February 2 , 1891 .] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
591 
CEYLON TEA IN KUSSIA: 
the James Taylob Testimonal. 
Kandy, Jan. 14th. 
Sir, — I beg to transmit copy of letter from the 
Secretary to the Ceylon Association in London, 
together with the connected correspondence which 
is of public interest. — I am, &o., 
A. PHILIP, 
Secretary to the Planters’ Association of Ceylon, 
LETTER FROM ME. LEAKE. 
4, Mincing Lane, London, E.C., Dec . 24th 1890. 
To A. Philip, Esq., Secretary, Planters’ Association 
Kandy, Ceylon. 
Dear Sir, — I have the pleasure to acknowledge re- 
ceipt of your letter of 1st iust.Tnt, informing me that 
the available balance of the vote of K5,000 towards 
Mr. Rogivue’a mission to Russia is now K‘2,485'56. 
Of this I tike due note. 
I enclose a letter addressed to you by Mr. Rogivue 
together with a translation by him of an article from 
a Russian newspaper. 
I am also sending you by this mail a copy of a letter 
addressed by our Association here to Lord Knutsford 
on the subject of the proposed increase of the amount 
to be contribution by Ceylon for military expenditure. 
In respect of this document tho Association hag 
been greatly indebted to Sir Arthur Gordon lor the 
care and trouble he has taken in drawing it up. 
Wishing the Planters’ Association and its officers 
many happy and useful years, — I remaiu, yours faith- 
fully, Wm. Martin Leake. 
P. S. — Our list for the Taylor Testimonial amounts 
now to £106 7s. The following names have to be added 
to the list : — 
The Colombo Commercial Company, Ld. . . £5 5 0 
C. E. G.Hatherell, Efq 2 10 0 
Messrs. Geo. White & Co. . . . . ..220 
R. A. Cameron, E q. .. .. .. ..110 
Sir G. H. D. IvpUins tone, Bart.. .. ..110 
J. H. Alexandir, E?q .. ..110 
“The 'Tea Fund,” 
Moscow, lst/13th December, 1890. 
To A. Philip, Esq., Secretary, Ceylon Planters’ As- 
Booiation, Kandy. 
Sir, — I wrote you last on the 30th August/llth 
September and have since sent you through Mr. 
Wm. Martin Leake, London, my general report upon 
my mission in Russia, dated Loudon, 15th October 
1890, which I trust, has reached you iu order and 
has given satisfaction to your Committee. 
In London where I was for about three weeks, I 
was indeed very fortuuato in making arrangements 
with an old and kind friend, Mr. P. G. Spence, 
who gave me, with capital credit, good advices and 
introductions, a very h: Ipiug hand for the establish- 
ment of n business here in order to push by the 
direct trade the Ceylon Tea in Russia. I re- 
turned here about a month ago and I am now 
ready to open on Monday next, 3rd/15th iust., 
my office and store of the “ Ceylon Tea and 
Produce Agency of Rus-ia,” for the sale by retail, 
wholesale and, or, otherwise, the fpeciality of “Ceylon 
tea ’’ exclusively, which, as I have already written you, 
has never before been brought as pure to the reach of 
tea consumers in this country, 
I am expectiug iu a day or two from London a first 
Bupply of Ceylon tea aelocted by me espaciaJy in 
London to suit the Russian taste, which, I hope, will 
sell rapidly, and 1 trust to have before long to report of 
having boon successful in establishing a good aud re- 
gular trade for this staple of your islnuu. 
A fact worthy of notice— which, 1 think, will please 
your Committee as showing thatllussiun merchants begin 
to take groat interest iu Ceylon tea — is thit Mr. Popoff, 
Managing-Dirootor of Ibo largo firm of K. N. C. Popolf 
Bros. & Co., L'lnited, whom, when I visited him two 
months ago, wonll not listen to anything about Ucyiou 
teas, will now very siiortly proceed to Cey lon with a Dr. 
(ProfcBSor of Chemistry )to analyeo aud taste them there, 
study everything connected with their planting and 
manufacture. ’This, of course, is a very important 
question and shows a good advance iu the work 
(lone by me iu Russia, as I am certain it will very 
soon lead to large imports of Ceylon tea into Ku'-sia. 
Regarding the Reuter’s telegram published in the 
Oeylou papers some time ago, “ that the Russian Mi- 
nister of Commerce proposed to establish a direct trade 
with Colombo and to introduce Ceylon tea into Russia,’’ 
I may mention that the other day, on my return to 
St. Petersburg, wishing to interview the Minister of 
Finance, His Excellency M. Pichnegraleky,upon this 
important question, I had tho good fortune of an 
audience with him, and he told me that the question 
hag indeed been brought before, and agitated by, the 
Government, but that, up to this time, the best 
means to bo adopted to do it, bas not yet been 
found. However, he thinks that my establishment 
in Russia to sell Ceylon tea will greatly facilitate 
the matter, and he offered me every kind of pro- 
tection and assistance in my enterprise. It is certain 
that the Russian Government will do anything to 
introduce into the country and protect an article of 
"first necessity” to tho Russian public, which they 
can procure so much nearer than China and of better 
and purer quality. They have been stimulated by 
numerous articles published in the Russian press 
upon the subject, of which 1 send you the transla- 
tion of one, which will perhaps interest your Com- 
mittee and the public in Ceylon. 
My work of “ reclame ” for Ceylon tea is, how- 
ever, far from being completed. I shall have still large 
expenses to incur for advertisements, publications, etc. 
and will require all the money available for me iu 
London, voted for the purpose by your Committee; 
and I hope that the latter will continue to support 
me, and be, later on, in a position to grant me, if 
necessary, soms further funds to be spent for the 
continuation of ray work. — I remaiu, dear sir, yours 
faithfully, M. Rogivdb. 
[Translation of an article published on the 16/28 
October 1890, in the 3fosl-ow$lcy Jf'edamosfii, 
No. 286.J 
The New Ceylon Tea Market for Russia. 
A telegram from St. Petersburg on the 1st Ootober 
1890 says the followiog: — “The Minister of Finauce 
and Foreigh Affairs had proposed the establishment 
of direct commercial communication with Ceylon, iu 
order to introduce Ceylon teas in our markets. It is 
coutemplnted, with this proposal, to get iadependent 
of English tea markets aud to prevent the adulteration 
of teas which is more and more complained about as 
taking place in China and London.” 
This appears to us as a. word of gold on behalf of 
Rusfiau interests. Up to the present time, we Russians, 
on account of our little enterprising spirit, have 
bought, and are buying, have drunk and are drinking 
Ceylon aud Japan teas (where we have no Russian 
agents) as China teas, through the medium of English 
merchants. 
Japan tea differs very little from China tea. The 
Japanese have already, long ago, taken tbo greatest 
care and trouble with the planting and preparation 
of their tea; let us say moro. The Japanese prepare 
tluir tra iu a much cleaner way than the Chinese, 
and this may be accounted for by the smaller 
quantity they produce and also by the “go-ahead” 
spirit of the Japanese who are, no doubt, more 
civilixed than tho Chinese. In Japan there 
is no primitive dirty hand-work to be seen 
iu the preparation of tea such as we have seen and 
heard as being done in China. In lud a aud Oeylou the 
tea manufacture is still on a higher scale, and, as 
East India is ot so_ near neighbourhood with the 
Otiinese tea hills, it is quite comiirchensib'e that they 
have taken so much of the Chinese ideas for planting 
and cultivating tea, tho position of the mountains 
and the climate there being greatly in favor of good 
cultivation; llio result has been therefore, that very fine 
qualities of tea have made tlieir appearance from tho 
hills of Hindustan. But, lot us go further, and we sto 
the tea cultivation iu tho island of Coylon, with her 
peaceful aud hardworking Sinbaleso aud the most 
