THE  TROPICAL  AGRICUL 1 URIST. 
IJAN.  I,  1897. 
46s 
pleaded  extra  work  and  distance  and  we  will 
absolve  tliein  this  time  from  the  sin  of  omission. 
Tills  year  wo  have  only  Ijceii  a little  over  lliirty, 
hut  we  have  done  what  wa.s  necessary,  established 
the  precedent.  Next  year  we  will  Ije  fifty, 
sixty,  let  us  hope.  Next  year  instead  of  the 
Committee  or  the  honorary  Secretary  having  to 
button-hole  every  fellow  and  coddle  liim  to  come 
to  the  dinner,  wo  shall  simply  advertise  in  the 
local  papers  that  “The  Guild  or  Corporation  of 
Planters  will  hold  t heir  annual  dinner  at  Beyer’s 
Hall  on  such  and  such  a date”  and  lam  sure 
everyone  who  possibly  can  will  come.  In  this 
place  where  there  is  an  excellently  organised  and 
highly  successful  Shooting  Club,  a Sports  Club 
wliicli  promises  to  be  eipially  successful,  a Socil 
sociable  Club,  open  to  everybody  on  the  most 
liberal  terms,  surely  there  is  enough  public 
spirit  left  to  support  a I’lanter’s  Dinner,  a social 
function  which  occurs  only  once  a year  and  at 
which  planters  renew  (»r  cement  friendships 
and  discuss,  1 won’t  say  their  interests, 
b\ct  some  choice  viands  irrigated  by  a not 
too  abundant  How  of  ligl»t  wines.  Material 
interests  must  stand  preeminent,  but  you 
cannot  in  things  human  abstract  from  the 
moral  noint  of  view.  A dinner  such  as  this 
will  not  put  a penny  in  your  [i  >cket — in  fact  it 
will  subtract  from  it  the  exact  amount  of  one 
pound  eight  shillings  and  six  pence  (laughter)  — 
but  it  cannot  fail  to  piomote  liarmony  and  goed 
feelings  and  .so,  in  however  a small  degree,  it  may 
help  to  promote  material  interests  also.  f 
cannot  conclude  without  giving  greeting  to 
the  oldest  pioneer  amongst  us,  and  in  doing  so 
1 am  sure  1 express  the  feeling  of  all.  I refer  to 
Mr.  J.  Duncan — he  is  known  and  ilear  to  us  all; 
he  brought  the  first  collee  plant  into  the  country; 
he  has  Worked  hard  and  is  the  portrait  of  health. 
He  is  an  excellent  si)ecimen  of  the  Planter  of  this 
country  and  so  1 will  C(iU[)le  his  name  with  the 
toast  which  I ask  you  to  drink— the  health  of 
the  Planters  and  the  succe.ss  on  the  coffee  grow- 
ing industry  in  13.  C.  A.”  (Applause). 
Mr.  Jonathan  Duncan,  the  pioneer  planter, 
then  rose  and  gave  a few  words  on  coffee  and  his 
experience  of  it. 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  AMERICA  AND  RUSSIA. 
AVe  were  only  able  yesterday  to  direct  atten- 
tion to  the  minutes  oi  the  last  meeting  of  the 
Passara  Planters’  Association.  The  business, 
howevei,  is  worthy  of  more  than  mere  passing- 
notice;  and  the  subject  to  which  we  would  now 
make  special  reference  is  the  resolution  i)roposed 
by  Mr.  Deaker  to  the  elfect  that  private  enter- 
prise might  now  be  left  to  exi)and  the  Ceylon 
tea  market  in  America,  and  more  money  should 
be  spent  in  pushing  our  trade  in  Rmssia.  Some 
weeks  ago  we  ventured  to  expre.ss  the  opinion 
that  the  time  had  now  come  when  those  who 
were  charged  with  the  disbursement  of  the  Tea 
Fund  should  consider  the  desirability  of  discon- 
tinuing private  subsidies  both  in  North  America 
and  Ru-ssia,  that  opinion  being  based  upon  in- 
formation we  had  received  fr  »..i  reliable  sources 
that  our  tea  had  now  gut  such  a good  hold  in 
both  countries  that  it  was  being  handled  by  far 
more  firms  and  individuals  than  tho.se  receiving 
aid  from  the  Tea  Fund.  It  will  be  seen  that 
Mr.  Deaker’s  resolution  is  not  (piite  in  line 
with  what  we  then  advocated  ; but  wo  are  pleased 
to  think  that  the  subject  even  in  a [)artial  form,  has 
been  ventilated  in  a meeting  of  planters  with  the 
result  that  it  is  likely  to  be  brought  before  the  gene- 
ral body  at  its  next  meeting.  We  do  not  advise 
the  abandoning  of  America  in  favour  of  Russia; 
we  wish  both  countries  to  be  treateil  with  on 
equal  terms,  no  ])articular  trader  or  traders  re- 
ceiving special  advantages  in  the  way  of  subsi- 
dieq  over  others;  and  now  that  so  many  feel 
it  necessary  to  handle  our  tea  in  conse(pience 
of  the  demand  that  has  been  created,  we  think 
the  fairest  plan  is  to  let  ordinary  business  com- 
petition take  its  place,  and  expend  our  funds  in 
carrying  out  a general  system  of  direct  adver- 
tising from  which  all  would  benefit  alike. 
In  connection  with  the  American  campaign  <a 
contemporary  he.ars  “that,  by  the  recent  Oi-ient 
mail,  a letter  was  received  by  the  ‘ Thirty  Com- 
mittee’ from  the  Ceylon  Commissioner  in  America 
containing  a further  report  on  his  work.  Mr. 
Mackenzie  wrote  in  a vei'i"  hopeful  strain  as  to 
the  prospects  before  Ceyloti  [danters  in  the 
States  and  Cana<la,  and  stated  that,  if  we  con- 
tinued tlie  campaign  vigorously,  victory  would 
be  ours.  But  to  attain  this  end  extensive  ad- 
vertising must  be  done,  and  for  this  purpose  an 
appropriation  of  £l'2,006  from  the  Tea  Fund  was 
asked  for.  The  ‘Thirty  Cammittee’  at  a recent 
meeting  considered  the  '.-cquest,  .and  it  was  found 
tliat  >a  lialancc  of  .about  £8,000  was  in  hand  to 
meet  next  year’s  expenditure.”  But  the  question 
now  is,  — who  .are  to  have  this  money?  or  how 
is  it  to  be  spent?  Let  the  planters  carefiilly 
consider  this  matter. 

TEA  IN  AMERICA. 
New  York  Nov.  11. 
Tho  firm  tone  of  the  m.u-ket  continues.  Low 
gra  lea  hold  tlio  advance  of  2 to  3 cent  per  lb.  Fine 
Formosa  Oolongs  are  steady  at  full  figures.  Greens 
are  held  with  more  confidence.  Japan  grades 
steady.  To-day  at  noon  the  Montgomery  Auction 
and  Commission  Company  will  se'l  .3,353  packages, 
viz  : 50',)  packages  Moyune,  including  the  celebrated 
, Emperor  Chop  ” — new  season’s  ; 210  boxes  Hoochows, 
new  season’s  82S  boxes  Pingsney,  new  sjason’s:45 
half-chests  Japan  Nibs  ; 575  half-chests  Congon,  in- 
cluding new  season’s  fancy  Monings  and  Keemnns, 
and  handsome  Leaf  Pekoes;  135  packages  India, 
Java  and  Ceylon — an  attractive  assortment ; 573 
half-chests  and  boxes  Amoy  ; 40  half-chests  Foochow  ; 
417  half-chests  and  boxes  Formosa  new  season’s  and 
comprising  a Fancy  Chop,  grading  fine  to  choicest 
Extra  Sifted  Teas. — American  Orocer. 
THE  TE.V  TR.ADE  IN  RUSSIA. 
Tea  is  the  national  drink  pur  excellence  in  Russia; 
it  is  as  indispensable  in  the  food  of  tho  people  as 
bread  or  meat,  and  is  taken  at  all  hours  of  the  day. 
In  every  town  tea  houses  are  found  where  a large  glass 
of  tea,  with  plenty  of  sugar  in  it,  is  provided  at  a cost 
of  from  three  halfpence  to  twopence  halfpenny, 
according  to  tiie  town  and  the  position  of  the  cus- 
toimr.s  frequenting  these  establishments.  In  these 
circumstances  it  is  only  natural  that  the  consumption 
of  tea  in  Russia  attains  enormous  proportions,  and  is 
yearly  on  the  increase.  According  to  the  Journal  de  la 
< 'hambre  de  Commerce  de  Constantinople,  Russia  imported 
in  1894,  through  the  port  of  Odessa,  15,592  000  kilo- 
grammes (kilogramme — 2,204  lbs.)  of  tea  from  China. 
Through  the  Custom-house  of  the  Baltic  large 
quantities  of  tea  are  entered,  chielly  consigned  to 
Moscow,  or  for  local  consunqjtion,  and  by  tho  land 
customs  of  Eastern  Siberia,  about  20,000,000  kilo- 
grammes of  tea,  representing  a value  of  about  .5i., 000, 000 
roubles,  were  imported.  All  tho  tea  imported  by  way 
of  Odessa  or  other  European  frontiers  is  leaf  te.i,  but 
that  coming  into  tho  country  via  the  Chinese  frontier 
