CHAPTER V. 



AMBOmA. 



June ^%tK — ^We are this morning approaching 

 AmboinOj the goal of my long journey, and the most 

 important of the Spice Islands. Amboina is both the 

 name of the island and its chief city. In fonn the 

 island is nearly ellipticalj and a deep, narrow bay, 

 tbui'teen miles long, almost divides it longitudinally 

 into two vmequal parts. That on the west, which 

 forms the main body of the island, is called Hitu ; and 

 that on the east Laitimur, which in Malay means 

 the eastern lea£" Both ai'e composed of high hills 

 which rise np so abruptly from the sea that, though 

 this bay for one-thii*d of its length is nearly four* 

 miles wide, yet it perfectly resembles a frith or broad 

 river. Along the shores ai^e many little bays where 

 praus are seen at anchor, and on the beaches are 

 small groves of the cocoa-nut palm, which furnish 

 food and shade to the natives dwelling in the rude 

 huts beneath them. Higher up the hill-sides, large, 

 open areas are seen covered with a tall, coarse grass j 

 but the richly-cultivated fields on the flanks of the 

 mountains in Java nowhere appear. These grassy 

 hill-sides are the favorite burial-places with the 



