I 



330 ORIENTAL COMMERCE. [Malay Peninsula. 



to the pier-head, where boats may have their casks filled with a hose from 

 the cocks on the wharf, at the expence of a Spanish dollar per butt. 



ARTICLES PROCURABLE AT PRINCE OF WALES'S ISLAND, 

 Brougfit by Coasting Fessels, and chiefly calculated for Ike China Market. 



Agal Agal, a species of sea-weed, dissoluble into a glutinous substance 

 like congee ; its principal use is for gumming silks and paper, as nothing 

 equals it for paste, and it is not liable to be eaten by insects. The Chinese 

 make a beautiful kind of Ianthorn, formed of netted thread, washed over 

 with this gum, and which is extremely light and transparent. 



Argus Feathers. — The Sumatra or Argus Pheasant is a bird of un- 

 common magnificence, the plumage being perhaps the richest, without 

 any mixture of gaudiness, of all the feathered race. It is about the size of 

 a cock-turkey, and extremely difficult to be kept alive for any considerable 

 time after it is caught ; never more than a month. Of the wing-feathers, 

 the nine outer ones are pale yellow brown, marked with small dusky spots, 

 as big as tares, on the outer, and smaller spots of white on the inner webs; 

 the eleven remaining quills are dark brown, marked with round and oblong 

 spots on both webs, and on the outer, near the shaft, a row of large eyes, 

 from 12 to 15 in number, the largest an inch in diameter, somewhat re- 

 sembling those in a peacock's train. The tail consists of 14 feathers ; the 

 two middle are three feet in length, the next 18 inches, and gradually 

 shortened to the outer ones, which are 12 inches only ; the colour is dusky 

 brown dotted with white, and the two middle have round white spots, 

 encircled with black on the outer, and brown irregular ones surrounded with 

 dusky on the inner web. The feathers used to be much esteemed in 

 England, hut at present are little regarded. 



Balachang, called by the Burmans Ngapi, is a species of caviar, 

 esteemed a great delicacy by the Malays, and forms an article of trade 

 amongst them, and to some parts of India. To Europeans it is very 

 offensive, particularly the black kind, which is the most common. The 

 best sort, or the red balachang, is made of the spawn of shrimps, or of the 

 shrimps themselves ; they are, after boiling, exposed to the sun to dry, then 

 pounded in a mortar with salt, moistened with a little water, and formed 

 into cakes, which is the whole process. The black sort, used by the lower 

 class, is made of small fish prepared in the same manner. 



Bean of St. Ignatius. — The article so called i* the small solid seed 



