On East Indian Isinglass. 



159 



and the rate charged for these was 4 rupees per score, or 

 40 rupees per maund. It was necessary to buy them by the 

 score, because it seldom happened, that so many as a maund 

 could be had at any one place. In the hands of petty 

 dealers, who collected from the fishermen for the Chinese, 

 three or four maunds were occasionally met with ; but as 

 far as we have been able to learn, there is every reason to 

 doubt the accuracy of Mr. Remfrey's statement, quoted by 

 Dr. Royle, page 32, in his pamphlet, that in one village on 

 the Salt-water lake, the Chinese obtain from 800 to 900 

 maunds for the Chinese market. 



On the contrary, we think the transactions of the Chinese 

 in this article in the vicinity of Calcutta has been extremely 

 small ; for although we advanced a higher rate for the article 

 than the Chinese ever gave, in order to secure all, or as 

 much as was collected, with a view to ascertain the extent 

 of the trade, yet we only succeeded in obtaining 45 maunds 

 the first year, and the following year, 1840-41, at the still 

 further advanced rate of 50 to 55 rupees a maund, we only 

 succeeded in obtaining 75 maunds. 



We are therefore led to the conclusion, that so far from 

 finding supplies ready to our hands in any one place, to the 

 extent stated by Mr. Remfrey, we must look for large sup- 

 plies of the article in the improvement not only of the 

 demand, but also of the means, which European capital 

 and intelligence can alone supply. 



We commenced collecting Isinglass in December 1889, 

 then nearly the end of the season, only because we found the 

 object neglected. Had we not taken this step, on finding 

 no one else disposed to set the example, we are strongly 

 impressed with the conviction, that Bengal Isinglass would 

 still be unknown as an article of import in the English 

 market. 



The following is the upshot of the first year's operations, 

 which, if viewed merely as a mercantile speculation, must be 



