Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-03

vUstiGation un the part Ct tn' present. writer reveals the fact that thtrc arc a good many interesting things to be learned about the farAwAy AsiHtIc is land i'll question. Like all othvr lands of tho ultimate orient, tho habits and customs If it's inhabitants are about as unlike tho habits and customs of those who dwell m the OCCidVnt as can well be imagined. But, unlike Korea, over which the wholo trouble between tho Celestial empire and the Islands of tho Rising Sun arose, F0rmoSa is not pco- pied by a distinct race. nor Is it the seat of a civilization of its own.
 The Chinese say that the island first became known to their ancestors a lttlc over 100 years ago, It is hardly proba- ble. however. that they mean exactly what they say when they mako this as ScrtiOn. since only about so or 90 miles of sea separate FormoSa from the main land, and there arc times when the tops of tho highest FOrmoSan peaks may he distinguished from the Chinese coast near Annoy. It is more likely that the Chinese mean to convey tho impression that it was near tho close of the fifteenth century that their Countrymcn began to emigrato to FormOSa and to settle on its shores.
 At all events, Chinese colonization must havo begun at about that time, 7, near tho close of tho seventeenth cen tury, wh,n the Japanese found tho i> land and cS>ayrd to plant the flag of the sunburst there and to work FlrmoSI i'll as a c0mmrrrial intcgcr of the ChrvSAn- thVmum empire. tho Chinese We're N""r much on hauI and very much alive to the advantages of retaining lnt.-, ~~!on of the place. CnQucStiUnahiN Iul> las been good thing for tho Chm, x" ever since
 Formo<a k about half as larSra a> Ire. land. It stretches from north tu >uuth over little less than four degrees If latitude, it's nUrthrrnmoSt point being slightly farther south than the south ernmo>t point of Florida It forms part of the chain of islands which are ill., terposGd as a protective turtllicatlOn be- | tween the ASlatlc coast Lnd the broad expanse of the Pacific. producing the immunity from the fury of the typhouu which is enjoyed hy the Chinese r 'rts from Annoy tu the Yellow sea,
 In shape Furmu>a iS long and narrow, tapering to a point at the southern ,N- trcmity, known aS Lin-hLi- shan, ur South cape From Liu-hai-Shan nearly to Foki, the islands rn~t nOrtherly point. a backbone of mountains. known simply as Ta.>!lan, ur Gr,It mountain, l by the Chinvsr >trvtrA,> somewhat to the east .t the mvdian line. The de- scent from this range Othr cast is quite abrupt but tu the W>'st it iS much moro gradual, so that there iS a rather broad plain on the side nearest China and an other. though less extensive one, la thr north The soil uf th,,>" plains iS ,N- cecdlngly fertile, particularly in thu
 wales. where the Sul,>ull uf sand and clay k covered with A deep and rich alluvial mold. It is only the CompIra- tively level portions of the island that
 havu been suhjuGatvd hy the CclrStial>,
 tho mountainous districts and the rapid eastern slnp,~ stil! being populated
 chiefly by aboriginal tribes, So fertile
 ara tho plains occupied l'y tho Chimes,
 and sn diligently and effectively has Cul-