THE TIMOR GROUP 'Ai~> 



miles wide. It is believed to be chiefly composed of tli(! 

 sedimentary rocks, and no volcanoes are known thougli 

 they may quite possibly exist, as our knowledge of the 

 island is very scanty. The northern coast is very high, 

 forming precipitous, wall-like cliffs, which are about 1200 

 feet high, and remarkably uniform. The south-eastern 

 portion is a level plain covered with grass and isolated 

 trees. The people are very numerous, although the 

 estimate of 400,000 which has been given is probabh' 

 much exaggerated. They are of Malayan race, ami 

 possessed of a certain civilisation. Their religion appears 

 to be a vague nature-worship with some traces of Hindu 

 influence. The country is well cultivated, rice and 

 Indian corn are grown, and goats, buffaloes, and ponies 

 bred. Of the latter, 1496 were exported, chiefly to Java 

 and Mauritius, in 1889. Birds' nests are found in large 

 quantities, and some beeswax and tortoiseshell, but 

 sandalwood is almost unknown. The trade is carried 

 on by Bugis, who visit the island regularly in their 

 praus, and a few Arabs settled at Nangamessi — known 

 to the Dutch as Waingapu — on the north coast. 



