630 
THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURIS"!, 
I March i, 1892. 
■Regard to the extension and expansion of tho cmnpany’s 
^ea estates the general scope of the directors' policy 
had been directed to increasing tlie area of cultivation 
in high altitudes, and to acquiring estates of excep- 
tionally high quality. They thought they had so far 
been successful in carrying out that policy, and tho 
purchases which they now asked tho shareholders to 
sanction fullilled those conditions. Tho highest 
f irice they had yet paid for an acre of tea-planted 
and was for the Yoxford, which was undoubtedly a 
very fine property, and well worth tho £1H,0(X) paid 
for it. It would easily give 15 per cent, on this 
outlay. Bogolly was a small tea estate adjoining 
Tangakolly, which tho owner found too small to 
work as a separate estate. It had been bought cheaply 
for 111,081, and would be a valuable addition to Tanga- 
kolly. Ho moved— “ That tho directors bo authorised 
to purchase or acquire from the owners thereof tho fol- 
lowing estates in Ceylon Yoxford, containing -178 
acres; Glonlyon and Stair, (1118 acres; and llegellv, 
48 acres, at prices not exceeding in the whole 
jE 38,B81.'’ — Wr. Rutherford seconded tho resolution, 
which was carried.— The Chairman said he had now 
to Invite their oonsidoration and advice in a matter 
that the directors were in no way committed to, but 
which they thought well of. Wr. E. A. Talbot, their 
manager in Ceylon, who paid a visit to tho Malay 
Beniusula in October last had como to tho conclusion 
that the cultivation of coffee yielded results which 
would warrant them in extending their operations 
into that country. The reason the directors proposed 
this was that they thought there was money in it. 
There were difficulties to be encountered, and these 
wore labour, supervision and nnhealthiness of climate 
at the time of felling the forest, and tho openiiig 
up; but if these difficulties were successfully met and 
overcome he had no doubt that coffee planting in 
the Straits would be a tinancial success. With regard 
to the risk, ho believed they would know in two years, 
with nearly absolute certainty, liow it was going to 
answer, and the very worst that could happen would 
bo to have IIO.OOO bally invested. If it succeeded 
they would bo in a splendid position to soloot the 
best land obtahiablo, and to develop a most remu- 
nerative industry. The whole of the last issue of pre- 
ference stock, il 40,000, had been placed at a premium 
of 15 per cent., BO they had i'(l,0(X) to start with, and 
they auticiiiated that this fund would supply all tlic 
cash required for their iinvpose.— Sir William 
Gregory said he regarded this proposal as a 
speculation alien to tho original intentions of the 
company. The company was doing remarkably well, 
and It was but common sense to let well alone. Coffee 
had proved itself to bo a dangerous article, and he 
thought they would be very ill-advised to touch it.— 
Tho Chairman pointed out that tho memorandum of 
association gave them power to cultivate any pro- 
duct. But that was not tlie question. It was whether 
it would Im a judicious thing to do, and ho need not 
tell tho shareholders that it would not bo forced on 
thorn by weight of votes, but would be dropped if 
hero was any considerable opposition to the sememe. 
They had not lost their conlidenee in Ceylon ; but 
tills matter had been recommended very strongly to 
thorn by Mr. Talbot who bad had a long experience in 
coffee.— After Boino discussion the Chaimiuii an- 
nounced that tho directors had decided not to go 
furtiier in tlie matter. They regretted it, but they 
wished to consult the wishes of even the sniaUest share- 
holders. lie might mention before they adjourned 
that they had now a very fair idea of tlie report wliicli 
the directors would bo able to make to them in April, 
and they believed it would realise all that was put 
forward by the directors in their circular of .Tutio last, 
iiotwitbstaiiding the very low range of tea prices. 
The estates were all doing well, ami the young tea was 
coming on in a way tliat gave good promise for the 
future.— The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to 
the Chairman, 
Sir Wm. Gregory spoke to me about tl e meeting, 
the day before, and I oonourr.jd in the aoundnesa 
of the view he adopted, even though believing that 
there ia a prosperous planting future before Ferak 
and other BtrailB tdettUmeutg, 
CBVLON TEA — SIB ABTIIOB BISCU— SIB ANPBEW OLAEK 
— MB. ELWOOD MAX, AO. 
Deo. 31st. 
Calling at tho Eoyal Geographical Society the 
other day to see my friend Mr. Soott-Keltie, the 
Booomplished Secretary,— of whoso work, more anon, 
— I found myself, on leaving, opposite the Western 
Branch of the Bank of England and remembering 
that an tx Ceylon official is nt its bead, I ventured 
on a call. Sit Arthur Biroh, our former Lieut. - 
Governor (and who nertsinly by this time would 
have been a first-olaaa Governor had he remained 
in the sti'vioi ) received me very kindly and quickly 
showed that ibrough bis reading of the Overland 
Observer as well as many other ohanuels, private 
us well as official, he keeps up a full interest in 
Ceylon sifairs. He meolioued in fact that old 
Ceylon friends frequently drop in to see him, and 
he has a personal interest in plantation property 
through the New Dimbula Company ; and indeed 
the extraordinarily rapni increase in produotion of 
tea on Diagama gave the text to a oouTersation 
full of interest bearing on the future of Ceylon. 
Sir Arthur thinks over-production of our staple and 
the consequent lowering of ptioes to an nn- 
prodlabio scale, is the one great danger before ua ; 
and, of course, with the atatistioa of crop and 
export shewn for live years past, no one can 
gainsay this view. XJuless Austialasia and America 
oomo to the rescue by taking off larger quautiliea 
of Ceylon and Indian teas, oonsumplion in the 
United Kingdom (and Oontiuent of Europe), good and 
growing as it is, can scatoely meet the case. There 
is, of course, the good hope that the China tea tr.ade 
has got a heavy blow and sore discouragement this 
season ; but it may recover. In reforenoe to America 
Sir Arthur spoke in high terms of the onterpriso 
and (so far as te could judge) the business oharaoter 
of Mr. Elwood May, who ho certainly thought 
was entitled to bo regarded as a benefactor to the 
Ceylon tea enterprise, were it only for the persistent 
way in which he had advertised our stap.le in a 
oeunlry where advertising was tho only certain way 
to ealablish a trade. Uo entirely agreed with tho 
view that tho planters ought to bo much pleased 
(in place of dibsatielied as a few at least of them 
seem to be) that Mr. May oamo forward to support 
and extend the Coylon-Ametioan Company at a 
time when, under the old oonditions, it was bound 
to collapse. Tho benefit to Ceylon of all that has 
taken plaoe since ia in the advertising — the making 
siotiona of the American people acquainted with 
our teas, — and this work ia bound erelong to boar 
Iruit ; lot to judge by the files of American papers, 
cicculars, pamphlets sent aoross by Mr. Elwood 
May, he is still indefatigable in hia work of advertis- 
ing our staple. 
I drew bir Arthur Birch's attention to the 
mieohief Sir Andrew Clark had done by hia 
ill-advised and utterly incorrect utterances on 
Ceylon and Indian v>, China Uas before medical 
students in his latest hospital address. It was 
DO doubt corrected in different waye at the time ; 
but Sir Andrew’s reputation ia high and his words 
continue to be most prominently placarded in the 
windows of China tea dealers, notably in Kogent 
Street and other West End quarters, and onoe 
read their import alicka in the memory. In fact 
1 have had personal oxpetienoe of the fact only 
too often in going about. Sir Arthur Birch fully 
agreed— ho had, in fact, intended speaking to Sir 
Andrew Clark, who is a personal friend, on tho 
subject. I pressed him to do so, and that il some 
Dimbula tea could be given Sir Andrew to try 
under the proper conditions of a snialler quantity 
to infuse at a time, thau of China, he could not 
(ail to change bis opinion. It would indeed be 
