CELEBES. 





Celebes, small bunches when ripe, the rice is built into stacks, 

 .and after remaining thus about fourteen days is car- 

 ried home. To preserve it from the weevil, it is not 

 cleaned from the stalk, and, by occasional airing, it 

 may be kept fit for use during two years. With simi- 

 lar precautions, Indian corn may be preserved six 

 months. Abundance of sago is obtained, and may 

 be called a substitute for bread among the numerous 

 inhabitants of Celebes. It is a preparation from the 

 soft pith of a tree, which is described as resembling 

 the cocoa tree, but with a larger leaf, and about two 

 feet in diameter. Being felled, the trunk is divided 

 into pieces of about ten feet long, which are split up 

 by means of wedges. The pith is taken out, pound- 

 ed with a mallet, and washed in a river, after which 

 the sago is separated from the bran, and carried 

 home in utensils made of leaves. It is dressed or ba- 

 ked without water ; if put aside in a pot, the sago soon 

 becomes moist and forms into a cake, in which state 

 it will keep several days; if not required for immedi- 

 ate consumption, it is laid in a stream, where it may 

 be preserved six or eight months. The sugar cane 

 is cut into joints, from which the outer skin is peeled, 

 and the joints pounded to softness in large mortars. 

 In the next place the substance is pressed, and the 

 liquor boiled until it attains a certain consistence, 

 when it is taken off the fire and cooked. This is 

 kept for making sweetmeats, the only use to which 

 it is applied. 



Thus the natives of Celebes appear imperfectly 

 skilled in agriculture ; but profiting by the soil and 

 climate, they obtain abundant crops, part of which 

 are exported. 



Great confusion prevails in any accounts that can 

 be procured of the civil divisions of territory in this 

 island. It is evident, however, that they are numer- 

 ous, and that the inhabitants of each have a certain 

 peculiarity of manners, which distinguishes them from 

 those of the rest. Six or seven principal divisions 

 hare been named, which seem independent of each 

 other. Goa or Goach, Bony or Pony, Wajoo or 

 Tuadjoo, Sopin, Selindrim, and Mandhar. Besides 

 these, are Tello, Sandrabony, and various territories, 

 which may partly be synonymous with the former. 

 Dispersed throughout these divisions are different 

 tribes, called by some Barreo, Tobogees, Tremany, 

 and Uncuila, who inhabit towns and villages chiefly 

 towards the coast. The British are best acquainted 

 with the town of Macassar, from a Dutch settlement 

 being established there. It was lately calculated to 

 have contained about 10,000 native inhabitants, of 

 whom 2000 were capable of bearing arms. Two 

 towns, Parlow and Dungally, are situated in Parlow 

 Bay. The former is of considerable size, consisting 

 of about 500 houses, and is the capital of a fertile 

 district called Kyly, or Uncuila. It is a place of 

 considerable trade, and the residence of many wealthy 

 native merchants. The latter is towards twelve 

 miles distant, and independent of its government. It 

 stands on a point of land, and is defended by a fort 

 or block-house situated on a hill, in which are about 

 15 swivels, SO blunderbusses, and 200 small arms. 

 Considerable trade is carried on from both these 

 towns, and numerous artificers inhabit both. The 

 town of Tomboo stands at a little distance from the 

 sea, on the banks of a river flowing into a fine bay of 

 the same name, It is less compact than the others, 



and contains about 700 inhabitants, who have only Celebes, 

 few small arms for their defence. They are a war- N<III *^/^ < ~ > 

 like race, but seem possessed of very little prudence ; 

 for though abundantly stored with provisions, they 

 dispose of them so regardlessly, that they are not on- 

 ly often obliged to purchase a supply from other 

 places, but sometimes reduced to want. iJesides 

 these towns, there are many more along the western 

 coast, and towards the south parts of the island, which 

 have been more frequented by Europeans than the 

 others. 



With respect to the trade and manufactures of the 

 natives of Celebes, as their wants are few, their com- 

 merce is limited ; neither do they carry on any re- 

 gular trade with more distant countries, especially 

 from having scarcely any manufactures that would be 

 an object of acquisition, though valuable to them- 

 selves. However, they weave a quantity of very fine 

 cotton cloth, chequered red and blue, which is great- 

 ly esteemed in Inuia, arid is imitated on the coast cf 

 Coromandel. They also weave strong white cotton 

 cloths, from the abundance of cotton on their island, 

 which they are very expert at cleaning. Beautiful 

 silk belts, wherein they fix their creeses or daggers, 

 likewise are manufactured ; and they make a kind of 

 paper from the inner bark of a small tree. They un- 

 derstand the art of working in gold and silver ; and 

 can cast brass guns six feet lotig, which will car- 

 ry a half pound ball. A number of slaves are annu- 

 ally sold to traders from Batavia or elsewhere. These 

 unfortunate beings are generally kidnapped, and be- 

 ing secretly sold to Europeans, are carried away in 

 their vessels. A Chinese junk or vessel of large size 

 annually arrives at Macassar, and the goods being 

 exposed to sale in a large building specially adapted 

 for the purpose, are very soon disposed of among the 

 natives, the Dutch, and other settlers. Arms and 

 ammunition, iron and steel, blue and white cloth?, 

 and opium, are imported. Gold, rice, sago, tortoise 

 shell, and cotton cloths, are, besides the articles al- 

 ready named, among the exports. 



Several remarkable peculiarities are seen in the go- 

 vernment of the petty states of Celebes : each is ruled 

 by a rajah or chief, some of whom succeed by inhe- 

 ritance, and others are elected to the dignity. The 

 female sex is not excluded from the highest degrees 

 of sovereignty. Something resembling parts of the 

 feudal systein, as recognised in Europe, is also seen 

 in the island. Formerly the rajah, or king of Goach, 

 as he is denominated by the Dutch, was the most 

 powerful in Celebes, although the territory of Bony 

 it is said could send 70,000 fighting men into the 

 field. But the policy of that nation having been to 

 maintain one tribe against another, his power has de- 

 clined. Bony is governed by a rajah called fajong, 

 who is elected by seven chiefs, enjoying this privi- 

 lege by hereditary right, and which may rest in wo- 

 men by descent. The Pajong is under controul of 

 400 representatives of the people of three different 

 degrees, who have a voice in the government of the 

 country. Wajoo or Tuadjpo is governed by a rajah, 

 elected from the chiefs of the highest rank, who are 

 chosen from forty others of lower rank, but who ne- 

 vertheless are said to be the actual rulers of the state. 

 Besides these there is still another order, who, as be- 

 fore, have some controui in state affairs. The couf> 

 cil of forty, of which women may be members equal- 



