746 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST 
[May  I,  1897. 
Coffee,  bananas,  sngar,  rum,  and  cocoa  are  the  chief 
items  that  have  declined,  whilst  the  exports  of 
oranges,  gi-upe  fniit,  ginger,  lime  juice,  and  pimento 
have  expanded.  It  may  be  ioteiesiiug  to  state  as 
regards  oiangea  that  the  total  export  in  1895-96 
was  97, 025, 898,  of  the  estimated  value  of  £169,79-1 
these  figures  exceeding  the  sum  of  the  exports  in  the 
four  preceding  years  by  12,062,754  in  number  and 
£44,319  in  value.  The  island  is  thus  continuing  to 
reaj)  the  result  of  the  misfortune  which  befell  Florida  in 
1894.  It  appears  that  the  East  Indian  population 
thrive  in  spite  of  the  depression  in  the  sugar  indus- 
try', which  I'.as  little  if  any  effect  on  their  average 
wages,  the  greater  number  being  now  employed  on 
fruit-growir;g  properties.  One  high-caste  East 
Indian,  formerly  an  immigrant,  is  now  the  possessor 
of  over  2,800  acres  of  land,  and  has  been  elected  a 
member  of  the  parochial  board  of  Trelawny.  Over 
three  hundred  coolie  adulls  with  their  families  left 
for  Calcutta  in  the  Government  vessel  on  May  18, 
1895.  Ninety-nine  adults  who  had  claimed  and  were 
entitled  to  free  passages  did  not  present  themselves, 
and  the  ships  had  to  be  despatched  short  of  the 
full  complement.  The  amount  of  £3,139  was  taken 
away  in  Treasury  bills  by  eighty-nine  families.  A 
further  instance  of  the  prosperity  and  thrilt  of  the 
East  Indian  popirlation  is  shown  in  the  increase  of 
savings’  bank  depositors  compared  with  1894  of 
from  793  to  1,029,  and  of  deposits  from  £13,958  to 
£22,680,  notwithstanding  the  closing  of  several 
accounts  by  coolies. 
A Nkw  Constituent  of  Indian  Hemp.— The  hemp 
plant.  Cannabis  saliva,  grown  in  temperate  countries, 
inoduces  a valuable  fibre  ; but  in  India  the  fibre 
produced  is  of  little  use  in  the  arts,  and  the  plant 
appears  to  devote  its  energies  mainly  to  the  pro- 
duction of  a resinous  secretion,  which,  owing  to  its 
soporific  properties,  is  a very  valuable  medicinal 
agent.  The  resin  exudes  from  the  plants,  and  is 
collected  by  men  walking  through  the  fields  with 
long  leathern  gaiters,  to  which  it  sticks;  it  is  known 
as  “charas,”  while  the  tops  of  the  plants  collected 
with  the  resin  on  them,  and  matted  together  by 
Eressure,  foim  “hashish.”  Very  many  attempts  have 
een  made,  says  the  Imperial  Institute  Journal,  by 
chemists  to  isolate,  from  the  various  Indian  hemp 
products,  the  principle  to  which  their  medicinal 
activity  is  due,  with  the  result  that  many  and  very 
different  substances  have  been  from  time  to  time 
regarded  as  the  active  principle.  The  most  recent 
investigation  of  Indian  hemp  is  that  of  Messrs.  "Wood, 
Bpivey,  and  Easterfield  {Journal  Chem.  iSocieti/,  May, 
1896 ) , w ho  obtained  by  fractional  distillation  of  “charas” 
under  a very  low  pressure  a resinous  substance  to 
which  they  gave  the  name  “ Cannabinol.”  At 
ordinary  temperatures  '‘Cannabinol”  is  a viscous 
resin,  melting  to  a thick  oily  liquid  when  the  contain- 
ing vessel  is  p aced  in  warm  water.  The  therapeutic 
action  of  this  substance  has  been  examined  by  Mr. 
Marshall,  M.B.,  assistant  to  the  Downing  Professor 
of  Medicine  at  Cambridge  University  {Lanect,  Jan. 
23,  1897).  Mr.  Marshall  made  tw'o  experiments  with 
the  drug  upon  himself,  taking  on  ihe  first  occasion 
from  1 to  15  gram.,  and  on  the  second  a smaller 
quantity.  The  first  dose  did  not  cause  sleep,  but 
induced  a peculiar  state  of  delirium,  accompanied  by 
complete  loss  of  memory  and  all  sense  of  the  passage  of 
time.  This  state  of  delirium  alternated  with  perfectly 
lucid  intervals.  On  the  second  occasion  the  small  dose 
taken  produced  similar  effects  in  a milder  form  and  for  a 
shorter  time,  being  followed  by  sleep,  during  which 
a series  of  visions  were  seen,  usually  of  a grotesque 
character.  The  use  of  the  drug  seems  quite  un- 
attended by  any  unpleasant  after  effects  such  as  are 
experienced  with  some  other  narcotics.  It  W'as  tried 
on  one  patient  suffering  from  insomnia  with  very 
good  results.  'The  teijienes  obtained  ns  a first  frac- 
tion in  the  preparation  of  “ Cannabinol  ” were  also 
purified  by  Messrs.  Wood,  Spivey  and  Easterfield, 
and  sent  to  Mr.  Marshall  for  therapeutical  experi- 
ment. 'They  were  found  to  act  exactly  like  ordinary 
terpe-nes,  so  that  they  are  not  connected  with  the 
characteristic  action  of  the  hemp  products. 
PnODUCE  FROM  THE  GOLD  CoAST  COLONY. — The  Go 
Coast  Colony  is  m a flourishing  condition  Notwit 
standing  the  general  unrest  in  the  colony  during  tir 
year  1895,  owing  to  the  Ashantee  expedition)  th 
total  value  of  trade  increased  by  £146,166,  or  roughly 
at  the  rate  of  9 per  cent.,  the  total  of  exports  ahd 
imports  for  the  year  being  £1,809,340,  contrasted 
with  .£1,663,173  in  1894,  In  1895  the  quantity  of 
rubber  exported  from  the  Gold  Coast  increased  by 
1,000,000  lb,  a total  of  4,022,385  lb  comparing  with 
3,027,627  lb,  ihe  values  being  £322,070  and  £232,550 
respectively.  The  year’s  output  was  the  highest  on 
recoid.  Cacao,  coffee,  and  kola  nuts  were  imported 
. n larger  quantities. — II.  and  C.  Mail,  March  12. 
♦ 
TAMIL  COOLIES  AND  LABOUR 
SUPPLY. 
To  the  Editor,  British  North  Borneo  Herald. 
Sir, — In  the  issue  of  .January  1st  there  is  an  article 
about  the  Indian  laboui-er  i.e,  the  Tamil  cooly.  You 
scarcely  give  him  fair  play  when  you  say  he  is 
physically  unable  to  perform  heavy  work,  while  to- 
wards the  end  of  your  article  you  say  he  is  by  no 
means  a bad  road  maker  and  can  cut  drains ; also 
you  recommend  him  for  earth  works.  These  works 
are  usualy  considered  the  heaviest  you  can  put  a 
cooly  to  perform.  Evidently  the  writer  of  the 
article  know's  nothing  whatever  about  the  Tamil 
cooly.  I have  had  several  years  experience  with 
Tamil  labour  and  have  always  found  them  capable 
of  doing  the  heaviest  work  with  ease  and  neatness 
which  the  Malay  lacks. 
Secondly,  you  talk  of  obtaining  Tamil  coolies 
through  Agents.  QTiis  would  be  a most  unsatisfactory 
way.  as  planters  in  Ceylon  always  send  their  Kanganies 
to  get  the  coolies  who  know'  which  men  are  suitable 
to  work  on  estates  and  not  an  agent  who  will  nick  up 
any  coolies  for  the  sake  of  his  commission.  1 should 
suggest  sending  some  one  to  Ceylon  and  from  there 
taking  a Kangany  with  him  to  the  Indian  Coast  to 
pick  the  coolies.  After  the  Tamils  have  once  got  a 
footing  and  find  they  are  well  treated  others  will 
follow,  by  sending  a trustworthy  Kangany  back  to 
fetch  more  each  year  as  required. 
The  Dusun  cannot  be  put  on  the  same  footing  as 
the  Cingbalese  for  felling  and  clearing  ; the  latter 
is  much  quicker,  lops  better,  and  works  steadier. — 
Yours,  etc.  E.  Walker. 
Manpakad  Estate,  27th  .January,  1897. 
[The  writer  of  the  article  had  had  long  experi- 
ence of  each  form  of  labour,  Tamil.  Chinese  and 
Malay,  and  still  maintains  that  individually  the 
Tamil  cannot  or  will  not  do  as  much  earth  cutting 
as  a Malay.  In  oilier  words  it  takes  three  Tamils 
to  do  the  work  performed  by  two  Chinese  or  Malays, 
Coffee,  hemp  and  rhea  were  specially  excepted.  Our 
correspondent  overlooks  the  fact  that  as  regards  most 
of  the  estates  and  clearings  there  are  no  kanganies 
to  send  to  India  and  neither  tobacco  planters  nor 
woodcutters  have  as  yet  cared  to  employ  Tamil 
labour.  The  “ Agency”  question  is  easily  solved  by 
the  rejection  of  unfit  coolies  at  the  Agent’s  expense. 
Dusuns  may  be  worse  than  Cingbalese  as  woodcutters 
but  the  men  mostly  employed  on  the  East  Coast 
are  Sooloos,  Javanese,  Banjerese,  Arc.  We  should  be 
glad  if  Mr.  Walker  would  state  whether  he  considers 
Tamils  equal  man  for  man  to  the  Chinese.  They  are 
doubtless  cheaper  per  head  and  bring  wives  and 
children  who  can  also  work.  But  experience  in  the 
Malay  Peninsula  shows  that  owing  to  their  much 
greater  laziness,  liability  to  sickness,  and  less  strong 
physique  there  is  no  appreciable  saving  by  employ- 
ing them.  We  are  neverthelessglad  that  Mr.  Walker 
has  written  as  the  Labour  question  in  North  Borneo 
annot  be  too  thoroughly  discussed.— Ed.] 
Progress  in  North  Borneo.— A correspond • 
ent  writes: — “'The  mail  brought  out  word  that 
one  of  our  principal  Tobacco  Companies  was 
sending  a manager  out  to  oiien  a coll'ee  estate 
on  one  of  tlieir  blocks  of  land.  A Syndicate 
arc  about  to  bore  for  mineral  oil  on  Province  Dent/ 
