474 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTUR18T. 
IJaNUARY I, i 892 - 
The Adui/tebation op PHODtrcR. — Te» nuder ibis 
category occupies much the fame position as the 
subjeot-matler of the well-known chapter on “Snakes 
io Iceland.” There is no tea adulteration now it the 
official report on food analysis issued by the Liocal 
GoTernment Hoard may be taken as conclusive. 
The following shows ssmples of some produce 
examined during the year, and the peroeutage of 
cases in which adulteration was reported : — Coffee : 
Number of samples exaimncd, 1,733 : nuinler of sam- 
ples adulterated, 266 ; percentage sdulteraled in 1889, 
Idff) ; pereentage adulterated in 1890, 15 3. Sugar: 
Number of samples examined, 2Ui : number of samples 
adulterated, 34 ; percentaia adnlteraled in 1889, 0 ; 
peroeutage adulterated in 1690, 13*8. Pepptr : Number 
of samples examined, 1,329 ; number of ssmples adulter- 
ated, 75; percentage adulterated in 1880, 8’9 ; percent- 
age adulterated in 1890, 6-8. Tea: Number of famples 
examined, 3-19 ; number of samples adulleiated, 0 : per- 
ceutage adulterated in 1889, 0*5 ; percentage adult: rated 
io 1890, 0 0. The number of aamples of coffee oondeuin- 
ed ievery high, the adulterant being almost invariably 
chicory, and the proportion used being often enormous. 
Frocaediugs wore taken in 171 cases, and lines amount- 
ing in the aggregute to .£179 were imposed. Ofthe.se, 
one was of £20, two of £10, two between £5 and £10, 
and four of £-5. Of the 846 ssmples of sugar examined, 
nsarly one-sevouth were reported as hsviog been co- 
loured with an aniline dye of an amber tint in nrder to 
make white crystals of beet sugar imitate the most 
valuable Demerara. The quantity of the dye me.' 
however, is very minute. In the esse i,t ptpner. 
adulteration a few years ago was on hs incie.ise, 
owing to the use of ginger fibre from which the aitivo 
properties bad been ahstiaoted by the ginger beer 
nianufsctories, and which, after being dried, wsi grnniid 
up with peppercorns. Tbis praotico, however, eoeins 
to he now out of favour, and the percentage of samples 
condemned, which in 1886 was iio less than 13, sank 
in 1890 to 5*6. 
Smart.— I n bis monthly journal, Night and Ttag, 
Dr. Barnardo makes the f. llowiog anuouiiotrnent : — 
“The J^lukoia T. a Company will give Id to the 
Ho-nes for every pound of tea ai id, tbo labels for 
which ace sent to mo. As a pound of tea is sold for 
2s, tbis offer amounts to nearly 5 per cent on :vU 
sales. As I CBU personally bear witness to tbe really 
fine quality of this tea (every packet of which baa 
been sealed up in Ceylon), I imagine 1 am doing my 
readers as good s service in bringing it to their 
notice as I shall do my Humes if a vast number of 
labels aro forthwith retiiroed to me by pucehaseca.” 
A SuoAE Boom. — T here is a “ boom ” io sugar, 
the price of which has advanced in Slincing Lane 
more than £1 lOs per ton. The advance has 
been established without the excitement which bas 
charncterisi d similar movements of past years, and 
has been iiue, not to the unrenaouing fears ol bear 
operators, but to tbe steadily-growing couviction that 
without tho chock of enhanced values, couaomplion 
will more than absorb tbe world's supply. Voar by 
year the p: eduction of sugar has bein on s more 
gigantic BOale, but this year the crop or boot siigsr 
— the basis of spcoiilatiou — is stated to bo sericusly 
defioient. — If. and G, Hail, Nov. 20. 
A rossiBLK coalfield NE.AR M.VDRAS. 
Twenty years ago Mr. B. Bruco Foote, late of the 
Gooiogiciil Survey of India, in company with Messrs. 
C. A. Oldham and W. King aho of the Geo'ogical 
Survey, examined and mapped geolugirally the Distiiot 
in tho neighbourhood of Madras, and pub islied the 
results in tbe •* Memoirs of the Geological Survey of 
India ” Vol. X., Fatt 1. Al that time certain plant beds 
were iudeutilied as ooicospocdiiig with tbo Bujim lial 
Sotioi of the Upper Uondwsiia pysteiu, buio»ii:gto 
the very level tiaiure of the country, and the difficulty 
of obtaining sections, it was impossible to say posi- 
tively what formation lay next below these plant beds. 
It was however, supposed that the Lower Uundwanas, 
Iho formation in which nearly ail the coal seams are 
found in India, might possibly be found at eome 
dtpth below. Now, after a lapse of twenty years it 
has been proved beyond all doubt that the T-ower 
Oondwanas are present and tho discovery is due to 
the enterpiisu and perseverance of tho Kev. S. Dominic, 
a priest of the Uoman Oalholio Church, in sinking 
an artesian horing with tho object of obtaining a 
permanent supply of wafer. This loring he com- 
menced eo fur back as April 1886, but owing to vari- 
ous ioterruptions of the work, it was not sunk further 
than 272 feet by last May. In that month Mr. Bruce 
Foote went at Father Domin'o's Invitation, to inspect 
the boring which is situated io Flsoe's Gaidene, in 
the Conjeveram tuluq of the Ohiugleput District, and 
Io give his advice on tbe prospects of the taring. 
The resnltH of tbe inspection weio published at Iho 
end of last August in a Government Uider on Mr. 
Briioe Foote’s report, which we pullish in another 
tolnmn. The opinion there expresBed by Mr. Bruce 
Foote does not appear to have impressed the Madras 
Government much, although it ssnetioned an additional 
grant ol K500 to Father Dominic for carrying tbe 
baring down to a greater depth. Two gentlemen 
in Madias, however, coniidercd the siibieot of such 
enormous importsuce that they immediately paid 
a visit to Place's Gardvos, carefully inspeoted 
the spcciraon.B raised from the lowest parts 
of the boring, aed have sinro obtained regular 
informaiioi, in r: -d io tbo fuitber indications dis- 
1 . td by ’a p: tlov.-'.u:iiid. T.*— torii g .lus 
uiw n. :!.(.! i Ufii of 2;'0 S-_ , the 'at 21 f At 
..ivmp pie- a '"*.1 of black cb.. which h i.s 'ncou.i c 
..'.cau ly ricLt: in and nn let nhioli there arc 
fair reasons for h, ping that a coal Beam may be met. 
In the meanwhile a mure detailed report has, wo 
understand, been obtsined from Mr. Bruce Foote, who 
hsH expressed, iu even more decided terms, bii opi- 
nion tliAt an I xteusivo coal field will probably be found 
under, or in Iho neighbourhood of Place’s Gardens. 
Messrs. Leighton m d Oo., who have tbe matter in 
baud, after obtaiuiog Mr. Bruce Kcote’s advice as to 
what Isods to select, have lest no limo in apnlylog 
to Government lor prospecting righfes over a largo 
tract, and they have received assurances from the 
Madras Guvernmest that it will do everything in its 
power to expedite tho work of proving whether coal 
is to be bad there or not. A Company, to he called 
The Areonum Coal Company, Limited, is slroioy in 
course of formaliou, snd it is intended tc raise espial 
iu tbe fit. place to search for coal seams by means 
of steam borieg mscliinory.— M. Mail, Nov. IStli. 
[II coal is found near Madras there may yet 
be hope for coal in Ceylon. — Bn T. A,] 
♦ 
PALAIS INDIBN TEA HOUSES. 
The statutory general meeting of tbe Palais Indian 
Tea Houses, Limited, was held on Friday at the offices 
of tfco compoiiy, Koihcster Buildiugs, 138, LeadenhsU 
btreet, B. C., Mr, 11. B. Msgor in the chair. 
Tho Secretary (Mr. F. A. Heberts) read the notice 
convening tho meeting. 
Tho Chairman said :— Gentlemen, — As this is merely 
theatstntory mooting, there aro no accounts to submit 
to you. But as it was thought possible there might be 
some shateholdora present who would like to have some 
luforniatiou about the progress of the company, and 
what it has been doing, a few fsola and figures have been 
prepared, whicli I will submit to you. Tho origin 
of ths busintss is familiar to you. The Indian tea 
importers subeoiiled the sum of £3,000 to bring 
forward their produc's at the Paris Exhibition, 
1889. Owing to iho very largo sum that had to be 
paid to the Briliali Commiaaiou and tli3 unauitablo 
siluatmn of the Indian Palace, it was found lliat 
if the committee hid withdrawn from Paris at the 
dope of tho Kxhibitioa most of the money would have 
1 een expended witlinnt any pronounced advantage to 
Ihe tea industry, and uuy effect that might have been 
produced in the minds of the French people with re- 
