JULV I, 1897.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
3 
BuUer taking upon himself the responsibility 
conducted the London bu.siness, until his retire- 
ment in 1895. Air. Butler’s spirit of enterprise 
was not ended by the removal of Mr. Darley. 
On the failure of Messrs. A. and K. Crowe & Co. 
soon afterwards, his firm took over their pj emises 
and Cotton Agency at Tulicorin. After the cotton 
gains he purchased the estate of Combe Hay, 
near Bath, which he greatly improved with his 
usual thoroughness, at a considerable additional 
expense to the first cost of tlie property. He 
discovered a deposit of Fuller’s-earth on the 
land, M liicli when he came to sell the estate not 
very long before Ins death, assisted to break 
the fall in the value of land, which has taken 
place during the last twenty years. He was a 
Alagistrate of the County of Somerset and a 
most energetic member of the Bench. Some years 
ago, he offered himself as AJember of Parliament, 
but without success, for Chippenham and in the 
Liberal intere.st. His first wife dicil in 1887, 
and he married again in 1889, and soon after, 
accompanied by his wife paid a visit to Ceylon 
and India. He died after a short illness on the 
27th Sei>tember, 1893, aged 78, retaining all his 
faculties to the last. 
Air. Butler as a man of business was bold, 
enter[)fising and decisive, holding to the maxim 
“ Nothing venture, nothing have.” Generous by 
nature, liberal in business, reserved to strangers 
and even to intimates, but genial to his friends, 
lie posses-ed in a marked degree commercial 
genius, sagacity and initiative, and a wonderful 
discernment of character. 
We are indebted to a very old friend of Mr. 
Butler — one who had been a colleague with him 
in business in Ceylon in the e.nrly days — for 
the above interesting account of his career, 
written citrrente calamo, but which has required 
very little emendation at our hands. We observe 
only one notable omission, namely, the connec- 
tion of Mr. Butler’s nejihew, Mr. Theodore 
Stretch, with the Colombo Firm thirty years 
ago, and the fact of Mr. Stretch returning 
home to join the London house where he is now- 
sole representative of Messrs. Darley «Sc Butler 
of London and Tuticorin. Air. Butler left Cey- 
lon before our day ; but we -were much struck 
during an interview in his London office, with Air. 
Butler’s grand physique even in his old age, with 
his continued interest in Ceylon affairs, and 
his thorough acquaintance with the development 
of the Colony. To Mr. Butler, more than to 
most men in our gallery of portraits, belongs 
the designation “Pioneer” in its most literal 
and honorable sense; for he contributed very 
largely to the raising of Ceylon from a military 
dependency to a great plantation settlement 
and the first of Crown Colonies ; while his whole 
jdanting and mercantile career was niaiked by 
unwearied jierseverance, li\ely intelligence and 
strictest sense of probity. The name of Mr. 
Samuel Butler as Colonist, Planter and Alerchant 
is one well worthy of being recorded in the annals 
of the Colony. 
EDWARD J. DARLEY, MERCHANT : 
1836-1869. 
Although w'e have no portrait available, nor 
such facts as would be requiied for a regular 
memoir, still a few words may be permitted 
about All. Butler’s partner— another old mercan- 
tile Colonist — Air. Edward J. Darley. Air. Darley 
came to Colombo originally in 1836, .as a trained 
Assistant to the linn of Messrs. Acland, Boyd 
& Co., and the story of his starting on his own 
account on the failure of his employe! s, is nar- 
rated above ; as also how he took AIi-. Butler into 
partnersliip ; but it is more fully related in the 
following communication from an old friend : — 
“ What can be said of Mr. E. J. Dailey? — except 
that he was a good and kiml man greatly 
respected and popular with all cla.sses ; indus- 
tiious, painstaking and honourable in business. 
He was for many years a member of the Legisla- 
tive Council in which capacity he was most 
useful. Air. Darley came to Ceylon about 18.36. 
He joined the firm of Ackland, Boyd & Co., chiefly 
taking chartre of Manchester Imports. He married 
a relative of Air. Ackland. He left Acland, Boyd 
&. Co. in 1845 or 1846 and -went home. The firm of 
Acland, Boyd & Co. failed in 1847, when the whole 
of the estates in which they were concerned and 
some otheis were placed in Mr. Darley’s hands 
by the proprietors in London, whereupon he returned 
to Ceylon and established himself as Dailey & Co. 
In the following yrar Mr. Samuel Butler joined 
him and the firm became Darley, Butler & Co- The 
new firm did not retain the agency of all the estate 
properties ; but on Air. Butler’s return from a 
trip home at that period, there came to be a large 
accession of business in Imports with more than 
a corresponding Export and Shipping trade. Mr. 
Darley and his family -went home again at the 
end of 1855, and returned at the end of 1858 — in 
which year his partner left Ceylon lor England 
not to return until lately wdien he paid a short 
visit to the island. The success of the firm w.as 
substantial from first to last, culminating in 
larcm gains in cotton in the years of the American 
Civil War. Air. Darley finally left Ceylon dur- 
ing 1862, joining Mr. Butler in London as 
Darley »& Butler. He never retired from business, 
but died in harness at the close of the year 1869 
at East Sheen.” 
Air. Darley always maintained the highest repu- 
tation, in Colombo, as a merchant of the old, reli- 
