May  I,  1896. j 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
753 
the  tea  being  subject  to  a duty  of  5s  per  pound 
and  5 per  cent  on  the  value,  which  was  30s  per 
pound.  The  initial  move  to  make  tea  an  article  of 
direct  oommarco  with  China  was  made  in  1(180,  hut 
a previous  shipment  from  Java  in  1(1(18  formed  the 
import  of  IJIl^!  pounds  recorded  in  IGGi),  it  consisting 
of  two  canisters.  From  that  small  beginning  has 
arisen  a trad  ■ that  novv  imports  over  200,0(10,000 
pounds  annually,  and  whore  the  consumption  is 
seven  pounds  per  capita. — American  Grocer,  Feb.  2G. 
^ — 
THL  ALLIANCE  TEA  COMPANY  OF 
CEYLON,  LIMITED. 
DIRKCrORS’  El'.rORT. 
The  directors  have  pleasure  in  submitting  the 
general  balance  sheet  and  profit  amd  loss  account  for 
the  year  ending  Olst  December,  1805,  duly  audited. 
The  net  amount  at  credit  of  profit  and  lo.-is  account 
is  , (11, 250  17s.  An  interim  dividend  at  the  rale  of 
10  per  cent,  on  the  capital  was  paid  on  2nd  October, 
amounting  to  Tl,030  2s  8d.  It  is  proposed  to  p.ay  a 
final  dividend  for  the  half-year  ending  filst  December, 
at  the  rate  of  10  per  cent,  per  annum  (making  in  all 
10  per  cent,  per  annum,  free  of  income  tax),  which 
will  absorb  02,500 ; and  to  carry  forward  to  next 
year  a balance  of  .0120  11s  Id. 
An  amount  of  .£701  Is  9d  spent  in  development  of 
the  estates,  viz.,  on  new  tea  clearings,  addiLioms 
to  buildings,  machinery,  Ac.,  has  been  charged 
to  the  profit  and  loss  account,  in  lieu  of  writing 
off  an  amount  for  depreciation  of  machinery  and 
plant  for  the  ye.xr,  and  the  directors  have,  subject 
to  the  confirmation  of  the  shareholders,  written 
off  the  whole  amount  of  preliminary  expense.^,  viz., 
£1,103  5s  lid  to  profit  and  loss  account,  instead  of 
spreading  it  over  three  years,  as  they  were  empowered 
to  do  by  the  terms  of  the  prospectus. 
The  directors,  therefore,  trust  the  shai-ehoiders 
will  join  them  in  considering  the  result  of  the 
first  year's  working  of  the  Company  to  bo  eminently 
satisfactory. 
The  following  is  the  total  acreage  of  tea  now’  in  bear- 
ing, forest  and  waste  land,  and  the  crops  secured  in  1805 
Tea  in 
Tea  notin 
Forest 
bearing. 
bearing. 
WnLjto 
lb. 
Grass. 
of  tea. 
Aberdeen  . . 
387 
— 
93 
112.372 
Calsay 
305 
46 
36 
118,405 
Luccombe  . . 
717 
— 
210 
221,698 
Gleneagles  . . 
190 
25 
7 
78,780 
Uda  Radella.. 
380 
40 
135 
141.547 
Thornfield  . . 
160 
15 
15 
121,626 
Total. . 
2,239 
126 
436 
824,498 
and  the  latest  reports  fi'om  the  Agents  and  Managers 
in  Ceylon  are  of  a satisfactory  character  as  regards 
the  condition  and  yielding  powers  of  the  properties, 
so  that,  if  other  conditions  continue  - favourable, 
the  directors  anticipate  an  equally  good  return  for 
the  current  year. 
The  Auditors,  Messr.s.  W.  B.  Peat  A Co.,  char- 
tered accountants,  retire  from  office,  and  offer  them- 
selves for  re-election. 

TEA  IN  AMERICA  AND  THE  CONTINENT 
RETURN  OF  MR.  J.  H.  RENTON. 
AV'e  cxtentl  a hearty  welcome  to  Mr.  J.  II. 
Renton,  so  well-known  in  conuwercial  circles  as 
a member  of  the  lirm  of  Messrs.  Bosamiuet  A Co., 
and  to  Mrs.  Renton  on  (heir  return  to  (he  Island. 
It  is  almost  twelve  months  to  a day  since  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Renton  left  the  island  for  home.  Seven 
months  out  of  the  twelve  have  they  been  travel- 
ling in  America,  Canada  and  the  Continent.  Mr. 
Renton,  to  some  extent  has  combined  bu.siness 
witli  pleasure,  .and  has  been  keenly  alert  in 
w’atching  the  pro.gres.s  Ceylon  tea  has  imade  in 
the  countries,  wliere  most  it  needs  pushing. 
Speakinjf  to  an  Observer  representative  he  .said, 
“ [ think  the  jjrogress  made  in  Auierica  is  de- 
cidedly cncour.aging,  and  we  liave  no  reason  to 
com))lain,  Still,  it  'villbe  >a  very  long  time  before 
Ceylon  or  Indian  tea  holds  tlie  markcjt.  You  can 
(|uite  understand  that  big  houses  in  America  who 
have  ^ot  liolding.sin  Japan  and  China  are  not  going 
to  give  u])  an  article  from  which  they  are 
making  money.  Still  many  of  the  big  whole- 
sale houses,  speaking  of  our  tea,  saj%  “ \Ye  have 
got  to  carry  it  as  our  customers  m,ay  ask  for 
it,  and  we  have  got  to  have  a certain  amount  of 
Ceylon  tea  in  hand.  It  will  be  a long  time  be- 
fore we  oust  green  te.as,  but  as  regards  black 
teas  we  sh.ail  knock  tiiem  out  as  we  have 
done  elsewhere,  and  we  are  doing  it  now.  \Ve 
must  try  to  supply  the  very  best — light  llavoury 
tea.s — and  take  to  p.acking  in  Japane.se  packages. 
I mean  the  oldong  ])ackages  containing  about  60  lb. 
net.  This  is  very  important  in  a country  where  the 
article  h.as  to  be  transiiorted  tliousands  of  miles. 
I am  very  much  [ileased  with  the  growing  use 
of  tea  in  Cermany.  Broken  pekoes  and  orange 
pekoes  .are  most  in  dem.and,  in  fact  .all  the  teas 
used  in  Cermany  .are  blended.  In  north  and 
east  Cermany  especially,  they  drink  a lot  of  it 
now,  and  very  fair  tea  tlicy  give  you.  I have 
lived  in  Cermany,  and  I am  vei;y 'much  struck 
with  the  great  adv.ance  which  has  been  made 
since  30  years  ago.”  Mr.  Renton  regrets  that 
he  was  tinable  to  go  to  Moscow',  as  he  had  intended, 
but,  from  inquiries  m.ade  on  theContiueiit,  helearned 
that  much  progress  had  been  made  and  that  there 
is  a growing  tendency  on  the  part  of  Russian 
tea  merchants  to  take  pekoe  souchong  in  place 
of  light  flavoury  teas.  It  Av.as,  he  added  ex- 
tremely  diilicult  to  gauge  the  increase 
of  the  consumption  of  Ceylon  tea  in  Russia, 
as  the  bulk  of  it  went  through  Ham- 
burg .ainl  Bremen,  and  was  not  credited 
to  Russia.  In  the  course  of  their  travels 
I\lr.  and  Mrs.  Renton  visited  New  York,  Balti- 
niore,  Chicago,  Boston,  and  made  a short  lour 
in  Canada,  their  visit  to  the  New'  AYorld  ex- 
tending over  two  montiis.  At  Mentone,  Mr. 
Renton  inet  his  brother  Mr.  A.  V.  Renton,  who 
will  visit  Vichy  and  other  watering  place  on 
the  Continent,  after  w'hich  he  proposes  to  make 
a trij)  to  Jamaica,  returning  to  Ceylon  about  ten 
months  hence.  Mr.  J.  II.  Renton  was  not 
altogether  fortunate  in  his  journeyings,  for,  when 
in  America  where  a tenpi'erature  of  120°  was  re- 
gistered one  evening  .at  7 p.m.  he  had  a touch 
of  fever  from  which,  we  are  glad  to  say,  he  has 
now  recovered. 
INDIAN  PATENTS. 
Apphciitions  in  respect  of  the  uuderineutioucd  in 
ventions  have  been  filed  during  the  week  ending 
21st  March,  1896,  under  the  provisions  of  Act  V of 
1888. 
For  a sun  protector  for  horses.— No  90  of  1896.— 
Gerald  .John  Campbell  Tovey,  st.amp  dealer,  of  68, 
Beutick  Street,  Calcutta,  and  Richard  Clark,  master 
mariner,  of  57,  Amherst  Street,  Calcutta,  fo^r  a sun 
protector  for  horses. 
For  a cheap  and  efficient  )nethod  of  making  irri- 
gation and  other  wells  in  India.— No.  275  of  1890.— 
Rai  Bahadur  Ganga  Ratii’s  invention  for  a che.ap  and 
efficient  method  of  m.aking  irrigatioji  and  other  wells 
in  Indi.a,  and  w’hich  will  be  desigmated  “ Ganca 
Ram’s  patent  well.”  (Specification  filed  15th  Decem- 
ber 1890.)— and  Eastern  Ewjinecr,  April  4, 
