Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/522

 506 DESCRIPTION OF In countries upon the equator, on the other hand, it is an object of comfort throughout the year, — from the frequency of rains, — on account of the land and sea breezes, — and of the prevalence of elevated tracts of land. During the summer of countries near the tropics, European habits give way to the climate, and cotton garments are the constant wear of the colonists, but at the equator the principal por- tion of dress with them is always woollen cloth. To the feelings of the natives, who are naturally less op- pressed with the heats than Europeans, woollens are objects of still more comfort ; and the consump- tion of them is commensurate with their means of obtaining them. The demand for European broad-cloths among the inhabitants of the Indian Islands is at least of as early date as our first direct intercourse with them, and was probably much earlier, it not being unlikely that small quantities were imported by the Arabs, received by the latter overland from the Venetians. I am led to this conjecture, from the circumstance of broad-cloth being known to the natives, not by an European, but an Arabian name. In our earli- est intercourse with them, broad-cloths were in great demand. The companions of Magellan bar- tered them readily, even with the natives of the Moluccas, who received them in exchange for their cloves. * With so strong a predilection in their
 * Tiie following interesting account is given by Figafetta