THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
557 
Feb. I, 1898.] 
. The new regulations (jxtorted by Mr. Blechynden 
are working favourably for us, but thousands upon 
thousands of boxes of China and Japan teas are being 
rejected. There is quite a panic among the importers 
of these teas. They had hoped to get rid of the re- 
jected teas by damping them in Canada, but there 
we have check-mated them. We started the subject 
in the press and went to Toronto to get the trade 
to take the matter up. I enclose a leader from a 
Toronto paper and today I have a letter from the 
Editor of the “ Canadian Grocer ” to the effect that 
the Government is on the alert, and that a large 
quantity was seized at Montreal yesterday. Today I 
hear ’ a number of importers there, were trying to 
induce the Manager of an English Tea Fiim here to 
take charge of the rejected teas and ship them to 
London to be sold by auction there. I am afraid that 
will be the field for most of the rubbish as blenders 
can buy it very cheap, and put it in their packets. 
We are to write fully on the subject to the London 
Association. 
Of course, we are making the most of the rejections in 
our advertisements, and by doing so have made the 
wonld-tre importers very angry. One very angry re- 
presentative of the class called yesterday at the 
office of the “ Journal of Commerce,” and threatened to 
prosecute the paper. 
I hope to sail for England next week. 
GAME PROTECTION IN CEYLON, 
Madulkelle, Jan. 11 
Sir, — I am glad to see Mr. Fan’s statement 
on the Game Protection Society. It shows that 
the Society is in a fairly good position, and that 
some good work has been done, and it is cer- 
tainly not the fault of the Society that much 
more has not been effected. The Government, 
which is in the first place responsible for Her 
Majesty’s dumb subjects, has been all along 
grossly negligent in its duties, and it would ap- 
pear until we stirred it up about five years ago, 
was absolutely unaware that it had any respon- 
sibility or duties to perform towards tliese 
subjects. 
We have had plenty of Ordinances passed. They 
cost the Government next to nothing, and are 
doubtless a salve to its conscience ; but whoever 
beard of a single Ordinance connected with game 
protection, except that relating to elephants, and 
possibly buffaloes, being enforced? 
As a matter of fact, it may betaken for granted, 
that the Ordinance so far as deer are concerned 
was never intended to be enforced 5 the Ordinance 
passed, but no machineiy was ever supplied. It 
would surely be more consistent to repeal this 
Ordinance at once. The offence would at least 
be done away with ; and Her Majesty would be 
the gainer in a few hundreds of law-abiding 
subjects. 
1 would strongly [urge upon the Society to 
appeal to the Government for sanctuaries for 
game, say of 10,000 acres each, in the districts 
of Tamankadua, Binte.me, Lagala, and various 
game districts ; and for the appointment of rangers 
for these sanctuaries supervised by officers of the 
Forest Department with a .substantial addition of 
pay for the extra work involved. 
This, it seems clear to me, is the only way 
to protect deer in the big game districts. At pre- 
sent the Game Ordinance, with the exceptions 
I have stated, is a glorious iarce. The Axis 
deer is rapidly being wiped out ; and the Axis is 
par excellence the game of the great vilderness 
of tlvs, !North-East and South-East. That game 
can be protected, and is only too susceptible of 
protection, I have good reason to know, having 
for the last four or five years taken about 2,000 
acres in hand, on my own account, chiefly Crown 
forest, be it noted. 
In this sanctuary, by dint of thrashing every 
marauder, smashing his gun and shooting his dogs; 
I have succeeded in collecting and preserving a 
very respectable number of Sambhur and other 
game. They are, I say, susceptible of the p;p- 
tection offered, because they remain in spite of 
the fact tb.'’t j continually hunt the ground for 
hogs, which 1 destroy both for the sake of t^e 
sport and for the protection of cardamoms. 
The Sambhur very soon recognise the fact thab 
they are protected. The result is that on any fine 
day, wlien the uplands are free of mist, yon may 
see them, and a very pretty sight they are. 
Beyond the sphere of jirotection yon may look 
for a single shot tor a long weary day and look in 
vain ; because the intelligent officers of the Crown, 
who are supposed to be protectors of Her Majesty’s 
property, seem to think that issuing licenses to 
vagabond estate coolies will conduce to the preser,? 
vation of that property. 
I have no hope whatever for the protection o| 
game in the low-country except by means of greal 
sanctuaries kept up at some expense, and under 
European supervision, and the Forest Officers arid 
Government Agents are the proper persons to.be 
entrusted with the work. Acclimatization should 
be actively pursued, and will I am sure repay 
labour. My own particular sanctuary has be- 
come a most interesting place in a yery 
short time. I can show Sambhur in numbers, some 
Elephants, Barking Deer a few only, the klti* 
tude being great ; wood-cocks, which I have never 
shot at, juigrate annually, in increasing 
numbers, and as many as 4 or 5 may occasionally 
be flushed in a morning between January and 
May. Carp I have turned into a few big pools 
in the forest, and they are thriving ; and later 
on I intend to try trout. 
I heartily commend to the Game Protection 
Society as the result of my short experience, the 
formation of many such sanctuaries, not only in 
the low’-countiy under Government protection, 
but in the mountain zone too. 
If my protection has been afforded in rather a 
high handed manner, I apologise to Her Majesty’s 
representatives ; but it has certainly had very 
good effect, and I propose to carry it out jintil 
matters “develop;” but, if I ant bound do^n 
to keep the peace, and the inck rabble of vagabond 
meat-sellers ate let into destroy Her Majesty’s 
wild subjects in defiance of the law, and the 
deer and wild fowl disappear, it wilt be time 
for me to be shifting too from a land where such 
inconsistency in the application of law is 
permitted. E. G. R, 
CHEAP SALT FOR AGRICULTURE. 
Jan. IJ 
Sir, — “ Maravila” in a recent issue on the aid 
subject doubts the probability of the estimates of 
traffic reported by me re Railway to Puttalam. A 
simple denial or doubt would not carry much weight 
in any controversy unless substantiated by reason 
in the absence of which lean afford to treat his effu- 
sions with sil( nee. 
I should on the other hand like to impress upon 
your readers that a railway to Puttalam will nn- 
dc i.btedly cheapen the price of salt which is now sold 
at Putt ah in at the rate of 2 cents per Ib., but at 
about double that in the Chilaw district and at a 
still higher price in the Negombo district. This is 
certainly due to the great extent of transport* by 
Canal, which on the other hand gives little or* np 
