ORIENTAL COMMERCE. [Eastern Island*. 



trive to purchase from the fishermen pearls of considerable value. They 

 are considered inferior to those produced on the pearl banks at Ceylon, being 

 frequently discoloured, and of irregular shapes ; they, however, find a ready 

 sale to the Chinese. 



Trade. — Country ships from India occasionally visit Sooloo, notwith- 

 standing the danger they run of being cut off. They import brasiery, 

 cutlery, cloth, gunpowder, glass-ware, guns of sizes, hardware, iron in 

 bars, ironmongery, looking-glasses, opium, piece-goods, saltpetre, shot of 

 all sorts, swords, tin ware, tobacco, sugar, vermilion, and watches. 



The China junks import brass salvers, brass wire, beads of sorts, 

 China-ware, cloths, cangans, dried fruits, drugs, fireworks, furniture, iron, 

 kowsongs, black ; kompow, white ; lackered ware, paper, quallis, raw silk, 

 silk piece-goods, steel, sugar candy, tea of kinds, tutenague, wines, and 

 wearing apparel. 



The products of Sooloo have been divided into four classes :— 

 1st.— Articles of value, but such as are cither in no great abundance, or 

 occupy little space : — Ambergris is frequently to be had, birds^-nests in 

 great plenty \ civet, small quantities only ; campliire,in great abundance on 

 Borneo ; gold, extremely fine and plentiful ; gum anime, or copal, in con- 

 siderable quantities; lac, a little only; pearls, many of the finest water ; 

 tortoise-shell, in great abundance ; and wax in small quantities. 



2d. — Staples, which must form the cargoes of ships frequenting the 

 place: — Agal agal, betel-nut, beech de nier, canes, cowries, dam mcr, ebony, 

 kemoo shells, rattans, shark-fins, sago, and sea- weed. 



3d. — Goods which may hereafter become staples, but being in no 

 demand, are at present in small quantities : — Cinnamon, clove bark, cotton, 

 coffee, dying woods, ginger, indigo, pepper, rice, red-wood, saltpetre, 

 sapan-wood, sugar, sandal-wood, and wheat. 



4th. — Productions which may be useful, but can scarcely be reckoned 

 articles of trade: — Timber of various kinds, fit for ship-building and all 

 other uses, in any quantity, vix, blackwood, mahogany, poon, malawee, 

 bintangol, calaotii, palomaria, and banaba; with several other commodities, 

 such as coco-nut oil, earth oil, gumatty, honey, wood oil, Sec. 



The cargoes of the Chinese junks, homeward bound, consist of agal 

 agal, beech de mer, birds'-nests, blackwood, clove bark, cassia, camphire, 

 gold, moth er-o 1 pearl shells, pearls, rattans, sago, shells, pepper, tortoise- 

 shell, and wax. 



The Bugis also trade here, bringing chiefly the cotton manufactures of 

 Celebes ; die principal traffic is in slaves. 



Provisions and Refreshments. — Bullocks and all other kinds of 



