516 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 



induce the natives to encrage in acrriculture, but in vain. 

 Imported labour has not hitherto succeeded, owing to the 

 regulations not giving the planter sufficient hold over his 

 men, and on the whole the agricultural outlook is not 

 promising. The immigration of coolies from Tonquin is 

 contemplated. The French have apparently done all in 

 their power to remedy the state of atfairs. The Govern- 

 ment even receives the produce of the small cultivators 

 and exports it for them, so as to do away with the profits 

 of the middlemen. 



The chief export is pearl-shell, the value of which in 

 1890 was nearly £60,000. That of copra is not much 

 less. Cotton (£10,000), vanilla (£3000), and oranges 

 (£2000) are the only other noticeable products. 



Papeete, capital of Tahiti, is a little city of the most 

 violent contrasts. All the races here settled are repre- 

 sented by a total population of about 5000, of whom 

 about 1000 are Europeans. The " Paie de Rivoli," with 

 its " Palais de Justice," " Tresor Colonial," etc., leads by 

 Government House and the Eoyal Palace to the " Place 

 de la Cathedrale." The " Rue de la Pologne " shows the 

 bright and dark sides of this little Paris of the antipodes, 

 while a row of Chinese " stores " and " tea-shops " recalls 

 the Chinese quarter in San Francisco. Papeete is the 

 emporium of trade for the products of the South Sea 

 Islands east of 160" E. longitude. Small schooners of 

 from 20 to 50 tons burden bring the produce of the 

 various groups to Tahiti, whence they are shipped direct 

 for Europe either by Cape Horn or the Cape of Good 

 Hope, according to the season of the year. These 

 schooners, of which about twenty fly the Tahitian flag, 

 take back portions of the cargoes of vessels arriving from 

 Europe for sale or barter amongst the islands. The 

 harbour is good, and a despatch boat and four small 



k 



