192 



TIMOR, 



fcBAP. XIII, 



it. is univei-sally ackDowledi_;ed to be unsuq>assed by any 

 made from impoited European or American flour. The 

 fact that t?ie natives have (quite of their own accord) 

 taken to cultivatiug audi foreigu articles as wheat ami 

 potatoes, which they briug in suiali quantities ou the 

 D&cks of ponies by the most hon-ible mountain tracks, and 

 seU very cheaply at the seaside, suSicicntly indicates what 

 might be done, if good roads were made, and if the people 

 were taught, encouraged, and protected. Sheep also do 

 well on the mountains; and a breed of hardy ponies in 

 much repute all over the Archipelago, nins half wild ; so 

 tliat it appeal's as if tbis island, so barren-looking and 

 devoid of the usual features of tropical vegetation, were 

 yet especially adapted to supply a variety of products 

 essential to Europeans, which the other islands will not 

 produce, and which they accordingly import from the 

 other side of the globe- 

 On the 24th of February my friend Mr. Ge^ich left 

 Timor, ba\T.ng finally reported tliat no minerals worth 

 working were to be fomid. The Portuguese were very 

 much annoyed, having made up their minds that copper is 

 abundant, and still belie^an/^ it to be so. It appears that 

 from time immemorial pure native copper has been found 

 at a place on the coast about thirty miles east of DellL 

 The natives say they find it in the bed of a ravine, and 

 many years ago a captain of a vessel is said to have got 

 some hundreds-weight of it. Now, however, it is evidently 

 very scarce, as during the two years Mr, Geach resided in 

 the country, none was found. I was shown one piece 

 several pounds' weight, having much the appearance of 

 one of the larger Australian nuggets, but of pure copper 

 instead of gold. The natives and the Portuguese have 

 very naturally imagined, that where these fragments come 

 from there must be more ; and they have a report or 

 tradition, that a mountain at the head of the ravine is 

 almost pure copper, and of course of immense value. 



iViicr much difficulty a company was at length formed to 

 work tlie copper mountain, a Portuguese merchant of Singa- 

 pore supplying most of tlie capital. So confident were they 

 of the existence of the co|>per, that they thought it would 

 be waste of tinu and mont-y to have any exploration made 



