There must he something very unushal in the climate of
Timor to permit of wheat being grown at so moderate an
elevation. The grain is of excellent quality, the bread
made from it being equal to any I have ever tasted; and
it is universally acknowledged to be unsurpassed by any
made from imported European or American flour. The
fact that the natives have (quite of their own accord)
taken to cultivating such foreign articles as wheat and
potatoes, which they bring in small quantities on the
backs of ponies by the most horrible mountain tracks, and
sell very cheaply at the seaside, sufficiently indicates what
might be done, if good roads were made, and if the people
were taught, encouraged, and protected. Sheep also do
well on the mountains; and a breed of hardy ponies in
much repute all over the Archipelago, runs half wild; so
that it appears as if this island, so barren-looking - and
devoid of the usual features of tropical vegetation, were
yet especially adapted to supply a variety of products
essential to Europeans, which the other islands will not
produce, and which they accordingly import from the
other side of the globe. •
On the 24th of February my friend Mr. Geach left
Timor, having finally reported that no minerals worth
working were to be found. The Portuguese were very
much annoyed, having made up their minds that copper is
abundant, and still believing it to be so. It appears that
from time immemorial pure native copper has been found
at a place on the coast about thirty miles east of Delli.
The natives say they find it in the bed of a ravine, and
many years ago a captain of a vessel is said to have got
some hundreds-weight of it. Now, however, it is evidently
very scarce, as during the two years Mr. Geach resided in
the country, none was found. I was shown one piece
several pounds’ weight, having much the appearance of
one of the larger Australian nuggets, but of pure copper
instead of gold. The natives and o the Portugouese have
very naturally imagined, that where these fragments come
from there must be more ; and they have a report or
tradition, that a mountain at the head of the ravine is
almost pure copper, and of course of immense value.
After much difficulty a company was at length formed to
work the copper mountain, a Portuguese merchant of Singapore
supplying most of the capital. So confident wrere they
of the existence of the copper, that they thought it would
be waste of time and money to have any exploration made
first ; and accordingly sent to England for a mining-
engineer, who was to bring out all necessary tools,
machinery, laboratory, utensils, a number of mechanics,
and stores of all kinds for two years, in order to commence
work on a copper-mine which he was told was t
already discovered. On reaching Singapore a ship was
; freighted to take the men and stores to Timor, where they