by electric or magnetic power, the supply of which from the earth is inexhaustible.
There are also great iron-smelting establishments and foundries, where the ironwork for the tidal engines is made. Iron ore exists in large quantities on some of the islands, and tin, copper and lead are found on the larger island. Gold and silver are also obtained among the mountains, and precious stones of all descriptions abound. Glass is extensively used in the submarine constructions, and there are several large manufactories for this very necessary commodity. Charcoal, which the extensive forests provide in abundance, is used for all the furnaces.
The principal traffic of the country is in food, and the great staple article of food is turtles, immense flocks of which are kept in enclosed spaces for the supply of the inhabitants.
The capture of these animals in the open sea employs a large number of people, and the tending and feeding them in their pens requires a considerable staff of keepers. In fact, turtles are to the Colymbians what sheep and cattle are to us. The butchers' shops are hung round with the prime joints of these most succulent reptiles. All kinds of excellent fish are caught and sold for food. Land-animals abound in the islands, and eggs, poultry, venison, and pork enter largely into the consumption of the people.
The great iguana, which formerly used to abound in the forests, is now but rarely met with in a wild state. But large numbers of them are reared for the market, as their flesh is esteemed a great delicacy, and very much resembles the breast of a chicken. The eggs, too, are much used for food, and differ from our hens' eggs in consisting almost entirely of yolk,
