Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/526

 510 DESCRIPTION OF From the cheapness of the raw material, the small portion of skill and labour employed upon it, com- pared to that employed on some other materials ; and the enhancement of its price in Europe from excessive taxation in the only country that has skill to export it, the natives of Asia, who acquire our art, compete with us more successfully in this de- partment than in any other. A pair of handsome shoes, after the newest London fashion, is made in Java for 18d. and a pair of boots for 5s. These articles are not indeed durable, nor water-proof, but they are a light comfortable wear, and very gene- ally supersede the use of the parallel articles of European manufacture, a few of which only are worn by the colonists of highest rank. The na- tives, instructed by the British during their stay in Java, now manufacture good carriage harness on the same easy terms. They have been much less successful in the more complex and difficult art of manufacturing saddles, and English saddlery is therefore an article in considerable demand amonjr the European population. Of all articles of import into the Indian Is- lands, iron fonns the most valuable. These coun- tries have hardly any iron of their ovm, and for this commodity, so indispensable to their comfort, and, indeed, existence, as civilized communities, the islanders are indebted to strangers. Among the causes which have contributed to retard their pro-