192 A NATUBALIST IN CELEBES ch. viii 



Since this time only the highest land has been inhabited, 

 ■which the people call Sangir, or Soemangi, tears from the 

 lamentations of the great disaster.' 



Concerning the early history of the islands of the Sangir 

 group there is, as might be expected, much obscurity, and 

 the brief account I give below, compiled with some difficulty 

 from the accounts of several writers, can only be regarded 

 as approximately correct. 



Originally the island of Great Sangir was ruled by only 

 two kings, those of Kalongan and Tabukan, but towards 

 the close of the seventeenth century it was split up into 

 six kingdoms and a vice-royalty under the king of Siauw. 

 These were the names of the kingdoms : Taruna, Manga- 

 nitu, Cajuis, Limau, Tabukan, and Saban, and Tamakko, 

 under the king of Siauw. These were subsequently reduced 

 to four — Candahar, Manganitu, Taruna, and Tabukan, 

 Tamakko still remaining under the king of Siauw (79) . 



The kings of Sangir were for many years the rulers of 

 the greater part of the Talaut islands, and were able in time 

 of war to draw from them a considerable number of fighting 

 men as auxiliaries. 



It is doubtful when Europeans first came to Sangir, but 

 it is interesting to note that some of the ships which had 

 discovered the route to the Spice islands by way of Cape Horn 

 under the gallant and enterprising Magellan were among the 

 earliest arrivals on the scene (74). 



Magellan died in the Philippine islands on April 27, 

 1521, and after his death the Spaniards sailed to Cagayan, 

 Sulu and Borneo, but returned to Mindanao, and thence 

 sailed to Sangir and Tidore (7-i). 



' We reached a beautiful island called Sanghir,' we find 

 recorded in the journal (44) of the voyage. In 1525 one 

 of the ships of D'Elcano's fleet was wrecked on Sangir, 

 and from the treatment the sailors received at the hands 



