I make no doubt, that, if proper means were used, an excellent supply of stumps might be obtained. What I have said on this subject, when describing St. Helena, would, most probably, be found equally efficacious in many other insulated situations, under warm parallels. On the shoals which lie within the channel of Mozambique, immense numbers of cowries, called by us ‘_Blackamoors’ teeth_,’ are dredged up: these being current as money in most parts of India, are exchanged, together with live oxen, for arms and ammunition, hatchets, knives, nails, &c. The oriental practice of dying the hands and feet red, by means of the _hinna_, which here glows wild in the utmost luxuriance, prevails throughout the island; especially among the females, who color their lips and gums black, with a peculiar preparation, similar to the _missy_ of Hindustan, in order to make their teeth _appear to advantage!_ Although the men are extremely jealous, the women of the lower class are allowed to walk the streets, provided they wear veils. We must not by that word suppose that any particular part of their dress is so termed, or separately made for that purpose: the only mode of concealing the face consists in drawing the cloth, or sheet, which is thrown over the head, so as to cause its meeting forward, leaving a very narrow opening to enable the wearer to see her way. With respect to the mercantile operations of the Johanna people, I cannot afford a clearer idea than attends the description given by Alwi, a man of some consequence on the island, to Sir William Jones, who has recorded it in the following words. He said, ‘His country was poor, and produced few articles of trade; but if they could get money, they might easily procure foreign commodities, and exchange them advantageously with their neighbours in the islands, and on the continent. Thus, with a little money,’ said he, ‘we purchase muskets, powder, ball, cutlasses, knives, cloths, raw cotton, and other articles brought from Bombay; and with these we trade to Madagascar for the natural produce of that country, or for dollars, with which the French buy cattle, honey, butter, and so forth, in that island. With gold, which we receive from your ships, we can procure elephants’ teeth from the natives of Mozambique; who barter them also for bars of iron, and ammunition; while the Portuguese in that country give us various kinds of cloths, in exchange for our commodities. These cloths we dispose of lucratively in the three neighbouring islands; whence we bring rice, cattle, a kind of bread-fruit, which grows in Comora, and slaves; which we buy also at other places where we trade: all this traffic we carry on in our own vessels.’