Novumekr I, 1S90.J 
THf^ rnOP?CAL AQF^ICULTURiST. 
341 
year is estimated at 40,000,000 lb. The growth of the 
tea industry in Oeylou has been justly described as one 
of the wonders of the modern world, and to the oour- 
nge and enterprise of its planters, supported by the in- 
telligent force of the Oeylon Observer, infinite credit is 
due for results which nevertheless could not have boen 
accomplished but for tho cheap and efficient labour of 
emigrants from India. lu the far distnut province of 
the Empire with which I am at present connected — in 
British Guiana — the fortunes of tho sugar industry 
have been no less depeudeut oil emigratiou froiu India. 
‘Without this resource no capital would have been at- 
tracted to the Colony, no estates would have been main- 
taiuod, and no sugar made. 
The Indian labourers return not only with wealth 
but with expanded ideas and independent self- 
respect. Sir Charles Bruce adds : — 
In a recent return furnished by the Emigration 
Agent-General in Calcutta for British Guiana, it is 
shown that eiuoe tho year 1854 the number of emigrauts 
who have returned from that Colony to India has been 
30,433 (inclusive of a large number of children) who 
have taken with them remitlancos to the .amouut of 
£457,243. They, have also taken with them jewellery of 
the estimated v.alue of £55,000 since the year 1875, prior 
to which no returns of jewellery were collect d. The 
amount standing lo thie credit of the Indian emigrants 
in the savings hanks of tho Colony exceeds £100,000. 
This represents but a small proportion of their savings, 
fhr the coolie is an astute money-lender, and his ideas 
of a fair rate of interest are based on the principle that 
a bag of rice borrowed at seed-time should be repaid 
bv two at the time of harvest. 1 regret that I am un- 
able to give an estimate of the value of property held in 
theOolony oy coolies, hut in 1371 the value of thehcat- 
tle alone was shown by the Report of the Oommitsioners 
to exceed £130,000. They are rapidly acqiaog sub- 
stantial territorial interests. In Biilish Guiana, and 
I believe also in Trinidad, there are among them pro- 
minent owners of racehorses- 
We have quoted very largely, but we must add the 
conclusion of this able and interesting paper, in 
which it will bo seen that Sir Charles Bruca contem- 
plates not only the beneficial continuance of Indian 
emigration to sucli Colonies as that in the administra- 
tion of which ha holds so high a position, but also 
its extension to the vast new empire which Britain 
has acquired in Africa : — 
In dealing with the subject of Indian coolie emigration 
in its bearing on the interests of the Government and 
people of India, and ou the development of the teriito- 
rial and commercial resources cf tho Empire, it must 
not be thought that I overlook the question of the in- 
fiut-nce of emigration from India on the resident labour- 
ing population of the Oolonies. With this question it 
is impossible for me to deal within the limits of the 
present paper. I desire, therefore, that what I have 
said may be understood as referring to tho emigratiou 
cf Indian coolies to British possessions in which the 
population is admittedly inadequate to the develop- 
ment of their resources. For iustauce, the area of 
British Guiani considerably exoceis 100,000 square 
miles, and, when its limits are determined, will proba- 
bly bo found to bo about equal to the area of the British 
Isles. Of this area only about 150 square miles, the 
area of the Isle of Wight, is beneficially occupied. 
The population is under 300,000. In countries thus or 
similarly circumstanced, it would be a waste of time 
to argue th.at the development of their natural re- 
sources, which, without immigration, is impossible, is 
for the interest of a'l. The late Sir Philip ‘Wodehouse, 
when Oovorucrot British Guiana, said that “ Since ho 
had come to tho Colony ho liad endeavoured to con- 
tinuo imraigraUou on such a footing as would do more 
good to all. Ills reason torso doing was simply because 
lie believed that there was not a single class of the 
population of th? Colony that was not vitally concerned 
in the continuance of immigration. It might be that 
every class did not derive equal benefit from the 
introduction of immigrants into the Colony, but it was 
clear that all derived benefit. Ho believed that the 
ostatos ooqld not homaiutaioci if immigration ooasod. 
The mercantile community, if thn estates wore aban- 
doned, wouM find a cessation of trade; the public 
funds of the Colony would be distressed, and public 
officers would lose their salaries and their occupation 
in life ; the mass of the population of the Colony would 
also suffer, inasmuch as the necessary consequence 
would be tbe loss of all those social, political, and 
civil iostilutions which, in point of fact, constitute 
civilisation.” 
Apart from all consideration of the direct advantages 
which coolie immigration has brought to Britieli 
Guiana, an ethnic and historic interest attaches to the 
transfer of the population of Asia to the continent of 
South America. The adjustment of the balance of area 
and population is a question worthy of the statesmen 
of tho greatest Oo'onial Empire the world has ever 
seen; and now that the Government ha.s accepted the 
policy of an active encouragement of emigration, and 
that experience has indicated tho principles on which 
emigration osn he cojducted consistently with an 
equal reg.ird for the interests of capital aud labour, it 
may be conceded that the time has come for the 
Government of India, together with the promoters of 
tbe great commercial enterprises roooutly undertaken, 
to consider whether a field for the organisation of 
Asiatic emigration on a sea’s of magnitude is not open 
in the sphere of British influence iu tropical Africa. 
OUR STAPLE EXPORTS AXD THE CLOSE 
OP THE COMMERCIAL SEASON. 
Although the Chamber of Commerce no longer 
lay themselves out for making up the export returns 
for our staples to 30th September — their i eason 
having been altered to suit the calendar year;-- 
yet it is of interest to see how the actual shipments 
in the twelve months expiring today and tho 
estimates Iramed a year ago compare. d\e ctnnot 
pretend to give exact results ; for the latest Chamber 
of Commerce return is only made up to the 25th 
and the last statement for 1839 very probably over- 
laps a little with the fresh one begun from 1st 
.January. But supposing that these two elements 
of error about balance each other we should get 
figures somewhat like the following for tho total 
exports in Season 1869 90 : — 
From 1st Oct. 18S0 to sai/ 30th Sept. 
Tea 
OOFPICE 
CiNClIOSA Bauk 
Coca 
Gauuamoms ... 
If this result prove to bo fairly correct as regards 
tc-a, Messrs. Rutherford and Soovell will deserve 
credit for coming so near the mark as 43 million lb. 
a year ago. But there may be one qualification to 
that remark in the fact that but for the temporary 
stoppage of immigration and the derangement of 
labour in mid-:eason, the tea exports would 
probably have been larger. But there is always 
some unforesstn contingency to take into account, 
and we think the tea result may be fairly compared 
with the following estimates : — 
Tka Exports for Season 1889 90 : 
Mr. Rutherford and Mr. Scovell 
Messrs. Somerville & Co. 
Ceylon Observer 
Mesi-rs. Forbes & Walker 
Then in respect of the minor staples, wo are 
gratified to see how nearly our own estimates 
published on October 9th, 1889, have worked out. 
Here are the comparisons 
” Observer" Estinwte. 
43,067,101 lb. 
90,263 cwt. 
8,694,452 lb. 
16,842 cwt. 
320,994 lb. 
Estimates : 
43.000. 000 lb. 
42 650,000 lb. 
42.000. 000 lb. 
40.000. 1-00 lb. 
Coffee ... 
Cocoa 
Cardamoms 
Ciucliou;v Bark. 
90 000 cwt. 
Io',000 cwt. 
300,000 lb, 
7,5CO|000 lb. 
Act tint Shipment 
(l.s ahore 
90.263 cwt. 
16,842 cwt. 
320,994 lb. 
8,094 , 152 lb, 
