CONVERTED 

 TO ChR 

 ANITV. 



SPICY ISLANDS. 



He is fovercign of Ouby, Ceram^ and Coram, an ifle in Lat. 4"^ :;', 

 to the fouth-eaft of Ceram. So prevalent is the Mahometan re- 

 ligion, that there are on this little fpot thirteen mofques ; this is 

 the moft eaftern extent of the religion of the arch impoftor. 

 The inhabitants of all the fultan's dominions are Mahometans ; 

 they paid the higheft refped; to Tuan Hadjee, pilot of Mr. For- 

 reji's veffels, becaufe he was a defcendant from 2.n Arabian Scberif. 

 So zealous are they in their religion, that they always go to fea 

 with the Alcoran, and have a place fet apart for their devotions 

 called the Koran, as was the cafe in Mr. ForreJY^ veffel. 



Lajitau-i fays th.at there was a total converfion of this ifland, Molucca 

 and the reft of the Moluccas, to Chriftianity, by the labors of to''chrL\'*i- 

 St. Francis de Xavier : the fultan himfelf was baptized : but thefe 

 changes produced civil wars, for whole villages foon abjured the 

 new faith ; the Portuguefe, as may be imagined, took an active 

 part in behalf of the believers. It is faid that as late as the 

 year 1722, the king of T'ernate was a Chriftian, but thofe of 

 Tidor and Batchian had relapfed into Mahomet anif'm. Thefe 

 three monarchs firmly believe that their anceftors were the 

 wife men of the Eaft, who vifited our Savior at Bethlehem, and 

 who are fo well known by the name of the three kings of 

 Cologne. 



The Fortugiiefe for a time remained in favor with the na- 

 tives ; but unable to bear their habitual tyranny, efpecially what 

 they ftiffered in 1530, united in a general league of all theillands 

 againft their oppreflbrs. 



We find in Furchas t, that the Dutch had a caille on this 



* Vol. iv. p. 76. f Pilgrim, i. 699. 



A a 2 ifland 



'^n 



