82 
The Journal of the Royal 
The Hon. B. Howell Jones read an extract from a 
letter from Ceylon giving statistics of planting in that 
colony and especially calling attention to the decline of 
tea planting. 
The President's paper on the Possibilities of Railway 
Development was then declared open to discussion. 
The President stated at the outset that he had been 
placed in possession of a paper issued in March, 1901, 
by the Colonial Office, with regard to the application for 
concessions in this colony. This document, of which he 
was unaware at the time of preparing his paper, was 
accompanied by a map showing a proposed central rail- 
way, starting from Bartica and running to the South as 
far as Takutu, thence branching off to the South-west 
touching a point close to Fort Joaquim, — a shorter way 
of reaching the Brazilian border, but not touching the 
savannah country as proposed in his (the President's 
paper). His attention had also been called to a mono- 
rail system, with a single rail close to the ground. This 
railway which had been termed the '' wheelbarrow " 
railway, could be propelled by manual or horse-power at 
the side. 
Mr. J. W. Dorman, General Manager of the Demerara 
Railway Company, who was present, opened the discus- 
sion. He said : — 
I have read Mr. Hill's paper on the possibilities of 
Railway Development in British Guiana with much 
interest and would like to make a few remarks on it. 
For the convenience of those who have read Mr. Hill's 
statement I will go through the several heads in the 
order he has put them, and therefore commence with 
