THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
9 
July r, 1897.] 
TRADE OF INDIA ; 1896-97. 
As we anticipated, a recent post has brought 
us from the Government of India, a copy of the 
“Accounts relating to the Trade and Navigation 
of British India for the month of March 1897, 
and for the Twelve Months, 1st April 1896 
to 31sc March 1897, compared with the 
corresponding period of the years 1894-95 
and 1895-96.” This is a bulky, but handy-sized 
statistical return of 118 pages giving full details 
of all the Im])ort and Export Trade of India for 
the year ending with March last ; and yet the 
press and merchants of Colombo have not yet 
(at end of May) got the local Customs Accounts for 
the year ending .81st December last. We quote 
the grand totals of the Trade of India : — 
FOREIGN TRADE. 
1894-95. 1895-96. 1896-97. 
R R R 
Imports. — Total Mer- 
chandise.. .. 785,289,926 729,367,533 762,158,352 
Total Treasure.. 95,812,073 133,679,854 1,30,845,635 
Grand Total of 
Imports .. 831,101,999 863,047,387 893,003,987 
Exports. Foreign 
Goods .. 50,574,144 47,175,159 40,336,372 
Indian Produce 
and Manufac- 
ture . . 1,037,575,846 1,095,456,241 998,801,824 
Total Treasure... 62,260,717 42,598,105 49,374,955 
Grand Total for 
Exports .. 1,171,398,499 1,185,946,4891,089,211,139 
Grand Amount of 
Import Duty 
collected, in- 
cluding Salt . . 54,368,245 65,743,137 61,390,392 
Ditto, Export Duty 
Collected . . 9,034,881 9,292,242 7,525,600 
We shall discu.ss some of the details very 
soon. 
DESICCATING MILLS. 
A Marawila correspondent writes : — 
The Superintendent and Engineer @f the 
Veyangoda Desiccating Mills were here some 
time ago prospecting for a site it was said 
to start Desiccating Mills. They fixed on 
a spot at Kudaweva near the 42nd mile on the 
old road bordering the canal. The more mills the 
merrier for estate proprietors. 
CURIOUS PRECIOUS STONES. 
A Bangalore Correspondent sends us the follow- 
ing interesting communication : — 
“In your issue of the 20th April para 3, parti- 
culars regarding a star sapphire from Ceylon are 
"iving at some length. Several royal personages, 
whose names are mentioned have seen this gem — 
which is now on view in London —between two 
lighted candles. The stone is said to be worth 
s^eral thousands of pounds. I have got a star 
sapphire, set in a large gold ring, and I wish it 
were worth even a few hundreds of pounds. 
Nevertheless if the stone is held between two 
lighted candles, it likewise shows 3 separate stars 
with rays ; but in any other light only one star 
is visible ; but embellished with 6 rays. If the 
2 
stone is held some distance from the eye.s with the 
sun shining upon it, the star will apjiear to 
advantage, in fact much more distinct than if 
looked at in any room, but between two lighted 
candles in the day-time the stars are brought pro- 
minently out even when held quite close to the 
eyes. Such being the case, the stone is certainly 
an uncommon one. Evidently the London 
jeweller knew what he was about when exliibit- 
ing the gein between two lights. Alany years 
ago the great jewellers, P. Orr. and Sons, of 
Madras, advertised in the Madras papers a star 
sapphire for sale. Tlie adverti.sement was intended 
for Rajahs and capitalists, and it must have 
been a beautiful gem or it would not have been 
so advertised. I do not know who purchased 
the stone, but after reading your paper re- 
garding the one now in London, it struck me 
that it might be the same stone, and that the 
exhibiting of it between two lighted candles 
with the result shown was in all probability 
a new discovery. 
“ I have probably the best cat’s-eye stone in 
Southern India. It is set in a large gold rino-, 
and it has been in my possession for a quarter 
of a century. I purchased it from Agurchand, 
the rich Madras Sowcar who died a few year.s 
ago. It is nearly as large as the human eye, 
and in some lights— say in a small room w'ith 
windows all around it, no less than 6 opalescent 
rays are visible. In a room with fewer windows, 
3 or 4 rays are visible. A few years ago particulars 
of a large cat’s-eye stone were given, that was on 
show at the Melbourne Exhibition. I read ac- 
counts of it in the Madras papers. It was the 
property of a Ceylon merchant, who wanted 
£3,000 for it, and it was stated that the Governor 
of the colony, whose name was mentioned, had 
offered £2,000, but his offer was refused. It was 
also said that it was the only stone in the world 
that had 4 or 5 opale.scent rays in it, but this 
statement was untrue. My cat’s-eye stone is 
evidence to the contrary. Dealers in these gems 
say that the more opalescent rays there are in a 
specimen, the more luminous will be the single ray 
observable in the stone when examined with the sun 
shining upon it. This is no doubt correct. For my 
stone is worth looking at when the sun is shining 
straight down upon it, when the single ray 
in the centre of the stone appears alive with light, 
and is something to be remembered. Many year.s 
ago I sent it to London with a gentleman who is 
now in this country and who was going home on 
.six months’ leave. I did this at the suggestion 
of Surgeon-Genei’al Furnell and Surgeon-Major 
Luke Hackett, who were much interested in pre- 
cious stones and who were anxious to know what 
the London jewellers would value it at, and in 
two of the largest shops in that great city the 
same valuation was given, viz., £100, and good 
cat’s-eye stones have risen in value since. I 
examined the stone yesterday, between two lighted 
candles, simply out of curiosity, when two well- 
defined and luminous opalescent rays appeared. 
The distance between each ray was about one 
quarter of an inch, and the sight was worth seeing. 
Of course at any time of the day and in any 
room with daylight in it the stone is worth looking 
at. I am convinced that this gem was once 
worn in the earring of an idol in some temple, 
as there is a gold pin running through the bottom 
of it, and this drilling of tlie stone would not have 
been done for any other purpose than the wearino- 
of it in an earring, but the gold pin is not visible 
except on close inspection ; and this reminds me 
that the Orloff diamond served as the eye of an 
