304 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 



Salibabu group, peopled by a timid, inoffensive race of 

 semi-pagans, with a language closely allied to Sangirese. 

 They live in large communal houses like the Dyaks of 

 Borneo, practise circumcision, and are little acquainted 

 with the metals, their weapons even being made of wood. 

 At the time of Dr. Hickson's visit they were suffering 

 from some form of malaria, which, aided by total neglect 

 of sanitary laws, had then killed 3000 out of the 9000 

 inhabitants. The largest island in the group is 35 miles 

 ill length. 



Due east of Celebes, beyond Peling Island, is the 

 Sulla or XuUa group, consisting of two large islands, 

 Xulla Tarlabu and XuUa Manggala, stretching in an east 

 and west direction for about 100 miles, divided only by 

 a narrow strait about the centre, with a smaller island, 

 Xulla Basi, to the south. The western island is scantily 

 inhabited by a race allied to those of the eastern penin- 

 sula of Celebes and the island of Bangaai ; the others 

 appear to have no indigenes, but to be colonised by the 

 Malays from Ternate with their Papuan slaves, which 

 has given rise to the report that these islands were 

 inhabited by a people of Papuan race. Xulla Basi is 

 much the most important island. It is about 26 miles 

 long, is well cultivated, and produces much wax and 

 honey. At Sanana Bay is a Dutch resident official, and 

 a small fort has been built. Coal of an inferior quality 

 is found on the island. The whole group is nominally 

 subject to Ternate, but both geographically and zoologi- 

 cally the islands belong to Celebes. They are inhabited 

 by babirusas and deer, while their birds, which are toler- 

 ably well known, resemble those of Celebes much more 

 closely than those of the Moluccas. The Peling and 

 Togian groups are inhabited by tripang and turtle lisher- 

 meu, and very Httle is known of them. 



