soo 



PAPUAN ISLANDS. 



miles long, with a mvid bottom. Piamts and Tamuay are ifles of 

 Salwatty. no note, llill more ibuth ; but Salwatty^ the moft remote of 

 the Papuas, and of a confiderable fize, is divided from the 

 coaft of Neiv Guinea by the narrow ttreight of Galoway. It is 

 of a lozenge fliape, very populous, and governed by a rajah. 

 In 1770 the rajah, with more than a hundred of the Papuan 

 boats, from that illand, Arrou, and Myxoal, made the tour of 

 the ifles, and failed up the Itreights which divide Gilolo from 

 Batchian. The Dutcb^ apprehenfive of fome mifchief, made 

 their chieftains prefents of cloth, &:c. Their ftay was fliort, 

 ■for after fifliing and hunting a few days, they difperfed and 

 went home, the rajah excepted, who, with a few of his 

 people, remained behind, without offering the leaft offence. 

 The Dutch treacheroufly inveigled him to Ternate, and even 

 made him a prefent of a bag of dollars, to be laid out in any 

 of the European articles he chofe out of their magazines. He 

 entered the fort with a few of his men, and was immediately in- 

 formed that he was a prifoner. His people inftantly gave figns 

 of running a muck to fave their m after, or to fell their own lives 

 dearly. The generous rajah whifpered to them an order of for- 

 bearance, and to endeavor their own elcape, which they ef- 

 fected. The prince gave up his cris, and was foon tranfported 

 to the Cape, to join the miferable exiles on Robben IJland. 



The Dutch miglit have fome caufe for their fears, it being 

 cuftomary for the Papuans of Isew Guinea and Salwatty to af- 

 femble in great numbers in the months of March and April 

 (when the feas are generally fmooth), and make war on Giloloy 

 Ceraifiy Amboina^ and as far as Aulla Brjji. In 1765 they plun- 

 dered 



