The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-05-22

their nation is stin more numerously
represented among the business firms.
England. however, though a later az
rival, has largely supplanted both in
the control of the commerce of the
port. though the Germans seem to be
numerous.
Singapore and Penang are the great
export ports for tin. three -fourthS Of
the worlds output OF that product be
ing mined near by The United States
takes ten and Il half million dollars
worth Of tin from the Straits Settle
ments. and six millions of other prod
ucts and sell only $1,16I,000 worth in
return.
| might add in this connection that
the trade possibilities of the tropics
have been very much oVereStimated by
enthusiastic eXpansiOniStS. The ma
tiVes raise their own food at a much
lower cost than we could possibly sell
it to them, even if our food were suit
ed to their wants. They do not need
our building material. and as for
clothing, one American is worth more
.ls a customer than hundred OF these
natives. While q few wear rich robes,
the mass content themselves with a
very scanty costume of very cheap
cotton--a costume which some one
has described rs "a handkerchief
around the head" No shoe manufac-
turcr need send q salesman to these
parts, for even the cOachmcn and
footmen in livery are barefooted. /
once supposed that We might work up
a trade in brecch clouts and fishing
rods, but | find the latter grown here
in profusion and the former is not
valuable enough to furnish Il basis for
much trade.
There is one branch of commerce
that might be developed if this were
e tIn md bE
natives We're not skilfui Goldsmiths.
JeWeirN is Il passion here. Women
fairly load themselves down with or
namentS when they can afford it. Iney
wear rings OH the fingers and toes.
bracelets and anklctS. car ornaments
galore and. strangest of all, jewels in
the nose. We noticed one woman yes
tcrday with three enormous pendants
hanging from each ear, one from the
top, one from the side and one from
the lobe, and our coachman ut Handy
was srcSplendcnt With six in either car.
but his jCWcirN was more modest in
size. The nose ornaments look like
shirt studs and are screwed into one
or both noStrils: sometimes Il ring
hangs from the point of the nose. The
necklaces vary greatly in style, work
manShip and value. The island of
Ceylon is rich in gems aud furnishes
a variety of stones for the leWelcr $
art From the fact that nearly all Ci
Bible are to be found here, 1t is
thought that CeyIOn must have been
known to the Isracltes and that her
ships carried wealth To solomon
After seeing tho eXtraVagant use of
iewelly here. one is almost tempted To
forgive even the most vulgar display
of precious stones made in the t&cl-
dent; and then. too, the "ubIeS, the
sapphires, the diamonds, the emefaidS'
the amethystS, the alcXanderites. the
cats eyes, the opals, etc, eNhlplted III
the stores here are So beautiful that
one must be proof against vanity to
resist their charms.
Ice might have formed an important
item of trade, for nowhere does the
white man appreciate this luxury more.
had not the ice machine made lmpor-
tation unnecessary. The larger boats
now manufacture their own Ice from
condensed sea water, and there are
plants at all the important ports. We
went from BOrnCo to Singapore on
a ship which was equipped with an
ice machine. and we complained When
The supply gave out. An English pas
soncer took advantage of our distress
TO compare national characteristics,
and hum0rously remarked that when
the Americans moved into new ter
rito,.y they at once established an ice
nIant While the English gave their
FIRST attention TO the laying out OF
cricket grounds
One does Qot travel far in the Orient
unti1 he becomes a crank on the sub
ioct of water. He receives So many
Warnings that he soon suspects that
disease Turks in every SlasStul. If he
tries the bottled waters. they pail on
the taste. and if he relies on polied
10 ic totnpntcd with fear that
~ has not really been boiled. or that
some other water has been accident
.,Iit' substituted. "'Thc Old Oaken
Euckcl" is recalled as vision OF de-
Itcht and 1.-The we'll at nome Is re-
nlenlbered with an idi'lldl,oii It: ~
80 hcforn tFaucct may be substi-
tnted for we'll by those who live in
EnIombo is situated on the island of
revion, just below tie sou fieli mos mo-
point Of the mainland OF lhoia' mere