TRADE AND COMMUNICATIONS. 215 



a place on the west coast. Thèse commodities are very precious, in conséquence of the 

 long transport by land (a fourteen days' march). Multi-coloured cotton cloths, I m. square, 

 called "■kain timor" by the Malay guide, are highly valued by the natives, each being worth 

 a wife. Thèse cloths are adorned with a plume of cuscus skin in the middle, and one border 

 is ornamented with a number of similar little pièces, feathers, bird's heads, etc. forming a kind 

 of fringe. The main colour is red, but parallel to the ornamented border run dark blue and 

 yellow stripes. Along the same road of transport, old single-barrelled guns are obtained. In 

 this connection I remind the reader of the information by Von ROSENBERG [1875, 104], that 

 also the Hâtam people exchange commodities of Ceram origin from MacCluer Gulf, for tobacco. 

 From Geelvink Bay the people at Mapâr as well as at Horna (to be reached in a five days' 

 march inland) obtain parcels of blue cotton goods (see page 94); in the latter village a six 

 feet high pile of those parcels was in stock, not only used for clothing however, but also as 

 a médium of exchange, circulating till they become rotten. 



The princes of Tidore formerly exerted a great influence on the western islands, 

 the west coast and the territory of Geelvink Bay; however, they acted more from political 

 motives than from trading interests. 



Ternatian traders and hunters perform their dangerous work ail along the 

 north coast and in Geelvink Bay; they may be considered as the pioneers of foreigners. 

 Wherever the members of the expédition wished to penetrate into the interior, they nearly 

 always came across thèse men, who could often serve as guides or interpreters, owing to 

 their local knowledge. So the discovery on the island of Ali of a 4 lb. iron weight, bearing 

 the date 1758 or 1738 (PARKINSON [1900, 19]) need not be wondered at. 



Now that in the last decennaries, steamers under différent flags touch N. G., the 

 importance of the trade in H. B. has also increased, and by the time a steamer is expected, 

 the boats of différent villages on the coast gather there (see also HoRST [1889, 251]). 



Of more ethnographie interest than this sort of commerce, especially more attractive 

 than the ill-reputed labour-trade of the eastern coasts, are the commercial relations, existing 

 among the Papuans mutually, the great extent of which has only become known of late, and 

 by the enlargement of the heading "Verschleppungen" has caused a great commotion in the 

 camp of ethnographers. Every "Verschleppung" however, indicates particular relations between 

 tribes, villages or persons, worth knowing. There is a communication by land between oppo- 

 site coasts: between the MacCluer Gulf and Geelvink Bay, probably also between the S. W. 

 coast (across Lake Jamur) and Geelvink Bay. There is also much to be said in favour of the 

 opinion, maintained by HaDDON [1894, 256] and SCHMELTZ [1896, 1 13], that using the Fly 

 River as a culture-route the same thing would take place between the Papuan Gulf and the 

 north coast. 



The great interest of the coasting-trade, ail the more important because of the 

 navigation connected with it, may be understood from examples such as the pottery-trade of 

 Port Moresby. According to HaDDON [1901, 248], sometimes a fleet of twenty lakatois, with 

 a crew of some six hundred men, each of whom would take about fifty pots, would sail 

 towards the Papuan Gulf (see Macgregor [1897, 56], Annual Report [1902 — 03, 18, 19], 

 [1904 — 05, 69 — 72]). Equally important is the pottery-trade of Bilibili. De CLERCQ and 

 SCHMELTZ [1893, 91] give an interesting account of the coasting-trade on the north and west 



