THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[April  i,  1896. 
716 
NOTES  FROM  IIUME. 
Dover,  M.avcli  7. 
The^  Evening  Filcindard  liad  <a  very  pert.ineiA 
editorial  note  the  other  clay,  expressing  surprise 
•at  tlie  interest  still  felt  in  the 
CUL'flVATlOX  OK  COKKKK 
in  so  in, any  different  countries,  in  the  face  of  the 
steadily  decreasing  consumption  in  the  United 
Kingdom.  The  cause  of  such  decrease  is,  of  course, 
found  in  the  persistent  adulteration,  or  admix-' 
ture  with  chicory — so  that  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  get  a cup  of  pure  collee  in  llritain.  This 
was  brought  out  very  clearly  by  the  Deputation 
which  recently  waited  on  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Excheciuer — particulars  of  which  have,  no  doubt, 
been  already  published  by  you.  The  following 
editorial  deliverance  on  the  subject  is  from  the 
Manchester  Guardian  and  may  Ije  worth  putting 
on  record ; — 
The  Chancellor  of  the  Ex'chequer  yesterday  de- 
clined to  entertain  the  idea  of  abolishing  the  duty 
on  coffee.  The  deputation  of  coffee-traders  which 
waited  upon  him  had  some  good  reasons  to  urge  in 
favour  of  their  proposal.  The  trade  in  coffee  has 
been  steadily  declining  for  many  years.  Compared 
with  that  of  1873,  the  trade  of  the  past  year  shows 
a decrease  of  a million  hundredweight,  so  that  the 
import  of  coffee  is  now  only  about  three  quarters  of 
a million  and  the  export  half  a million  hundred- 
weight. This  decline  is  attributed  to  the  hindrances 
thrown  in  the  way  of  merchants  by  the  system  of 
warehousing  in  bond,  which  is  necessitated  by  the 
duty.  If,  say  the  trader, s,  coffee  could  be  imported 
free,  it  could  be  prepared  for  use  here  as  cheaply 
as  in  Hamburg  or  Holland,  and  the  trade  would 
revive.  The  consumption  of  coffee  in  England  has 
steadily  diminished — in  1870  nearly  one  pound  was 
consumed  per  head,  and  in  1801  only  about  two- 
thirds  of  a pound,— so  that  the  future  of  the  trade 
evidently  depends  upon  the  extent  to  which  the  ex- 
ports can  be  increased.  Sir  Michael  Hicks-Heaoh 
argued  that  the  decline  of  the  export  trade  was  due 
to  other  causes,  such  as  the  tendency  of  lirazilian 
coffee  to  go  to  Continental  ports  rather  than  to 
Loudon.  It  is  not  easy  to  decide  which  of  the  tw'o 
explanations  is  the  true  one,  but  if  the  coffee  trade 
is  being  ruined  by  a duty  which  only  produced  last 
year  them  should  be  little  hesitation  about 
the  rediii  or  a'f'olition  of  the  duty. 
Tim  strong  poini made  bj'  Sir  M.  ilick.s-BeacIi,  it 
seems  to  me,  was  that,  if  he  aboli.slied  the  duty 
on  o.oflee,  llmt  on  cacao  should  follow  ami  then 
it  might  fairly  he  said  that  tea  was  unduly 
weighted.  “ A free  breakfast  table”  would  seem 
to  1)0  the  only  equitable  reform  in  this  direction  ; 
but  I think  it  was  a pity  that  the  Deputation 
did  not  have  an  alternative  rc([uest  to  make  of 
the  Chancellor,  namely,  that  the  rule  should  be 
far  more  clearly  and  fully  enforced  of  the  ),ro- 
portions  of  coffee  and  chicory  in  each  packet 
sohl,  being  printed  on  in  bold  type  or  ligiues. 
[f  even  working-people  read  at  a glance 
“This  is  mixtuieof  one-fourth  coffee  .and  three- 
fourths  chicory”;  or  of  “ h.alf  coffee  and  half 
ciiii'ory  or  ng.aiii  “ threo-qii.arters  coffee  and 
one  qiiarter  chicory”,  they  would  speedily  come 
to  know  what  they  were  really  buying  am!  turn 
to  the  packets  with  the  huger  inoportion  of 
coffee.  At  present,  there  i.s  no  check  on  the  pro- 
portions in  the  ))ackets  sold  by  the  grocers. 
Notwithstanding  that,  according  to  the  depu- 
tation, tw'O-tiiirds  of  the  London  coffee  tr.ade  has, 
xvithin,  the  na.st  qu.arter  of  a century,  been 
diverted  to  Continental  ports,  British  ca]utaiist.= 
are  not  behind  others  in  the  attempt  to  grow 
more  coffee.  This  is  .seen  not  only  in  the  .Strait.s 
and  North  Borneo  (not  to  speak  of  revivals  iu 
Ceylon  and  India— wdth  Liberiaii  especially),  but 
also  ill  Java  ami  Centr.al  Afric  a,  in  Mexico, 
Central  and  even  in  South  .America.  The  l.attes 
( '( ) K K r,  !•>  r;  H 0 tv  i N ( ; co  M r>  a x v 
is  reported  by  a friend  to  have  a very  large 
ca])ital  at  its  hack,  for  the  purpose  of  opening 
a large  area  of  line  land  with  coffee  in  the  South 
American  State  of  Colombia.  This  project  is 
freely  su[iported  in  the  City,  notwithstanding  the 
unsettled  state  of  affairs  in  the  neighbouring 
Kc'public  of  A’^enezuela ; hut  Ckilomhia  it  .seems, 
hears  a better  {record.  On  tlie  other  hand,  (he 
Company’s  Directors  xvisely  require  a preliminary 
Report  by  an  experienced  and  competent  coff'ee- 
jilanter,  and  I have  been  consulted  by  a city 
friend  as  to  a suitable  Ceylon  man  for  tlie  ]>o.st. 
The  salary  or  fee  would  be  ToUO  and  all  travel- 
ling expenses  paid  and  English  .agents  in  the 
State  w'onld  give  needful  assistance  in  providing 
guides,  interpreters,  Ac. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  steady  demand 
for  coffee  on  the  continent  of  Enrojie  and  tlirongh- 
ont  the  Americ.as.  Even  if  we  rapidly  gain  on 
the  States  of  Canada  v.dth  onr  teas,  the  \ ictory 
Avill  be  more  over  the  China  and  Japan  rnlJiisii 
and  green,  or  J’rus.sian-blue-faced  teas,  than  over 
coffee  ; although  I have  no  doubt  tiiat  many  ot 
the  Rritish  emigrants  to  America  during  the 
past  30  to  40  years  when  they  found  good  tea 
made  available  to  them,  would  turn  even  from 
coffee,  to  their  original  love.  I do  not  .see,  there- 
fore, that  Ceylon  and  Indian  tea  planters  need  fear 
the  extending  cultivation  of  coffee  in  otlier  lands. 
A\e  have  jilenty  of  room  for  our  tea  for  years  to 
come,  ii  we  oust  the  inferior  China  and  Jap.an 
tea  products  supplied  to  North  America,  Rn.s.sia 
and  the  rest  of  Europe  and  Austr.alasia  ; the  de- 
mand elsewhere  is  inci'casing,  ami  there  is  already 
a large  ami  incre.asing  con.sunqition  among  tlie 
natives  thronghont  India  and  Ceylon  of  (he 
cheaper  inferior  teas. 
I am  sorry  to  .see  from  Cow,  M'ilson,  vX  Stan- 
ton’s weekly  rejjort  that  Ceylon  tea  has  .again 
been  weaker  in  Mincing  Lane  this  time,  althoiigli 
exchange  is  up  j:d  in  the  week,  ami  the  quantity 
offering  was  small  ! 
In  the  Daily  Chronicle  of  this  morning,  there 
are  reiiorts  of  the  meetings  of  two 
.SOUTH  AI'IilCAX  COMUAXIKS 
of  some  general  interest  from  what  was  s.aid  ami,  in 
the  ca.se  of  one.  Sir  C.  AV.  R.  Caniiihell  lu-e- 
sided  : — 
PAIIDYIS  MOZAMBIQUE. 
An  extraordinary  general  meeting  of  the  share- 
holder.s  of  this  syndicate  was  held  yesterday,  at  Win- 
chester House,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the 
capital  of  the  company  by  T‘20,U00.— Mr.  E.  H.  Wat- 
son presided,  and  in  moving  the  resolution  stated 
that  the  company  had  paid  2674  per  cent,  in  bonuses 
and  cash,  and  they  had  today  fill, 083  worth  of  shares 
in  subsidiary  companies.  It  might  be  asked  v\hv, 
under  such  circumstances,  they  proposed  to  increase 
their  capital.  One  reason  was  tliat  if  they  disposed 
of  those  shares  by  putting  them  on  the  market  it 
would  have  the.  effect  of  reducing  the  price  ofPardy’s 
Mozambique  shares.  Another  re.rson  w.»s  that  when 
they  could  realise  this  money  they  would  be  able  to 
pay  350  per  cent,  ipore  iu  dividemls  They,  however, 
had  no  right  to  utilise  that  money  as  capital,  Acting 
on  the  advice  of  Mr.  Pardy,  the  directors  had  come  to 
the  conclusion  not  to  sell  any  more  of  their  pro- 
perties until  they  were  thoroughly  developed,  when 
naturally  tlioy  would  command  far  lietter  prices. 
They  had  still  the  right  to  locate  219  more  cUims. 
—Mr.  Pardy,  in  socomli.ig  the  resolution,  referred  to 
the  recent  m n-sion  of  Dr.  .lamoson  into  the  Trans- 
vaal, and  expressed  the  opinion  that  that  gentleman  was 
simply  the  victim  of  deceit  on  the  one  side  and  trea- 
