The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-10-12


wall, is the record % William ]. Mead. of
Philadelphia. who has been IN this city
a few days. Mr.. Mead can talk about the
H0vas n Madagascar, the Aiaoris in New
Zealand. the Kaffirs and Beers in Africa.
Zusus, Hott>atots. japanese ami Chinese,
the fakirs OF India, and the unspsakaAls
Turk. as ere would speak Of his next door
neighbor. He has Travelled almost con-
stsntly for ten years and has studied the
peoples he has been among.
Frances Latest Conquest.
II saw in the Post-IpteIligencer a day or
two ago." said Mr. Mead al the Rainier
Grand last night, that the French had AT
last captured Antananar;vo the capital OF
MADAGASCAR / visited Madagascar few
years ago and know what difficulties the
French have 10 contend with in their con-
quest. An,ananarivo, the capital of the
island is located $50 miles inland from
Tamatave, the seaport. and outside OF the
limits OF the capital there is not 100 feet
OF road. IL IS a wilderness which the ma
tives have left purposely. so that the
French could not get at their capital The
traffic from Tamataye is done on the backs
OF natives. IL takes fourteen days 70 travel
from the port 10 the capital, and over this
path. which zig zags back and forth. the
natives carry goods on their backs. Not
only this, but the natives have chairs
which they III 10 their backs and in these
chairs they carry travellers. Why. one
of the big fellows will take a barrel OF
whisky and pack it al that $50 miles on
his back. There are some wnll-bu.it
houses IN Antananarivo. Thers is no pave
ment, the streets are OF sand, and when
the people want to get rid OF their offal
they simply dig hole IN the sand in the
street. throw it in, and I'LL the hole up
again
The sharks Feeding Ground.
AT the port. Tamatave, landings have
to be made from steamers in small boats
The harbor is full OF sharks and one can
see their long heads sticking up out OF
the water in every direction Thsre is a
peculiar reason for this large number OF
sharks there. good many hya cattle
are shipped from Tamatave, and they are
taken out TO the steamers by being tied
to large floats. The floats are hauled out
10 the steamers and the cattle have to
swim. This is just what the sharks are
laying for. One Will glide up under the
swimming cattle, take a big bite out ot
his victim. the steers eyes will roll up,
he viii give gasp and his lifeless car
cass is dragged along until one OF the
attendants cuts il loose II is said that
there never is A load of cattle taken out
20 a steamer there without two or three
OF them being captured by the hungry
sharks.
A Fill CannibaI Feast.
But to change the subject a little. not
much, however, one of the most interest
ing things you can imagine is cannibal
feast on the Fiji islands. Let me say,
though, that this IS thing almost I'M
known now. The cannibals did not eat
any one but prisoners of war, and the
feast Is not the riotous scene one reads
about. Those people would eat prisoner
just as we would eat a piece Of beef.
When a nice, juicy victim was brought
to the fire the chief would pick out what
ever he thought would tickle his palate
pleasantly the children would get the
toes and fingers, and so on. every men,
Der of the dinner party getting d certain
part.
IAN interesting people are the Naoris
OF New Zealand. There are about $4,000
of them now. and they have one very
strong peculiarlty-they have not line
of written history, but the living have
the story OF their race at their tongues
ends. They have the greatest memories
of any people on earth. and among them
are some OF the most eloquent speakers
living"
The Three Peoples of China.
Mr.. Mead has Travelled extensively in
China and Japan. Speaking of the Chi
nese. he said:
These people are greatly underesti-
mated. They are not such fools as most
there are three distinct classes IN China
the liTerau, who are the office-holding
class who have gained their position and
what wealth they have by robbing the
people; then there is the middle class, the
merchants, honest and straightforward.
whose word is as good as gold. and who
expect whoever they deal with 10 be as
honest as they are. Lastly come the
coolies, the hardest-worked people on
earth. and they work for a mere pittance
at that But the Corruption among tho
offcehoders is unlimited. They have 10
be corrupt from the very force of circum-
stances. When a man gets an appoint
ment as governor of a proyinCe-and the
man who has the strongest pull gets If
he gets with the Office a salary of so a
year. Now. let me tell YOU what he has
10 do with that 81 .500 lie is expected -
come in 10 Picking a least once A year
and report 70 ire powers AT the palace.
Before he gets back to his province his
trip has cost him at least $4,000 He
simply has 20 buy his way through n
long Est Of officials. Then. Of course, he
has - look out for himself 50 YOU see,
he has 20 turn around and rob the peopls
fn his province to get square. and these
officials probably know Of more ways Of
s1ueezips money out OF the noprIltCe than