The trepang, which is so much sought for by the Chinese, and forms one of the chief articles of their trade with these parts, is a sort of sea-slug, of which I shall give a more full description hereafter. The Chinese consider them as a great delicacy, and they therefore have as great a taste for them as for the edible birds'-nests, the last of which are sometimes sold at the rate of four thousand Spanish dollars the _picul_ (133lbs. avoirdupoise.) When a trader arrives at Luan for the purpose of obtaining a supply of trepang, he commences by advancing goods to the natives, in proportions suited to the quantity he requires. The people then collect, and go out in search of the slug, which is found in the greatest abundance on the reefs, in from eight to ten feet water. When the tide is high they are taken by means of a fork or harpoon, but at low water they are easily caught by the hand. The fishery, which is only continued until a sufficient quantity has been obtained to supply the trader, rarely lasts more than three or four days, and it can only be followed with good success during the change of the monsoon. They never keep a stock in hand; and should no traders arrive among them during the year, the fishery is totally neglected. They have, indeed, but few inducements to carry it on with vigour, for a single fishing excursion will supply their wants. It is surprising that the people of the neighbouring islands do not come here occasionally to partake of the abundance of trepang which the reefs afford; for, although the people of Luan claim the exclusive privilege of fishing in the surrounding waters, they take little trouble in preserving it. The traders, whose capital consists of cloth, iron ware, gongs, &c., obtain the trepang at the rate of from twenty to twenty-five guilders the _picul_, and therefore make an enormous profit on disposing of it to the Chinese. Hogs and goats also form an article of export from Luan. The first, especially, are fattened without much difficulty or expense, on the shells of young cocoa-nuts and on the pith of the sago-tree. Fowls and ducks are in such abundance on the island, that the natives care little about taking the fish which swarm in the adjacent waters. Their habitations, like those of their neighbours, are very small, rarely exceeding twenty feet in length and ten in breadth. The roofs are thatched with the leaves of the palm-tree, which is found to resist the rays of the sun better than tiles or slates, while at the same time it affords perfect shelter from the rains which fall almost daily during the west monsoon. The floor of the house is raised four or five feet from the ground on wooden piles; and the interior, which contains only a few benches, and a stone fire-place for cooking their simple meals, is lighted by holes in the walls and roof, and by two doors, one at each end of the house, which are left open night and day.