The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-06-07


longitudinalIy separated into two parts by
n range Of mountains extending from the
northern to the southern extremity. Many
of these mountains are of volcanic origin,
and some two or three are still active
vents for the products of internal disturb
ances.
That part of the island lying to the west
of the mountain ridge is by far the more
progressive, albeit the progress is mainly
of the Chinese sort though somewhat in
advance of that of the celebrated empire.
The products, besides tea, are camphor
sugar, drugs, tropical fruits, spices, maize
dye stuffs, tobacco, rice, jute, hemp coal
and sui hur, and there is rather extern
sive commerce between the dealers in these
articles and the rest of the world, the i'm
ported goods being principally opium
cheap cotton goods and limited range OF
manufactured articles. Along the western
coast there are numerous towns chiefly
inhabited by Chinese from Annoy, Swallow
and other places in the province of Fukien,
to the government of which the island has
formerly been tributary.
Kelung is the chief city of FOrmosa from
commercial standpoint. 1t is located on
the west coast near the northern extremity
and owes it Importance to its exports of
coal dug from the mines near by. Tam
sui is another important city, the priced
Formosa tea being its chief article of
port. Taiwan, the capital, is much far
Their south than either of these cities. Be
sides its commercial Importance, which is
considerable, this city brings forth the fur
Their claim for attention that it is better
paved, better built and better cleaned than
almost any other Chinese city. Takao is
still farther south, and it is from these two
last named cities that most of the fruit ard
other exports aside from tea and coal are
sent.
To the east of the mountains the inbabit-
ants are mostly aboriginal savages, sunk
en- so low in the scale of human develop
ment as to make the Chinese civilization
TO the wes5 seem almost like enlighten-
ment in comparison. These savages have
always fatty declined to submit to the rule
of the Chinese, and there have been many
contests between the mongols and the ma
tives, though these fights have been less
sanguiEa"y than the encounters between
different tribes OF the natives themselves
According 10 all accounts, there is always
fightin" going on among these tribes, and
it is understood that the quelling of the
turbulent abcrigineS viii be one of the
first tasks undertaken by the japanese
after they actually take possession of the
island.
a number of English and German trad
crs are located in Formosa, and it appears
that the best part of the foreign trade has
drifted into the hands of these men. Some
years ago a prOtege of Ii Hung Chang
named Lin Ming Chuan was made govern
or, and he at once began TO introduce all
sorts of occidental improvements, project
ing railroads, telegraphs and many other
new tangled things. 1t was largely due to
his energy and enterprise that the coal |
mines in the northern part Of the island |
were opened, and it seemed likely at one |
time that he would soon cause his domain |
TO lead all China in material progress. 1t |
has been explained that he did all these !
things in accordance with the wishes of |
the vicerOy and the imperial government, |
who desired TO test the availability of mod |
ern mechanical improvements in FOrmOsa |
before riSEing them on the mainland. |
However that may be, the governor did |
not carry out his plans of improvement |
beyond limited degree, and he was or |
dcred TO be disgraced while in the midst of |
his career OF progress.
1t was claimed some four or five years |
ago, at the time his degradation occurred, |
that lie had been detected in making com |
binatious with a certain German trader |
Whereby the trader got q monopoly in GER
tain lines of trade and the governor took |
4 part of the pcorits-i1l other words, that !
the two men had a deal on. Lin Ming |
Chuan is said to have borne his disgrace |
in the most philosophical spirit, and well |
he may have done So if the published ac-
counts are correct, for the degradation is
said To have consisted simply of a buttons
removal and not to have included the cut
ting down of any OF his revenues or the
curt;.ilmcnr of any Of the privileges of the
German trader who made the deal with
him.
The course taken by Japan in the gov
ernmcrt uf Formo>;; VIII be watched with |
the greatest interest by the rest Of the
world.
Caliente, Cal, has q newspaper edited
by woman. which is written entirely
w5Sh a typewFifer and issued twice n