Au6.  I,  1896.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  117 
Sir  John  Muir,  the  Chairman  of  both  the  Vendor 
Companies,  has  also  agreed  to  act  as  Chairman  of 
the  Company  for  at  least  five  year's,  and  to  give  the 
Company  his  active  support. 
The  cost  price  of  the  Estates  in  the  books  of  the 
North  and  South  Sylhet  Tea  Companies,  Limited,  on 
30th  November,  1895,  was  £1,416,342.  The  purchase 
price  has  been  fixed  by  the  Venders,  who  are  the 
promoters  of  the  Company,  at  £1,450,000  for  the 
planted  Estates,  and  £150,000  for  the  uncultivated 
land — in  all,  £1,600,000. 
The  Company  will  repay  to  the  Veirdors  all  ad- 
vances made  by  them  on  account  of  the  current 
season  ; and  will  also  take  over,  at  a price  to  be 
fixed  between  them,  all  stores  purchased  by  the 
Vendors  for  future  use  and  in  hand,  as  at  30th 
November,  1895. 
The  balairce  of  this  issue,  together  with  the 
£200,000  yet  to  be  issued,  will,  it  is  intended,  be 
expended  (subject  to  the  payment  of  the  preliminary 
expenses)  upon  the  development  of  the  land  and  of 
the  young  Estates. 
The  legal  expenses,  brokerage,  and  other  charges 
attending  the  issue  of  the  Prospectus  and  allotment, 
will  be  paid  by  the  Company. 
SCHEDULE  REFERUED  TO  IN  THE  ACCOMP.VNYING 
PROSPECTUS. 
Tub  Syliiet  Estates  consist  of  the  Deanston,  Bali- 
sera,  liajghat,  Amrail,  Jageherra,  Goombira  Dukin- 
golc,  Sagurual.  IIolicherra-Degaicherra,  Baitakhal, 
Lulleecherra,  Lallakhal  and  JaMong  Divisions,  com- 
prising an  area  of  50,707  acres  as  follows  : — 
Acres. 
Tea  in  bearing  ..  ..  ..  14,456 
,,  Non-bearing  ..  ..  ..  916 
Cleared  and  in  course  of  Planting  . . 315 
Uncultivated  . . . . . . 35,020 
50.707 
Tub  Assam  Estates  consist  of  the  Hattigor  Posvui, 
Sagmootoa  and  Borpaui  Divisions,  comprising  an 
area  of  14,059  acres,  as  follows  : — 
Acres. 
Tea  in  bearing  . . . . . . 1,192 
,,  Non-boaring  ..  ..  ..  771 
Cleared  and  in  coui'se  of  Planting  . . 975 
Uncultivated  ..  ..  ..  11,382 
14,320 
Tub  Dooars  Estates  consist  of  tho  Rungamuttee, 
Dam-Dim,  Nakhati.  Bytagool  and  Nowera  Nuddy 
Divisions,  having  a total  area  of  10,899  acres  as  fol- 
lows : — . 
Acres. 
Tea  iu  bearing  ..  ..  ..  4,542 
,,  Non-bearing  . . . . . . 34 
Cleared  and  in  course  of  Planting  . . 20 
Uuncultivated  ..  ..  ..  6,303 
10,899 
The  Darjeeling  Properties  consist  of  the  Bloom- 
field and  Orange  Valley  Estates,  with  an  area  of 
1,007  acres  as  follows 
Acres. 
Tea  in  bearing  . . . . . . 650 
Uncultivated  ..  ..  ..  357 
1,007 
The  Ceylon  Estates  consist  of  the  Warwick,  Goua- 
kcllie-Mandara-Newera,  Hopewell,  Mcddekande,  Ual- 
golle-Weweltalawa,lIalwaturA,Uelwita  andKatugastota 
Divisions,  and  comprise  14,000  acres  of  land,  as  fol- 
lows : — 
Acres. 
Tea  in  bearing  . . . . ' ' . . 470 
,,  Non-bearing  ..  ..  ..  2,044 
Cleared  and  in  course  of  Planting  . . 1,306 
Coffee,  Cocoa,  and  Coconuts  non-bearing..  1,075 
Clea-rcd  and  iu  course  of  Planting  . . 730 
Uncultivated  ..  ■■  ••  8,375 
Tue  North  Travancore  Estates  and  Land  con- 
sist of  an  estimated  area  of  about  90,000  acres  as  fol- 
lows : — 
Tea  in  bearing 
..  Nil. 
Acres. 
,,  Non-bearing  . . 
405 
Cleared  and  iu  course  of  Planting 
. . 1,000 
Coffee  Non-bearing 
194 
Cleared  and  iu  course  of  Planting 
25 
Uncultivated 
..  88,376 
90,000 
About  99,555  acres  of  land  are  freehold,  subject,  in 
the  case  of  the  North  Travancore  Property,  to  a 
small  tax,  and  estimated  area  of  74,639,  acres  are  held 
under  ordinary  Government  Leases,  and  the  balance 
6,839  acres  is  private  leasehold  laud. 
Although  the  areas  and  other  particulars  above  men- 
tioned are  believed  to  be  correct,  or  appro.xiniately 
correct,  the  Vendors  are  not  to  be  held  as  guaran- 
teeing their  correctness. 
Glasgow,  June  1896. 
I hear  that  apart  from  the  fact  of  the  old  .share- 
holders taking  the  greater  part,  there  is  likely 
to  he  no  hesitation  in  the  ]>art  of  the  general 
public  in  oll'ering  for  more  than  is  available. 
The  same  is  likely  to  be  true  of  Mr.  C.  E. 
Btrachan’s  Company — 
‘ THE  GALLAHA  CEYLON  TEA  ESTATES  AND 
AGENCY  COMPANY  LIMITED’ 
— which  is  likely  to  come  out  veryshoitly  with  a 
capital  of£165,U00,  and  all  that  may  be  oH'crcd  to 
the  public  are  likely  to  be  applied  for  several  times 
over.  The  Company  are  to  have  2,397  acres  of  tea 
including  what  is  planted  this  year,  107  acres 
cardamoms,  276  acres  planted  for  fuel,  2,094 
acres  forest,  iiatana,  etc.  After  paying  working  ex- 
penses, interest  on  Debentures  and  Preference 
shares,  it  is  estimated  there  ought  to  be  71  ri, sing 
to  10  per  cent  for  the  onl inary  shareholders, — 
perhaiis  more  as  there  will  be  762  acres  young 
tea  coming  on.  Such,  I believe,  are  some  of  the 
anticipations. 
SHARE.S  OF  EXISTING  COMI’ANIES. 
Notwithstanding  tlie  eagerne.ss  about  such 
new  Companies  as  the  above,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  of  some  slackness  in  respect  of  the 
shares  of  existing  Companies,  mainly  due  to  the 
large  number  of  shares  offering  from  Ceylon, 
showing  that  caution  must  be  used  in  the 
Colony  with  reference  to  locking  up  capital. 
Nevertheless,  there  is  gie.at  confidence  felt  in 
Ceylon  and  its  tea  enterprise — a recent  visitor 
speaks  of  all  “ as  in  a most  nourishing  and  pros- 
perous condition  and  men  were  commencing  to 
talk  of  £130  an  acre  as  the  value  of  good  tea.” 
Tills,  I submit,  is  too  Siiiguine,  and  it  can 
.scarcely  be  wise  to  go  above  the  price  recently 
jiaid  in  Dimbula  and  its  neighbourhood. 
THE  I.’AGALLA  TEA  E.STATES,  LIMITED, 
is  to  decl.are  an  ad  interim  dividend  on  1st  July  of 
4 per  cent. 
NOTES  EKOM  OUR  LONDON  LETTERS. 
(From  Our  Own  Correspondent.) 
London,  June  19. 
The  last  letter  sent  you  gave  copies  of  corre- 
spondence dealing  with  the  proposed  re-construc- 
tion  of  the  cajiital  of  the 
OlHENTAL  EST.ATES  COMF.ANV. 
We  were  not  then  in  possession  of  information 
enabling  ns  to  offer  any  comment  upon  the 
subject  of  these  Icticrs,  but  the  Chairman's 
speech  .at  .an  extraordinary  gc-neral  meeting  of 
the  Oriental  Estates  Company  held  this  week 
enables  us  now  to  do  this.  The  object  of  this 
14,000 
