35^ Brief Account of the IJlands ofBanda. 



work towards the fea. In this fort the troops are quartered, 

 and the public granaries are kept ; but the ftorehoufes for 

 fhe nutmeg and mace are on the outfide of the fortrefs, 

 and fituatea near the government houfe. Above Fort Nafiau, 

 on an eminence., ftands the caftle of Belgica * ; an old pen- 

 tagon with round towers at the angles, and a furrounding 

 wall with fmall baftions; but it has no ditch ; it is faid to 

 have been built by the Portuguefe. The next fortrefs of any 

 confequence is fltuated on the ifland of Banda Lantoir, and 

 is called Fort Holandia. It commands the weftern entrance 

 into the harbour of Lantoir; but the works are very flimfy, 

 and quite defencelefs towards the land. 



At a firft view, the (ituation of this fortrefs appears infi- 

 nitely preferable to that of any in thefe iflands for the refi- 

 dcnce of the fupreme government, not only on account of its 

 being the nrongeft, and the moil commanding fituation, but 

 from this ifland being the largeft, as well as the richeft, in 

 refpect to the produce of fpices. Its unhealthfulnefs, however, 

 proves a fufficient objection; and numbers of houfes, now 

 mouldering into decay, fhow that the experiment has been 

 tried, and found not to anfwer : moreover the water is faid 

 to be bad, and the vapour, which fometimes defcends from 

 the volcanic mountain of Gonong Api, is reprefented as being 

 particularly noxious. Thefe circumftances feem to be con-^ 

 firmed by the experience of the Wirtemberg company, who. 

 formerly garrifoned this fort; and out of a hundred men 

 eight died, and forty fell nek, in the courfe of two months. 



Befides the above-mentioned forts, there are a number of 

 redoubts and military pofts all round thefe iflands, for the 

 purpofe of preventing Smuggling, and of protecting the plant- 

 ations and the villages fltuated on the fhores againft the pre- 

 datory invafions of the Papoo pirates, who infeft thefe feas in 

 large prows, and frequently land and carry off the inhabit- 

 ants, and whatever elfe they can take by furprize, though, 

 they dre feldom hardy enough to attack where refiftance may 

 be expected. The two redoubts of Kyk and the Kap, both 

 fituated on the fouth fide of Gonong Api, were originally in- 

 tended to defend the weft channel of Lantoir harbour ; but, 

 owing to the irruption of the volcano in 1778, at the fame 

 time that a dreadful hurricane laid wade the whole of the 

 iflands, the lava flowed down in fuch quantities as to form 

 a confiderable promontory between thefe batteries and the 

 channel they were intended to defend, fo that they are now, 

 jn a great degree, ufelefs. Some material improvements, 



* The g in this word is pronounced hard as in give, and the lyllable 

 Jpng. 



however, 



