228 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct. I, 18 ^ 7 . 
iiateii in the Plack Monday in May, 18(i6, when 
tile city ol London was a scene oi panic such 
as lias not since been witnessed. 
Many of the propeities on which the Finn had 
claims were owing to tliese failures thrown on 
a market where there were no buyers; and the 
positron involved this dilemma, either serious 
Josses must be faced or inoziey inusc be found to 
buy in the properties in ([uestion, on which in 
most cases there were prior charges. The latter 
alternative was adopted, and beioie the end of 
18(it) the Firm, which had hitherto been mainly 
an Agency business, became sole owners of the 
F planus and St. Sebastian Mills in Colombo, as 
well as the largest Coffee Estate Proprietors in 
the island, the properties being necessarily subject 
to a .somewhat heavy, though by no means as 
far could then be seen, crushing debt. Simulta- 
neously the course of events had thrown into the 
hands of the Firm the valuable shipping business 
which had hitherto been transacted by Messrs. 
M ilson, Kitchie A' Co. The crop of 1866-67 was a 
right good one, and so far all seemed to augur 
well lor the new ventures of the Firm. 
The secxuel, however, may be best told by a few 
figures, snew ing the 
ANNUAL COi'FJiE CROPS 
from that date of the estates owned by Keir, 
Tlundas Ov Co., results arrived at, sad to say, in spite 
ol consistently caretul and liberal management, 
cwt. 
1866-67 36, 135 1 
6 1 3t:,561 1 average 1st four year.s 
68- 69 29,266 j 32,170 cwt. 
69- 70 30, , 1 / J 
7 0- 1 1 2T, lot) 1 
71- 72 1-1,018 I average 2 nd do 
72- 73 21,21o I 17,996 cwt. 
73 7T estimate 12,6UoJ 
In face of such results the game was manifestly 
a hopeless one in regard to the ultimate liquida- 
tion of the debt. The [lartneis placed ihem- 
selves in the hands of tlieir chief London support- 
ers, to whom alter many months of anxious 
deliberation the whole business was transferred, 
both assets and liabilities, in return for a small 
cash payment. Mr. VV.M. Leake returned home 
in September 1873. He remembers calling to say 
••goodbye to the Editor ot the Ubacrvcr’' witli 
the above figures in his pocket. The Editor (he tells 
us he saw Mr. John Lerguson and adds) “was 
then eagerly advocating tue extension of the 
Railway to Hajiutale, using freely as an argument 
in us lavour the inobable increase of coffee crops,'’ 
Mr. Leake on introducing his view' that crops 
had hithtito only been maintaiiicd bj' the 
rapid inciease of new' land conu:,g into bearing 
met with so nttie encouragement that he did not 
disclose liie hgures on which he reiied, but con- 
teiiied himseii with wishing the Editor good 
luck in his crusaue ! *— [bee furtlrer on as well 
as in note for Eilitor’s justilicatiom] 
* In explanation, 
one who knew the 
pated that they or 
lor a generation, as 
and the hgures for 
us out in this : — 
Season = 
the Editor has to say that no 
young districts -n 1H73 antici- 
Uva were to decline at any rate 
the old Kandy districts had done, 
total crops of coffee will bear 
1871-2 
cwt. 576,878 
2-3 
., 860,360 
3-4 
;, 509,329 
4-5 
„ 988,328 
6-6 
„ 688,434 
6-7 
„ 927,093 
7-8 
„ 627,246 
8-9 
,, 824,058 
Needless here to dwell on the oft-told tale of 
the part taken by Mr. Martin Leake's Finn in 
introducing the cultivation of 
CINCHONA AND TEA. 
It is not so well known that a venture was 
made in 
C.yRDAMOMS 
in 1871 or 1872 on the . suggestion of Major 
Taylor, a Wynaad jilauier, who came on a 
visit to Ceylon about that time full of the 
success of experiments recently made in South 
India. A beginning of this cultivation was made 
in Rangala, in the jungle between old Tunisgalla 
ami Girindi Ella ; and though at first the plants 
did not come on and the experiment seemed to 
be a failure, after some years of practical aban- 
donment, they were found to be doing well and 
goid crops were obtained. The cultivation has 
been continued and extended in certain localities in 
the neighbourhood with varying success up to the 
present time. 
M e have already referred to the part taken 
by Mr. (Martin Leake in 
PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 
but we may add that from February 1863 to 1868 
he was becretaiy to the Flaiiters’ Association, 
in 1872-73 Chairman of the Planters’ Association 
aiul (M.L. C.; 1877 onwards London Agent of Plant- 
ers’ Associaiion ; 1888-97 becretaiy ceyioii Asso- 
ciation in London, — a prolonged recoid of con- 
nection with Ceylon planting, extending aheady 
over more than 84 years. As ro details ot work done 
are they not all written 111 Piaiuers’ Association 
proceedings and the pages ol \AmCcyion Observtrt 
No sooner had Messrs. G. L). R. Hairisou and W. 
M. Leake retired Iroiii Keir, HundasMCo., than 
a singular change came over the fortunes of 
COFFEE. 
The price rapidly rose 50 %) and many accounts, 
the pDsition 01 which had seemed hopeless, 
were in the course ot a few months restored 
to vigorous life. A notable instance was the account 
of the late Mr. G. A. Crtiwellwho had the good 
fortune on his Haputale estates, — now owned 
by Mr. Lipioii, — to have in 1873 a line ciop on his 
collee tiees. It had been leckoned eaiiy 111 the 
year that the value ol his puopeiTics leii short 
ot the total debt on them by at least Lib, 090. 
Before the year was out Mr. Criiwell bad sold 
the estates lor £5U,bOO to the late Mr. R. B. 
Lownali, iiad paid off all debts, and retired 
WTtli a very substantial fortune, the balance of 
the purchase amount and of the proceeds ot sale 
of the big crop sold at 12 us. to tabs, per cwt. 
in Lonuon ! iVlr. Crriwell loliowed iMr. W. M, 
Leake to England in a very few months, sum- 
moned ids iriends to a siinqiLUOUs dinner to 
celebrate his good fortune, not least among his 
guests being iiis late Agent, Mr. VV. M. Leake. 
The “booin’ in coffee in 1873 being brought 
about solely by the rise in price of the produce, 
was doomed to be shortlived so far as the value 
of Ceylon land was concerned. No enhancement 
of price could compensate for the faliing-oli in 
crops, and not many years elapsed before instances 
w ere frequent of collapses in the value 01 estates 
as siulden and as startling as was the prosperity 
that had attended Mr. Criiw ell’s venture. To 
mention an instance : in 1876 many estates had 
good coft'ec crops, jjrices were veiy high, and 
prolits were very large. Among the rest iNilloo- 
mally, in Kelebokka ‘Valley, gave returns stated 
at j-6,0bb to L7,bbb. It was currently reported 
that an oll'er of £40,000 tvas made for tlie pro< 
