Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission

by Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission

The chief commercial exhibit of the country was to be found in the Palace of Agriculture, where a space of 2,000 square feet had been allotted to it. First and foremost was the great industry of tea cultivation. Thirty years ago the island exported a million tons of coffee annually, and tea was an unknown article; last year the quantity of the leaf which was exported to all parts of the world exceeded 150,000,000 pounds (of which 18,000,000 was sent to the United States), while coffee hardly figures on the customs returns The industry is almost exclusively in the hands of Europeans. All the chief producers were represented at the exposition, their interests forming the special province of an assistant commissioner.

The cocoanut palm and its cultivation was fully represented. The nut itself, the various fibers, matting and ropes made from its husk, the copra or dried kernel, from which is extracted the oil now so largely used in the manufacture of best soaps and hair oils; the desiccated and "shredded" cocoanut, the demand for which among confectioners is rapidly increasing; cocoanut butter, an excellent emollient and substitute for lard; the arrack, distilled from the "toddy" extracted from the flower, a valuable liquor after a few years in cask; the vinegar and "jaggery," or molasses; down to the brooms, made from the "ekels" or midrib of the leaves, were shown in infinite variety.

Rice, the staple food of the country, was represented in a few of its 350 varieties, and cinnamon in bark or oil, cloves, nutmegs, mace, cardamoms, pepper, vanilla, and citronella oil, cocoa and coffee, rubber, cinchona bark, from which quinine is prepared, croton seed, and annotto dye might also be seen. The fibers included those of the Kitul and Palmyra palms and the silky niyande (sansevier zeylanical). One hundred and twenty exhibitors were represented, and the value of the collective exhibit was $5,000.

The educational exhibit, which had been prepared under the direct supervision of the director of public instruction in Ceylon, illustrated the procedure adopted by the British Government in dealing with races with an advanced literature of their own, to whom a certain knowledge of English is a necessity. The present conditions of education—elementary, advanced, and technical—were well depicted, and the exhibit contained in addition a collection of the various scientific journals issued by the Colombo Museum and the department of the botanical gardens in Ceylon.

Graphite, locally known as plumbago, the only commercial mineral of the country, might be seen in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy. More than 600,000 hundredweights of this valuable commodity were exported in 1899, the greatest demand being in the United States, where the article is employed in the manufacture of crucibles, for stove polish, and for lubricating purposes. A few of the choice rubies and sapphires, for which the island is so famous, were on view in the Ceylon court. Thirty firms and private individuals were represented in this department, the exhibits exceeding $12,000 in value.

In Liberal Arts the government of Ceylon snowed the admirable work turned out by its printing offices, and various private firms of printers and photographers were represented. The large model of the artificial harbor of Colombo was of particular interest as illustrating the position of the city as the tenth port in the world for tonnage entering and clearing. There was also a good private collection of coins found in Ceylon and covering a period of nearly two thousand years. The space occupied in the Palace of Liberal Arts was 600 square feet, and the value of the total exhibit was $1,000.

The musical instruments of the country, chiefly consisting of drums and the varied equipment of the "devil dancers," were shown in the Ceylon Building.

In the Palace of Forestry a space or 600 square feet was occupied by Ceylon. The chief exhibit there consisted of the massive trunk of a satinwood tree, hollowed out so as to form a receptacle for "books," which consisted of blocks of all the various trade timbers of the country. An exhibit prepared by the marine biologist illustrated everything connected with fishing in the Ceylon waters, from the crude fish trap of the villager to the latest addition to knowledge regarding the origin of the lustrous oriental pearl. Models of the various kinds of boats employed in the country were also shown. The wild animals of the country, its beautiful birds (including the swift, which builds the edible nest), and gorgeous butterflies, were well shown. The exhibit represented a value of $3,000.

Finally, in the department of anthropology there were shown, in the Ceylon Building, types of the various races found in Ceylon, illustrations of their pre-Christian civilization, the utensils of brass and wood still used in their houses, and all the accompaniments of their philosophic religions.

A special handbook was prepared by a subcommittee in Colombo containing information for the use of the American people regarding the trade and resources of the country.