March i, 1892.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
643 
FROM THE METROPOLIS. 
London, Jan. 15tb. 
IHE OEVLON TE.t FLANTAIIONa 00., LD. 
Calling at the Mincing Lane ofHce of the Com- 
pany two dajs ago, I was fortunate enough to 
meet Mr. lluthetforil, whom I had mieged twice 
on previous occasions ; but sorry to learn that Mr. 
Reid had left lor Scotland the night before. 'I he 
Chairman of the Company has, in fact, been far 
from well ; ho had a sudden and severe attack 
(oonneoted with his Indian experience of dysentery), 
and had to cancel public engagements to speak at 
political meetings. He is now ordered to be very 
careful of himself or some time to come. Mr 
Rutherford, on the other hand, is in robust health — 
stouter and ruldier than in the Ceylon days. He 
gave me the news that the proposal to invest some of 
the funds of the Company in oollee in the Straits 
Was solely to meet the recommendations of their 
Ceylon Manager, Mr. Talbot, and by no means 
because Mr. Reid or ho himself were eager for 
this addition to their business ; indeed, if they had 
been, they could easily have outvoted the opponents 
led by Sir Wm. Gregory. But the suggestion was 
simply made to see what shareholders thought of 
■t. and it was Mr. Rutherford who quoted my re 
marks at the Royal Colonial Institute on the good 
prospects helore coffee at Perak. The Unancial 
' of Jan. 9th has an amusing artiole on the 
meeting of the “Ceylon Tea Plantations Co,’ 
" Tea vs. Coflea” with an illustraton of 
ine doughty chairman — (the future Unionist M.P. 
or Rmross-shire as we hope)— in full Highland 
ostuine ill the act of pouring out the contents 
C ™ breakfast oup inscribed "Straits Settlements 
“M ^*'r. Bubsoripiioa to the engraving is 
n ,,*'’*‘1 Reid is oompelled to abandon his 
coffee. The same journal, as Mr. Rutherford 
howed mo, had, on 9th May last, a similarly amusing 
illuitration on a meeting of the Ceylon Tea Company 
Showing “ how Mr. Havid Reid, Sir W. Johnstone 
and Mr. Shand ei joy their tea” sitting at the 
board. I mention so much ; but I hope this mail 
Will carry to ydu copies of the journals and 
eleotros," bo as to enable you to republish both 
otiees for the edifioalion and amusement of the 
umetous friends of those gentlemen in Ceylon. 
Ij owever, all concerned feel now that it will 
0 beet to keep the name of the premier 
sn" *^ompany of Ceylon free of extraneous 
^peculation or investments and if need be start 
y separate and colTee company specially for the 
gt, *1*.®' When I say “premier,” I think I am safe in 
*}; of the Ceylon Tea Plantations Company as 
f ,®ost important in Ceylon tea, but Mr. Ruther- 
Rat I me that the Eastern Produce and 
n ® , s Company has rather more acreage under tea, 
mn.f 1 9,000 aores ■, but a good deal of this 
be on old coffee laud I fancy. 
TBA rBODUOIION AND OONSCMI'IION. 
Wa^^fu ®'^''j®ot that came up with Mr. Rutherford 
lyo., . ® probable export of Tea from Ceylon for 
of Hi' *** inclined to take a very moderate view 
Oono's morease (some 7 or 8 million lb ), 
do" that the enormous rise in 1891 was 
Rnf .''bby much to a very exoepti nal season, 
in ni, ^2'.”*'°^ bbt the large addit ional acreage 
(22 nne P'anls'i between 1888 and 1889 
Berne , 1 .“®*'®“)- ab'* ^ *aney Mr. Rutherford will 
be n!f . million lb. can soaroely 
vear‘ b® ‘b'®' export froam Ceylon this 
fm.L “.® '® I am glad to say, about the 
Doanl^ 1 °; ®°“8“mption, though he ntioipates the 
of even lower prices (by a shade) during 
eivn year 1 Such a result eould not (ail to 
B '® tU0 coup lie yracc to the China trade which, 
indeed, no one expects to see assume its recent 
importance again, so far as the United Kingdom 
is concerned. 
CBVLON TBA IN AOtTBtA. 
It is very satisfactory to learn, eflioially from Mr. 
A. Philip, that the Tea Fund iCommittee are to 
consider and, if possible, aot on some of the 
suggesiions I made in reference to pushing the 
sale of Ceylon teas in Austria. I am hopeful 
that Messrs. Shand & Haldane will follow up 
t! eir trade in Switzerland by endeavouring to 
supply the Karlsbad market. Meantime 1 am 
graiilied to have in addition to Mr. Philip’s, 
another letter of thanks from Mr. Charles Osswald, 
Winterthur, for what I wrote about Vienna. 
Ho is oonfident that the sale of Ceylon tea will 
become very considerable there, by and by. 
BARK AND DRUG REPORT. 
(From the Chemist and Druggist.) 
London, Jan. IGth. 
Cinchona.— T he first auctions of the year took place 
on Tuesilny. They were of small extent, but the 
rtssorlment offered was a fairly good one. The cataloeues 
comprised ” 
„ . racknges. Packages. 
Ceylon... ... S8S of which 32a were so d 
Kast Indian ... eoo „ iioo 
Java ... ... as.v „ 
South American 2(i6 js.v 
African West Coast 210 ,, is; ” 
1,82!' I.7I9 
The assortment of bark was of good averoce eualitv 
yellow and grey baiks bring very plentiful in it while 
there were also 254 packages of De.jeeling bark from the 
plantations in Northern Ionia. This shipment was well 
couipeted for, though the prices it realised show n sad 
falhng-oU on those which the IJarjeeliug planters wore 
accustomed to obtain lor their bark whcim foimed a 
reguir feature ofthe i-onden auctions. Flo llie ci m- 
moii ement the sales showed a decided Improvement on 
their immediate predcceBsors, and as they neared their 
eod competition bocamo more pron onccd. Nearly 
he whole of the bark offered was dlspoaed of at am 
lirregolar advance, ranging from 8 to 15 (in some in 
stances even .0) per com, over the price of tlw last 
pc®^\l>' If’he unit now stands at Ijjl to Ijd 
cipM'biryetir!- ‘^® ”"““"‘“08 I'utchased by the prin- 
AfiectH for tho Maiuibclm and AmstordHiu workft,,, 
Messrs. Howards & Sons ... ... 
Agents lor the AuorLaoh works ... 4a,’s6o 
*» American and Htalian works ss’.sfto 
tv Brunswick works ... ... 25 165 
„ Frankfort o/M and Stuttgart works 12!760 
Suiidryi druggists.. ... ... 40 Hb\) 
Total quantity sold 
Bought in or withdrawn., 
341,765 
40,635 
. To, of bark offered ... ogj 
It should bo well understood that the mor,. 
yield r“pre8onted“®by''lt “flrms''tCb^^^^^ ‘n® 
■ Amebioan QuiNiNE-DCTi-.-From a statement 
m the O., / . and />. Jiepuriert it appears that 
the duty on qumine ID the United States has been 
alte^'d^ ten times einoe 1832, although the customs 
tariff itself hay undergone about thirty revisions 
since that year. From July 1.8th, 1832, to Aug. 
30th, 1812, the duty was 15 per cent ad valorem ; 
it vyas ihen changed to 40o per oz. On July 30ib, 
1840, it became 20 per cent ad valorem ; on March 
3rd, 1857, 15 per cent; on March 2nd, 1861, 
once more 20 per cent ; on August 5lb, 1861, it 
was raised to 30 per cent ; and on July 14tb 
1862, to 45 per cent. There it remained for ten 
years until May Ist, 1872, when it was lowered 
again to 20 per cent. On July let, 1879, the duty 
was removed altogether, and since then quinine has 
remained on the free list.— 0/tm«t and, Druggist 
