CHAP. XXXII.] AMOUNT OF TRADE. 281 



it decomposes. Though there is no limit to the number 

 of wives a man may have, they seldom exceed one or two. 

 A wife is regularly purchased from the parents, the price 

 being a large assortment of articles, always including 

 gongs, crockery, and cloth. They told me that some of 

 the tribes kill the old men and women when they can no 

 longer work, but I saw many very old and decrepid people, 

 who seemed pretty well attended to. No doubt all who 

 have much intercourse with the Bugis and Ceramese 

 traders gradually lose many of their native customs, 

 especially as these people often settle in their villages and 

 marry native women. 



The trade carried on at Dobbo is very considerable. 

 This year there were fifteen large praus from Macassar, 

 and perhaps a hundred small boats from Ceram, Goram, 

 and Ke. The Macassar cargoes are worth about 1,000/. 

 each, and the other boats take away perhaps about 3,000/. 

 worth, so that the whole exports may be estimated at 

 18,000/. per annum. The largest and most bulky items 

 are pearl-shell and tripang, or " beche-de-mer," with smaller 

 quantities of tortoise-shell, edible birds' nests, pearls, orna- 

 mental woods, timber, and Birds of Paradise. These are 

 purchased with a variety of goods. Of arrack, about 

 equal in strength to ordinary West India rum, 3,000 boxes, 

 each containing fifteen half-gallon bottles, are consumed 

 annually. Native cloth from Celebes is much esteemed 



