242 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



spreads downward, closely pursuing the retreating 

 sea, and tlie islands become exactly wliat they are at 

 the present day. 



The Banda group form but a point in the wide 

 area of the residency of Banda. All the eastern part 

 of Ceram is included in it, the southwest coast of 

 New Guinea, and the many islands south and south- 

 west to the northern part of Timur. Southeast of 

 Ceram are the Ceramdaut, that is, " Ceram lying to 

 seaward," or Keffing group, numbering seventeen isl- 

 ands. Their inhabitants are like those I saw on the 

 south coast of Ceram, and do not belong to the Pa- 

 puan or negro race. They are great traders, and con- 

 stantly "\dsit the adjoining coast of New Guinea, 

 where they pui'chase birds of paradise, many luris or 

 parrots of various genera, " crown pigeons," Mega- 

 podiidecB^ scented woods, and very considerable 

 quantities of wild nutmegs, which they sell to the 

 Bugis traders, who usually touch here at Banda on 

 their outward and homeward passages. I saw many 

 of the wild nutmegs that had been brought m this 

 way from New Guinea. Instead of being spherical, 

 like those cultivated here at Banda, they are ellipti- 

 cal in outline, frequently an inch or an inch and 

 a quarter long, and about three-fourths of an inch 

 in diameter. They do not, however, have the rich, 

 pungent aroma of the Banda nutmegs, and this, I am 

 assured, is also the case with all wild ones wherever 

 found, and even with those raised on Sumatra and 

 Pinang from seeds and plants originally carried from 

 these islands. Wild nutmegs are also found on Dam- 

 ma southwest of Banda, and on Amboina, Ceram, 



