CHAP. xxvn. INDIAN ISLANDS. 337 



In the island of Timor, gold was formerly Timor, 

 yielded both in grains and lumps, but the inhabit- 

 ants are said to have an aversion to search for it, 

 or even to touch it, and at one period assassinated 

 a party of Dutchmen who had been sent into the 

 interior to collect it. It is now found in copper 

 ore, but the whole quantity does not exceed one 

 thousand ounces l . 



The Philippine islands are stated to yield annu- 

 ally about fifteen thousand ounces of gold 2 , which 

 is chiefly found in combination with copper. 



According to the accounts of those who visited Japan. 

 Japan at an early period, that kingdom must have 

 abounded in gold. Marco Polo relates that " they 

 have gold in great abundance, but as it is not 

 allowed to be exported, few merchants visit the 

 country. The entire roof of the palace is covered 

 with a plating of gold in the same manner as our 

 churches are with lead. The ceilings of the halls 

 are of the same precious metal. Many of the 

 apartments have small tables of pure gold consi- 

 derably thick, and the windows have also golden 

 ornaments/' (P. 569.) P. Amiot, whose narra- 

 tive is of a later date, says, " Le Palais du Roi se 

 fait remarquer par la maniere singuli&re dont il est 

 construit. II a neuf Stages, et presente de tous 

 cotes un exterieur brillant de Porle plus fin." 



1 Description de Timor,, par Van Hogendorp, dans les An- 

 nales des Voyages, t. vi. p. 280. 



2 Hassel, vol. xv. p. 820. 



VOL. II. Z 



