TRADE OF AMBOIXA. 249 



were not many vessels and praus at anchor off the 

 city at that time, but I was informed that in about a 

 mouth later many would arrive, for the dry sea- 

 son, ^vith its clear sky and light winds, had set in 

 about the 15th of September, when we arrived from 

 Banda. 



About -two hundred vessels and praus of all 

 kinds come to Amboina in a year. The praus are 

 owned and commanded by the natives themselves, 

 but most of the vessels are commanded by mestizoes 

 and owned by Arabs and Chinese, who carry on the 

 larger part of the trade in the eastern part of the 

 archipelago. Since a line of steamers has been es- 

 tablished, these Arabs and Chinese avail themselves 

 of that means of importing their goods from Batavia 

 and Surabaya, where they are received dii'ectly from 

 Europe. The total value of the imports is from a 

 half to three-quarters of a million of guilders. The 

 chief article is cotton fabrics, and the next rice, which 

 is shipped here all the way from Java and Sumatra 

 for the sustenance of the troops. Very little rice is 

 raised on any of these islands, because there are no 

 low, level lands suitable for its cultivation. In the 

 Bandas the whole attention of the population is so 

 devoted to cultivating the nutmeg that they are en- 

 tirely dependent on other islands for a supply of 

 food. The most important exports from this island 

 are cloves, cocoa, kayu-puti oil, nutmegs, various 

 kinds of woods, and mace. Formerly the inhabitants 

 of Ceram-laut, Goram, and the Arru Islands were ac- 

 customed to bring their tripanc;, toi-toise-sLell, para- 

 dise birds, and massoi-bark to tliis port to sell to the 



