The British Guiana Exhibition. 109 
prepared in December, 1881, and were found on 
opening the jars after the Exhibition to be in perfect 
condition, and quite equal to the fresh fruits. The 
medium employed is as harmless as pure water, and is 
without colour, taste or smell, and may be employed 
for a variety of purposes. The Exhibitor is not at liberty 
to make known the composition of the ingredients used 
as he is in treaty with several large firms as to the pre- 
paration of colonial fruits for exportation." 
As a matter of fact, with the exception of some fig 
bananas which had very slightly lost colour, the 
colour and fresh appearance of these fruits was perfect- 
ly preserved. Whether, taking into consideration the 
necessarily heavy cost of sending fruits in bulky 
packages of liquid to Europe, Mr. COURTENAY may ever 
find it possible to supply mangoes, bananas, sapodillas, 
custard apples and all other tropical fruits in a state 
indistinguishable from the fresh state to Covent Garden 
and other European Markets at a remunerative price, we 
are uncertain, and must continue so while we know 
nothing of the original cost of putting up these fruits ; 
but there can be little doubt that examples of fresh 
tropical fruits preserved by this method would be very 
highly valued as specimens in European Museums of 
economic botany, such as that at Kew, where badly made 
and coloured models and dried. specimens alone are now 
available as illustrations of tropical fruits. 
Among fibres a fine sample grown on the Deme- 
rara River, apparently equal to the finest " Sea Island," 
but really inferior to that variety in length of staple and 
in strength, served to indicate the quality of what might 
