TIIK MOLUCCAS 317 



no garrison appears to have been established. The 

 Dutch now came upon the scene, and in 1613 contrived 

 to conclude a treaty with the Sultan of Ternate by which 

 the latter agreed that the trade in cloves should be the 

 exclusive property of Holland. Under the pretext of 

 the infraction of the terms of the agreement, the various 

 islands were soon reduced. Little by little the Moluccas 

 thus passed into the hands of Holland, and though many 

 revolts occurred, the intervals between each became 

 longer, and in 1681 the last expiring effort was made, 

 and made in vain. Thenceforward there have been no 

 events worthy of record except the temporary occupation 

 by the British at the period of the Napoleonic difhcidty. 

 The Eesidencies of Ternate and Amboina share the 

 administration of the islands at the present day. The 

 former comprises a larger area of territory than any other 

 residency in the Netherlands India, extending from the 

 middle of Celebes to the eastern boundary of Dutch New 

 Guinea, a distance of nearly 1500 miles. Such a 

 division appears at first sight most unfitting and arbitrary, 

 but it is not so in reality, for the territory thus united 

 represents (together with the Amboina Eesidency) the 

 ancient kingdoms of Ternate and Tidor. The Sultans of 

 these two insignificant islands were in bygone days the 

 most important in the archipelago, the Sultan of Ternate 

 ruling southern Mindanao, the Sangir group, the greater 

 part of the eastern half of Celebes, the Timor, Buru, and 

 almost all the Ceram group ; while the Sultan of Tidor's 

 possessions lay chiefly to the east, and comprised half 

 Gilolo and Ceram, and the whole of western New Guinea 

 and its islands. It is thus in virtue of their treaties 

 with the Tidor potentate that the Dutch claim sovereignty 

 over New Guinea up to the 141st degree of east 

 longitude. 



