Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/359

INTERCOLONIAL COMMERCE. 343 strength by the country trade, for the pusillanhnity of the Indian lascars renders them utterly unfit for any mih'tary purpose. On this score, there- fore, it deserves no exchisive privilege. The expence at which it is conducted is so enormous, that it is obvious how easily it would give way to a trade conducted with more skill and economy. Such is the waste of labour in the construction of an Indian ship, that, notwithstanding the low price of the principal materials, she cannot be construct- ed near so cheap as a British vessel. The interest of the block costs ten per cent, instead of five per cent. For every hand that a British ship requires to navigate her, an Indian ship requires three, yet an Indian seaman's wages are within 20 per cent, as high as a British seaman's. In a word, even allow- ing for the low price of provisions in Bengal, and the abstemious habits of the iascar, a British ship, as far as wages and provisions alone are con- cerned, will be navigated, at a moderate calcula- tion, about 45 per cent, cheaper than an Indian ship.