CELEBES OR MACASSAR. 



fquadron, landed and defeated them, and their faithful ally the 

 king of Macaffar^ a. potent prince on the weft fide of the ifland, 

 and near the fouthern end. Here the Portuguefe had their colony. 

 The Dutch expelled them, rafed their churches to the ground, 

 and feized all the effeas of the Jefuits, whom they juftly con- 

 fidered as their greateft enemies. The king made one more at- 

 tempt to expel thefe invaders ; but was unfuccefsful, and obliged 

 to fubmit to the Batavian yoke. The EngliJJj had alfo for a long 

 time great intercourfe with this illand, for the fake of the rich 

 productions of the Spicy ijles, till at length the fubtile Dutch 

 lucceeded in preventing all commerce with Macajfar. The Dutch 

 have now the monarch of this ifland, and all its other princes, at 

 their command, fo they may more truly be faid to be the governors 

 of the country. The Chineje are the only people who are per- 

 mitted to trade here to fiipply the wants of the iflanders. The 

 Macajfars have a great commercial fifhery around their ifland ; 

 they go in fleets of more than a hundred fail, which confifl of 

 proas from twelve to twentytons burden, and carry from fixteen 

 to twenty men ; they go out with one monfoon, and come in with 

 another, and fend their fifli to the China market ; the produce of 

 its own feas not being equal to the demand of that overftocked 

 empire. It is remarkable that all thefe proas carry Dutch colors. 

 The ifland itfelf exports gold, rice, fago, wax, and flaves ; but 

 its chief ufe to the Dutch is to keep other nations at a diftance 

 from the great repofitories of fpices. Our old voyagers feldom 

 failed of touching at Celebes to profit of the trade. 



I AM forry to oblerve, in the account I meet with of all the Slavi 

 iflands, even from Swnatra itfelf, that the infamous flave trade 



prevales 



87 



