The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-03-16
PALM OIL AND THE SLAyETRADE

faLM OlL AND The SlIAN II TRADE,
One of the most remarkable revolutions the world
has yet seen, is the quiet work, at this time of
palm oil.
On that portion of the African coast which has
heretofore supplied the traders in slaves, total
change is being effected by the astonishing increase
OF the manufacture of palm oil. The natives find
this to be both more profitable and more certain
business than the getting up of raids to burn vii
lagos and catch slaves.
There are nearly six hundred kinds of palm tree,
plant peculiar to the tropics. Some of these bear
dates Others plantainS, bananas, cocoa nuts betel
&C., but the oil tree Eis guiHeensis is most prev
alent on the West coast of Africa It's congener in
Brazil, Venezuela, &c, is the Elceis meionocca,
winch Is not yet brought into extensive for the
making of oil.
The fruit is what botansts call a drltpe like the
plum, olive, &c. 1t is boiled and the oil skinned
oil and carried to the coast in caabashes. This oil
has long been used in the manufacture of soap, but
the recent discovery by the French of extracting
from 1T excellent stedrine for candles has vastly
stimulated the demand. The single port of Liver
pool now employs $4,000 tons of shipping in bring
ing palm oil from Africa to England, the whole be-
ing paid for in the manufactures of Birmingham,
Manchester and Glasgow
Machinery of the best kind has now been sent
out to procure the oil by better NODES and as
there Is no stint as to the number of trees, and no
injury done to them by merely gathering the fruit,
an immense increase of the trade seems almost GER
tain.
The natives, thus stimulated to peaceful and
prohtaole pursuits, are beginning to adopt many of
the comforts of civilization. Mr. jackson states
that at first beads, trinkets, small mirrors and
similar articles, were the goods chiefly used in
barter, but that now valuable manufactured arti-
ces are required. He says that his firm "sent out
to King Eamen, of Old Calabar, a house, the cost
OF which was $4,000, which was paid for in palm
oil.''
In ''Dahomy and the Dahomans" by CAPTAIN
Forbes 1t is said "the inhabitants of vast extern
OF coast have been led to give up the slave trade
hnn fhAt, hnra Al
the palm oil trade over that of slaves. ."-Ne,o York
Chronicle.
BRITsH COLONIAL CoRRUprGoNs-At recent
meeting held at Newcastle on TYNE, England, some
disclosures were made of the most damninp char.
acter, against the administration of Sir John Bow
ring, the Governor of Hong Kong tending to
implicae that high official in connivance at if not
some closer connection with piracy. In this affair
is mixed up the name of Mr.. Daniel Richard Cald-
WE'LL who holds the responsible offices of Protector
of Chinese Registrar General, and Justice of the
Peace. The facts were made known, in consequence
of prosecution for libel which the Government OF
Hong Kong instituted against Mr. William Tarrant
the editor of the Friend of China who charged in
an article which appeared in his paper, that the
Government had ordered evidence to be burnt
from deep meditation and design, and in regard
to consequences for the express purpose ofpreyent
ing one of its members the said Mr. Caldwell
''from being convicted CT completely with Chinese
pirate" 1t is said that this pirate was the head OF
respectable Chinese house in Hong Kong. This
man. whose name was Mahchow Whang had
been brought to trial for piracy and convicted
by jury, and efforts were made to obtain his
pardon. In consequence it came out that
Mr. Caldwell was mixed up in the nefarious tran
sactlons, and the charge was ordered to be exam
med by Government Commission; but on enter
ing into the business, it was found that the evi-
dence on which the charge had been brought had
been burnt The commission falling to condemn
Mr Caldwell, the matter was taken up out of doors
and Mr.. Tarrant made an expose of the whole af-
falr, for which the government prosecuted him for
libel. To this charge the defendant pleaded that
what he had written was true and that he had pub
llshed 1t for public benefit, to the end that pun.
ishment might fall upon the guilty Upon this plea
issue was joined, and the case so completely broke
down that the jury, without even hearing cOunse
Tor the defence, found verdict of not guilty which
Is equivalent to saying that Mr.. Caldwell and the
government are guilty of completely with piracy
Another curious development in this disreputabIe
chapter of British Colonial history is the fact
made known at the Newcastle meeting-that the
quantity OF colonial registers to torches in the Chi
nese seas, facilitates opium smuggling, and even ri
racy. Now, when it is remembered that the late
Chnes7 war was caused by a charge brought by the
Chinese authorities of piracy on board of lust one
such vessel the most fearful suspicious are aroused
that the fearful carnage in populous city like Can
ton had its origin in something the very reverse Of
patriotic desire to protect the honor of the Brit
ish flag.
THE WINE TREASURES OF BREMEY-No city in the
world can boast of possessing a greater or more
costly treasure in the form of wine than Bremen
The Bremen Town Hall cellar is famous all owe,
the world, were it only by the light that Hauff7:
imagination has thrown over the subterranear
premises. The traveller, whose route leads to Bre
men, Will seldom fail to visit it, for it contains the
oldest Rhenish wines extant-and here the Twelve
Apostles, with Judas Iscariot strangely placed al
their head, have, for more than two centuries dea
out the choicest OF Hook and Johannisberg. The
ntpIa oh
cellar, where, in former days. the East India cap
tans used to lay their accounts before their shin
owners, is the Rose Wine. As a sign of its valu,
and superior dignity it is kept apart in separate
CABINET, surmounted by rose, and the door of tn
incosure can be opened only by official authority
In the year 1924, six pipes of Johannisberg AM
an equal quantity of llock were placed nere bv tn
magistrates, with directions that the Burgomaste
should yearly distribute small quantity, either il
presents, or for the of the sick BY order of
physician; the supply being gratuitous to the poor
and at the cost of five Thalers (of cents seventy
eight bottle to those able to paw. To the cti
zens OF Bremen alone, is reserved the privilege o
introducing distinguished stranger into this sane
tum and after special permission, personally gran
tea, ne may (at the proper cost entertain hi
guest with bottle of the precious beverage. Wha
Is thus lost by annual consumption, isreplaced from
casks OF the vintage next in date
The value of the wine consists chiefly in its ACE
pipe OF 1T in 1924 cost 300 thaers estimating thu
interest of the capital at per cent and the neces
sary current expenses at an additional per cent
the capital at compound interest would double itse
in seven years and thus in the year 1858 each pipe
OF the Rose wine represented a value of LIZA $50
millions 44l ALB thalers, and allowing 1920 bottles
to pipe, each bottle is worth 1899 millions 227 ,6O7
thalers. A bottle contains s glasses, each one OF
which costs lG2 4O3 45O thaers, and the drop which
is spilled or left in the glass, computing it to hold
thousand, costs l62, 1855 thalers.
The people OF Bremen are proud of their trea-
sure, and it was high mark of their esteem when
the magistrates, at the suggestion of their counsel
lor, DR.; Meyer, presented Goethe with several bot
ties on his birthday in 1929 after his recovery from
a severe illness. Goethe knew how to appreciate
the honor, and the value of the gift; he DELAYED
the enjoyment of it, postponing it until October,
when the Diet met at Frankfort-on the -Mayne, and
his old friend Count Reinhard, the French ambas
sador, helped him to empty the first botte.-North
American.
PROSPECTS OF TRADE WITH THE FAR EASr-If we