m 
•i'HE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 2, 1898. 
who have clinibed Single Tree Hill and Kikili- 
inane and Pedro (the last 1 have climhed a dozen 
times) know how real and varied these are. 
And yet another suggestion. At apparently hut 
little cost, two or three romantic walks might he 
made. There are plenty of young ])Cople in 
Nuwara Eliya in the season to enjoy them, and 
it is true also to say that heie the old feel 
young. I walked the other evening into the 
heart of Pedro on the left hank ot the stream, 
the right bank as you ascend, as far as the 
reservoir ; if there had been a walk back on the 
other side of the stream it would have been 
perfect. It would not cost very much to make 
one, probably ; especially as the iiatli up Pedro 
skirts the stream for a good distance. Another 
pleasant walk would he (but this would .some- 
what disturb the privacy of tlie Government 
Agent’s house) a clear path from near the gaol 
along the hillside to the hack of the hospital. 
Indeed there is a path there already, and by 
the side of part of it the water supply for Mr. 
Burrows’ house runs. This path might he thrown 
open with safety w lien water is laid on to the 
bungalow. At one point, and about half way, 
is a waterfall, well worth seeing, and known 
to a dozen visitois for many years past as tlie 
“ Gentleman’s Waterfall.” And the grandest walk 
of all would he one up a ravine, known to hut a 
few in its entire length, between the Lady’s 
Waterfall and the Bund of the Lake. It is a 
grand walk, or rather scramble-ramble and climb, 
even now for gentlemen certainly, and for ladies 
who are young and strong and when there is 
not too much water. I know ladies who 
have done it — with assistairce. At one point 
there has been an earth-slip, by no means 
recent, and the stream goes underground for a 
considerable distance. The old bed is covered 
with ferns and mosses and lichens and dowers. 
'Towards the top and just before the bund is 
reached the stream runs rather deep and there 
are no friendly stones to help one along ; hut hare 
feet and a little more can ea-ily accomplish 
it and then one of the most satisfying outings of 
the Sanitarium has been taken. It might he more 
difficult than it looks to cut a jrath on one side 
of this stream, but if it could be done a most 
lovely w'alk it would be. I suppose, however, 
that ’ Improvement Commissioners do not exLt 
primarily to satisfy the romantic and the nature- 
loving, and that a Water Supply, Con.'^ervancy, 
Drains &c. must receive the chief attention for 
some time to come. 
[A picnic below the I.ady’.s Waterfall and a 
scramble afterwards up the couis-- of the stream 
to the Bund or Lady Horton’s Walk used to 
be part of every season’s ptogramme .some years 
ago. — E d. T.A.'] 
THE RUSSIANS IN MANCHURIA, AND 
THE OVERLAND TRADE IN TEA: 
As regards the Overland Trade in Tea 
BETWEEN China and Rus.sia, some useful in- 
formation is afforded by this latest traveller in 
Manchuria. Air. Christie in his Report told us 
that the Russians make a distinction in levying 
duty on imported tea, the rate on tlie product 
brought “overland” being only Is 2d per lb. 
against Is lO^^d levied on all tea introduced by 
sea, or thiougli other European States. Now we 
cannot sufipose tliat the wish or policy of the 
Russian Oovernment can really be to clioke off 
the sea-borne traffic; for, such traffic is mostly 
conveyed in “Russian Volunteer vessels” and it 
must surely he the wish of the Czar as of the 
Kaisar to encourage the development ot a mer- 
cantile marine. Nevertheless we may be sure 
that the success of the great railway line from 
Alanchnria to Europe will he very dear to Russian 
statesmen and the following e.\ tract from the 
London Times' Correspondence, indicates how 
great is tlie improvement in cost of freight wliicli 
we must he prepared for when the railway is 
finished : — 
The head of navigation on the Shilka is Stretensk, 
a town of Jews. It will be the terminus of the Trans- 
Siberian Railway, and will displace Kiakhta as the 
centre of the overland tea trade between China and 
Siberia. The cumbrous transport by camel will be 
abolished and an important change in commercial 
trade routes effected. This assumption is based upon 
the fact that by the Stretensk route after the railway 
to Irkutsk has been finished, the freight on tea will be 
reduced one-half. For example : — the freight charges 
on tea carried from Hanliow to Tien-tsin and thence 
by the overland route through Kalgaii and Kiakhta 
to Irkutsk are, assuming that five camels carry one 
ton, ^20 10s the ton. The same tea sent from Han- 
kow by steamer to Nikolaievsk, by river steamer to 
Stretensk, and then by train to Irkutsk will pay, 
assuming that on. the r-ailway freight is one penny per 
ton a mile, .±'8 a ton. 
But Lkutsk is not Europe and the carriage 
thence added to the £S a ton specified, should 
make the total far above anything involved in 
sea-freight from China, Ca'cutta or Colombo to 
Ode.ssa, and therefore if the Rti.ssian Govern- 
ment w'ould only deal fairly by imposing a uniform 
tariff on all tea entering tlie Empiie. ilie sea- 
borne trade shouhl certainly carry the day. Per- 
liaji.s the differential duty is regarded as a slight 
encouragement to maintain this overland tea 
trade in the face of the necessarily, very heavy 
transport charges. 
I • . I ■ ■ 
CINNAAION SALES IN LONDON. 
The particulars which have come to hand by 
mail of the (Quarterly Cinnamon Sales lield in 
London on the 2Sth February, fully conlirni the 
advices which were received by wire, and even 
jmt ii brighter complexionon the po.sition of our 
spice in the London market. Tlie quantity of- 
fered — 1,956 Bales — was about 1,110 Bales short 
of the olferiiigs at tlie previous sales in Novem- 
ber ; hut February’s auctions are always light. 
T ast year the catalogue showed only 1,248 hales, 
and ill February, 1896, the quantity offered was 
1,792; so that the first sale for the current 
year brought to the li.aiiniier a decidedly high 
average quantity. Vvliat is in, are gratifying, 
erspecially after the depths to which Ciiinaiiion 
had sunk, and in which in had remained for years 
is that this com])arati\ ely large offering did not lead 
to a fall in [nice. On the contrary there was a 
brisk demand, and prices indicate an advance, 
nearly all along the line. The only spice which 
showed a slight decline was of low coarse sorts 
which, we fear, is being sent oft' in increasing 
qualities from small native gardens, and too 
olten witliout any care in preparation. We 
faicy we must go hack to (he ‘Seventies” for 
the pnce.s which Firsts of suiierior spice fetched 
. — and indeed all four qualities of the iietter 
brands — fur they ranged from Is 3d for Fourths, 
to Is INI for Fir.sts. Tiio advance may prob- 
ably I e explained by the .small oll'erings of 
superior harl< ; tmt fair and medium kinds too 
shaved in an advaiico of Id to 2d per lb. over 
November prices. Gomparing the jirices which 
ruled last Eebruaiy with those wliicli obtained 
