December i, 1891.] 
THE T«Of»lCAL AGRICULTURIST. 
427 
Bought to enfotoe it when the Gomming and Mining 
Company of Ceylon came forward. This undertaking 
cannot be said to have come out under the best or 
most favourable auspices. That goes without saying 
when wo mention that it was promoted by the cele- 
brated Gold Trust and Investment Corporation, which 
promoted at about the same time 
TUB NOTOUIOUS PBESIAN INVESTMENT CORPOniTION, 
in both of which it prided itself on retaining a oon- 
sidorablo intocest, though to what extent that reten- 
tion wav voluntary or enforced, and in what measure 
the pride may still survive, we need hardly wait to in- 
quire. The sayieg that pride goes before a fall has, 
however, been pretty well exemplified in the case of 
these two undertakings. The history ot the rise and 
fall of the Persian Investment Corporation is too fresh 
in everybody’s mind to need recapitniation. The 
like story of tho Gemming and Mining Company 
still remains to be told, though it has not yot 
reached the stage when that can be done with true 
dramatic effect. Tho latter company was formed 
in Uooember, 1880, with an authorised capital 
of £100,000 in ehares of £1 each, to acquire certain 
freeholds consisting of 1,280 acres of land, situated 
in Rakwana district, Ceylon. The mining rights of 
tho Rsngwelteune and one or two other estates were 
also acquired, subject to the payment of certain tents 
and royalties. Tho pnrahase price of the whole show 
was fixed at £60,000, payable as to £12,600 in cash, 
and the rost in shares or cash and shares. Looked 
at from the point of view of 
THE EXPERT RBFORtS 
on tho business there was nothing abont thoso tonus 
at which anybody could oavil. A Mr. 0. E. H. Symons, 
and a Mr. Charles Sband, of Colombo, were the two 
chief witnesses to the nntold wealth of the property, 
and tboie two gentlemen brought to bear in support 
of their right to speak with anquostiouable authority 
on the subject, the two important qualifioatious that 
the first had for many years past "taken a great 
interest In tho search for precious stones as carried 
on by the natives,” while Mr. Suand and wife, repre- 
sented by a trustee, figured i,i the contracts for the 
sale and purchase of the affair. Oue of the estates 
to be acquired, namely, tho Evortou, was said by Mr. 
Symons to have been famous for its gems for the 
last 30 or 40 years. The sapphiros bed a purity and 
doptli of colour which wore proverbial. Oatseyes of 
tho highest value had been found "in quantity." Then 
there were tonriualiue, amethyst, topaz, common and 
star stones, and all tho test of it. Corundum could be 
POUND DV TjBB TON, 
and also crystals of romark.Thle size and "pnrity of 
whiteness,” which, for “ optical purposes ate unsur- 
psasod.” Theae crystals could, of course, have boon 
utilised as lenses with which to enable the share- 
holders at a lator date to scan and decipher their 
dividend warrants, though they have not boon adapted 
to that patposo yet. But more important than nil- 
this vast show of woilth was tho fact that there 
"were from^ 60 to 00 pita sunk in Kabragnllakolle” 
(m oomparison with which the mystic word Abru- 
oadabia sounds moan), "which exist to this day." 
We say "more important than all," because there wbs 
no knowing at tho timo to what untold uses those 
pitsj might ho put at a later date in the way of 
storing the gems or, at tho worst, burying tho hopes 
of the shareholdots. The latter seems, at the present 
moment, likely to be their moat immediato use. Tho 
property being of such large extent the dirootors, said 
the pioipecluH, “miy consider it advisable to dispose 
of part of the estates to other companies,’' but no 
such companies have come along to mar tho enjoyment of 
8EAB0HIN8 41,1 ALONE FOR THE OREAT WEALTH 
supposed to lay bnriod in tho undertaking. The 
second ordinary meeting was held on Thursday, and 
the chairman said he regretted the report was not 
mote favourable. The pits, thoro is overy reason to 
believe, are in their old plaecs, but tho capital is 
not. That, said the chairman, was " steadily going,” 
so the affair can scarcely bo said to be in every 
particular at a standstill, and it was for this reason 
perhaps, that he (ought to impress on the share- 
holders that they “ should not lose heart." The laud 
where they were carrying on operations was honey- 
combed with tunnels and burrows mae'e by the natives 
for generations past, but tho people engaged to look after 
it bad only got the worst stones, the explanation volun- 
tccrod fur this being that the native miners wore 
"too many for them.” The best mining experts in Oeylou 
had been engaged to explore aed survey the property, 
and tuose had all wound up their experience by telling 
tho company to " go on and prosper,” which was 
very handsome of them, tbongb it would not have 
been amiss if they had at the same time given a bint bow 
THE PBO.SPEKINO PART OF THE nHSINEBB 
was to be aocomplished. In the absence of such in- 
formation tho company has been unable to carryout 
the reoommecdatiou, " We could not do so,” said the 
chairman, because the capital, as already remarked, 
is steadily goiug, " and they did not seem to be 
getting what they contemplated they would get.” A 
shareholder asked if they had let any of the gem land, 
to whiub there was vouehesfod the reply that " they 
had not, but that they, ooutomplated doing so." In 
view of the glowing dosoription of tho property 
with its 60 to 60 pits, and the diggings and bur- 
rowings, and tho prooious stonoi, etc,, that was a 
somewhat singular, not to say startling, oonfesBion to 
make, and it is sneprising the shareholders did not 
show a little more interest to leara on what they 
were working all last year simply to lose close upon 
£4,000. They have on tho way homo 71 owt. of oorun- 
dnm, which said the ctiairmao, is the mother >f 
aapphires,” though, ns a matter of ohemical fact, itii 
a crystallised state of alumina, of which sapphire, ruby 
amethyst, etc., are others ; but they have not found 
any gems. What the dirootors will do with the alleged 
“ mother of sapphires ’’ wo do not profess to know, 
uulees it bo to force her to yield progeny. That, at 
all events, seems to be the only way in which this 
Gemming and Mining Oompany of Ceylon is likely to 
make anytliing. A subsidiary company for breeding 
sappbires would not bo a bad notion and we commend 
it, for what may be worth, to oertain members of the 
promoting fratormty,— Hoii/y Oracle, Got. 17th. 
NKTH^IlLANDs”'lNDIA. 
Dr. Karstem, a kotanieal expert, calls attention to 
tho extraordinarily high peioeutage of tannin in plants 
growing on marshy land near tho seashore through- 
out the Indian Arohipeisgo, He docuis that these 
plants find in their tannin a preservative from the 
decomposing influences arising out of their unfavour- 
able cuviroumout, and bo strongly recommends their 
bark for tanning purposes in Europe. He points out 
that tho mangrove is used in South America as dye 
and tanning material. The barks of tho mangroves 
found in Java aro need for tanning and dyeing bat 
are not exported to Europe. 
Advices from tho sugar, otifl'ae, and indigo estates 
in B. Java are far from enoonraging owing to the 
long continued drought. 
Tho Batavia NwmsVlail says that quinine has 
lifton put to a now use as antidoto .against the opium 
habit. It is reported that natives given to opium and 
wishing to leave it eff need only use quinine water, 
and that this loinoily takes good c fleet on (hem.— 
Straits Times. 
PLANTING NOTES PROM THE NILGIRI8, 
(From oar oton Correspondent) 
Goonoor, Nov. 1 — The drought of August and Sep- 
tember was followed by excessive rain in October. 
Between the let and 30tb of last mouth the fall here 
has been over 55 inohes ; such heavy rain has not been 
kuowu on the Nilgirisfor tho last 80 years.* These 
abnormal showers have done a groat deal of damage 
to estates in and near Ooouoor; numerous laudslips 
have taken place, especially on st eep ostatop, and 
* We sin: ulU think it is unpreoedonted. A year’s 
average raiufal in one month I— Ed, T. J, 
