ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 



[Siatn, $c. 



ware used to be more esteemed than that of Japan. For these goods it is 

 necessary to make an advance of one-third, or a half to the merchants, who 

 are poor, and have no goods by them. The ships are generally obliged to 

 wait till they are brought from the interior. 



Duties. — No customs inwards are paid, but merchants are obliged to 

 make considerable presents. On silks and lackered ware exported, a duty of 

 5 per cent, is levied. 



Provisions and Refreshments. — Bullocks, sheep, goats, and hogs are 

 to be procured ; likewise ducks, geese, and fowls, with a variety of wild 

 game; and of fruits they have plantains, melons, pine-apples, guavas, Sec. 

 The river and bay abound witli fish, and turtle is occasionally to be 

 met with. 



Coins. — Cash are the only coins here, and are of two sorts, large and 

 small : 600 large and 1000 small cash make 1 maradoe. Accounts are kept 

 in tales, mace, and candarines ; all of which are regulated by the price of 

 maradoes and copper cash. 



The price of silver coins varies according to the quantity of silver brought 

 in : of this variation the Chinese take advantage. Sometimes they allow 28 

 maradoes for a bar of silver of 10 tales weight ; at others not more than 21. 

 All the Mexican and pillar dollars imported are run into bar silver ; these 

 bars should weigh 10 tales each. They frequently alloy them, so that they 

 are seldom so good as the dollar silver ; though in payments they expect an 

 allowance of three per cent, to make it their standard, as they term it. 



Weights. — All goods are weighed by the Chinese dotchin. The King's 

 weights hold out full 132 lbs. to a pecul of 100 catties; but every person 

 should have a true dotchin of his own. The tale equals 1 oz. 4 dwts. 14j grs., 

 being about 11 grains more than the Chinese tale. 



Measures. — The Chinese covid and punta are in common use for long 

 measure. 



HAI-NAN. — This island, which bounds the Gulph of Tonquin to the 

 E., extends about 55 leagues in a N. E. and S. W. direction, and is about 25 

 leagues in breadth. The S. point, which is bold and rocky, is in latitude 

 18° 9' N., longitude 109° 34' E. It is subject to the Chinese Government. 

 The N. W. coast is but little known to Europeans. The S. E. coast has 

 been surveyed by Capt. Ross, the East India Company's Marine Surveyor, 

 who has furnished the following particulars : — 



Yu lin kan Bay is formed by a rocky point on the S. E., I| mile N. W. 

 from the S. point of Hai-nan ; the S. W. extreme is 4} miles further to the 

 W. by N. About 1 mile to the N. of the S. E. point, and very near the E, 

 shore of the bay, is a small island, named Zonby. in latitude 18° 11 N. ; 



