The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1891-01-02
SOME CURIOUS THINGS.
ODD AND BEAUTIFUL OBJECTS
FOUND M THE FAR EAST.


Fircs-Cumbsrsomo ''Coins" of tho Dyak
Peoples-Many and Interesting winds Of
Beads.
The forest dwelling peoples Of the fur
ther east have an odd instrument for
making fire. Very seldom, so far as we
observed, do they employ the proverbial
method of rubbing" two sticks-wbich
Is not rubbing at all. Near the coast
every man carries bit Of pitcher in the
siri box or bamboo slung at his waist,
chip of a plate, English or Dutch, and
q handful Of dry fungus. Holding this
tinder under his thumb upon the frag-
ment of earthenware, he strikes the side
of the siri box sharply, and it takes fire.
But this method can only be used 10y
tribes which have such communication
with the foreigner rs supplies them with
European goods. The inland peoples use
q more singular process. They carry
short cylinder Of lead, followed roughly
to q cuplike form at 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 rs
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 any evidence that they use the
art. The fact is that, in countries which
produce the bamboo, earthenware is
hardly needed except for luxury. They
make charms and fetiches of dried clay.
MEASURING VALUES.
But in Borneo the Dyak peoples have
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 n cannon, twenty feet
long, perhaps, and Dyak signifies
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 $500
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. Atsome
date unknown the north Of Bornco was
occupied by Chinese colony which
must have numbered millions. This
great time, when third part Of the isl.
and was cultivated and dcnscly pcopled,
may have been 800 years ago. But the
first paragraph in the "Annals of Bruni"
recognizes n powerful Chinese kingdom
of Batangan in tho Fifteenth century,
we are not to digress into that fascinat.
ing theme, however. Tho Ceestials
were eXterminatcd about two genera
tions ago; an old friend of ours, the
great Chief Casing, still carried ten pig.
tails attached to his sword of state
trophies of his fathers valor, probably.
Chinese merchants have tried again and
again to counterfeit the old jars, as have
passing off their limitations. The NaGa
may be Hindoo or Japanese, of very re-
mote antiquity; both peoples had great
-settlemepts tn the island at some tims
sugca.tat,' SS' 1or reasons that bovo L"a. @
n';nS ses'eu. But the recolIoc,;on % peen
t,n oohc extraordinary ubiccts 's 90 20
SraS ciass, In n sense, wh;.h ~. VI 'he
oo VI the world
NJ, WONDERFUL pE,ns
INC Aggry and the Popo hoo5.
m jewels in West Africa, are eIns.
manmfna.s fs earthenwaro Of unkno"s "s'
md hoturc' haac of immemorial antinni,,
,Iost IS E' onu modern skill to countcrrnt'
r;eJ .i european nations, probobIy ha a
cad "fii fi hand at initiating tho 1,".s @
!,,,", nc Snrcwdest chemists onI
,jnoia ,r'iiiccrs of Venice and n;" :
rn nam nave done their best. tha DIR v
Vi England, Franco md Cn pot |
o ~. exhausted their resources L'i Lni'ny t
,tn W.. u does not seem such y L;n, G"' ID "
@ PRISE however. The beoIs .ic!' u
.su % "iai IN shape and size; NAM. "lo h II. i
n"ns l s,'"h IN two. They have nm on nt'e il
)" yellow IN tho nnst ttiaIue Iii
opccies-but SO various thot 'nlu' on
~. gives no trouble. A rounI, 'n'
,.v ol circles in another S,,, olha @ In
uusn thc &c t2rial from side 70 s;i ,"'n ma
!. 70 end. lirre, again. imitot;o, QUO {" cc
llar. h", "r craftsmen Of Venice in nnr' da
lont,v rto rTtppEarances =, are dcccptiva otl
yn,nai,,d he Popo bead, less valuaLIe' na,
an. tio h',t enough, is blue glass trams ma
II veIloe o. manufactured that it sbow' hcl
os "SaiIlst the light Tjo. of J
50 ss *re an found in the earth: hnt nh'Se @ wit
., ',u van "a be ascertained, thew D', ma, Sc sain
uP IN company with bones or n.'ef n,, dcyi
c', ot Tunal, which, to our nina G'me. i",n grid
rt curious E, fact Of all. That tInr - M .ns Knot
nv nv hhgyPtian hssy yP is certainty. 'r' Sake
~ hundreds, if not thousands ,.o tain
- .n s. Lue sack of tho palace at Cen " er' entri
., nrat st,sung, in general, upon ~ 100. loo. curc
cn pret.y cord which we mentio, rNi ann lar
gTla 30 nuggets beaten fat nnI c''s, parc'
d a. anu n tufts Of colored sill. Sill ts Iaoes to co,
y, H.. very handsome thew ''I Io115 in.er' took '
ios, upon the smooth browu .o0hed, a.;, know know
caoy loya, danes. A pretty br,caina m skla years. years.
Coomassio c',t asio is made of triann,'i "eries know
ot Ai'ih The rib of n sboII o'"f made
a'au e.runs in groups alternatcIr SNOW snow St
1s's ies 60 nat1tened nuggets. Bnt WIN tnn
les ,Ie saved saved in that loot bear nne nn, ths
10 proportion to those wLicG VIII Gpnly 1t i.
,es ADMIRED in the palace mharh an1, men good
,fs sisd OF the caboccers. But onn "nd ting compo