982 



MALAYSIA. 



Suracarta, a large Javanese town, composed of a cluster of small villages, with 100,000 

 inhabitants, and Jocjocarta, of about the same size, are capitals of powerful native States in the 

 eastern part of the island. The Dutch maintain powerful garrisons in this quarter. Sourabaya,, 

 in this section, is a flourishing seaport, with a sale and spacious road, and a fine naval arsenal. 

 Its position makes it the chief mart for the products of the surrounding country, and a conven- 

 ient place of refreshment for ships bound to China or the Philippines. Population, 50,000. 

 The Dutch early formed settlements in Java, but during the wars of the French revolution 

 these fell into the hands of the English, who, however, restored them to their former masters 

 at the peace of 1815. 



Timor is tlie largest of the chain of small islands lying east of Java ; it belongs chiefly to 

 the Portuguese and Dutch. 



6. Borneo. This island, the largest in the world after New Holland, is but imperfectly 

 known to us. It is 800 miles in length by 700 in breadth, with an area of 300,000 square 

 miles, and is supposed to contain about 4,000,000 inhabitants. It is separated from Celebes 

 by the Strait of Macassar, and from Java by the Java Sea. The Dutch have settlements, or 

 ports upon the western, southern, and eastern coasts, but the greater part is in the possession 

 of independent native powers. Borneo is a town of some commerce, and is built chiefly upon 

 piles in the midst of canals. It is the capital of the kingdom of Borneo, in the northwestern 

 part of the island, and appears to contain about 10,000 inhabitants, many of whom live in boats. 

 Banjermassin is the capital of a native kingdom, on the southern coast, under the control of 

 the Dutch. 



Off tlie eastern coast of Borneo is the Saoloo or Sulitk Jlrchipelago, consisting of about 30 

 small islands ; the inhabitants are almost entirely devoted to piracy, for which their situation on 

 one of the most frequented routes of these seas, gives them great facilities, and in which from 

 300 to 400 vessels are constantly engaged, with the sanction and indeed the participation of 

 their prince. Yet the people of this Eastern Algiers are very much given to commerce. ^ 



7. Celebes. Celebes or Macassar, is a large island of extremely irregular shape, being 

 composed of 4 great peninsulas. It has an area of about 55,000 square miles, and its popula- 

 tion is estimated at 3,000,000. Most of the island is occupied by native States, which are 

 tributaries to the Dutch ; the latter have some ports, but no considerable town on the island. 

 The site of the once populous town of J\Iacassar is now occupied by the petty village of Vla- 

 ardingen. The Macassars and the Bugis are the leading tribes of the island : but the former 

 have fallen from their ancient supremacy. The latter are divided into several powerful States, 

 and are the most civilized and improved, as well as the most commercial people of the Archi- 

 pelago. 



8. JMoluccas or Spice Islands. This group comprises a great number of islands, belonging 

 to the Dutch, or at least subject to them. The principal are Gilolo, Ceram^ Banda^ Amboy- 

 «a, Ternate, and Tidore. Banda, and the small islands around it, are exclusively devoted to 

 the culture of the nutmeg-tree, of which mace and nutmeg are the products. In order to se- 

 cure the monopoly of these valuable articles, which are produced nowhere else in perfection, 

 the Dutch bribed the chiefs of the other islands to root out all the trees in their dominions, and, 



having exterminated or expelled the natives 

 of Banda, parcelled out the land to a few 

 Europeans called park-keepers, who cultiva- 

 ted the plantations by slaves or convicts. 

 Amboyna and the neighboring islands are de- 

 voted to the cultivation of the clove-tree, in 

 regard to which the same policy has been 

 pursued ; but this odious system appears now 

 to be abandoned. The seas around these 

 islands abound in whales. 



9. Philippines. This archipelago com- 

 prises about 1 ,000 islands, many of which are 

 large and populous, and contains above 

 3,000,000 inhabitants. The Spaniards claim 

 these islands, but there are several powerful 

 States, and numerous small tribes, which 

 Inhabitants of Luzon are entirely independent. The two largest 



