308 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCniPELAGO. 



continued in tlieir hands, the English not being able 

 to capture it during the early part of this century, 

 when they took Aml^oina and the neighboring isl- 

 ands. They now continued their strenuous attempts 

 to dislodge the Spaniards from their stronghold on 

 Tidore, until the besieged, finding themselves con- 

 stantly in danger, deserted the whole Moluccas to the 

 Dutch in 1664. 



As the Portuguese and Spaniards had been anxious 

 to convert the natives to Catholicism, so the Dutch 

 were anxious to convert them to Protestantism, but 

 they did not, however, labor in the same manner as 

 the former. Pigafetta informs us that in eight days 

 " all the inhabitants of this island " (Zebu, one of the 

 Philippines) " were baptized, and also some of the 

 other neighboring islands. In one of the latter we 

 set fire to a village " (because the inhabitants would 

 neither obey the king of Zebu nor Magellan). " Here 

 we planted a wooden cross, as the peo])le were Gen- 

 tiles. Had they been Moors" (Arabs), "we should 

 have erected a stone column, in token of their hard- 

 ness of heart, for the Moors were more difficult of 

 conversion than the Gentiles." In three days after 

 this conversion, these very natives murdered Magellan, 

 and in twelve days more they waylaid and butch- 

 ered twenty-four of his companions. The natives 

 were first instructed in Protestant doctrines by teach- 

 ers in 1621, and in 1623 the first Protestant clergy- 

 man came into the Moluccas. This faith has made 

 little progress, however, and, except the inhabitants 

 of Haruku, Saparua, and Nusalaut, and small com- 

 munities at the chief places of Amboina and Tern ate. 



