January i, 1892.] 
THE TROKVCAL aQRIOULTURIST. 
4 S 3 
been far more dii&dent than be showed himself 
in disoounting the future, while performance in the 
present is so small and imperfect. We think the 
Newcastle people showed great good nature in 
thanking the over confident Dutchman, who, on 
snob utterly iosulfioient grounds, asked them to 
prepare for the extinction of their coal trade to the 
easL There is, no doubt, coal in the Malayan 
region, but it has not yet been discovered or 
brought to the surface in (tuanlity and quality 
sufiicient to justify such tall talk as Mr. Eekhout 
indulged in. Goal, some of very good quality, he 
might have remembered, is being extensively mined 
in British India. — Ed. 0.0.] 
Last night, in thoLovuino UaU,Barras Bridge, New- 
castle, Mr. K. A. Eckhout, of Java, Fellow of the 
lioyal Dutch Geographic Society, lectured, under the 
Huspices of the Tynosido Geographical Society, on 
“ Tne Dutch Indian Itailways, and the Develop- 
ment of the Coal Industry in the Malaya Archi- 
pelago.” Aid. Thomas Bell presided. 
Mr. Eekhout said that everywhere in Sumatra, 
Java, and Borneo people were searching for coal, 
and were asking penuissioiu from the Dutch Indian 
Government for liceusos to mako mining investiga- 
tions. Together with that industrial movement the 
extension of railway building was steadily going on 
in the Dutch possessions of the for East. For that 
reason, he thought that it might be of some practical 
importance to speak in the land of George Stephen- 
son and in the heart of the coal trade, about what 
is going on that way in those splendid Eastern 
islands, and to draw their attention to the Dutch 
Indian railways and the development of the coal 
industry in the Malaya archipelago. Uo had lived 
ten years in Java, where he intended returning very 
soon, and where he had an opportunity of watching 
the whole movement very closely. Though in the 
Dutch Indies coal of diflorout qualities had been known 
for a long time, it was only a quarter of a century ago 
that their exploration was taken in hand. The 
Dutch Indian Government itself worked it at that time 
in South and East Borneo for the benefit of its navy , but 
the quality did not give satisfaction. The exploration 
was at last abandoned, because it did not pay. In the 
meantime, the coalfields in the highlands of We.,i 
Sumatra were discovered, and the mineral recognised to 
be of excellent quality ; but it was not till IfiSS that 
the Dutch Itidiau Qorernment began to execute a 
serious plan for its exploitation by the building of the 
railway now in ootirso of coustruction. There wss coal in 
Borneo, Sumatra, and Java, but the coal in Java and 
Borneo was of inferior quality. It was suggested that 
these coals, also, would prove to be of the same quality 
as the best Gugiisb kinds as soon as the mines were 
excavated doepe r, and the lower seams opened out, 
where the coals would be of a far later formation, 
Before the cud of this century, the Dutch Indian oosls 
would oount for a oousiderablo portion iu the prosperity 
of the Dutch colonies. A oosliug statiou was to be 
established at Sumatra, in the Straits of Malacca. The 
Husaian and French Governments had already officially 
deolared that they istended to use that ooaling station 
for their war vessels in the East, and it seemed that the 
French mail steamers were not unwilling to frequent 
also that oouliug station, as they would benefit by the 
lower prices. Frobably the British coal trade wonid 
not be atf eoted by the coal trade in the Snmna Inlands 
for some years, but they must consider this fact, that 
within a certain time the whole cousuiiiption of more 
than two millions of tons a year iu the region of the 
Dutch Imtiea would pass trom the English coal to 
Dutch Indian coal. This would not only affect the 
British eoal trade, but it would also nifoot her steamers 
which now plied to the East with cargoes of British 
coals, and returned with cargoes of prodnoe. This 
export trade would then be finiebed, or at least dimi- 
nished, nnless they consented to sell British coals 
beyond the ocean at a loss, or to send the steamers 
without the coal cargoes to bring back the produce ; this 
trftdo wonid pass xroni thu baods of’ those who &t pro- 
sent carried on the coal tradej and into the hands of 
(bo Qumetoug Butopoan ateam navigatjou companies 
which provided at present the regular communication 
between the Orient and the Occident. He bad already 
stated that the price at which the coal could be deli- 
vered at the ports was 18s.: he did not think that 
that would occur very soon, but it might bo considered 
as the definite price of coal in the Malay Archipelago 
in the future. The coalfields could only be developed 
by tbe cooetructloD of state railways in the four great 
Sumna Islands and by private enterprise with the 
interest guarantee of the Dutch Indian Government. 
Votes of thanks to the lectnrer and Chairman ooncluded 
the meeting.— AVmoasfffl Daily Ckroaide, Oot. 24th. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
(From the British North Borneo Herald.) 
AYe heor that Oount Gsloes, who since Mr. Christian’s 
illness has acted as Manager of the Borneo Coffee 
Company's Estate, has engaged Malays at 26 oeiits 
per diem to work on the cotfee estate. Tbie is good 
news for coffee Planters, and is much under the 
Estimates we have seen which provided for 30 cente 
a day per oooly. The Coffee Company are fortunate 
in having their interests in such good hands. 
Coffee planting appears to be in favor with the 
natives. We hear that Mr. Little, Aotiog Besident 
West Coast, has requisitioned for coffee seed to be 
distributed among tbe obiefs of the Putatan district 
who have expressed a desire to plant Liberian ooffoe. 
Mr. Hoiiry Walker, Commissioner of Lands who has 
jnst visited Ceylon inform us that ooeoa planting in 
Ceylon has ceased to be the precarions cultivation it 
at one time was now that shade has been introduced 
and that cocoa planters oan now obtain very remunera- 
tive returns. Gue owt. pet acre is sufficient to pay the 
cost of working the estate and all above that (after 
allowing for the additional cost of oollection snd pre 
paration) is profit. We have only to remind onr readers 
that natives in North Borneo have long cultivated 
cocoa and wo should say it is a plant that would be 
found very remunerative if onltivated on a large aoale. 
The few trees at Silam (of the oaraooas variety) have 
boroo well and from notes made at the time it was 
shown that they came into bearing in the 4th year. 
ilr. Walker reporlo that the patebee of Liberian coffee 
on the Alalapi estate on the Kinabataugan, of ooffoa and 
cocoa on the Segauan estate are looking remarkably 
well and are in bearing. Mr. Kennedy of the Seganao 
estate is fortiiuate in having soil of a very rloh quality 
and the Bsgahao range of mountains near the estatos 
are said to have gool soil. 
A L.ADIES’ TEA ASSOCIATION IN 
LONDON. 
T. bo interested to hear that a Ladies’ 
Xea Assooiation has yust been atsrted. The promoters, 
two enterprising young ladies who liave an interest 
'“j* Ceylon, are Miss K. G. Bartlett 
and Mibb A. M. Lambert, 2, Manohester-equare- 
mansioiis. They told me that they meao to employ 
women only to help them iu tbe oarrying-out of their 
project of selling tbe best tea at a low price. From 
their deep knowledge of the subject one would think 
they had been in the tea trade for yean. They 
have certsinly managed to get the true knack of blend- 
ing. When I went to see them the other evening I 
was given as a sample a onp of tbe " ladies’ own ” 
— the meet delightfnl tea 1 have ever tasted. And I 
consider myself something of a connoisseur of tea, too. 
I drink it whenever 1 want a stimulant, which is 
about four times a day on an average. Fresh-made 
tea doesn’t do one muob harm. It im’t demora- 
lizing ns wine, and isn’t halt so likely to give one a 
red nose. The worst thing that oan be said of tea 
is that It IS apt to make havoc of one’s nerves 
MisB Mantaliui ” in ilaU Hudjet, Nov. 6tU 
