270 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIS  F 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  RUSSIA. 
PKOGRESS  RKPORT  I!Y  MU.  ROGIVUK. 
From  Mr.  Pliilip,  Secretary  to  tlio  “ Tliirly 
Coinniittcc,”  we  liavc  roeeived  tlie  ft>llowing  copy 
of  a letter  from  Mr.  M.  Ro^ivue  reporting  fur- 
ther with  reference  to  Ids  AS'ork  in  pusldng  the 
sale  of  and  advertising  Ceylon  tea  in  Russia  : — 
(Copy) 
Maroseika  House,  Lebed  ic£f. 
Moscow,  18/30th  .TulylSOG. 
A.  Philip,  Esq.,  Secretary  to  the  Thirty  Com- 
mittee,’’ Kandy,  Ceylon. 
Dear  Sir, — I beg  to  confirm  my  last  respects  of 
the  6/18th  June.  Everything  is  now  in  order  at  the 
Nijni  Novgorod  Exhibition,  and  I think  that  no  one 
can  visit  that  place  without  seeing  something  about 
Ceylon  tea,  and  all  who  have  been  there  to  whom  I 
have  spoken  tell  me  that  it  is  so.  The  double  pa- 
vilion, which  everyone  who  enters  the  Exhibition 
must  pass,  is  very  handsome,  and,  being  quite  a 
different  style  from  any  other  building  in  the  place, 
is  bound  to  catch  the  eye.  In  the  grounds  of  the 
hotel,  to  which  our  pavilion  forms  the  principal  en- 
trance, is  a largo  museum,  immediately  behind  our 
place,  where  a mechanical  organ  plays  most  of  the 
day  to  attract  people’s  attention,  and  when  the  passers- 
by  look  round,  as  almost  without  exception  they  do, 
they  see  our  pavilion  and  archway  with  ‘‘  Ceylon 
Tea”  in  huge  letters  on  it  ; and  it  is  quite  re- 
markable to  see  how  many  stop  to  have  a good 
look  at  the  place  and  read  our  signboards,  etc. 
I have  already  had  many  inquiries  from  dealers 
in  the  country  who  have  visited  tlie  Exhibition 
and  tasted  our  Ceylon  tea  there,  but,  until  the 
annual  fair,  which  opened  on  the  15/'27th  inst.  is 
more  frequented,  there  will  not  be  many  merchants 
about  the  place.  Every  day,  however,  numbers  of 
the  general  public  come  to  try  the  tea  ; aud  the  man, 
the  young  lady  and  the  boy  whom  I have  in  charge 
of  the  place  are  all  smart  enough  aud  able  to  talk 
with  would-be  customers  very  persuasively.  The 
man  who  had  formerly  been  in  a tea  business,  speaks 
well  Russian,  German,  and  French.  I had  him  for 
some  time,  before  going  to  Nijni,  in  my  place 
here,  tasting  with  me,  learning  the  chief  features 
about  Ceylon  tea,  so  that  he  is  well  qualified  to  look 
after  the  place  when  I am  not  there.  At  first 
owing  to  slovenly  work  in  the  painting  and  finishing 
of  the  pavilions,  I had  a great  deal  of  unpleasant- 
ness with  the  contractor,  but  by  sticking  to  it  and 
constantly  standing  over  the  workmen  1 got  all  I 
wanted  done  and  well  done.  I am  having  photos 
taken  and  will  as  soon  as  possible  send  you  copies, 
but  I wish  some  Ceylon  people  would  visit  the 
Exhibition  and  see  for  themselves. 
In  addition  to  the  advertisement  already  men- 
tioned in  a previous  letter,  on  both  sides 
of  an  electric  car  inside  the  Exhibition,  I 
was  able  to  secure  at  exceptionally  low  terms, 
besides  placards  and  transparents  inside  all  the 
cars,  the  whole  side  on  two  other  cars  where  the 
words:  “Drink  pure  Ceylon  tea;  economical;  the 
best  tea  in  the  world,”  etc.,  in  large  white  letters 
on  a red  ground  are  to  be  read.  As  these  trains 
run  continuously  the  whole  day  round  aud  round  the 
grounds  along  the  principal  pathways  and  past  the 
chief  entrances  of  all  the  different  sections,  people 
must  continually  see  “ Ceylon  Tea  ” and  these  words 
in  its  praise  before  them. 
I have  had  a large  number  of  new  “brochures”  speci- 
ally printed  (exemplary  enclosed)  to  be  freely  distri- 
buted by  hand  among  those  entering  the  Exhibition, 
also  at  the  Fair  and  in  the  Pavilions. 
One  big  poster,  7 ft.  by  7 ft.  bearing  the  word— 
“ Tea  from  the  Island  of  Ceylon.  Apply  to  M. 
Rogivue,  representative  for  Russia  of  the  Ceylon 
Planters’  Association,  Moscow,  Maroseika  nousc,Lebe- 
’dieff.  Tasting  and  free  distribution  at  the  Nijni- 
Novgorod  Pavilion  close  to  the  Exhibition  I have 
had  made  on  metal  and  placed  in  a splendid  posi- 
tion in  the  town  near  the  approach  to  the  bridge 
on  the  river  Ora  connecting  the  town  aud  Fair 
and  where  all  going  from  one  place  to  the  other 
must  pass. 
[Oct,  I,  1896. 
As  I told  you  before,  I have  placards  in  the 
windows  on  the  walls  of  several  of  the  chief  hotels 
and  restaurants  and  have  arranged  with  some 
of  them  for  the  supply  of  Ceylon  tea.  In  the  Nijni 
newspapers  I am  having  frequent  advertisements 
inserted  during  these  three  months  of  the  Exhibition 
and  Fair.  Thus  all  the  plans  I made  for  advertising 
Ceylon  tea  at  Nijni  this  year  are  now  in  working 
order  and  as  good  in  evei’y  way  as  I could,  with 
time  aud  personal  attention,  make  them  ; but  owing 
to  the  exorbitant  prices  for  material  and  labour 
ruling  there  this  year,  which  were  quite  unprecedented 
in  the  place,  T have  had  to  spend  a great  deal  more 
than  the  sum  granted  to  me  by  the  “ Thirty  Com- 
mittee” for  the  purpose.  I think,  however,  the  result 
should  justify  it,  as  far  as  the  increased  knowledge 
of  and  demand  for  Ceylon  tea  goes.  To  continue 
advertising  and  pushing  pure  Ceylon  tea  in  the  way 
I have  been  doing,  I shall  require  more  assistance, 
— not  only  pecuniary  but  also  working  assistance. 
I have  read  in  my  Ceylon  paper  lately  several  sug- 
gestions that  more  money  should  be  spent  in  Russia, 
and  somebody  in  addition  to  myself,  be  appointed  to 
do  the  work.  ’iV'hether  the  “ Thirty  Committee”  hold 
this  opinion  or  not  I cannot  s.iy,  but  it  struck  me 
that  if  a man  with  the  necessary  qualifications 
could  be  found  aud  your  Committee  wished  to 
spend  more  money  on  the  work,  something  might 
be  done  by  his  travelling  aud  working  in  co- 
operation with  me.  If  a Ceylon  man  so  much 
the  better,  but  w'ithout  some  knowledge  of 
Russian  and  the  ways  of  the  country  it  would  be  a 
pure  waste  of  monevs  sjieakiug  from  my  own  hard  ex- 
periences during  the  piast  six  years. 
Since  Mr.  Dowling  joined  me,  it  is  true,  I have  been 
much  freer  to  get  about,  but  someone  to  visit  the  more 
distant  places  would  certainly'  be  an  advantage. 
If  your  Committee  wish  to  adopt  more  expensive 
measures  for  pushing  Ceydon  Tea  here  I am  prepared 
to  lay  my  plans  before  you  on  moi-e  extensive  but 
similar  lines  to  those  I have  hitherto  found  successful 
and  would  include  one  or  more  special  travellers. 
1 think  you  cannot  deny  that  for  the  money  expended 
through  me  you  have  got  good  measure,  for  not  only 
has  eve,y  penny  been  spent  actually  in  advertisements, 
without  any  personal  or  management  expenses, 
(beyond  certain  travelling  charges  specially  incurred), 
but  1 have  also  added  a considerable  money  of  my 
own  and  1 do  not  think  anyone  can  say  that  the  result' 
has  not  been  satisfactory  as  far  as  the  demand  for  and 
import  of  Ceylon  Tea  into  Russia  in  any  criterion.  I 
do  not  think  anyone  has  better  facilities  or  more  quali- 
fications for  doing  the  work  you  require  than  I Inive 
now  for  the  best  advantage  of  Ceydon  wdiose  interest 
I have  never  j)laced  second  to  my  own  since  I was  re- 
quested by  the  Ceydon  Planters’  Association  to  do  what  I 
could  in  Russia  for  thengwdth  the  result  that  a great  part 
of  the  business  accruing  through  my'  advertisements 
goes  to  other  firms  dealing  in  Ceylon  tea,  as  it  is 
that  and  not  M.  R.’s  tea,  1 always  jnake  the  object 
of  my'  advertisements,  as  you  know,  a result,  per- 
haps, not  bad  for  Ceydon,  but  which  retards  what 
I looked  to  as  the  reward  of  my  hard  work  ; i.e.  the 
establishment  of  a well-known  and  successful  busi- 
ness in  Ceydon  tea  which  would  also  be  one  of  the 
most  convincing  advertiseinentss  for  your  produce  in 
this  country'.  It  has  been  evident  to  me  all  along 
that  the  only  way  to  introduce  Ceydon  tea  hei'e 
was  to  create  the  demand  among  the  general  public 
by  'giving  them  the  opportunity  of  trying  it  for 
themselves  and  procuring  a supply,  as  the  established 
ti^a  firms  would  have,  nothing  to  do  with  Ceylon  tea 
and  I did  not  wish  to,  but  have  on  the  contrarv 
greatly  opposed  it.  My  ])lans  have,  how(>.v(‘r,  heeii 
so  far  successful  that  many  of  the  formei-  detractors 
of  tleylon  tea  have  been  obliged  to  tleal  in  with  the 
result  the  figures  of  which  y ou  already  know.  J hear 
from  all  sides  hero  that  tlie  demand  for  Cevlon  tea 
and  import  of  it  into  lliissia.has  greatly  increased 
this  year,  hut  unfortunately  it  is  impossible  to  get 
any  iigures  from  the  Cu.stoms,  ail  tea  laung  classed 
together,  wlndlier  it  be  China  or  C<'y  lon,  or  other 
sorts,  under  the  general  heatling  of  “ 'Tea.”  Speak- 
ing the  other  day  with  the  agent  of  the  Fnglish 
Lloyd,  who  is  also  the  Rritish  Consul  here,  ho  told 
