The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-23


The latter are said to hive upon trees. and TO |
have scales like fish. Both these assertions are |
to certain extent true. The Jakoons stu
hike to build their huts on trees twenty to thirty |
feet above the ground, and as to the scales, IT is
fact that many of them are affected with |
tChthyOsls. | observed this cutaneous dlsease IN |
several of the Jakoons. but most OF the latter, |
and almost all Mintras, were as cleanly as the |
Malays, and more cleanly than most ot the
Europeans.
The national weapon of the Maags is the
blow-pipe, seven feet long and three-fourths of |
an inch in diameter out OF which they shoot |
poisoned arrows. The accuracy with which |
they hit the aim is really astonishing.
According TO the opinion of the French Mis-
siol airy, Mr.. Bory, the number of the natives on
the Peninsula amounts to 5000 or 10000, among
whom there are at the utmost 1000 Mintras.
They are partisans of the theory OF Darwin for
they maintain that they are descended from
two white monkeys, of whose descendants those
who emigrated to the plains became men, while
those who did not leave the mountains re-
NAMED monkeys.
What pepper, nutmegs, and gamboge are to
Singapore, such is the gutta percha or india
rubber to the inhabitants of Malacca. Our
traveller gives the following interesting account
of gutla percha:-'The first specimens of gutta
percha were brought in l843 from Singapore to
London, by DR.. ID d'Almeida; but the honor of
having introduced it in Europe is generally
attributed TO DR.. Montgomery, who received a
premium for it, although his importation took
place later. In an ordinary temperature 1t is
soft and tough, like leather; while IN tempe
rature of 80 deg. r. 1t can easily be kneaded,
and becomes insOluble in water, alcohol, acids,
alkalies, ETC.; it therefore rapidly found large
and frequent employment in particular in tele-
graphy, as possessing, of all known substances,
the greatest aptitude for insulation. Unfortu-
nately, when exposed to the air, il is trans
formed into very brittle mass which becomes
full of assures, admits the water, and loses its
power of insulating.
I'm Singapore this substance was known
under the name gittG tdbdR, and was used for
the manufacture OF whips, peals and other
ntpneils. miStakp EurDnp
name gutta percha, by which name originally,
a similar but inferior product was called III Sim
gapore. The Taban trees (ISonGndra g1uto) in
consequence OF the eyer-lncreasing demand Tor
this substance, were very soon destroyed in the
woods of Singapore, as, in order to obtain the
sap they cut down the wh9ie tree. After singa-
pore, the forests of the peninsula OF Malacca,
and those of the neighboring islands OF Sumatra
and BoIneo, were cut down also. The Gestruc-
tion of gutta trees must be very Consderable-a
large tree, at the utmost, furnishing but ten to
fifteen pounds of sap; Notwithstanding this,
there is only q tTansltory scarcity but not
total destruction is to be feared, as, according
to Ar. Gaffron-a resident of BorneO-the tree,
which it is not WORTH while to cut down before
its thirtieth year, bears seed from its fifteenth
year,
Concerning the great enemies which, III tropi-
cal climates, attack man, Mr.. JagOr tries TO
comfort US by stating that the worst OF them,
teuer, RACES only in the unwholesome districts,
which are known to and avoided by the inhabi-
tants. The other enemies are the insects, ser
"
observes THE great fear OF serpents and wild
beasts is without foundation. All animals fear
man; besides, most of the serpents are not
venemous, and hide themselves away when they
| hear the steps of man. How difficult it is to
meet with them, every one easily discovers
| when he wants to obtain specimens of them.
| | paid for every serpent one shilling English
money, aud, nevertheless, within tour years l
| could collect only few hundred As TO the
| third enemy, the insects, our author shows us
| how to despise them; still more, he declares
| N SOuthprn Eurpnp is
than in India. "Fleas do not exist; there lice
| infest only the natives. but never the European;
| this is the more surprising, for example, on the
Philippine Islands, the natives being there
| much more cleanly than the Spaniards. The
| former battle every day and take care OF their
| fine hair, while the latter in both respects are
| careless: however, the Tagals especially the
women, have always yermin in their hair, the
| Spaniards never.
cially against the terrible mosquito, the insect
| powder is perfect guarantee. mixture OF
| one part insect powder (Pyrettun roSeenl), TWO
| parts of alcohol, and two parts OF water, pro
| tect the body and all the limbs again st any
| kind of attack whatsoever. On the rivers of
| Siam, particularly illfamed on account of num-
| berless swarms OF mosquitoes, often slept IN
| my boat entirely naked and without any mos.
| quito net, without being in the least molested
| by them in the same manner the moistening OF
| the beard and the hands protects the hunter on
| his excursions by waIer against the many hles,
| for at least twelve hours during the greatest
heat The effects of this powder upon the
numerous ants in the tropical zones is very
| remarkable.
before the windows of my residence in
Albany board six inches wide ran around the
whole house. Two swarms OF kind oil black
ant moved along in opposite directions, so that
| the whole surface of the board appeared black.
| A small stripe strewed with this powder was
| sufficient to kill or drive them all away" Mr..
| Jagor gives us some interesting details on an
| important point of Eastern etiquette, conce rn-
| ing the use of parasols:-'The parasols IN the
| Malayan countries indicate the rank OF the pos
| SCISSOR, as in Europe the epaulettes indicate the
| rank Of an officer. In Java tWenty-seyeu diff
| ferent degrees of rank are indicated by the
| parasols the colors of which are fixed and pre-
| scTibed by the GoyernoT-General in Council
| with the same precision as the different uni
| forms in Europe. The most distinguished are
white ones, with gilt edges. Then come green,
| blue brown, of different shades. Only the first
| six ones havY gilt edges; all the others yellow.
In Siam also the parasol plays an important
part. The parasol of many stories, one ABOVE
the other, is the distinguishing attribute OF the
| King and on the great State seal 1t Is repre-
sented on either side OF the pyramidal crown"
| We may here add that the many projecting
| roofs OF the pagodas in Further India represent
I | also parasos in an emblematic manner
| Mr.. Jaeor as an illustration OF the military
system, gives the following description OF visit
| TO a so-called military encampment:-' ne
I | barracks OF some of the regiments were already
| ciOus clean, and airy. On either side there
! | were large verandahs which ran along the
c | whole extent. In the sleeping halls l was
. struck by the large almost square, BEDS The
h. soldier does not sleep alone, but every one has
v | a female companion with him. / saw this IN
e | teresting portion of the army, but only at a
q | distance, as by Z o'clock IN the morning, when
the officers pass the inspection they are obliged
e | to leaYe the sleeping rooms, and withdraw into
J., | a separate camp, The native women, who live
/ tl.n nl taif Nr1N nTn