705 



SUNDA ISLANDS. 



SUNDA ISLANDS. 



706 



from them large quantities of war. The straits that divide the islands 

 are said to be unsafe. 



Sundalicood island, the native names for which are Jindana and 

 Sumba, lies south of the Strait of Sapy and of the island of Flares. It 

 extends from north-west to south-east about 100 miles, with an average 

 width of 50 miles. This island forms a table-land of considerable ele- 

 vation, most parts of the southern coast of which are visible at the 

 distance of 30 miles. Its surface however is only undulating, except 

 towards the west, where there is a peak, which can be seen at the 

 distance of 60 miles. The inhabitants are Haraforas. Tlie Dutch had 

 succeeded in forming a commercial establishment there : they were 

 however expelled, because they cut down some sandal-wood trees, as 

 the inhabitants have the belief that for every tree of this kind which is 

 cut down one of the natives loses his life. The Bugis of Endc in 

 Flores obtain from the island large quantities of bees'-wax and birds' - 

 uest*. The coast is generally steep and without soundings. Anchor- 

 age is found only on the north-east coast in Padewahy, or Baring's Bay. 



Between Saudalwood and Timor are the islands of Sawu and Rotti. 

 Sawn is about 20 miles long, and on an average 10 miles wide. It ia 

 hilly throughout, and has a stony soil, but in good seasons it is toler- 

 ably fertile. The supply of water ia very scanty. The cultivation of 

 the ground is much neglected : it produces only small quantities of 

 maize, millet, kachang, and sweet potatoes, and sufficient cotton for 

 home consumption. In dry seasons, when the crops fail, the inhabit- 

 ant* derive subsistence from the sugar of the lontar-trees, which they 

 barter with the Bugis. The domestic animals are those of the other 

 islands. The wild animals are hogs and deer. The inhabitants have 

 frizzled hair, and resemble those of Timor. 



Jlotti extends from south-west to north-east about 60 miles, with nn 

 average width of 20 miles. The surface is a succession of low hills 

 and narrow valleys ; the soil is very stony but productive. Thi riven 

 are few and small. Kice in small quantity, with maize, millet, sweet 

 potatoes, and kachang are cultivated, but the crops are only equal to 

 the consumption of the inhabitants. In dry seasons they depend on 

 the sugar of the lontar-trees. Cotton is grown. The horses, or rather 

 ponies, are better than those of Timor, but not equal to those of 

 Sumbawa, The population is stated to exceed 50,000. The inhabit- 

 ant*, who resemble the Hindoo*, have long lank hair, whilst nearly the 

 whole of the inhabitants of the surrounding islands have frizzled hair. 

 They are governed by chiefs, who acknowledge the supremacy of the 

 Dutch. Some of the chiefs profess Christianity, but the majority are 

 pagani, The export* consist of palm sugar, horses and buffaloes, 

 and bees'-wax. The import* are cotton, musket* and ammunition, 

 and manufactured goods. 



The island of Timor u the largest of the Lesser Sunda lelands, being 

 300 miles long from south-west to north-east, and on an average 45 

 miles wide. A chain of mountains runs through the middle of the 

 island, and some of the summit* attain such an elevation that Flinders 

 compares them with the mountains of Teneriffe. Though the greater 

 part of the island consists of a succession of narrow valleys, and bills 

 or mountains with stetp sides, there are a few large plains, of which 

 one of the largest is at the bottom of Coopang Bay. which U more 

 than ten miles square. All the riven are small, and descend so rapid 

 a declivity, that none of them is navigable beyond the tidal point. 

 The principal object* of agriculture are rice, maize, millet, pulse, 

 sweet potatoes, and cotton. Maize U the principal article of food ; 

 and next to it the sugar of the lontar-palm. In some parts of the 

 island a species of sago-palm is found, and used as food. Small 

 quantities of sugar-cane are raised, but not for the purpose of making 

 sugar. Oranges, jack-fruit, &c., abound. The domestic animals are 

 bones, buffaloes, sheep, goats, dogs, and cat*. The wild animals are 

 buffaloec, deer, hogs, a species of large wild-cat, and monkeys. Gold 

 is found in several of the riven. Native copper also is said to abound 

 in the Philaran Mountains, which are situated near the centra of the 

 north-west side of the island. The natives are of a very dark colour, 

 with frizzled bushy hair. They are below the middle size, and rather 

 slight in figure. The chiefs in the southern coast acknowledge the 

 authority of the Dutch. The eastern part of the north coast, as far 

 west as Batoo-Gedc', is under the authority of the Portuguese. 



Coopang is situated near the western extremity of the island, and 

 is a large bay, abont 12 miles wide at the mouth, and upwards of 20 

 miles deep. It is formed by the island of Semao on the south-west 

 and a projecting point of Timor on the north, and has excellent 

 anchorage. Fort Concord i, the principal settlement of the Dutch, is 

 situated on the south side of the bay. The trade of this place is con- 

 siderable, and is raid to amount annually to rather more than 

 1,200,000 Spanish dollars. The principal articles of export are wax, 

 sandal-wood, earth-oil, and cattle. The imports are cotton-cloth, 

 chintzes and handkerchiefs, China silks, China ware, China umbrellas, 

 muskets, gunpowder, iron, coarto British cutlery, and lead. The 

 Chinese and the Bugis visit this place. 



The Portuguese have three settlements on the northern coast, 

 Batoo-Qede', Dilli, and Manstatoo. Dilli is the principal settlement. 

 Tho'harbour is open to all northerly winds, but is defended from the 

 swell of the sea by a reef of rocks, which extends across it, leaving 

 only a narrow passage at the north-west end, by which large ships 

 enter the harbour. The town is rather populous, but meanly built, 

 and the small houses of which it consists are scattered over a large 



GIOO. BIT. VOL. IV. 



tract. The commerce of this place seems not to be inferior to that of 

 Coopang. The principal articles of export are slaves, wax, sandal- 

 wood, benzoin, and ambergris, most of which are exported to Macao, 

 except the slaves, which go to other islands of the Indian archipelago, 

 especially to Celebes. The imports are the same as at Coopang, with 

 rather a greater proportion of Chinese goods. 



To the north of Timor is the island of Wetter, or Wetta, as it ia 

 written in Keppel's ' Indian Archipelago.' This island is about 65 

 miles long and 20 wide. It ia a high rocky mass, but much less 

 elevated than Timor. The Dutch had formerly a small establish- 

 ment on the south coast. The bulk of the population are Haraforas, 

 but on the coast there are some Malay settlers. Between Wettft and 

 Timor are two small islands, Babi and Cambing. 



The Seravatti group, situated between 9 and 6 S. lat, 127" and 

 131 E. long., consists of two rows of islands, which extend between 

 Timor and Wetter on the west and Timorlaut on the east The 

 southern series consists, besides several smaller islands, of which the 

 greater number are uninhabited, of seven islands, which, from west to 

 east, are Kisser, Lettu, Moa, Lakor, Locan, Sermatte or Serawatti, and 

 Baber Baba. 



K'ater is about 18 miles in circumference, and the surface is hilly. 

 In the valleys, which have a fertile soil, and on the sides of many of 

 the hills, rice is grown, with the sugar-cane, yams, sweet potatoes, 

 tobacco, cotton, and many culinary vegetables, scarcely an available 

 spot being left uncultivated. It contains between 7000 aud 8000 

 inhabitant*, some of whom are descended from the Dutch. Two 

 dialects are spoken, which differ much. The natives are of middle 

 size, generally well made, in colour dark brown, hair straight or 

 slightly curled. This island is well provided with buffaloes, cattle, 

 pigs, sheep, and fowls. The island is the resort of traders from 

 Celebes, Ambovna, and Bauda, and therefore an emporium for foreign 

 goods, to obtain which it is visited by the natives of the islands to the 

 eastward. The coast of the island is steep and rocky, but there are 

 many small inlets for boat*. 



Lettu, which lies farther east, and is larger than Kisser, is surrounded 

 by reefs at the distance of about half a mile. The interior id moun- 

 tainous, but surrounded by a lower tract, which at a short distance 

 from the shores rises into hills, on which the villages are built Its 

 productions are similar to those of Kisser. Moa U perhaps twice as 

 large as Kisser. It has good anchorage on the east side. The surface 

 is level, except that there is a high mountain, called Karban, at its 

 north-eastern end. This peak resembles that of Tencriffe, but is not 

 so high. The greatest part of the island is used as pasture for 

 buffaloes, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. Lakor consists of coral rocks, 

 is low and level, and only covered with a thin layer of earth. It 

 contains no large trees, except cocoa-nut palms, and nearly the whole 

 island U covered with low bushes. There is no fresh- water; tho 

 inhabitants use rain-water, which U collected in tanks. Small 

 quantities of maize, yams, and sweet potatoes are grown. Many hogs 

 and sheep are kept, and also a few buffaloes. Locan is surrounded 

 by submarine reefs, on which there are several small islands. It con- 

 sists of an elevated mountain, and is inhabited only at the north- 

 eastern base of the mountain, where there are extensive plantations 

 of cocoa-nut and sago-trees. Ooats and hogs are plentiful. But the 

 most important productions are trepang and tortoise-shells. Sera- 

 watti, or Sermatte, is not visited by Europeans, because no anchorage 

 is found near it It consists of a mass of rocks, running east aud 

 west, and rising abruptly out of the sea. It produces rice, maize, 

 yams, &c., which, with some domestic animals, are brought to Locan 

 for coarse cloth and a few other articled. The most eastern of the 

 southern row of the Serawatti Islands is Bobber, or Babd. It is 

 nearly 30 miles long, with an average width of 10 miles. The surface 

 is mountainous. It has good anchorage at the western extremity, 

 near the village of Tepa, All the villages are in the west aud south- 

 east districts. The articles of cultivation are maize, yams, and cocoa- 

 nuts. The domestic animals found in the other islands are plentiful 

 here ; there are also wild hogs and goats, and many kinds of birds. 



The northern series of the Serawatti Islands contains, besides a 

 few smaller islands, four larger ones, Roma, Damma, Nila, and Seroa. 

 The three last mentioned contain active volcanoes, which constitute 

 the connecting link between the volcanoes of the Suuda Islands and 

 those of the Malaccas. Kama is about 24 miles in circumference, and 

 has an anchorage on the south and another on the north-west coast. 

 The surface is a succession of hills and valleys. The island is covered 

 with trees, except on the south coast, which alone is inhabited and 

 cultivated. The inhabitants have made come progress in civilisation. 

 The articles of export are wax, sandal-wood, edible birds'-nests, and 

 great quantities of tortoise-shell. Damma is mountainous, but not 

 very high, except the Peak of Damma, near the north-east coast, 

 which always emits smoke : at its base there are hot springs. It is 

 not very fertile, and the inhabitants live mainly on the produce of 

 their cocoa-nut and sago plantations, cultivating only a little maiee, 

 yams, and sweet potatoes. Game, wild bogs, and many kinds of 

 birds are very abundant. A'ila is a round mass of rocks rising with 

 a steep ascent from a deep sea. There is a volcano on the east side, 

 and on the north aide an anchorage for small vessels. Its productions 

 for export are hogs, fowls, and cocoa-nuts, which are brought to 

 Bonda by the islanders themselves. Siwa, or .Seiro, is likewise a 



