[Sept.  2,  1895. 
190  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
tn  tevery  letter  that  I have  addressed  to  you  or 
any  information  that  I have  given  I have  invariably 
stated  how  very  much  I am  indebted  to  the  majority 
of  the  owners  of  Tea  Warehouses  and  to  the  gen- 
tlemen conducting  them  for  the  great  assistance 
they  have  rendered  to  me.  While  I have  in  hand 
an  “ explanation  ” which  is  only  due  to  these  Tea 
Warehouse-keepers  of  London  I would  like,  with 
your  permission,  to  add  the  dates  at  which  I com- 
menced to  work: 
In  1888  1 fdund  that  tea-sweepings  were  such  an  in- 
cubus to  the  warehousemen  who  did  not  know  how  to 
get  rid  of  them  that  they  paid  as  much  as  b‘5,  and  very 
often  much  more,  for  each  clearance  or  riddance  of  a 
parcel  of  tea-sweepings.  These  tea-sweepings  were 
sold  by  the  parties  who  took  them  from  the  warehouses 
at  a low  price,  to  Germany,  but  of  course  very  remu- 
neratively, as  they  paid  nothing  for  them : part  was 
used  for  food  purposes  and  passed  throu^  a very  large 
tea  establishment  that  was  erected  at  Hamburg,  and 
part  was  used  in  Germany  for  the  manufacture  of 
caffeine. 
Knowing  the  state  of  affairs  that  existed  I applied 
first  to  every  one  of  the  Government  establishments, 
starting  with  the  Custom  House.  Some  of  the  replies 
I received  were  not  even  polite.  Nothing  daunted,  I 
persevered,  and  put  copies  of  the  letters  together 
with  my  applications,  before  Sir  Frederick  Dixon  Hart- 
land  and  Sir  John  Lubbock.  I then  went  to  the  whole- 
sale manufacturing  Chemists  who  were  most  likely  to 
work  at  such  a product  as  caffeine.  They  smiled  at  me, 
saying  “ We  wish  you  good  luck  and  shall  be  very  glad 
if  you  can  carry  this  point.  We  have  tried  for 
years,  and  have  only  received  snubs.”  Notice  of 
motion  was  given  in  the  House  and  Mr.  Goschen 
Was  suTOorted  by  the  whole  of  the  official  element  in 
the  different  departments  in  ridiculing  the  proposi- 
tion that  the  chemical.  Caffeine  should  bo  made  in 
this  country,  as  it  was  in  Germany,  from  a mate- 
rial which  was  a waste  product  and  actually  cost 
money  to  destroy. 
Mr.  Goschen  was  eventually  convinced  that  an 
alkaloid  only  was  intended  to  be  obtained  and  referred 
the  matter  to  Mr.  Prowse,  the  Secretary  to  the  Cus- 
tom House,  who  sent  for  me,  and,  to  cut  a long  story 
short,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Cobden  Samuels, 
the  chemist  to  the  Custom  House,  a material  satis- 
factory to  all  concerned  for  rendering  the  tea-sweep‘ 
ings  totally  unfit  to  be  ever  used  for  food  was  dis- 
covered in  asafetida  and  lime.  Within  fi  weeks  from 
this  it  was  permitted  to  denature  the  tea-sweepings 
and  refuse  Tea  in  England. 
The  Wharves  were,  as  a rule,  quite  as  dubious  as 
any  of  those  interested,  and  felt  confident  of  con- 
stant irritation  and  trouble  from  the  Customs,  Suf- 
fice it  to  say  that  they  have  not  had  one  single 
instance  to  ground  their  fears  upon  in  the  work 
ever  since  1888,  so  perfectly  had  the  Secretary  of 
the  Customs  arranged  all  the  detail.  In  1893,  every 
wharf  but  one  passed  their  tea-sweepings  through 
our  house  to  tne  manufacturers.  13y  this  time 
stocks  of  tea-sweepings  were  getting  low  in  Ger- 
many, and  the  foreigners  were  able  to  bring  suf- 
ficient pressure  to  bear  to  induce  some  few  of  the 
warehouses  to  allow  them  to  have  tea-sweepings 
again.  They  disregarded  any  interest  I might  have 
in  the  tea-sweepings,  which  only  amounted  to  3/ 
per  ton,  and  barely  paid  the  expenses  of  stamps, 
clearance  at  the  Customs  and  arranging  cartage  of 
the  tea  under  the  supeivision  of  the  Customs 
offiper,  and  other  incidental  expenses. 
These  Wharves  who  have  not  acted  as  I consider 
fairly  towards  mo  ignore  all  the  trouble  and  ex- 
pense I have  been  to ; they  ignore  also  the  interests 
of  the  tea-producers  and  of  the  English  manufac- 
turers of  Caffeine.  They  ignore  also  the  special  per- 
mission which  had  been  granted  by  order  of  Mr. 
Goschen  and  the  work  carried  out  by  the  Custom 
House,  which  was  a positive  gain  at  the  time 
of  the  transaction  to  these  wharfingers,  as  I 
have  shown  in  the  former  part  of  this  letter,  and 
this  in  spite  of  the  Port  Order  No.  33,  1888  Regulations 
for  the  delivery  of  damaged  tea  free  of  duty  for  the 
Manufacture  of  Caffeine. 
After  reiterating  all  the  facts,  as  you  no  doubt  will  be 
addressed  by  some  of  the  Bonded  Warehousekeepers 
I would  like  to  ask  them  in  I'eply — 
1.  If  they  have  sold  tea-sweepings  to  Germany 
after  the  Port  Order  was  issued,  stating  that  no 
further  Tea  sweeping  should  be  shipped  to  Germany. 
2.  As  Ruother  order  has  been  issued  stating  that 
tea-sweepings  may  be  denatured  in  this  country  and 
shipped  off,  whether  they  are  now  selling  or  whether 
they  intended  to  sell  their  Tea  sweepings  (which  are 
the  produce  of  tea  produced  in  the  British  posses- 
sions) to  foreigners  to  be  ground  up  under  Customs 
supervision  in  this  country  and  shipped  abroad,  thus 
entirely  working  against  the  British  industry  and  British 
trade,  and  in  direct  opposition  to  the  work  done  by  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  who  assisted  me  with  their 
valuable  support  when  asking  the  favour  of  this  Port 
Order  in  1888. 
Another  question  that  it  would  be  interesting  to 
get  them  to  answer  is — 
3.  If  the  Caffeine  manufacturer  in  this  country  do 
not  offer  them  a higher  price  than  they  can  obtain 
from  anyone  else. 
I must  ask  you  to  accord  this  letter  the  prominence 
that  you  have  put  upon  the  writing  complained  of 
in  your  widely  circulating  journal. — Yours  truly, 
THOS.  CHRISTY. 
P.>S. — Important  matter  is  often  eonsigned  to  a 
postscript,  as  in  this  instance.  “ The  tea  packages 
from  Ceylon  are  so  well  put  together  that  there  is 
a minimum  of  leakage.”  This  is  the  experience  in 
some  of  the  tea  warehouses ; hence  the  volume  of  tea- 
sweepings  is  decreasing. 
WIND  GALORE  IN  SOME  PLANTING 
DISTRICTS. 
New  Galway,  July  1st. 
Dkau  Sih, — The  letter  of  the  local  “ Times” 
correspondent  (juoted  by  you  last  week  woulil 
apjiear  to  give  this  district  “tlie  cake  for  wind.” 
Well,  certainly  we  have  had  it  pretty  stiff  lately 
doing  considerable  damage  to  young  timber  ti  ees, 
store  roofs  tfec. , and  although  we  must  not  forget 
tlie  incident  of  tlie  grindstone  tliat  was  dislodged 
and  carried  away  by  its  action  on  lower  Amba- 
welle  during  the  time  of  the  great  Alister  of 
Bagjtipe  renown,  the  Kandapolla  district  can  now- 
cap  that,  as  during  the  storm  that  laid  our 
LT.  P.  M.  low-,  a stone  mile-jmst  of  the  usual 
dimensions — i.e.  about  4 feet  long  and  embedded 
more  than  h.alf  its  length  in  the  ground,  was 
oVerturnc<l,  to  say  nothing  of  the  scores  of  large 
amcia  mdanoxylon  and  other  trees  uprooted, 
tw  isted  .and  broken  oft'. 
The  mile-post  above  alluded  to  is  either  the 
7th  or  8th  from  Nuwar.a  Eliya — .at  .any  rate  it  is 
just  .above  the  coffee  store  on  Macl.aren’s  P,ark 
est.ate,  and  any  one  so  inclineil  can  “ ))arka”  it 
by  the  road-siile  unle.ss  it  h.as  been  carried  farther 
away  or  re-erected  since  S.atunl.ay  last. — Yours, 
WINDY  CORNER. 
HYDRAULIC  LIMESTONE  IN  (’KYLON. 
July  H). 
DeaI!  Sn;, — Re  your  article  on  this  subject  (ap- 
pearing on  page  132)  you  will  find  hvdraulic 
limestone  in  a cave  just  below  the  higli  road  a 
little  beyond  P.ailiy.apellella  in  the  Maturata 
district  of  Nuwara  Eliya. 
— Yours  truly,  M. 
LIMESTONE  AND  ('LAY  IN  THE 
SOUTHERN  PROVINCE. 
Siu, — I have  read  your  recent  article  ;r  “ Hy- 
draulic Limestone,”  and  as  you  seek  for  infor- 
mation whethci  the  magnesia  limestone  is  to  be 
found  elsewhere,  1 must  refer  you  to  the  Southern 
Province.  The  hard  palish-yellow  stone  is  to  be  fouu 
