^98 THE TROPICAL AGRlOULTURiST. [April i, 1891. 
has started making a new machine to supply the 
need most felt in and at the gem pits ; but it 
is not jet completed and until it is in full oper- 
ation, its work cannot be judged. But even 
then, we question whether this machine constructed 
on the spot will answer its purpose so well as 
the complete but expensive machines constructed 
in England for the South African Diamond Fields. 
It is such machinery that we should like to see 
applied and tested in the Gemfislda of this Colony. 
No test worth speaking of has yet been applied. 
And yet all this time, splendidly fine largo stones 
have been brought to Colombo, exhibited and sold, 
or sent away privately. 
We maintain, therefore, that so far from discredit 
being thrown on Ceylon by what has taken place in our 
Gem pits during the past year, we are very much in 
the same position as when we first called on English 
capitalists to establish a Syndicate or Company and set 
to work with proper machinery. We have not written 
of positive, assured success. That is a matter we left 
business men and capitalists to judge for them- 
selves from the facts placed before them. All we 
urged was that Ceylon undoubtedly had further 
stores of gems, that there is a large profitable 
digging and export trade and that with the use 
of the latest and best machinery, there was every 
reason to believe European Companies could 
compete and obtain a good return on Ihsir in 
vestment. 
ESTIMATED SUPPLY OF ALL TEA TO 
30xH JUNE 1891, AND PROBABLE STOCK 
ON THAT DATE. 
Indian 
Present Stock 39,000,000 
To arrive, say 21,000,000 
Ckvi-on China Java 
8,000,000 41,000,000 702, UOO 
22,000,000 8,000,000 1,7-50,000 
Total 
Delivery for 5 
months, say 
Stook-30th June 
1891 
Indian 
Ceylon 
China 
Java 
Total 
60,000,000 
30,000.000 52,000,000 
2,452,000 
45,000,000 
19,000,000 33,000,000 
1,500,000 
15,000,000 
11,000,000 19,000,000 
952,000 
Stock. 
Bstimatecl Actual 
Actual 
1801 
1890 
1889 
15,Oj0,000 
19,317,000 
21 ,324,000 
11,000,000 
9,670,000 
8,175,000 
19,000,000 
34,274,000 
3i,905,0u0 
952,000 
1,059,000 
1.130,000 
45.952.000 
04,320,000 
62,534,000 
Stenning, Inskipp & Co., 
9, Great Tower 
SbreeC. 
Gth February 1891. 
The Condition of St. Helena. — Mr. Antrobus, 
of the Colonial Office, who has lately been acting as 
Governor of St. Helena, concludes a recent report 
on that colony by saying that many of the civil 
servants have to discharge responsible duties with 
inadequate paj', and all the inhabitants are suffer- 
ing more or less from the general depression. It 
is melancholy to contemplate the present condition 
of an island which was once so flourishing and 
still has BO many points to recommend it. There 
are still the wonderfully healthy climate neither 
too hot nor too cold, the beautiful scenery, the 
mixture of tropical and temperate vegetation, the 
rare indigenous plants, the clearly and inarked 
geological structure, and the historical associations 
derived from the rule of the East India Company, 
the imprisonment and death of the great Napoleon, 
and the visits of Halley and Darwin and other 
distinguished men of science. But the ruins of 
well-built country houses, and the deserted cottages, 
which arc to be seen in every direction, as well as 
the returns of the rapidly diminishing revenue, afford 
evidence of the change which has taken place in all 
that constitutes material prosperity ; and I regret 
that there is at present no sign of any improveiDent. 
—London f inm. 
MLNING AND GEMMING INDUSTRIES 
IN CEYLON. 
The attention of Mr. Barrington Brown during 
his presence in the island, seems to have been 
confined to the province of Sabaragarnuwa. No 
doubt it includes within its bounds, nearly all the 
recognised and well-established gemming districts, 
and possibly quite enough to occupy the time of 
the geological and mineralogical expert during a 
lew months’ stay. But it is undeniable that 
districts in other provinces also deserve the expert’s 
careful exammalion. lo the Gaiie and Matara 
divisions of the Southern Province ; in the province 
of Uva ; and in the Nuwara Eliya, Pussellawa 
and Maskeliya districts of the Central Province 
and again along the course of the Mahaoya to the 
North-Western Province, “gems” or “gold” are 
by no means unknown finds. As regards plumbago, 
again, the Kurunegala and Kegalla districts cad 
for very careful attention, quite as much as the 
Ratnaiiura, Kalutata and adjacent divisions. 
But even if we confine our attention altogether 
to Sabaragarnuwa — and notably to the Itatnapura 
and Rakwaua districts — we belieie we shall find 
that Mr, Barrington Brown has been able to give 
the Loudon Syndicate employing him, such infor- 
mation as amply justified ins mission and most 
fully supported the position we have taken up for 
many years back m regard to our Gemming 
Enterprise. Of course the expert’s attention was 
mainly directed to certain allotments of land either 
leased, purchased or under offer to his Syndicate 
and it is with reference to the value of these, 
and to the results of various testing operations 
that his report must be mainly directed. Nevertheless, 
he was able to enter on some general remarks 
descriptive of the position of the gemming 
country examined by him and of the geology 
of this part of Sabaragarnuwa. Gneiss, of course, - 
forms the chief rock encountered. It is of a 
bedded character and contains layers of graphic 
granite and hornblendic gneiss often seen 
gradually passing into the gneiss at the planes 
of contact ; while in some few instances there is 
granular limestone. The expert alluded to the fact 
that as yet no precious stones have been discovered 
in the matrix which, in hia opinion, wdl be found 
to consist of gneiss, graphic granite and gra- 
nular limestone. The frequency with which garnet 
crystals of small size occur in the gneiss and 
granite— a circumstance often remarked upaountry 
— is alluded to. We believe the special mission 
of Sir Samuel Baker, the celebrated traveller, on 
his last visit to Ceylon, was to discover the 
matrix of some of our precious stones and with 
this purpose, it was stated at the time, with how 
much accuracy we cannot say, that Sir Samuel 
and a well-known enterprising public officer, ex- 
plored hammer in hand, a good many rocky valleys 
high up in the Highlands of Uva, Nuwara 
Eliya and Sabaragarnuwa, but apparently without 
success. Possibly Mr. Barrington Brown would be 
able lo show them that they had not gone pro- 
perly to work to find the matrix, if indeed it still 
exists to any extent. For, we know that by the 
decomposition and disintegration of the mountain 
recks, the gems contained therein in crystalline 
form having been freed and are now to be found 
in gravelly deposits on hill sides bordering moun- 
tain streams — as in so many parts of Rakwana — 
or in alluvial layers of gravel covered and deposited 
in the valleys. In the former case, the natives 
Inve done a great deal of systematic work in 
mining and gemming, sinking “ shafts” or entering 
“ drives” in the hillsides, while in the valleys, the 
process is one of dredging with hoes under the rivet 
