February i, 1892.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
549 
NOTES PROM OUR LONDON LETTERS. 
me. BOGIVUK’S mission — A SBPABATE BOOM FOB 
THE SALE OF CEYLON TEA IN MINCING LANE 
— PALAIS INBIEN CO. AND CEYLON TEA KCND 
— MB. LOUGH AND CEYLON TEA — CELLULOSE 
OP COCONUT FIBBE— JOKAI AND JHANSZIE 
COMPANIES. 
LoNtON, Dec. nth. 
Before yon oan receive this will doubtless 
have had sent you for publiostion Mr. Bogivue’e 
lengthy report to your Planters’ Association on 
what be has done in introduoing Ceylon tea into 
Russia. He sent a copy of his very voluminous 
report to the Ceylon Assooiation, but the copy (on 
oopying paper) is almost illegible. We gather, how- 
ever, that, op to date of bis reporting Mr. Bogivue 
had received about 40,000 lb. of Ceylon tea, of 
which quantity ho had disposed of about 35,000 lb. 
This does not appear to ns a very largo amount 
considering the time his agency has been working ; 
but it would bo unfair for us to judge of this 
without a full reading of what ho has written 
direct to Ceylon, 
The question of finding a remedy for the 
difficulty about the sales of Ceylon tea in 
Mineing Lane appears likely to find a solution by 
the beginning of the new year. The brokers 
are now arranging among themselves and with the 
proprietors of the eale-rooms to conduct Ceylon 
sales throughout the whole of Thursdays in a room 
distinct from that in which the sales of Indian are 
carried on. If this arrangement can be fully 
carried out, it will no doubt ailord a largo measure 
. though competent opinion informs me 
^B1 not be likely to eufiBco for your full 
neeas lor more than two years at the outside. 
Meanwhile the brokers have further bestirred them- 
Belves to bring their samples into the rooms at 
an earlier time, so (that wo do not now hoar 
Of the complaints lately made that it was im- 
possible to duly test their quality. It is not 
known to me whether to effect their earlier show- 
■Or it has been found to be neoeseary to some- 
what defer sales ; but oven if this bo the case we 
feel very sure the sellers will; find their balance 
Of advantage in the arrangement, and since the 
Jaore time has been given it is undoubtedly the 
•act that Ceylon teas have been fetching better 
’^*‘“■'''0 prices than those of India. 
.® Sub-Committee that I wrote you had been 
^pointed to negotiate with the directors of the 
ralaia Indien Company having had a oonferenoe, 
’t s* Bobmitled a resolution to the eftoot that 
•t does not think it possible to frame any scheme 
01 oo-operation which would be likely to meet 
wjth the approval of the Ceylon Tea Fund. 
Alley fonnd upon inquiry that the financial 
of the company is not without its 
mbarrassments, and the fact would prevent the 
ioj*' >,• subscribing the additional oapi- 
ai wmoh the PaUit Indien directors desire to raise. 
Meanwhile, the. Sub-Committee report that they 
Mnsider that company to have done, and to be 
doing, good work. 
In this conneotion I must tell yon that I seem 
tinnii- somewhat misunderstood Mr. Lough's 
noBii.V°°i regard to the agenoy for the dis- 
fmnroa^- It was always my 
aooepted that agency quite 
indiL with the PalaU 
me '>«6n pointed out to 
“agent “e”® -u- 
of Thai towards the capital 
be done "®w likely to 
“ .relations between Mr. Lough and the 
Ceylon Association in London have olos!d, and if 
68 
he sells Ceylon tea in his Paris kiosks it will be 
only beoause he finds it is to the taste of his 
oustomors, and not in putsuanco of any obligation 
he had contracted with the Assooiation and with 
your own loool bodies. As, however, this latter 
fact has only just now been established, 
anything that has been previously written by mo 
with respect to what Mr. Lough said at the 
meeting of his company would still hold good, 
as at that time he was certainly recognized as the 
authorized agent, although the terms of his aeoep- 
tanoe of that office had not then been deoied upon. 
My last letter referred to experiments pro- 
ceeding at Portsmouth by the Admiralty to test 
the alleged qualities of cellulose of ooeonut. Ap- 
parently they have gone beyond us in this ros- 
peot in America, for wo see a paragraph in the 
Engineer, which informs us that a large factory, 
with extensive plant, is being erected in Phils. 
delphia lor the manufaoture of the article. That 
journal gives us (he additional information that 
It is exceedingly difficult to make a hole of any 
kind through this oellulose, and we presume this 
to mean that on the withdrawal of any piercing 
or boring tool, the fibre of the oellulose at once 
closes the hole made. This would certainly be 
a most valuable quality for the lining of ships, 
and we hope soon to hear more about this 
material and bow it is prepared, whether from 
the nut itself or from the fibrous husk. We 
should naturally assume that it must be from 
the latter. 
The direolors of the Jokai (Assam) Tea Com- 
pany (Limited) have declared the usual interim 
dividend of 6 par cent per annum on aeoount 
of the working of season 1891, being lOs per 
per share payable on the lOth instant. Similarly the 
managing agents of the Jlianzie Tea Association 
state that the customary interim dividend of 4 
per cent per annum, being 4 shillings per share 
will be paid on account of the 1891 crops on the 
loth instant. 
CEYLON TEA PLANTATIONS COMPANY AND THE 
PBOPO.SEn CULTIVATION OP COFFEE IN 
THE MALAY PENINSULA— THE “ GBOCBB ’’ 
ON CEYLON TEA. 
London, Dee. 18 , 
The Ceylon Tea Plantations Company is, we hear, 
intending to oommenoe oofloe oultivalion in the 
Malay Peninsula. You will be aware that the 
Company's manager in Ceylon, Mr. G. A. Talbot, 
visited the Peninsula as late as last Ootober, in order 
to report on the prospeeta that would lie before suoh 
an enterprise. Consequent upon that gentleman’s 
report, the directors of the Ceylon I'ea Plantations 
Company have sent round a oiroular to its ehare- 
hoMeis, convening a meeting for the 6th January 
next, “ to explain fully the reasons which influeuoo 
them in extending tAeir interests to the Malay 
Peninsula.’' Mr. TalAot has reported that during 
bis visit he saw much of the country and visited 
many of ths oollee estates in Perak and Selangor. 
After m.vluro consideration, ho reports that the 
cultivation of oofieo yields results wbiob would 
warrant h ‘8 Company in extending its operations 
into the Straits Settlements, and that tbs results 
would m® ttrially add to the Company’s prosperity. 
The sir ou]^, above referred to states that the Com- 
pany hss a force in Ceylon of 6,000 ooolios, and a 
oumber of superintendents who are well versed in 
coffee oultivation and are in touch with the 
labo.ur supply of Southern India ; and as the want 
Of *abour appears to be the only difficulty felt by 
t bo ooffoe planters of the Straits, the Com- 
pany would be able to work without expetienoing 
