. — It is most important 
in making up an Invoice for Russia that the gross, 
tare, and net weights of each package are given ex- 
actly and sevarately for each Invoice. There are two 
ways of passing an invoice at the customs for duty, viz., 
a. As per Invoice sent by the shippers showing 
gross, tare and nett weights which are taken with an 
addition of 3 per cent on the net. 
h. With 2 per cent allowance for tare on the gross 
verified weight ; so that it is important that the tare 
should be less than 2 per cent of the gress weight. 
The former entry is somewhat more favourable but 
requires a great correctness in weights, end would lead 
to serious difficulties and trouble, if tbe weights were 
found here, on verification, not quite accurate. 
This is all what I have to report for the pre.sent, and 
I remain, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
(Signed) M. Rogivub. 
UETTEE FEOM THE COMMISSIONEE TO ME. 'W- MARTIN 
UEAKB. 
We have received for publication the following 
letter which has just reached tbe Secretary of tbe 
Planters’ Association through Mr. W. Martin 
Ls&ks m 
St. Petersburg, 1st — 13th Aug. 1890. 
Wm. Martin Leake, Esq., 
Secretary, Ceylon-London Association, 
4, Mincing Lane, London, E. C. 
Dear Sir, — Confirming my last letter of the 24th 
July 5th instant, I herewith beg to draw again your 
serious attention on tbe very important question of 
the “ Nijni Nogorovd Fair" on which, as already 
mentioned, will chiefly depend tbe success of my mis- 
sion to introduce Ceylon Tea in Russia. The fair will 
last only till the 20th instant (1st Sept.), and, as if 
takes 3 to 4 days to go there, it is now ample time 
to decide whether I have to go there or not, and in the 
affirmative whether the Tea Fund is prepared to defray 
my expenses for the purpose. I shall therefore 
thank you to send me soon, on receipt of this letter, 
