TIMOR. 
181 
nearly resemble tlie Soutli Sea islanders tlian any of the 
Malay tribes.''* 
When alluding to the island of Hores, he farther saya : 
" The natives live chiefly in the interior, except at the 
east end, whilst the sea-coast and ports are occupied to 
the westward by colonies from Sombawa and Celebes, 
Very little is known of the manners and customs of the 
natives : in their appearance they approacli more nearly 
to the Papuans than the natives of Timor, both in form 
of countenance and hair.^f 
The dai'ker-coloui'ed inhabitants of Timor are con* 
gregated near the south-east coast or "hinder part" 
(achierwal) of the island^ as it ia termed by the 
Dutch. The slaves, who once constituted the chief 
article of export from the Portuguese settlements on 
the island; were chiefly obtaiuedj either by force or 
barter, from these tribes, and were usually brought to 
the settlements overland. Their Papuan characteristics 
are so strong, that they are commonly termed " negroes'' 
by travellers who see them at Macao, where large 
numbers have been imported from time to time ; but 
although I had examined many individuals at Dilli, I 
never succeeded in detecting a pure tnfted character in 
the hair — which I had adopted as a test for genuine 
Papuans — until the year 1850, when I met with a native 
of Timor at Singapore, who had this characteristic in 
its fullest extent. He had been brought from DilU at an 
early age, and had been thrown on his own resources by 
the geueral emancipation of the slaves of Malacca j; when 
• "Noticea," &c., App. p. 6. 
t Idem, App. p. 11. 
