THE TROI-^CAL AGRICULTURIST. [February i, 1892. 
SSo 
this disability to any very great extent. The 
Straits Government, it is addel, would be willing to 
give every aid in the aoqairement ot land as well 
as in every other way. Careful experiments are 
to be begun on a small scale before oommitting 
the shareholders to any large expenditure. I 
eonfesB that for myself, having in memory how 
Ceylon suffered in reputation owing to the Ceylon 
Company having had connexion with the Mauritius, 
I view with some dislike the notion of the Ceylon 
Tea Plantations Company ” commencing enterprise 
in another colony without some modification of 
the name by which it is so generally known. 
The Grocer of the 12lh inst. had a long arliole 
on ‘‘ Ceylon Tea." The first part of it dealt 
with figures illustrative of the progress it has 
made in the home market as compared with Chinese 
and Indian teas. It estimates the shipments to 
reach the United Kingdom this year at fil millions 
lb. The article reiterates the complaint “ that 
among the importations of Ceylon tea this year 
there have boon numerous samples of complete 
rubbish, which would not have been received by 
the trade as tea in the smallest sense, it they 
had been offered as invoices or breaks ot Indian 
or China, and it is the magical name of 
Ceylon alone that has enabled importers 
to dispose ot the said tea.” It finds an 
explanation of these miserable imports in the 
continued rains experienced in Ceylon this year. 
Expectations are entertained, according to the writer, 
that this cause will not again eften operate. 
Stocks are stated to be excessive, and the view is 
expressed that until these are worked down ” quota- 
tions generally may be reckoned to rule as much 
as ever in favour of both retailers and oonauraers.” 
At the half-yearly meeting ot the British North 
Borneo Company held this week, it was announced 
that Sir Rutherford Alcock, in consequence of his 
declining strength and advanced age, bad decided 
upon retiring from his more active management 
of the Company's affairs. The nows received from 
Borneo was declared to be tolerably satisfactory; 
but the land sales bad almost ceased, partly owing 
to general financial depression, but mainly to the 
crisis which had overtaken the tobacco trade of the 
East. The production ot this article in Sumatra 
alone has risen from G90 bales in 1868 to 236,823 
bales sold this year, and the price bad fallen to 
72J cents per half-kilo, or about one pound. Two 
important companies in connexion with Borneo 
had to liquidate, and the island generally had 
suffered much from the late bad times. The 
President made the following allusion^ to the capa- 
city of their lands for coffee cultivation, observing 
that " coffee planting was increasing, and an 
expert who had bad considerable experience in 
Ceylon, was about to visit and report upon the com- 
pany's territory with a view of drawing attention to 
the capabilities ef the soil for coffee, cacao, and tea.” 
Several of the Indian Tea Companies have de- 
clared their interim dividends during the week. 
Thus the Brahmaputra Tea Company declares such 
a dividend ot 8 per cent for the half year at the 
rate of 16 per cent per annum. The Jorehaut Tea 
Company announces that the crop of 1891 has 
amounted to 1,612,000 Ib. of packed tea, being an 
inoroBso of 150,000 lb. over that of 1890, and that 
100,003 lb. have been sold at an average price of 
90 Jd per lb., or about Jd per lb. over last year for 
a similar quantity. The directors of the Assam 
Company also recommend an interim dividend of 
2^ per cent, or lOs per share, payable on January 1, 
and the Majuli Tea and Attaree Khat Tea Companies 
(Limited) have declared interim dividends of 2J per 
cent on the working of current season, both payable 
(oithwitb. 
BARK AND DRUG REPORT. 
(From the Chemist and Druggist.) 
London, Deo. 6th. 
CiNCUONA.— Tuesday's bark auctions wore of fair size as 
regards the numlior of packages offered ; but the total 
weight of bark was not coasidi-rable, many of the paok- 
oges being below average weight. The catalogues com- 
prised 
Ceylon... 
East ludian 
Java ... 
South American 
African 
Packages. Packages. 
SVC of which fill wore sold 
act .. kss „ 
V33 ,. 2.18 
SM SIS 
169 „ IDS „ 
„ .. 1.H71 1.619 
Holders seemed rather auxions to sell, and there waa'no very 
lively compotiuu among the biwots, two or ihree ngeiite 
only participating seriously. 'The average uiianllly of 
the harks was fairly good, and the samples shown eom- 
prisod seycrttl iilco lots of Succlrubroe and a fair pro- 
p rtion of gooil grey bark. Yellow burke of eaetorn 
growth were scarce, bnt fcouth Ameriraii Callsayas were 
well represented. A parcel of 47S fiaokages Keilgherry 
barb, which would have added greatly to the Interoab of 
tho auctious, was with'lrawn at the last moment. The 
rosnlt of the anctioua was hardly satisfactory, and prices 
must bo pronounced slightly easier, the average unit 
being barely 1 l-iaths d. per lb. 
The following are the approximato! quantltloa purchased 
by tho principal boyori 
Agontafortho Maonbelm and Amstcrdamlworks.., 
Messrs. Howards & Sous 
Agents for the Italian and American ‘warka 
fi ProDCh works 
*, Auert.ach works ... ... 
., Frankfort o/M and Stuttgart works 
lirimswlck works ... ... 
Sundry druggists.. 
I.h. 
lll.iur 
13,071 
37, 306 
31,SU5 
91,148 
1U,67II 
7,000 
40JII0 
Total quantityfoh barklsold .„ ... 309,861 
Bought In or withdrawn... ... ... 80,970 
Total qnautiliy of bark offered 370,134 
OlNKAUO.v.— The last pcriudioal anotious of the year 
were hold on Monday, when 3,070 bales Ceylou cinnamon 
were offorod, incinding an UT,UBnnIly largo proportion ot 
good and fine qualities. The demand was a fairly good 
one, over fonr-ttfths of the supply fiuoingbuyors at steady 
E rices for ordinary and medium grades, wbllo gaol and 
no varieties declined In valne from Id to 2d per lb., 
as coomparod with the previous a-ullon*. Tho fullowing 
prices were paid i— Pine to enperlor llrsto 8d to is 3d ; 
common to good ditto 8|d to 8|d per lb; seconds, ordi- 
nary to superior (^d (0 Is per Ib thirds, ordinary to 
suporiot sldtolld perib; fourths, common to snperior 
8|d to IQn per lb. A quantity of onworked cinnamon 
sold at In to 7d per Ib, broken at 6d te 6id I per lb,, 
and abont 900 bags qalUinge and cuttings at 4d to ad 
per lb. 
Quinink. — On Friday a second-hand hoMer accopfod 
9d pet oa for a 10,00o-os parcel of Gormin bulk, thus 
reduciiig ibe price yd per ox tbolow the nominal iiuota- 
tion and bringing it down again to the “ lowest on re- 
cord ” figure. Again, before tho bark anetions, a fair 
quantity of seooud-hand German bulk qnlnino changed 
bands at Sd per eg. The toul sales are estimated at 
30,000 to 40,000 ox. Today It would not bo so easy to buy 
at that figure. 
Coffee Land, &c.. in Perak. — From the re- 
port on Taipiog Dietriot for October we quote a® 
follows 
Daring the month several plantora from Ceylon, 
who were amongst the first ten applicants for the land 
ouered on special terms in the Circular of the 22Qd 
April ^ 1891, visited the coffee estates in the diatriot 
and inspected some of the land in the immediate 
neighbourhood of Fnala Haugsar, with a view to 
making soluclions here. They scorned bofct satisfied 
with the land at Kimnning. bnt appi-arcd to think 
that most of it th*! was worth faaviug was included 
in the Liberian coffea estate of Mr. Ui)l. I am in- 
formed, however, that Mr. Buchanan, who w.is 
amongst those that visited this district, has decided 
to take tip a block along the road betwceti Kfimu* ir.g 
and Ipoh. The following day I i coonipaniod the Ool-* 
lector and Magistrate to Tronok, which is now tlv 
principal of the Blanja mining villsgce. Although 
mining has only been commenced comparatively re- 
cently, there are already a larpe number of Chiueso 
in the locality, ai.d there appears to bo every promiso 
of its turning out an important mining diulrict. 
