Contributor.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 17, 22 July 1893, Page 4

Contributor.

MR W. H. MATHTBSON ON HIS TRAVELS.

As mentioned in my last, I left Adelaide homeward bound in the P. and O. Go’s R.M.S. Valetta. She.has a complement of 199 men all told, and carries nearly 300 passengers, so that there is a small township on board. There are a number of Lascars among the crew, and they affect costumes of a mote or less picturesque character. They appear to be very obedient, and are very happy among themselves —their incessant jabbering is the only objection I have to them. I took an early opportunity of going through the machinery department, and in spite of the means taken to ensure ventilation, the scene was suggestive of Hades. The intense heat is bad enough for the Africans engaged at the furnaces, but how., the Europeans stand it is difficult to understand. It is no uncommen thing for a fireman to faint away and be carried on deck to get a little fresh air. The hot; weather tells on some of our passengers, but I have got along famously, my temperance habits standing’ me in good stead. To keep themselves cool, some of those on board indulge in the flowing bowl, but nevertheless appear to feel the heat more than I do. It appears that the majority of people living in the tropics, ministers among the number, are not teetotallers, their plea being that the water is so bad, and the food so tasteless, that they are glad to drink -\yijje to assist them. to swallow their food. We- arrived off Colombo on 25th May. I think there must have been twenty steamers in the harbour, or to be strictly correct, breakwater, for such it is. This stracture was designed by the late Sir John Goode, C.E., who reported bn the Bluff and New River harbours some years ago. It cost about £1,250,000. The foundation stone was, laid by the Prince of Wales in 1875, and the work was completed in 1882. It was was constructed by the Government with convict labour, with some assistance from the Imperial authorities, and is suposed to be the best breakwater in the world. It extends 1000 feet in one direction and 1600 feet in another, and pccupies an area of about 500 acres. It has been the making of the place, which has completely out-distanced Point deGalle, at which the mails were formerly landed. As seen from the steamer, Colombo looks lovely, the ; place appearing to be Qmbowered in trees, but our attention was - soon diverted to some of its inhabitants; who boarded -the vessel in hundred's in. search of.huyeis for their . various wares.. Tbe tailors among‘them did a roaring trade, and no wonder when they make a suit in a few hcqirs for ; rupees, or Bs, or three suits for £l. The clolhing used ,is, .of course of the lightest description. I was told the native tailors get 2s a Week arid find themselves. There must be a gt-eat inflow of foreign capital into this place from the 'number of steariiers rising it as k coaling station. Although we carried the mails, we were seventeen hours in port, and during that time I reckon the passengers spent about £SOO among the local tradesmen. The pursel* spent another £SOO in provisions, vegetables, etc. ; we took 800 tons of coal, costing £IOOO, on hoard, and payment of lumpers, etc., accounted for another £2OO, making a total of £2200 spent during our stay. Supposing the other steamers in port spent half of that, you have a total of over £23,000 per day. Think of that, ye people who hesitate about harbour improvements in order to secure trade. Point de Galle, like our Bluff, Las a splendid - natural harbour, with this advantage, that the surrounding land is very fertile, and supports a-large native population. It has been practically ruined since losing the shipping trade, and now they are constructing, ra ,rbil way to ..Colombo, which will be operied next year. Now for the local application. Not a few

eitigeTis of InTercarffili ;; 'threw;.- .'cold water on our New River harbour : scheme, arid ‘ Hie m6ri whoiwere j. supposed to be mad over it, ex-mayor "Hall and Cr. Blacke, but even if we only get one-tenth the benefit from our harbour that Colombo has secured it would pay us handsomely, besides conferring other advantages undreamed of by the people. However, I am afraid the work will not be undertaken by the px-esent generation. While in Colombo it was my good fortune to be introduced to Messrs Buchanan and Fraser, one of the hugest fix*ms of tea merchants in this p,ii ! of the world, who handle and gr.-.nie the product of over 60 tea plantations, and who, in the month of my visit, exported over 1000 tons to vs pious parts of the woi-ld. I bad the pieasui-e of witnessing one after-, nooxt the process'of tea-tasting which is undertaken to enable the various qualities to be graded. 1 was presented with a sample of tea (Golden Tip) that brought tbe 'great, price of 35 guineas per lb in London. As I am blunging it back with me, I shall know more about it. Having a couple of hours to spare, Mr Fraser drove out into the country to see their tea wai’ehouse. On nearing it I was surpx-ised to see a wall i-ound it as high as that enclosing “ Frasex-’s Hotel ” in Invercargill, and surmounted, like it, with broken bottles, while men were on guard with loaded guns. In answer to an inquixy, one of them told me that they handled coffee as well as tea, and that the natives, • who are notorious thieves, would think nothing’ of making off with tons of it- at night. The coffee bean, , which is as, laige ; as a cherry when it comes from the tree, has to go through about a dozen processes “Before it reaches the roaster and is converged into the'-household article. Gey lon. has...the reputation qf pi-offnc-. Trig""the richest coffee in the world, and will stand more adulteration, in the shape of the addition of cblckox*y, than any other — : a met which T told riiyirifoiiriarit would riot weigh -'a cent with Mr Strang, of Irivex-cargill, however it might be appreciated elsewhere. ;