May  I,  1896.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
777 
ruenfc  as  they  and  I myself  would  formulate,  what 
better  protection  could  they  have  ? No  salary  or 
incidental  expenses  are  involved. 
Great  suggestion,  you  will  say,  for  Mr.  May  to 
make!  Who  gets  the  profit  on  the  tea  sold  by  our 
advertising?  Who  l'■o^^hhlt  go  to  Now  York  and  set 
up  business  on  these  terms,  even  in  Ceylon  tea  ? 
Just  so.  You  would  pass  over  the  result  of  such  ex- 
penditure to  pourseires  as  a community  because  the  re- 
tail profits  all  fall  to  one  man.  You  forejet  that  you 
are  by  the  expenditure  of  $500  monthly,  selling  pour 
tea  at  a profit  and  establishing  a market  in  New 
York  City.  You  are  not  yourselves  secured  against 
overproduction,  unless  you  secure  yourselves  by  pro- 
viding a market,  and  if  you  fail  in  New  York,  you 
fail  in  America. 
Let  me  say,  right  hei'e,  that  I am  not  influenced 
bj'  Mr.  May  in  writing  this  letter  which  may  ap- 
pear to  be  penned  in  his  interest.  Mr.  May  has  my 
respect  as  a min  who  is  reallp  interested  in  Ceylon 
tea,  and  his  ideas  have  been  laid  before  me  without 
reserve  subject  to  my  judgment  as  having  lived  for 
years  with  Americans,  and  knowing  how  they  receive 
it  on  first  acquaintance. 
I know  Ceylon  planters,  and  am  one  of  them.  I only 
wish  I was  back,  like  every  man  who  ever  set 
foot  on  the  soil.  Give  me  a chance  and  pay 
my  passage  and  you  won’t  have  to  cry  your  eyes 
out  before  you  can  see  me. 
I will  refer  to  the  Hon.  Mr.  Grinlinton  or  Mr. 
Mackenzie  whether  the  principles  employed  in  my 
argument  throughout  are  not  substantially  correct— 
apart  from  individual  interest  questions  which  do  not 
concern  me. 
I do  of  course  look  upon  Mr.  May  as  one  who  is 
most  peculiarly  and  pre-eminently  suited  to  rejire- 
sent  the  planting  interests  in  America.  I never  met 
a man  more  talented  in  the  art  of  seducing  Ameri- 
can people  from  preconceived  ideas  of  what  they 
believe  to  be — say — their  own  taste.  He  knows  their 
weak  points,  and  all  he  wants  is  the  bait.  He  knows 
where  to  ploxe  it.  He  is  a bait  himself  if  you  use 
him,  but  you  should  fatten  the  bait  so  he  can  tempt 
the  fish. 
Let  me  illustrate.  Mr.  May  made  a remark  which 
I thought  was  rather  a reflection  upon  the  planters, 
and  really  called  for,  although,  said  very  incidentally. 
“ Mr.  Murray,  don’t  you  think  I have  shewn  a good 
deal  of  the  interest  in  Ceylon,  as  a stranger,  and  pulled 
the  same  purse  strings  of  my  friends  pretty  freely  in 
the  interest  I And  yet  I have  never  received  a vote  of 
thanks  foi*anything  I have  done  since  the  Company 
was  wound  up.  Is  this  so?”  Now  may  I suggest  a 
plan  (without  being  looked  upon  as  too  officious)  by 
which  you  can  recognize  him,  and  bring  your  pro- 
duce before  the  cream  of  American  Society  ? The 
idea  is  suggested  by  another — viz.  his  own — -which 
was  to  have  a magnificent  set  of  elephant’s  feet  placed 
in  Tiffany’s  window  representing  ‘ The  introduction  of 
Ceylon  Tea  in  America.’  Merely  an  idea  of  course, 
but  an  idea  which  would  be  impressed  upon  the 
minds  of  American  Soviet p.  Now  why  not  recognize 
him  officially  in  some  such  w'ay,  aud  put  his  name 
on  it.  Has  he  not,  as  a matter  of  fact,  been  instru- 
mental in  diverting  about  a quarter  of  a million  dol- 
lars from  the  Stock  Exchange  into  the  pages  of  the 
American  papers  in  the  interest  of  Ceylon  Tea  ? 
That  the  money  was  lost  to  those  who  invested,  is 
to  be  regretted,  but  who  are  those  who  received  the 
benefit  ? The  tea  was  sold,  and  who  sold  the  tea  ? 
The  planters  are  indebted  to  Mr.  May,  and  they 
should  show  their  appreciation  of  the  fact.  What- 
ever you  do  or  don’t  do,  let  me  advise  you  not  to 
ignore  a man  who  has  done  and  is  doing  so  much 
for  Ceylon. 
It  is  easy  to  see  that  he  feels  very  sore  about  it, 
and  it  is  “ the  last  straw  that  breaks  the  camel’s 
back.”  It  is  not  for  me  to  dictate  to  the  planters  as 
to  who  they  shall  or  shall  not  trust  as  their  stand- 
ard-bearer over  here,  but  I think  it  would  be  to  their 
interest  to  at  least  invite  Mr.  May  out  to  Ceylon, 
pay  his  expenses,  aud  look  him  all  over  yourselves. 
Then  you  need  seek  no  one’s  advice,  as  you  can  all 
orm  your  own  judgment  of  him.  I agree  with  him 
that  it  ia  not  in  the  range  of  possibility  for  an  Eug* 
lishman  to  work  out  the  introduction  of  Ceylon  Tea 
successfullp  in  America.  I myself  could  not  have  done 
what  Mr.  May  did.  Mr.  i’ineo  worked  hard  with 
plenty  of  your  money,  but  with  little  effect.  Mr.  Grin- 
finton  can  speak  for  himself,  and  his  failure  in  Ame- 
rica stands  out  in  strong  contrast  with  his  suc- 
cess as  a businessman  elsewhere.  Mr.  Mackenzie 
divided  his  interest  with  India,  and  of  course 
did  not  fully  represent  Ceylon. 
This  policy  was  surely  rather  an  injury  to  Ceylon 
than  otherwise? 
Let  me  say  once  for  all.  It  is  not  the  short-lived 
method  of  noisy  advertizing  alone  for  six  months 
that  will  accomplish  what  you  want  in  America,  but 
it  is  the  constant  “ ’Ammer,  ’Ammer,  ’Ammer,  on  the 
’ard  ’igh  roads”. 
Some  one  must  represent  you  in  constant  daily 
watchfulness  year  after  year,  and  the  sooner  you 
realize  the  necessity  of  appointing  some  one  to  re- 
present you  in  this  capacity,  the  better  for  you  and 
your  interests.  Messrs.  Thompson  or  Geo.  White  & Co. 
— I forget  which — published  in  their  price  current  a 
few  months  ago,  the  following  : — That  while  the  ex- 
ports of  Ceylon  tea  had  increased  during  the  past 
year  as  a whole,  the  exports  to  the  United  States 
had  shewn  a falling  off” — and  this,  mark  you,  on  the 
heads  of  the  largest  expenditure  yet  indulged  in  to 
win  the  American  market. 
If  you  can  hold  out  any  hope  that  my  conveying 
what  I kuow  to  be  facts  to  you^  will  bring  about 
any  practical  result,  command  me  in  the  future. — 
Very  faithfully  yours, 
J.  McCOMBIE  MURRAY. 
I have  recently  heard  that  the  estimate  crop  of 
Ceylon  tea  for  the  ensuing  year  is  100,000,000  lb.  1 
What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it  ? J.  McC.  M. 
BRITISH  NORTH  BORNEO  : ERRATA. 
Saiulakan,  Nortli  Borneo,  March  15. 
My  Dear  “ Observer,”— Your  P.  D.  has  made 
an  awful  hash  of  niy  letter  on  British  North 
Borneo  to  Mr.  Duff  Tytler,  printed  in  your  issue 
of  1st  Feb.,  by  inserting  the  words  and  yams. 
What  I wrote  was  “poof^soil  ” and  “ any  amount 
of  i/amc.” — Yours  sincerely, 
HENRY  WALKER. 
[We  greatly  regret  the  blunders;  but  are  glad 
that  Mr.  Walker  is  able  to  write  and  point  them 
out,  having,  we  hope,  quite  recovered  from  his 
recent  illness. — El).  T..i.] 
THE  SALUBRITY  OF  SOUTH  WYNAAD, 
Kandy,  April  2, 
Dear  Sir,— Referring  to  Messrs.  Parry  A Co.’s 
and  my  advertisements  of  land  for  sale  in  South 
Wynaad,  aud  wishing  to  have  an  authoritative 
opinion  from  the  former  on  the  salubrity  of  South 
Wynaad,  I received  from  Me.ssrs.  Parry  & Co  a 
letter,  extract  from  which  I send  you  for  publi- 
cation, anti  which  no  doubt  will  interest  your 
readers.  Thanking  you  in  anticipation,— I remain 
yours  faithfully  w.  GIBBON. 
21st'MTrc^^^^  Messrs.  Parry  & Co.’s  letter  dated; 
“ With  regard  to  the  controversy  which  you  refer 
to,  and  which  is  going  on  m your  local  papers  and. 
ours  as  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  Wynaad,  we 
would  point  out  that  we  have  invariably  had  as  many 
coolies  as  we  required  in  the  Wynaad  during  the  so^ 
called  feverish  months  of  April  and  Mav  liid  thkl 
have  not  died  oil  like  ” rotten  sheep.’  fve  Sn  end 
that  the  reason  why  coolies  leave  in  March  for  thdr 
homes,  IS  on  account  of  there  being  little  or  no  work- 
for  them,  the  Wynaad  being  at  piLent  a not 
a tea  district.  As  regards  Europeans,  we  can  name 
through  the  year  in  Wynaad 
Without  going  away. 
