834 
THE TROPICAL AQRiCULTU RiST, 
[June i, 1891 . 
ME. 3. L. SIIAND AND A NOETH BOENEO 
COFEEE COMPANY. 
Loadon, April .5rd. 
When my lest letter was written it was not 
possible to tell you what Mr, J. L. Bhand had 
determined with respect to sharing in the expedi- 
tion to the Andes which Sir Alfred Dent has been 
organizing. But wo have learned during the present 
week that there now exists but little probability 
that he will take part in it, Mr. Shand wou'd 
not have been disinclined to go, we think, had it 
been possible Icr him to obtain the pecuniary 
inducement which he considers to be necessary. 
This, we are told, is not forthcoming, and naturally, 
therefore, Mr. Shand can scarcf-ly care to expose 
himself to the risis and hards). i[S which must 
attend any expedition of the kind. 
It is said— indeed it has now been publicly 
announced — that Mr. Dawkins, first Private Secre- 
tary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has re- 
signed that appointment to accept charge of this 
expedition to the Andes. A great deal of surprise 
has been expressed that that gentleman should care 
to throw up a position which opens up so many 
possibilities for the future in order to take part 
m a venture, successful is.sue to which must be, 
to say the least, exceedingly problematical. Even 
if territory likely to be suitable for coSee grow- 
ing bo found on the slope of Ihe Andes, 
the question will still remain as to whether 
it will offer sufficient inducement for the inveet- 
uient of the necessary capital. All the South 
American E‘ publics have got into exceedingly bad 
odour lately, and it is very greatly to be doubted 
if British capitalists would care to risk more money 
in countries so constantly liable, as they are, to 
insurrectionary disturbance. We may well feel 
confident that there would be no difficulty in 
obtaining the services of any member of young 
Englishmen and Scotchmen to go out and pioneer 
the enterprise, however deterrent Ibe conditions 
may appear to be. it is to the love of travel 
and adventure which would induce that readiness 
to go out which has probably actuated Mr. Dawkins 
to the step he has taken. You, wo believe, are 
already aware that Mr. Clark, of the Peradeniya 
Botanical Garden, is now on his way home, as 
we hear to go out with the expedition, and doubtless 
his services will be of great value. We have not 
heard the names of any other gentlemen mentioned 
as intending to lake part in it. 
The circumstances under which Sir Alfred Dent 
has arranged for this venture are smgular and 
exceptional. That gentle mo.n is, we believe, the 
Chairman of the Committee of Foreign Bondholders, 
and in that capacity, the Peruvian Government 
being unable to meet its obligations on the bonds 
issued by it, he received the transfer or allo- 
cation by the Peruvian Ministers of certain tracts 
of land with valuable privileges attached, either as 
security for the ultimate payment of these bonds 
or in satisfaction of all the claims which may 
be made upon them. This must have taken place 
between 18 months or two years ago, because when 
Sir Alfred Dent was present at a meeting of the 
Ceylon Association in Loudon some 15 months 
or BO back, he asked Mr. Lcako to reconametid to 
him eorno gentlemen who might be qualified to^go 
out and report on the suitability of the lands or 
various forms of cultivation such as ate pursued 
in Ceylon. The contemplated expedition will be 
the outcome of these arvangeraents entered into 
by Sir Alfred Dent in tlic interests of the holders 
of I’eruvian bonds. 
While it seems to bo almost certain, as has 
(tboYC been written, that Mr, J, L, Shand tviU 
decline to take any part in the venture described, 
ho has turned his attention seriously to coffee 
cultivation in Borneo, and since my last letter was 
written ho has registered a Company by the name 
of the Borneo Coffee Company (Limited), the pros- 
pectus of v/hich I have seen. This states the pro- 
posed capital of the Company to bo £20,000 in £10 
shares, the object being to adopt an agreement be- 
tween Mr. F. Walker and the Company to purchase 
plantations in British North Borneo and elsewhere, 
and to cultivate coffee, pepper, cacao, tobacco, &o. 
The articles of registration provide that the number 
of the directors is not to befless than three nor more 
than seven : the first board to be appointed by the 
Eubscribers and the qualification to De the holding 
of 10 shares, the remuneration having to be fixed 
a> a general meeting. Mr. Shand's offices have been 
registered as the office of the new Company at 24, 
Eood Lane, E. C. The following list of the first 
Eubscribers will show you who the gentlemen are 
who have interested themselves with Mr. .Shand 
in starting this new scheme: — Mr. H. Walker, 1.5, 
Great liussell Street Bedford Square ; Mr. W. H. 
Anderson, Eupert Lodge, Burnham, Bucks ; Mr. 
J. Fleming, 2-1, Rood Lane, E. C., Mr. A. Walker, 23, 
Rood Lane, E. C , tea broker ; Mr. J. 
S. B. Ridge, 23, Rood Lane, E. 0., tea broker ; Mr. 
J.G.K. Grove, 123, Cannon Street , E. C. accountant ; 
and Mr. J. L. Shand, 24, Eood Lane, E. C. Mr. 
James Whittall is also one of the first directors, as 
is Mr. Shand. — London Cor, 
THE INDIAN M ANEACTURING IN- 
DUSTRIES. 
[Iron is so cheaply produced in Britain and the 
freight to Ceylon is so moderate, that for the small 
quantity us.d locally, we do not suppose it would 
pay to establish the manufacture in Ceylon, even 
if coal were discovered in cur island. All the other 
essentials, — limestone, clay aud miangacese we have, 
with the finest graphite in the world for crucibles, 
la copying ihe following article from the Times of 
India, the idea which occurs to us is, that if iron 
aud steel manufaciures, on a large scale succeed 
on India, the day may come when, we shall obtain 
our supplies, ot those metals from the opposite 
continent in exchange for our pure plumbago. — 
Ed. T. a.] 
Next to iron and coal the minerals of most import- 
ance, to any one interested m the development of 
the Indian manufacturing industries, are those 
incidentally useful in the working of iron. Fore- 
most among these stands limestone, which is 
essential if we wish to obtain iron from the ore 
on a commercial scale. Fortunately this mineral 
is found in great quantities at or near the pro- 
bable iron mines ot the future, They vary, how- 
ever, very greatly in quality, many beds containing 
a heavy proportion of worthless ingredients. Car- 
bonate ot lime is the chemical required for foundry 
work, and that limestone is the best which contains 
the greatest quantity. The proportions vary im- 
mensely, as will be seen from an examination of 
samples from different beds. Some calcareous tufa 
in the Darjeeling range showed 98J per cent of 
pure carbonate of lime and only per cent of 
fore-ign matters, of which all but an infinitesimal 
fiaction consisted of magnesia. On the other hand, 
samples taken from the paehete rocks, near the 
Ilunoegimge coal fields, showed on analysis only 
■15 per cent of calcium carbonate, ihe balance 
being chiefly made up of 11^ per cent of magnesium 
carbonate and over 89 per cent of insoluble matter. 
It is this high percentage of insoluble matter 
which is the great objeotiija to the WS0 of the 
