ITi ■ 



EASTERN GEOGRAPHY. 



affinities!, and representing the aboriginal elements before the arm til 

 of the intruding Malaya frcniithe west. 



In the north- vest lies the large island of Mortoi (ifora), now sc panl-il 

 by M«n't;ii Strait from the northi-m peniiimilu, union with which would 

 grenitly urtoouw the resciublnuce already noticed between Jiluloaud CclelM.-a. 

 lUtt n striking oilference is presented' Ly tlie usi^jt of the "West ■ « % 

 that of Cidehes buiug destitute of ndets, while that of Jisolo is fiin^J hy 

 the chain uf tlie 



Moluccas Proper, stretching from the cuntral ruudetts Bnnili- 

 wards to Datyan, which corresponds at the southern with Mortai at 

 the northern extremity. Taking tliem in their order, from north to 

 south, the members of this highly volcanic and fertile chain are 

 Tcnwte, Tiilur, Muky**H, with the com] li tie Knitm, l.nvid^ Huue 

 uninhabited islets and reef*. Still further south is the totally unin- 

 habited Oby group (Grent and Little Oby, &c), midway between 

 Snlln and Misol. The natives of the true Moluccas and liachiau ore 

 alt Mohnmuiedaiis of Muluy stock, speaking several distinct MuUiy 

 tongues, and governed by sultana under Dutch aupervlftion* Great 

 Oby is 45 miles long and mountainous, with peaks 5000 feet high. 



The Sudtnrtu of Toronto and THor were formerly amongst the most 

 pnwt'rftil in the Arehipidnpi, Titling fnvr scitti-rvd territories, which com- 

 prisi >L I iri,v trans it* iMst . ■ a • - 1 imrih t, ~> !i )»:^ Ji3.il... \tv.it NVw < ; uun-it, and 

 intervening insular group** Hut the Dutch tire now virtually masters of 

 both Stiit^. with n Uf^nl'Mit .it Mu> [>™n <>f 'I'l-i n a-, \v\wv i 4 warred all 

 the trade of the Moluccas, in the eastern seal. This trmle BQDskti chiefly of 

 tortoise-shell, trepaug, beeswax, inassoi-hark, hud liidn-of-panvdisf. 



Coram— Ke — Next in ake to Jilolo, and scarcely better known, 

 Ceraui a tenuis in aomewhnt the Some relation tu the other inland* of 

 the southern, thut Huluiahera dries to llmee of the northern group, 

 Stretching 160 miles east and west, with an overuse breadth of 35 

 miles, and an area of nearly 7000 square miles, it alls up much of 

 the apace between liuril and New tlutnea, and towards the weft is 

 nearly divided into two unequal part* hy deep inlets on the north 

 and south QOXfc The surface i# very mountainous, the whole inland 

 being t ravened by a densely-wooded ratline running from east to west, 

 at 0000 to 10,000 feet high. The sago-palm, which grow* wild, 

 n'lpiui* ul.'iiii-l.ince «f I'hkI l' * Hie |m.m1 tri.ijr.-^ lujiiiuii ami exf-r?, 

 sago-cake being much used, like our 11 sailor 1 * biscuit*," by the neitivo 

 aeafuring populations. 



Tin' t-.jlk r,f i]ir. inSi.il stunts ,iri' of P;i| n\ m [yjn.' nml sjrpch, with n 

 considerable intermixture of ilalay tdcuionU, especially mi the coabt. 



