i 8th Sept. Mu. W- Holland, the British Consul 'Tanisui, has' been at pains to make: his report on the trade" of that' port for 1891 a really interesting' pennyworth, for that classic coin is the sum: the British' government charges for the pamphlet of eleven pages which the report fills, It is not necessary for tis to busy° ourselves with the actual' trade statistics, for these have already passed before us in the Customs reports: it is the descriptive remarks that. attract our attention. In speaking of matches. Mr. Holland notes'a difference' between the'Chinese and Japanese, the latter of whom keep a charcoal fire' always alight "'To'a nation like the Chinese, whose universal habit of smoking is not confined to the men, but extends to the women' and boys, and' who, from frugal motives; do not keep afire up all day, but'as a rule kindle a fresh one for each meal, matches wold naturally seem to be' indispensable, and one is led' to wonder how they managed' before the introduction of cheap'matches, for which the' smouldering joss-stick or bit of chareval (or flint and steel) must' have beet a poor substitute."
The effect-of Governor Shao's misplaced economy, exercised in the dismissal of the 'English superintendent of the Kelung' coal mines, is duly noted, as'well as the impossibility the officials find of getting: Chinese merchants! to risk any money' in the undertaking, unless there is foreign control' and management. In dealing with the export of camphor, Mr, Holland mentions the increase' from 7,717 cwt. in 1890 to 19,958 cwt. in 1891, and' adds that it received 'a check in the autumn, owing to an irmiption of the savages: who, unable to distinguish between the purely Chinese and'the foreign-owned establish-merits inthe: hills,' made a raid and desttoyed'the' camphor stoves indiscri-
Nothing could be' done, the Chinese being' quite unable to protect the stoves oF punish' the' savages; so one resident, who had' considerable capital invested "in the' business, boldly penetrated' into' the' interior—st a time when'thé government troops atid savages were at daggers drawi—atid managed tomake satisfactory arrangements about the balaiice'of his money and stoves. What were destroyed will doubtless be a dead' loss, but it is interesting, though not' perhaps' consoling: to the losers, to see'that solitary foreigner can safely venture with' a Chinese interpreter into tettitory' which the government troops do'-not "dare to approach.' If this rich Formosa by the: Portuguese, who prob-and Jovsly island, mostly-aptly named ably knew much more about it than we do, were ever to fall into the hands of a civilised foreign power, there would be no difficulty'in coming to friendly terms with the* aborigines, who- welcome a foreigner with the name of ' brother Late on' in his: report, Mr! Holland mentions how this irruption of the savages was caused:' They were: not the aggressors; indeed, they rarely are the rs, they demand' nothing better than to be left alone, but they are gradually being driven back on their' mountains and the sea' by the slow eastward march of Chinese civilisation, such as it is. In this case a Chinese: official offered a reward of $200 for every head of a savage brought to him, Now it is not easy work to obtain the head of a genuine savage, so some Chinese tempted by the magnificent reward offered, set to. work to entrap and behead some friendly savages, of whom there are generally bands living in the border country, owning some allegiance to the Chinese government: This treacherous attack drove" the friendly into the arms of the untamed savages, and the raid' was part of the result.
"he fighting then became serious, hundreds of soldiers were drafted from various directions to the frontier, till from 6,000 to 7,000 troops were engaged in trying to find their hardy and intrepid foes, who fight from the jungle, where the Chinese cannot get at them or even see them, and into which their clothing entirely prevents them from penetrate ing. The number of savages engaged it is impossible to do more than guess at, but: the officials themselves admit that there are probably not more than 1,000 (!) Many Chinese soldiers have been killed, their rifles carried off, and it is said that a small mountain gui was captured by the savages, who are evidently well able to hold their own. Nor is this to be wondered at if the quality of the troops they meet is considered. A poor coolie may: be carrying a load along the bund, say at Chinkiang, one day, and a week or so later he appears as a "brave" in Formosa, is given a rifle, the: use of which he knows next to nothing' about, and is sent'to the front to cope with a hardy savage who has been accustomed from his childhood to fighting with some one, and is most expert in the use of his weapons, rude though they may be. In such a case, the primitive spear or bow and arrow is far more effective than the rifle. Happy is the' poor wretch who falls to die outright, for if he drops wounded, even if his companions succeed in carrying him off, he probably dies a lingering death, as' there is absolutely no provision for the wounded in the way of ambulances or surgical appliances of any kind It is by their fights with the Chinese troops that the savages obtain their arms and ammunition; and an amusing story, which might be true, was told the other day of a savage chief coming forward in the middle of a fight in which he was getting the better, and explaining to the Chinese commander that-he could not continue the struggle unless the Chinese would sell or lend him some gunpowder, as his stock was exhausted. washing industry are well worth reading. 'The gold is washed out of the bed: the "Kelung' river with - comparative ease, but at the' expense of a great number of lives, the malignant disease known as Tamsui fever carrying off one' knows how many of the miners: Mr. Holland suggests that the amount of -gold- reported "as "having -paised through "the custom house does not represent more: than a' tenth of! what actually left the port. Some interesting details are given of tea planting an rice growing. With the way: in which the rice: is grown: we are most of''1s familiar, but here is' a new description ofa substitute for the plough' used in a very small patch of ground "The economy of the Chinese prompts them' to make use of every little patch that is conveniently near a stream, and in such little patches where there would be no possible room: for' the -clums; buffalo to get round witha plough, have séen'a most ingenious contrivance used for breaking-up the lumpy wet surface into a level smooth enough for transplanting. 'The labourer was trampling' all over the wet patch with called, but having four' deep' wooden huge wooden skates, as they might be
blades instead of one; also, instead of fastening such heavy things to: his feet, a long loop of rattan from the' skates to his hands enabled him to hold them tight to his feet, and thus equalise the labour' of legs and' arms, "he result was'all that could be wished."
Mr. Holland has also taken the trouble to count the speed: with which the transplanting of the young shoots. of rice is done; and it has to be remem: bered that the planter makes. a little hill of earth round each shoot when he puts it into the mud "With regard to the transplanting, the rapidity with which this is carried out is wonderful. Little bundles of the young shoots "are brought from the nurseries by boys to the men who are standing up to their ankles in mud and water, and I have seen as many' as 20 shoots planted'in a minute, of atthe rate of 1,200 in an hour. The average rate is doubtless much less; but the rapidity'and skill with which these mei plant the shoots with the right hand only, the left holding: the bundle of shoots, is marvellous,"
'There is an interesting account of the fishing, or rather dredging, for' winkles, which are collected to feed the thousands of ducks that are bred artificially at Tamsui. We may well extract the account of the mode' in which this last industry is carried on "A long, low shed is built, mostly of wattles and mud, with a thick thatched roof: Along the inside walls of this are arranged rough troughs; which are filled up with grain and roasted: paddy-husk, on which the eggs are placed as fast'as they are laid, In summer no particular precautions are taken, but in winter the eggs are covered over with quilted icoverlets; and. far' more care is: taken ta
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.