June i, 1892 .] 
THE tROI*ICAL AQRICULtUfilSt. 
903 
found th»t cinchona can be succeiefully grown, the 
induatry tbonld meet with the strongest fostering 
encouragement. As the cultivation requires little 
labor, and as there are districts where both soil and 
teperature point as verj possibly suitable to the pro- 
duct, there appears no reason why Victoria should 
not yet possess sucaseful cinohcna plantations, — Mel- 
bourne Leader. 
THE TEA EU>\D : CEYLON TEA IN 
KUSSIA. 
Mr Philip Secretary to the P. A, sends us the 
following copy of a letter received from Mr. M. 
Uogivue on the subject of puabiiig the sale of and 
malting known Ceylon tea in Hussia: — 
Tba Fond. 
(Copy.) 
Moscow, March 1,'13 1892, 
Maroseikn, House Lebed ieff. 
A. Philip, Eaq., Secretary to the Planters’ Associa- 
tion of Ceylon, Kandy. 
Dear Sir,— I be* to acknowledge receipt of your 
favour of the 29th January, annexing copy of resolution 
passed by the Standing Committee of the Ceylon 
Tea Fund on the subject of further assistance to be 
given to me for the pushing of Ceylon tea in Russia. 
It would have given mo great satisfaction if your 
Committee, in acknowledging my last report, had 
exprtssed an opinion, good or bad, as regards the 
work and progress I have done during the 10 
months in 1891 I reviewed, because, as it came to 
my knowledge, some inUireut remarks have been 
made ns to the relatively small quantity of tea sold 
by me in the course of that time. Tho spreaders 
ot these remarks seem entirely to forget that before 
1 came to Russia, no snoha thing as Coylon tea was 
drank not a pound of it was sold pure in tbs country, 
whereas now, if 1 am well.informed from high quarters 
in London, 400 to 800 ohe.ats are shipped weekly 
from London to Russia. Cuatom House statistics 
may be oaoBiilted iu London ; and as I have already 
mentioned the fact, it is olearly noticeable that largo 
qnautitiea of Ceylou tea are now used in Rnssia for 
tho blending of cheap and inferior Chinese. As far as 
I am concerned, 1 will repeat what I very often said 
the ways and means of selling this tea are no diffi- 
culty for me to find, but tho means ^'getting it duty 
paid in sufficient quantity ie the ehiei obstacle I meet 
with to increase its sale” 
More riclame must bo done end more ten ought to 
be placed at my dispo.ssl, as my capital is not suili- 
oieut to extend now my business. I h,ve been trying 
lately, with the beli) of some friends in London to 
form a Syudioate with the necessary capital required 
for the extension of tho business (herewith fur your 
perusal copy of my prospeotm), but the present un- 
favourable finanoial circnmstsnces all over Europs 
seem to be against the realization of my project. 
Should it perhaps be possible to mauage such a 
scheme in Ceylon or to induce some Ceylon planters 
(proprietors of tea estates; to consign to me, for sale 
on their accounts, some of their invoices according to 
the instructions 1 could give them as regards the 
qualities suitable for the Russian taste, or to standard 
samples deiposited as reference in the hands of the 
Colombo tea brokers, shipments could bo made direct 
to Odessa, or via Loudon to Si. Petersburg, Revel or 
Liban, and no donbt the shippers of sncli breaks weald 
hud their advantage in selling them there through 
me by retail and for wholesale combined. 
Since my last report, I have sold monthly the 
following quantities 
November 1891 Russ. Ib. 3,39.5 "I 
December „ „ „ 2,987 I 13,933 lb. 
January 1892 „ „ 3,689 f almost all 
February „ ,, „ 3,882j iu packets. 
Which figures, although Deoeraber was a small month 
on account of the holidays during which time business 
Was closed, and notwitbstsndiug my already meutioned 
uiffloult financial ciroum stances, still show a siuall 
iDorensg over the prooediog lUQnths, and maku the 
total quantity sold from my magazine only, almost 
all in packets, over 40,000 lb. for 12 mouths ont of 
60,000 Ib. I have imported ; and it is important to 
remark that these 40,000 Ib. were ail of pure Ceylon 
tea which have gone in the Rnssian consumption. 
My Niihny magazine is doing very well indeed 
soiling presently an average of 1,000 Ib. per month and 
bad I had larger quantities dnty paid, to put at that 
market, I would I nm sure, havo tripled the quantity. 
I am now making arrangements for the 
fair to be held next July and have already 
secured a magazine at the '■ Fair Town ” where I 
ought to cell if the proviaions of my own people are 
not exaggerated, something like over fifty thousand 
pounds tea, as many merchanta from several parts of 
the country havo promised to buy it. 
But to be able to do this, it is absolutely necessary 
that snfficieot stocks are kept at bands, in the Moscow 
Cnstoms, that suffioient funds are at my disposal (ot 
the oleariiig of the tea whenever required, and that 
some more money should be spent fur ridame. At 
the last Nishny Fair, 1 missed many good and im- 
portant sales for the want of available duty paid stocks, 
and it is indisputable that if we gain tlie publio and 
the merchants to purchase our tea at the Fair, we will 
have gaino.! the whole of Russia. 
Some facts worth inenlioning as a proof that Ceylon 
tea has already a good name and is making its way 
into tho ooniitry are the following ; — 
JJuring a recent visit I made in Niahny one of my 
regular clients there, proprietor of a tractir, told me 
that when ho was formerly nsing Chinese tea ho cleared 
s profit of K4 per lb. whereas now sines he has replaced 
it by “ Ceylon ” hie profit is R 8 on every poand ! 
1 lieard lately from Saratuw, where my tea is sold 
in packets on a pretty large acale, that aame retailer 
to whom I refused credit is now aelling a bad imita- 
tion of Ceylon tea in packets. And it will perhaps 
interest you to hear that my Ceylon tea is going aa 
far as Siberis. 
In cuDOlusion 1 will again try to impress upon your 
Committee, and every Ceylon planter, the intereats of 
whom 1 have greatly at heart, that, although I am 
certain and very sanguine tfail the sale will greatly 
and rapidly increase sa soon as I can overoome the 
financial difficulty for the pushing and extenaion of 
my oiierationa, a great deal of work is still to bs 
done in orilor to attain the desired results ; and trust- 
ing that the Tea Fund will not only reirabarse mo 
ray over-ezpenditure as per last aoconots rendered, 
but also continue to give me further assistance for 
siiiy work of reclatnf, and tho welfare of my mis* 
diOD, I remain, Ae., (Signed) M, KooivuE, 
“THE INDIAN LMSriORATION CBDl- • 
NANCE A BURDEN." 
(To the Editor of the “ Pinang Gazette.") 
Under the above beading you reprint, in your issue 
of 23rd instant, a letter written to the Straits Times 
by Mr. E. V. Carey, the sum and Bubstanoe of which 
IS that *• either the agricultural development of the 
Malay Peniusula must be retarded or free immigration 
must BOt only bo sanotioued hut. be supported by 
Government." 
How far immigration is supported by Government is 
doubtful ; but that free immigration is sanctioned, 
Mr. Csrey himself admita when he complaino of its 
bring " the duty of the Immigration Agent to board 
steamers and explain to immigrants that they are 
qnite free.” Mr, Carey's interpretation of “ free " is, I 
presume, when coolies are given an advanoe in 
India by a *' reliable agent " and brought over under 
a verbel contract to work it off. These coolies most 
not be told by the Immigration Agent that they are 
free, but the " reliable agent " must be allowed to 
take them off to work for years on some out of 
the way plantatioo, where be eupplies them with 
the neoesearies of life so long as they are able to 
work, and even gives them a few cents on rare oooa- 
eiona with which to buy petty luxuries (roan himself 
at five tim ca their value. The balance of their 25 
cents per day wages they are told goe| to pay off 
ooaet advanooi with intetest. 
