383 SPIC Y ISLAN DS. 



place. In 1621, before the Dutch had determined to fix the feat 

 of cloves at Amboina^ they had here three fadlories, and a caftle, 

 very difficult of accels by fea, placed on one of the rude cliffs 

 which bound the iiland, and built, after they had difpofleffed 

 the Spaniards, in 1609. 

 MoTiR. Motif is the next, in form, but not in fize, refembling the 



former. Fitzherbert fays, *' That Venus and voluptuoufnefs had 

 " here their habitation." 

 TiDOR. Tidor is a fine and fertile ifland, and the feat of a monarch. 



There were violent wars waged between that prince and the 

 king of Ternate, which the Europeans took advantage of. In 

 the time of Charles V. the Portugueje and Spaniards fought 

 againft each other for the poffeffion of thefe rich fpots, and with 

 great animofity ; the people of Ternate fided with the firft, and 

 thofe of Tidor and Gilolo with the latter. By the ceflion of the 

 Moluccas to the Portugueje by Charles, thefe feas were for a 

 time left in peace. The Dutch next arrived, in 1607, and made 

 a fruitlefs attack on the Spaniards ; they even fuffered a lignal 

 defeat, in 1610, off this very ifland ; their admiral, Willert, was 

 defeated and flain, and three capital fliips taken, by the gallant 

 Spatiiard, Don Juan de Sylva ; but at length, by the affiftance of 

 the king of Ternate, the Hollanders made themfelve-s mafters of 

 the fort, and were received by the monarch of Tidor in the moft 

 friendly manner. The ifland had been four times moft bar- 

 baroully ravaged by the Portugueje and Cajiilians. The Tidorians 

 naturally confidered thefe new Europeans as their deliverers 

 from moft inveterate enemies. Here are twenty-five mofques, 

 the chief of which belohgs to the fultan. As to his temporalities, 



he 



