Evening Star Newspaper, June 26, 1921, Page 53

GAZINE SECTION Ilhustrated by OR several years after the orang-outang hunt I dii not venture imgto the jumgie for more than a day or two at a My fever wnd dysentery had becomie chronic. 1 realized that I had too often disregarded, the warning ot the dogtors @nd that, it T had an- other ‘bad attack of illness, far away from medical attention, I should have toteavs the country or might possibly . dis ‘before I got away. My animal business in Singapore had grown so large .that it gave me plenty to do, ang 1 left to my agents the work of collecting. Through my house in Or- chard road passed a steady stream of animule, destined for zoological gar- dens all.over the world. Most of the animals went to the va- rious Australian gardens, for which I acted as agent. They allowed me to make my shipments f. o. b. Stagapore, relieving me of the risis of fratspor- tation. In return.. Ll gave them frst call on’ all of my best ‘spesimens. ‘When their needs_ had .been supplied I bed my choice between shipping to Hagenbeck’s agent at Calcutta, |‘?- crews of 3 i pore.. The _officers, and me: tnany -animals, sharing. eveatirdlly sharing the fits if the nimals lived to reach:#Burope. Ariff, B Torooked dealing: and ’passing. off gloxty animals, had almost rained this ness, but it revived rapi@ly when a;d\::zd uvnnfl i‘&“' I cp ‘bn de- upen. T al many @tormy sesgiong Deforés t*éonvinced bought .eost and W ASHINGTON, D. ., SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 26, 1921. 7B Wil Crawford. lived as an object lesson in what might happen if. Europeans were al- lowed to come into the country. . It was inevitable that Trengganu should eventually be taken over. By the British, but the sultan fought the idea at every turn. He could| see in such a possibility nothing but: ruin for himself, and he was det mined to hold out as long 38 he lived. In our long talks we' dis- cussed every phase of his situation, R. Mayer Tells How He and His Band of Hunters Were Chased Up aTree by 'Z‘it‘:‘.,"'fi.“d."e ntana . Bimtricis: “Tne L 2 Seladang, One of the Most Ferocious Beasts of the Jungle—A Battle Which . Lasted for Many Hours, and the Final Victory—The Death of Ali, a Faithful Fol- lower—A Gift of Thousands of Acres From the Sultan—Decision td Stop Hunting | | Animals and Retire to the Life of a Rubber Planter. %, 1 and T pointed out to him that othet : s R DD e ted i \that | ChATEE until they are cornered; they B, e e Informas | 4r€ Instantly on the offensive. The o A e fwas arranged thai|Bunter becomes just as much hunted o e e ttennam, ‘who was a8 D8 quarry; each tries to attuck by : S| surprise. It is vitally important in governor-general of Hhe Sl it "to | rUNNIng down seladangs for the hunt. Tren‘n;m. That was the en(gflng.“ to keep his feet clear of vines and i €| creepers. so that he can be free to Hedge. A e e e ek the | Jump; und also to keep his eye on a ment was % oto. | tree. which will provide refuge in cave Nty beAme r Prperous, | he nceds it The only possible wuy Fute an e sultan, a ProspPerous. f,. , hunter to ecscape the diréct though nominal, ruler; and the de. velopment of this virgin territory began. \ As a reward for the advice'and as- ristance T gave him, the sultan, before | Trengganu passed out of his control,! made me a present-of five different| concessions of land, with all mineral &nd surface rights. Though the con- cessions, which totaled nine hundred square miles, were rich in ting the sul. tan advised me to let the %in stay where it was and plant rubber. 1 ocould see.that I had reached the be- ginning of the end of my career as an animal dealer! * ¥ * ¥ charge of a seladang: is to fall flat nd let it run over him; its neck Is sc short that, when he is prostrate, i cannot _reach him with its horn Then, if the hoofs have not knocke him unconscious or broken his bone he can jump up before the selandan can check. itself, and run for a tree For the man once caught on the beast's horns. there is no escape: it losses 4 victim time ufter time and then tramples -him. 1 had never met a seladang—and I| must admit that T was not especially anxious lo meet one—but [ had no doubt of my ability to handle it if the emergency arose, and so I determin- ed to g0 to Rawang for the rhinoce- (O my return to Sinapore after. fou* “had confidence ‘in my express . one of my visits to Trengganu, I!rifle and I knew that the natives would not refuse to accompany me. 1 would be useless to force them, of found a letter from Mr. La Seuf of -@m that my way was tke ml-r.' ) o ths ~w - 1 JUMPED BACKWARD AND MADE FOR A"TREE., WHEN I PU LLED | SELADANG CATOH ALI ON HIS HORNS| . MYSELF: Re finally came to handle a large part of the boat trade for ine, doing the . work of soliciting orders and making deliveries on commission. * I ‘made very few sales directly to * America. The trouble and risk of the long voyage were too great. and also there was a_ 25 per cent, duty to be paid when the animals were landed. The gagble was large, and, even ‘when the deliveries were safely made, there was little profit. Some of my animals reached America, through Ha- genbeck, who kept them until they were acclimated and ‘then shipped them across the Atlantic. The accli- m: tion and breeding of animals in in“captivity is a business in itself. ok HAGENBECK approached me several times with the proposition to be- come his exclusive agent In the far and | east, but I preferred to have my own business and sell independtntly. Both he and Crdse of Liverpool kept me busy with orders: and. with the orders from Australia, I found that I had a greater demand‘ than I could meet. Almost every-peat that came to Singapore from the:districts where animals were captured ught speci- mens, and’ I was ‘contifiually pressing my agents to send- more.. 1 traveled censtantly througliout. ge archipela- - go, urging the natives ¥® work faster and keeping in touch with theisource of-my supply: As I have said before, I made few excyrsions ¥fo the jun- glé. and then only whes- it was im- possible for my agents, wifo. were gen- - FMEE MALAYS THOUGHT erilly ‘Readmen, to..leave their kum- pongs and come to-the coast.- Tréngganu, with its junglés full of animals, was my fayorite -territory. 1 had the valuable privilege of being practicilly. the only white man who - could enter that country. In'it I pass- ed so-mueh of my time that:¥ finally. Had 2 house bullt there for My presence speeded the work of c: ing, though I took no part’in it except 0" mlkwn,lx the headmen when they came. the toast™ The sultan gave me unlimited power in handling the ang' no native who worked - ever had cause tq complain. Nor had ‘the sultan. himself;. for I often, found 'ways_ of helping. him when 3 jury “was-at low 'ébb. - Helooked to me to bring him news of the' oul;;flem'org ‘-nd» to ::!le_rpn! the pews for. im | Bl’g were uhdefln’m Several _‘ugt.ok each day 1 spent at the pajace,”1n discyss- ing the affairs of the country with " the sultan and his prime mipister, Ma- hommed Yusuf. Yusuf wapf& -funiu A i Aty T 1h “of - Trom his capntry by e Dutch and sought irefuge Wi er, of ‘CRINESE, FOR THE CHINESE WERE ALWAYS CHEATI be by defensive . mathods, ourse. for they would be constantly on the verge of panic. I sent All to talk with the headman and bring him te my house. That &fternoon a large part of the village across the river from my house burned to the ground. *Whife I was sitting_on m waiting for Ali to return with the headman. 1 saw smoke arlsing from one of the houses in the Chincse section. A moment later flames appearcd. the alarm was given and the village was in an up- Melbourne, asking me if I would make] | i roar. The flames ieaped from house | I to house, running down the principaly I street, where all the godowns were located. 1. went across the river toy watch the excitement and see what 1 coutd do to help. The natives were| wild, rushing about, falling over one another and going crazy. 1 stood ati one side, quite out of the way, for a; native in such a condition is a da gerous person: the least word may send him amok and start him slash ing with his kris. Not ene native: thought about the safety of his wom- ! en and children. On the contrury. he pushed women and children out of! the way and walked on them, in thel excitement of rescuing the one posses- | Slon that & Malay values—nis Kris | Men dashed into burning houses and | emerged triumphantly, scorched but! | Waving their krisses over their heads | One of the tunkus managed to or- gan‘ze in the midst of the turmoil. What passed as a water-chain. The! natives grabbed buckets »nd ran tol he river. retdrning at full speed. waving thair buckets and getting in She another's way. [ doubt if a sin gle bucket reached the fire with mor | than a cuptul of water in it. It wasj iso funny that I had 10 hide where no one could see me laughing. I heard! later that the old sultan laughed until| he was weak. "y He fearcd only that the wind might B l,:’eclll effort to get a rhinoceros for his* zoological gardens. He had made the same request the year befdre, and 1 had had a-standing order with my aly ths . agents In Trengganu, but nothing had | change ard bring tic fire on his pal- come of it. There was constant good- |ace: and he sent Mohammed Vusaf to natured rivalry between Mr. La Seuf:find me and ssk my advice. Yusaf and his son, who was director of the |and I decided that, if the wind shot- gardens at Perth, and, as I had pro. | ed any signs of changing. it would be Vlded the son with a rhinocerox. 1jbest to tear down some of the viliage | wanted to do as much for the falheh‘lc make a protecting strip. 1 went| T wrote to him, saying that I showld | back across the river to my house for communicate With my agents, @nd|dvnamit- to aié in the work of demo.| that. if they had nothing to report, Illition. However. jie wind did not would go out myself and see what I|chunge. and. in exactly i hundred mia- | could find for him. Accordingly, 1|utes after I saw the firsy smoke, the, sent All to Trengganu .with the mes- | fire had run its coarse. ! sage, telling him to t there until * k% * : I arrived. : . Had b a! There seemed to be so little chance: [N that time 125 houses had burned that the natives would capture a good to the ground. but no lives ha specimen that, after attending to thel, .. 1o And so it was not a seri calamity. since house buildmsg| business at the animal house. I gath- ered my kit ang started northward. | ous AU Trenggany | round Ali‘and som: |in that section of the country is of the - headmen waiting for me. &7 MY . St i I iad capector they huad neth. | stmpe atwer. The - adlays thgugh i ing to report. One of them said that [t a great joke that the stores that: he thought I could find a rhinocerosiwere destroyed belonged to the! O e Fon think %o | chinese: for the Chinese were always | *" he replied, cheating them. By the time evening . came it was @s if the fire had been arranged to give the population an! exciting and amusing holiday. ., 1 “there are traces. “But why haven't vour men been digging pits and capturing it.?" He made some reply to the- effect that his men were busy planting rice, and I let the matter drop. for I saw that he was unwilling to talk. After the headmen had left the house 1 questioned Ali. While waiting for me, Ali had drawn the headman out on the subject. It seemed that the na, some eloquence on the subject of my | express rifle, brought the headman to | me. Until late. we three sat on the! veranda_of my house. talking about | the rhinoceros hunt and the chances; of encountering a seladang. At last | the headman said that he would think ; IT A GREAT JOKE THAT THE STORES THAT WERE DESTROYED BELONGED TO THE THEM. tives.of the headman’s kampong were |about the matter and give me his reluctant to go out hunting the rhi-|answer the next day. ' noceras because they had en the 1 spent the morning with the sultan, tracks, not only of the beast they|who whas 1 laughing about the Were after, bust also of beasts they | water chain at the fire, and I returned ! wanted to avold—a pair of seladangs. | to my house early in the afternoon. ) "1 could understand, then, why. they | The headman and Ali Were waiting | were not anxious to go out rhinoceros | for me. It was decided without fur- hunting, armed with nothing but their | ther delay that we should go to Knives and musxle-loading guns; for| Rnwang. to captare the rhinoceros. the seladang ls, to my mind, the most| The natives at the headman's kam~ dangerous animal on earth. It is the| pong were #ot overanxious 16 take argest and flerceat of all wild cattle:: part in the hunt. and we spent several its sense of smell' and its vision are|days there, walting for them to make keen, and it tharges with_terrific| up their minds. It was useiess to | speed. Except for one baby seldang | urge them, and to force them, as 1| that died before it reached.a menage- | had the power to do, would have been rie,.not one has ever been captured | out of the question.. It was a matter alive. A number have been killed and | of waiting and working up their en- Mounted and are to be found in mu-| thusiasm. Al talked with them, seum: = cleaning my rifie and telling them b - about the “magic” 1 had performed. Then, after they shawed signs of be- ing properly impressed, I took my gun and began shooting explosive bullets into the trunks of trees. They gtood about, wide-eyed, watching the hu!-' : SRR IN meeting seladangs 2 hunter needs | “ all his._skill and courage. They! charge without an instant's warning, breaking. through. the jungle at in- ‘credible speed. Unlike most animals, e kA none the hcadman. canis they do 1ot try to protect themselves | with the word. that his men had de- holding. the, cided -that. they would like to go lets tear great holes in the trees. One evening, two days after our arrival A5y That night. Ali. after indulging in |~ ‘turned toward me. THEN THREE OF LS, ~ SELADANG WHEN HE CHAR rhinoceros hunting with me. ‘there was some chance that he would |a 3 e si s & T NIan i et | M o e e oments o ny| ana T RHShy sisht made majweak you to come and 1,will let vou select | water,and I needed only a moment to PO nine others—your best men” Now |uet ine viffe and climp back inw my 5 that the dsaire fo go rhinoceros hunt- | e THE ten “natives were scattered ng was alive in the village. new | Ants and mosquitoes swarmed over through the s that the selection of nine men wou'd | us. Teying to find some protection | . T Lt Askr e and make rivairy keen, and that ¥hose | “z'-inui’ them, we wrapped our hand ek and forth. They. of who were selected would be proud |and faces in serongs. But we wer Pourse. depended upon me and my to go. Neipless wpainst Insects as “magic” to save them, an ‘w “Shortly after dawn the next morn- Seiadangs e e maliice Maand In.er‘:::—ll;" ing we left the kampong and struck Morning came and wore away every minutd. realized that somethinz out toward the spot where the rhinoc- noon. and still the beast stayed by |must be dure immediutely. My thirst “ros had been located. We Kept Up u | his post. Then the fever Legan to|was becoming unendurable and my | good pace during the day, following | hit me and my head throbbed. I prop- the trails through the jungle and cul- | ped myself up against the trunk of Three days later we ' the trce, saving all my strength un- came upon signs of the rhinoceros il tie moment when 1 should need | ting our path. and began tracking the spoor. At sundown, as we were approach- ing an opening where we intended to make camp, we heard a crash in the jungle. “Seladangs!” screamed the Malays. * % % ¥ THE men dropped everything and jumped for the trecs just as two seladings came charging down upon us. Ali, who was carrying my rifle and who had become separated from me when the men rushed for the trees, started. toward me. Gauging the distance, I saw that he cou'd not make it, and 1 yelled to him to save himself. 1 jumped backward and made fora tree; then. as I pulled my- self up, I saw the bull seladang catch Ali_on his horns and toss him. 1 dropped t6 the ground again, ‘harri- fied; | wanted to get my rifie, and I forgot about the other animal. The cow seladang charged, and 1 barely had time to get behind the tree. Unconsciously I had drawn my parang, and. as the great chocolate- colored beast plunged past me, I slashed.- The blade hamstrung her; and she plunged, bellowing, into the jungle. - Then the bull, “instead of cafching -Ali's body on his horns, al- lowed it to fall to the ground and 1 swung up into the branches of the tree, just.out of hig ‘feach, and slashed downward as he ‘chargcd.: 1 failed to hit him, and 1 narrowly escaped falling. p We- could heur the cow bellowing turiously and dragging herself away through the.jungle. She did not re- furn.’ The bull charged back again and stood beneath me, pawing the ground and bellowing. Then: he tu‘rn(vdi, and attacked Ali's lvx:y, trampling upon it, time after time, ungil every bone was broken. lach ‘time the bull returned to the tree, I fired downward at him with my revolyer, but T might just as well have used a pop-gun—the little bul- lets had no effect. One dynamite ca tridge would have ended him, but my rifle” lay A oh -the2 ground five yards away. - Nfght came on, but the sela- dang did not leave. I remained poised throughout the night, waiting for a chance to jump down and fun for the rifle. Our tliirst became terrible, and there was little consolation in- the t ht that the scludang was prob- ably quite as thirsty as we were. But§: “But 1 | | 1 SO THAT K. HI S w NORTED AND DREW BACK. strength was Teaving mre rapidly. | called to the men 1o join me in my Hmb until we were ‘together. The seladang took “up his popition be- neath us, bellowing and pawing. 1 counted the arms in the party; it most. All's body was unrecognizable; he| in the had been . gored repeatedly toscing and he was simply 4 mass of | we had, besides our parangs. four torn., trampled flesh. The beast re-|spears and three krises. With the it again and again to sniff turned to paranss we cut.stout branches; then . L 1 DOUBT 1F A SINGLE BUCKET REACHED THE FIRE *VITH MORE THAN i NI L0 f Jment. tree. and- they swung from limb to| we tore our sarongs into strips and bound the- krises to the poles. As spears and krises were poisoned, and our only hope of victory lay in that fact. 1 knew that the boison would kill 2 man in a few minutes and 1 hac seen smaller animals die of it, but I did not know what effect it would huve on so large and powerful a brute as.a seladang.’ . - Next we gathered leaves and stuffed a sack, made from a sarong. full of them, and tied it with a string, so that we could dangle it in front of the be Then three of us, armed with the krises. took po- | sitions so that we should be-above the seladang when he charged. and lowered the sack. He snorted and drew back: then he put his strength into his legs and lunged forward. 1 drove downward with my kris, tearing a wound in his back near the hump: he whirled and charged again, and this time one of the natives blinded him in one eye. He withdrew a few yards. snort- ing. bellowing and pawing. He turned again on the body of poer Ali, as if to vent his anger on it. Presently we lured him back with the bundle of leaves. and he charged again. 1 scored another cut near his_hump. Thix charging and jabbing’went on i for fully an hour, and we seemed no nearer Success than when we started. 1t was impossible to get in a death- stroke,, and the poison; apparently { was hdving no effect upon him. In any event, I thought. we were wind- ing him. and. if we could last out another night. he would have to scek water. But there was another dan- |mer—one of the natives. crazed by thirst and cxcitement, might run | umok there in the tree.” I planned. if | We were forced to remain in ihe tree through the night. to take charge. diplomatically, of the Kkrise: and spears. 1 regretted having spent all the ammunition for my revoly an that uscless fusillade the day be ore. The game resolved itself into a attempt to pierce the seladang's sound eye: we lured him back. tim after time. but could not drive u kris jto the mark. Evening was approach- ing. and 1 thouzit the battle w for the da The seladang stood near by. ignoring. for the mo- the s+ick we were dianasi Rlood was flowinT from a wounds. When he t forwyrd we cried out in surpris He was weakening! He almosi to: tered away. as if he had forgottc alout us en though he had routed us com- pletely. treed us and kept us treed and killed my zood friend and as- stant. Ali, I felt xorry fo- the beast, jas 1 sat there watching him. He had {put up a magnificent fight, and. half idead, he would muster his remaini over oo lof Two Days and a Night in t.h_eJungle'of T rengganu By Charles May.er. - strength-and charge us again if we dared sct foot on the ground. It was his victory until the moment he died. * ¥ ¥ % , LIIS head drooped lower; then he went down on his fore knees, bellowing weakly. Presently his hind quarters slumped down, and blood be- gan to flow from his mouth. 1 dropped from the tree and walked forward cautiously to the spof where imy rific had fallen: then. armed, I stood watching him in the (hroes.of death. None of the Malays had fol- lowed me, and. when 1 told them to come down, they refused. Finally. to ! convince them that there was no dan- ger. 1 put a 50-110 cxplosive bullet behind the beast's shoulder. We dug a grave for Ali and buried ihim; ‘then we gathered our materlal l:nd started back for the kamponz. My fever was 8o bad that the medl- cine in my kit did me little good. for hours at a time. | was unconscious land had to be carrfed. At the kam- {pong. 1 rested for several days, gath- ering strength to make the trip to the cousl. When I went to sce the sultan at Trengganu, before taking the boai to Singapore, he regarded me severe- Iy and said: “Tuan, why have I given you big concessions land? 18 ‘it because I want you to go out and kill yourself in capturing animals™ | He seemed satisfied when | told him {that my days as an animal capturer were over, and thet, after a trip honte. 1 should return to Trengganu, to make my fortume in more peaceful fways, At Singapore. I saw my docto-. who looked me over and told me that any ! more escapades in the -junglé would i be the last of me. He ordered me to leave the coun'ry ot on-e. and I took { pussage on a steamer s. ling the next week. Then I hurried off to Palembanz. where I had spent my fi'st months amongz the Malays. 1t was Ali's home. {and 1 wes in duty hound to take his !kris back for him. The old hadji {receivid me affectionately and heard the siory of his nephew’s death “He dicd havely, tuan? he asked. “Yes. and in the faith The h:dji nodded; that he wanted o Know- Ali dicd a good Mahommedan. ~On what day did he die, tuan?" I could not rempmber what day it was, but 1 knew what the old mam hoped. and 1 answered, “Friday.” That meant that AN was ce:tuin of Parad 1 xaid good-hye to the hudji -and went back to Singapore 1o catch m bo: The fever was still -ackinz my hody, but, when | saw the Ited 1 knew that sea behind us unce mor {luck had been with me. (Cepsright, T by Asia) 'Government Mints Issued the Philadelphia mint ITH i azain coining silver dol- H Jars. a proposul that is pending or at least under vublic discussion *for the coinage of # two- pléce, and a proposiiion which was publiejy put forward some time ago that a two-and-a-half picce | was necded in trade. it is interestinz ito recall to“okd-timers"—if. indeed i the < have forgotten—that scveral kinds and deneminations of metallic ‘money not met with now were once | current among us. ! There have even b ! gestions that the United States coin i three, six and s.ven cent pieces. and | other odd and unusual coins, becaus: , the penny. nickel. e and quarter : do not altogeher meet requirements. Une does not have (o be old to re- i call the big copper ! two or three’varietics of three-cent { pieces. <he silver half-dime | lwenty-cent pieces once in tibn. ‘There were also the large cop- per pefnies” or “cart-wheel” pennica and sthe “white” pennies that our | srandfathers’ or used as money. persors ar. still living in the west. and ver: i lik(ly a good many in the east, who ! remember the fitty-dollar gold pieces. | or “slugs ™ that were minted in the | early days of California, and the SHOLLD BE ABOVE THE|same persons will-reeall thatethcre { were _gold c | nomjnations s ’cenls. These ns of such sma'l de- twenty-five and ffty were exceedingly in- of late sug- | randfathers | (Qdd Coins in Other Years authority on old coins contributed th s 1o the controversy: Lxplanaticn of the term “*hit" comes from the reference to thr waneturs srstem ‘n 1702 when the Spanish milied deHar brasme the wnit of moes in the United 1ates, A that time there lnpponed 4a . eined. undcr Npanish an- tharlts a-plees iif atear far cireulation in Mox- 1 fen reny ing. flic e'ghth part of n dollr. and wirich waw eatied n breal - after the name a e 1r I - m " ople ske o in ted Rntes, and ex b <hiflings long ofier th meis employed I'nzea dar ond dey gools advert'sd in shillings. its were made n dollars i 1o glitornin ant hee Tatted Ktate ther | n lent 1n Americnns on %n nish worde and ther W ol AF e oIt B wenld have prememe'at on o In thowe \ | rone i One w g One o form which meney n the United S'ates w ! that icalled *<hinp: ter currency.” PT: was <o called hecause of its size, ! cruse anvhody u-ed it as Plasters” and “poul- tices™ wore nopular for the treratmens iof menv ailments and it ix probah) convenient to handle, and uncount- | 1y, i i Baid s ut the nenple of that period wn able numbers were lost. Then. of ! familinr with some mur'!! ndvertla(r‘.- cours:. most of us remember “Ihc i pinster. between which and 1he papes one-dollar gold piecex, which did not circulate very well as'money in the | enst. but which were in demand ax ; "bangles” by young women, and were | ; ard New Year. People in the south and east spoke [of “Aps. “bits” und “levies” as late {#s the 70 though there were not then in circulation coins representing !the denominations which those old | pléces of money stood for. Tn news- | paper advertisements. vour grar.i- bits and she bought dress goods at ’u “levy a vdrd." The “levy” witiin the memory of men 121 =tood for cents and a coin called a “levy” was: in circulation in Maryland and Vir- ginia in colonial times. The theory is that the word came from a con- ) traction of the name of a coin called an “eleven-penny-bit.” The coin was not of American, but of Spanish coin- age, and sometimes it circulated un- der the name of a “real” and at oth- er times was called a “Spanish shil- 1ling.” Even though it was called an ! “eleven-penny-hit™ its value was one- | {eightir of a dollar or 121 cents “Fip” was a _contractjon of “five pen- !mea:- and there was a five-penny i coin’ in’ circulation in the colonies. | Tn colonial snd early renublican days foreign coins had a wide circu- Iation in the United States. Acts of the legislatures of Maryland and Vir- inia, in 1784. authorizing the Poto- mac .Improvement Company to col- lect tolls on the passage of hoats throuzh the c~nal around the Great Falls of the Potomac set forth the value in pounds. shillings and pence sterling of the following coins then current in the eastern United States and these 'f": Spanish milled pieces - of - eight. .English milled crowns, French silver crowns. Joan- |nen. half-foannes, moidores. English guineas, French guinens, doubloons, Spanish pistoles, French milled pis- toles and Arabian chequins. There has been @ great deal of con- troyersy over the origin of the word “bit” in the west. “Two bits. mean- inz a “quarter” is atill heard in the Folden and the -silver west. Four hits” is used to express “ha%’ z dol- 1ar® In England and the American colcnies. and in the early vears of the United ‘Stateg English four-penny pieces and penny: pieces were called-_“four-nennv-bits” and *six-| penny-bits.” the word ‘bit” carrying| the thought that they weré pieces of small money. Tho western word “bit™ seems fo'refer to a_coin that was current in the West Indies and Mexico and which was. no doubt, of Spanish coinage. This seems to Liave been worth 10 cents and to have been succerded by a coin, current in Mexico. which_was held to be worth 121 cents in United States currency. Probably it was the same coin which was called in the east.'the Mexlcan shilling. A good many years ago. when discussion of the meaning of “pit™ “two hits” amd “four bits" had of "its periodical eruptions, an ‘e 3 : % popular form of gift at (‘hri:flmun| mother xaw goods priced in fips a-d . Tcurrency thev saw resemblance. A mighty strain had hern nut upon the i finances of the United S'ates by the jetvil wr monev was scarc B h ~f Bad hein sens abroad to pav debis nnd mointain twe credit of the movernment. | 2mounts wer~ hoagdrd by Am [ The mavernmens fad issued “grosn: backs” and other forms of nona eurreney to take the pluce of silver dollars 2nd five and ten dollar gold pieces. and there was such a_demand for fractional currency that it wne thought practicable 1o issue notes far ten cents. twenty-five cents and ffty cents. ack of fractions! inco nme K into use. j conted as may p mps of ‘nl' [ denominations. Varions kind< of but tons were given a#s smal' change Wy merchan‘s, and thev would Inter take thesa butfons back as pavment for coods. Large firms iccued “serint” or their own “promisxes to pav a~d these vrivate notes wore zond with other firms. Ard vo thincs went. T was 1o meet such a <ituation that the government issued these smail paper notes. They were ahout, ons- third the size of a dollar bill. were I]Ir(n!fll in different colors. and the Vant icane. and ae deromination was in large figures in the center of the bill. These old shinplastegs are now found .main'~ in museuris, and many of them ar- vreserved in old families as xouvenirs, Chinese Sugar. HINA is the land of many firsi things, and some writers have se" forth that sugar cane was first grown and used there. Many Chinese au: | thoritfes do not accept this render- | ing of history and yield the honor for Iha\'lng first used the juice And érys- jtals of sugar cane to the people of |India. They ‘pofnt: out that ik the writings of Confucius in the sixth century befone Christ there is mens tion of oats,.beans. rice, bamboc amd i many other foods/butyno reference to | fugar cane. T is supposed. says u writer in North China Commerce, that in_ the third and second, centuries !B. C.. when Emperor Wu 'Ti con- quered south China and communica- tion began with southern India_the jsugar came was brought to China from the northwestern part of south | I ind the border province of Ben- H e old home of silk-growing ana! ithe home of tea. In the ye: B.C. the culture of sugar was gen- erally well spread over the xoutherf. part of China, and it is said to be ' of record thut a hundred or 50 ycurs. in before that time a jhad sent some of his w it &5 peror: colple “te Indix 10 learn SCiLiEg off stsue 0p.