, but
particularly the north-eastern coast. The principal quarters
(according to Mr. Crawfurd, my authority on this subject), are Patani,
Tringanu, and Kalantin. In the Straits a large quantity is produced in
the island of Singapore, and above all in Pinang, where the capital of
Europeans and the skill and industry of the Chinese have been
successfully applied to its culture. The western extremity of Sumatra,
and the north-west coast of that island, are the most remarkable
situations in it for the production of pepper, and here we have
Acheen, Tikao, Bencoolen, Padang, and the country of the Lampungs. The
production of the eastern extremity of Sumatra or Palembang is
considerable, but held of inferior quality. In the fertile island of
Java, the quantity of pepper grown is inconsiderable, nor is it
remarkable for the goodness of its quality.

The province of Bantam has always furnished, and still continues to
produce, the most pepper; but the culture of this creeper is fast
giving place in Java to staples affording higher profits and requiring
less care. The exports were, in the following years:--

piculs. | lbs.
1830 6,061 | 1843 3,737,732
1835 11,868 | 1848 461,680
1839 11,044 | 1851 95,037
1841 13,477 | 1852 135,690

The number of pepper vines in the district of Bencoolen, in the close
of last year, 1852, was as follows:--1,571,894 young vines; 2,437,052
bearing ditto; total, 4,008,946.

Up to the end of September there had been delivered to the Government
1,145 piculs white pepper, and 1,128 piculs black pepper, while of the
harvest of 1852 there were still probably to be received 330 piculs
white, and 4,967 piculs black pepper.

The south, the west, and the north coasts of the great island of
Borneo produce a large quantity of pepper; as early as 1721 it was a
staple commodity of this island. Banjarmassin is the most productive
place on the south coast, and the State of Borneo Proper on the north
coast. The best pepper certainly does not grow in the richest soils,
for the peppers of Java and Palembang are the worst of the
Archipelago, and that of Pinang and the west coast of Sumatra are the
best. Care in culture and curing improves the quality, as with other
articles, and for this reason chiefly it is that the pepper of Pinang
is more in esteem than that of any other portion of the Archipelago.
From the ports and d