The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-06-09 00:00:00

THE CHINA SECTION.

In describing the Chigoe!) exhibits Land and Water
says :
Fishing in the Chinese waters is principally carried
on by nets, and we can follow the manufacture of this
implement in all its stages. The nets used are much
oi the same kind as those employed in Europe; they
have the trawl ret, the casting net, the seine, and the
material used is mostly hempstring. Nets made of
silk are used in shallow waters, and these are perhaps
the most remarkable exhibits of nets to be seep in the
whole exhibition. These silk nets we are assured are
eery strong and durable, and we only regret that no
mention La rpede of their cost—an item which it would
be most interesting to st acquainted with. The hook
is also in use, and a large collection is shown in one of
the show cases. The hooks are with or without beards,
and of various sizes and shapes, according to the
kind of fish for which they are destined. Finh
traps ere in general use, a whole collection of these
contrivancea is shown, and they are very in-
geniously built. kor the manufacture of these
traps the Chinese use split bamboo, whieh is light and
durable, and does not deteriorate however Jong it
may be immersed in the water. A large collection of
fishing craft is shown. The sails are all made of nista
divided into reefs. These do not bend under the influ-
ence of the wind, and yet propel the craft at a con-
siderable speed. In' many boats the rudders are
perforated, by this contrivance VA cir,e told they can
be quickly pushed through the water withcretany great
effort on the part of the helmsman. Among the
models of fishing craft we mast call atfrention to the
moonl!ght tshing boats, or slipper boats as they are
called in Swatow. On mdonlight nights fishermen go
out in these boats; they e,re long and narrow, and
have on one side a white board fixed wh!cti is nearly
level with the water. The rays of the moon falling on
the white surface, the fish take it for water, and Jump
over the board into the boat, where they are caught.
To prevent their eccape a perpendicular net is stretched
on the opposite side of the boat, which throws the fish
back if they should attempt to eecape.
Of the contrivances for catching fish, of which
models are shown, we mention the large dip-net and
the sluice-nets, but all the models exhibited are
interesting and well worth inspection.
The ingenuity of the Chinese is remarkably illus-
trated by the fact of their training birds for the catch-
ing of fish. A full-sized boat with twelve fishing
cormorants from NingL o is shown in the centre of the
Chinese Court. Cormorant fishing is carried on on a
great scale in the Kingpo district, whence also models
of a cuttlefish boat and an ice boat are shown. Ica is
of the utmost importance for fishermen, and we are
shown the model of an icehouse in which thy 4eep
their stock until it is brought by boats to the fishing-
grounds. These icehouses are all built near the rivers
or canals; they consist of a large space enclosed by
stone walls and covered with mud, and on these a
straw roof is put. In front of the house fields are laid
out, which are inundated; when the water is frozen
the ice is collected and put into the house by a door
level with the ground. By another door cut into the
I roof the ice is removed from the house.

From Fortnosa v.o see catamarans, or rafts built of
bamboo, and from Ichang we have models of two
fishing boats. A large and tine collection of fish,
crustaceans, and shells is also exhibited.

The Chinese Court is elaborately decorated, and
great pains have evidently been taken that all should
be done in Chinese style. The effect is most pleasing,
and those who planned the designs have been

eminently successful in the end they proposed to them-
selves.

THE WEST INDIAN DEPARTMENT.

The British West Indian Department is located in
what is called the "Foreign Gallery," opposite the
German and Austro-Hungarian exhibits. Jamaica is
represented by a few magnificent tortoiseshells, several
of which are admirably worked into jewellery, not
unlike those to be bought on the Chiaja at Naples.
The Bahamas, on the other hand, offer one of the
most attractive displays in the whole exhibition.
Three great cases contain a remarkable collection of
beautiful corals, conch shells, and other products of
the islands, most of which are used in the fabrication
of artistic objects. The Bahamas consist of an archi-
pelago of 600 islands and "quays," with a popula-
tion of 45,000. The principal island is New Provi-
dence, which is about twenty miles long by seven in
breadth, and contains the capital, Nassau, with a
population of 28,000 souls, of which 18,000 live in the
city. The natural resources of this aggregation of
islands are simply prodigious, although as yet but
scantily utilised. The climate is most wholesome, and
in winter the town of Nassau increases its population
by about 5,000 guests from the United States in search
of health and rest. In point of fact, Nassau is
rapidly becoming the Nice of the Americas, both
Northern and Southern, visitors from Brazil and from
Canada being equally common. It is not necessary
to mention here the incredible variety of fruits,
cereals, and other terrestrial products of islands
so highly favoured by nature, but the marine pro-
ducts here exhihited must prove that a great commer-
cial future is in store fur the population. The
corals are equal to any found elEewhere, even at
Naples, and it is now thought by the commissioner
that at a great depth pink and red coral may, perhaps,
be discovered. The tortoiseshell shell is superb, and
some specimens of it, remarkable alike for size and
colour, are shown. That these shells can be not only
used for such purposes as the making of combs and
ornaments but also for inlaying furniture is proved by
the examples of such articles exhibited ; but it is
evident to those who have seen what the ancient
Florentine and Venetian artists did with this beauti-
ful material centuries ago that the industry is only in
its infancy, at least in these islands.

The number of visitors to the Exhibition on Satur-
day was 15,380, making a total last week of 71,137.
The net total since the opening has already attained
the high figure of 291,121.