The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-11-15
SOME CURIOUS THINGS.
ODD AND BEAUTIFUL OBJECTS
FOUND IN THE FAR EAST.
Tho Forest Nweller's Method Of Starting
FIres-Cumbersorne "Coins' OF tho Dyat
rcopIcs-Many md Interesting Kinds OF
Beads.


Beads.
The forest dwelling peoples of the fur
Ihcr cast have an odd instrument for
making fire. Very seldom, so far as we
do they employ tho proverbial
method of rubbing" two sticks-which
IS not rubbing at all. Near the coast
every man carries bit of pitchcrsin the
chip of q plate, English or Dutch, and
tindcr fifirfRafr fifirfRafr dry fungus Holding this
ment of carthenware, he strikes Inc af{ag, Srgtir
OF the siri box sharply, and it takes fire.
But this method can only be used by
tribes which have such communic,, ,tiop
with the foreigner rs supplies them with
European goods. The inland peoples use
q moro singular process. They carry q
short cylinder of lead, followed roughly
to cuplike form Mt one end, which fits
joint of bamboo. Placing this cylinder
in the palm Of the left hand, they fill the
cup with tinder, adjust the bamboo over
it, strike sharply, remove the covering as
quickly, and the tinder is alight Oh
servers who take narrow view have de-
clared that the earliest art practiced by
human beings after they escape from
mere barbarism is pottery. These races
have long passed that stage, but we do
not recall amy evidence that they use the
art. The fact is that, in countries which
produce the bamboo, earthenware lie
hardly needed except for luxury. They
make charms and fetiches of dried clay.
MEASURING VALUES.
But in Bornco the Dyall peoples have
q class Of foreign earthenware singu
larly interesting. AS Malays employ
brass guns for their currency, so the
Dyaks employ antique vases. In neither
instance do the actual "coins" pass from
hand to hand, since by brass gun
Malay signifies cannon, twenty feet
long, perhaps, and Dyak signifies o
vessel eighteen inches high or more.
These things are measures Of value,
divided into imaginary fractions. There
are three varieties of this earthenwarc-
the gust, which represents about G500
sterling, the naga and rusa, much less
valuable. The first is certainly Chinese,
and the last probably, but perhaps they
never came from the continent. At some
date unknown tho north Of Borneo was
occupied by Chinese colony which
must have numbered millions. This
great time, when third part of the ISL
and was cultivated and dcnsely peopled,
may have been 500 years ago. But the
first paragraph in the "Annals of Bruni~
recognizes n powerful Chinese kingdom
of Batangan in the Fifteenth century,
we are not to digress into that fascinat.
ing theme, however. The Celestial.
were exterminated about two genera
tons ago; nm old friend of ours, the
trns'f Casing, still carried, ten pig.
sI ;aen oyEta tea" 70 tltiss-sword of -state,-'
Chinese mcrchants rs.sst YaalleG, ale9, .glrobably;
again to counterfeit the old jars, as have
tho Dutch, but they never succeeded in
passing off their limitations. The Napa
may be Hindoo or japanese, Of very re.
mote antiquity; both peoples had great
settlements in the island at some time
beyond human memory. They have left
Buddhist remains Of importance here
and there.
We secured no samples of these curl.
GUS things, for reasons that have been
suggested. But the recollection calls ia
mind some extraordinary objects of the
same class, in n sense, which are treas.
ured on the other side Of the world.
WONDERFUL BEADS.
The Aggry and the Popo beads, which
serve for jewels in West Africa, are glass
resembling earthenware of unknown
manufacture, of immemorial ANTIQUITY.
and beyond modern skill to counterfeit.
Most European nations, probably, have
tried their hand at initiating the Aggry
bead. The shrewdest chemists and the
cleverest artificers of Venice and Bir.
mingham have done their best; the pot
ters of England, France and Germany
have exhausted their resources, but In
vain. 1t does not seem such a difficult
enterprise, however. The beads are ir.
regular in shape and size; many have
been sawn in two. They have IN OPAQUE
ground-ochre yellow in the most valu.
able specles-but so various that this
point gives no trouble. A rough orna.
ment of circles In another hue runs
through tho material from side to side OF
end to end. Here, again, imitation seems
easy, to the craftsmen Of Venice In par.
ticular; but appearances are deceptive.
evidently. The Popo bead, less valuable,
but valuable enough, Is blue glass, trans.
parent, but 30 manufactured that it shows
q dull yellow against the light. These
things are all found in tho earth; but, SO
far as can be ascertained, they never
turn up in company with bones or other
signs of burial, which, to our mind, is the
most curious fact Of all. That they are
ancient Egyptian is certainty.
Many hundreds, If not thousands, were
taken In the sack of the palace at Coo
strung, in general, upon that
very pretty cord which we mentioned,
a4R sa4ts eafatsa 81 ea6rsS s sRf s cubes
spersed. Very handsome they looked
no doubt, upon the smooth brown skir
OF the royal danes. A pretty braceIot
from Coomassie is made Of triangular
pieces cut from tie rib of n shell. sno,.
%hise' strung in groups alterrateI- With
.hese small fattened nuggets. But tb. |
,urlosities saved in that loot bear onlw =