406 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  I,  1896. 
The  net  amount  at  Credit  of  Profit  and 
Loss  Account,  after  providing  for  £ s,  d. 
General  Expenses,  Directors’  Fees, 
Income  Tsx,  &c.,  is  . . . . 3,001  15  0 
Dividends  on  the  6 per  cent  Preference 
Shares  were  paid  for  1895/6  (less  In- 
come Tax)  amounting  to  . . 870  0 0 
It  is  proposed  to  pay  a Dividend  of 
10  per  cent  (less  Income  Tax)  on  the 
Ordinary  Shaves  which  will  absorb  . . 1,010  2 0 
And  to  carry  forward  to  next  year  a 
balance  of  . . . . 281  13  0 
£3,001  15  0 
The  Directors  trust  the  results  of  the  year’s 
working  of  the  Estates  may  be  considered  satisfactory 
by  the  Shareholders. 
The  gross  average  price  realized  for  the  tea  crop  was 
8T4d  per  lb.:  and  the  rate  of  exchanges  Is  2 5-61th  d. 
The  following  is  a statement  of  the  acreage  and 
crop  from  the  Company’s  Estates  : — 
Tea  in 
Tea 
Estates. 
Bear- 
not  in 
Forest, 
Crop. 
ing. 
Bearing. 
Ac. 
lb. 
Kabragalla  . 
. -131 
-12 
464 
171,2-27 
Somerset 
. 221 
— 
10 
95,000 
Loxa  and 
Easdale 
. 166 
— 
27 
30,587* 
Totals  . 
. 818 
12 
510 
297,714 
* Note. — Loxaaud  Easdalecrop  is  for  six  mouths  only. 
Since  tho  formation  of  the  Company,  Lox.a  and 
Easdale  Estates  have  been  purchased.  'To  meet  the 
purchase  price  of  these  properties  the  Directors  ar- 
ranged a temporary  loan,  and  it  is  now  proposed  to 
issue  503  Ordinary  Shares  at  a premium. 
Under  Clause  No.  21  of  the  Articles  of  Associa- 
tion, Mr.  J.  Sancroft  Holmes  retires  on  this  occa- 
sion from  the  Board,  and,  being  eligile,  ofl'ers  himself 
for  re-election. 
It  will  be  necessary  to  appoint  Auditors  for  1896/97. 
By  order  of  the  Board,  \Vm.  Johnston,  Secretary. 
London,  29th  Oct.  1806. 
A TIUF  TO  BAN  AN  ALAND  IN 
WINTER  TIME. 
By  II.  T. 
Truly  as  delightful  a trip  as  any  of  us  youthwrners, 
as  we  are  called  in  that  land,  cm  take;  for  not 
only  do  wo  escape  the  cold  unsettled  weather  of 
Victoria  during  July  and  August,  but  we  cau 
bask  under  tropic  sun,  strong  enougli  to  make  us 
glow  under  its  heat,  but  tempered  at  such  season 
by  gentle  breezes  rendering  it  a pleasure  to  breathe 
and  live  under  its  rays. 
After  travelling  about  North  Queensland  for  six 
weeks,  one  cannot  help  feeling  surprised  that 
so  comparatively  few  Victorians  take  advan- 
tage of  so  pleasant  and  instructive  a mode  of  es- 
caping our  winter,  and  seeing  the  tropical  beauties 
of  the  North.  They  would  find  tho  scenery  and 
the  climate  a revelation  to  them,  and  return  with 
enlightened  ideas  as  to  the  characteristics  of  that 
truly  interesting  portion  of  this  great  continent. 
It  seems  to  us  tliat  what  is  to  be  seen  in  these 
parts  is  not  sufficiently  advertized  and  made  known, 
(such  as  is  done  for  New  Zealand),  and  it  is  witii 
the  view  of  assisting  to  supply  such  want  that 
we  havo  put  together  a few  hasty  notes  of  our  ex- 
periences. 
There  are  many  opportunities  of  reaching  the 
district  of  which  we  write  whether  by  rail  to 
Brisbane  and  thence  by  steamer,  or  by  sea  direct 
from  Melbourne  by  the  S.  N.  Co.,  Howard 
Smith  & Co,,  or  the  Adelaide  Steam  Ship  Co. 
Our  experience  being  by  tho  boats  of  the_  first- 
named  Company,  we  can  only  speak  of  theiii  and 
hotter  coasting  steamors  than  the  “ Arawatta  ” 
“ Aramac,”  and  “ Wodonga  ” could  not  be  desired- 
Tlie  “Wodonga”  is  the  largc.->t  and  best  of  the  three- 
Great  cleanliness  prevails  everywhere  in  it,  and  the 
table  is  abundant  and  well-served.  'The  only  im- 
provement wo  could  suggest  is  less  hurry  in  getting 
through  the  meals,  but  that  seems  to  arise  as 
much  from  the  American  habit  of  bolting  food  on 
the  part  of  the  passengers,  as  from  the  hurr-y 
of  the  stewaids.  It  would  appear  as  if  the 
native-born  were  following  the  States  in  that 
particular,  as  the  same  fault  obtains  in  the 
hotels  in  the  North.  'This  haste,  in  our  opi- 
nion, accounts,  to  a great  extent,  for  the  number 
of  people  one  sees  with  bad  teeth.  It  must  how- 
ever be  good  for  the  dentists. 
It  is  needless  to  say  anything  of  such  a well-known 
place  as  Brisbane  (vvhich  is  not  Bananaland),  ex- 
cept to  mention  that,  on  one  of  the  nights  we 
were  there,  occured  the  severest  frost  on  record, 
the  bulb  thermometer  on  the  ground  at  the  Accli- 
mitization  Society  gardens  registering  19  degrees 
of  frost,  and  great  damage  was  caused  thereby  to 
the  palms,  pineapples  and  all  delicate  plants  of 
tropical  growth ; and  we  found  Mr.  Souttar,  the 
general  and  able  Curator  of  these  gardens,  lamenting 
over  the  sorry  sight  they  jiresented  on  our  visit 
to  them. 
I’assiug  on  to  the  North,  somewhat  less  than  four 
day’s  steaming  brings  us  to  'Townsville,  allowing  for 
calling  at  Ke))pel  Bay  (landing  passengers  and  cargo 
for  Kockhampton),  Bowen  and  Flat  Top,  for  Mackay 
p.rsscnger.--. 
'Townsville  being  in  bit.  15,  wo  are  now  fairly  in  the 
tropic.?.  Like  nearly  all  tho  coastal  towns  in  Queens- 
land its  site  has  been  badly  chosen  for  access  by 
water,  tho  shallow  depth  even  at  high  tide  making  it 
inconvenient  for  steamers  of  the  “Wodanga’s”  size  to 
go  up  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  cargo  and  pas- 
sengers have  to  be  landed  by  lighters.  Of  course 
at  present  matters  are  made  worse  from  the  disas- 
trous effects  of  the  cyclone  in  January  last,  which 
destroyed  a large  portion  of  the  breakwater.  Had 
the  town  however  been  placed  two  miles  further- 
north  there  is  every  indication  that  much  money 
would  have  been  saved,  a safer  breakwater  con- 
structed, and  easier  access  provided. 
'Townsville  is  an  interesting  place  and  full  of  life 
and  bustle  for  its  size,  and  it  might  easily  be  made 
a handsome  city  in  time  to  come,  if  the  Municipality 
or  Divisional  Board,  as  such  institution  is  called  in 
these  parts,  would  exercise  taste  and  spend  some 
money  in  improving  and  planting  with  trees  the 
principal  streets,  as  well  as  clearing  aw-ay  a great 
many  unsightly  objects  which  now  offend  the  eye. 
Townsville  possesses  some  buildings,  notably  the  offices 
of  Bums,  Philip  A Co.,  some  insurance  companies 
and  banks,  Ac.,  but  they  are  bordered  by  insignificant 
wood-and-iron  structures  of  the  old  shanty  type 
which  will  no  doubt  disappear  in  time. 
There  is  a rocky  hill  bordering  on  the  sea 
whereon  a number  of  rather  neat  private  residences  are 
perched  in  positions  which  look  .«omewhat  dangerous 
for  a place  exposed  to  cyclones. 
On  the  north  shore,  the  hospital  is  finely  situated 
on  a rise,  and  further  on  is  the  orphanage  in  the 
middle  of  a nice  garden,  showing  the  advantage  of 
tho  free  labour  given  by  the  boys,  while  a mile  on- 
wards, tho  battery  at  Kissing  Point  commands  the 
harbour;  but  the  most  commanding  feature  is  the 
Castle  Rock  standing  a little  inwards  and  sloping 
down  to  the  town  at  its  base.  'This  rock  is  about  90d 
feet  high  and  easy  of  ascent,  althougb.  few  residents 
ever  seem  to  go  up  it  . From  its  top  the  view- 
north  and  south,  seawards  as  well  as  inland,  is  very 
extensive  and  lino. 
'.riie  railway  to  Hughenden  is  one  of  the  sources  of 
business  to  'Townsville,  opening  up  as  it  does  con- 
nection with  the  nourishing  mining  centre  of  Charters 
'Towers  and  the  squatting  districts  westwards. 
For  some  months  past  the  chief  traffic  on  this 
raihvay  has  been,  unfortunately  for  the  country,  tho 
transport  from  the  inti-rior  of  tick-infested  cattle 
which  have  boon  hurried  down  in  thousands  to  be 
boiled  down  for  tho  sake  of  tallow  and  hides  at  the 
