54G 
THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. OH ALLEN GEE . 
by the Dutch, and have since rapidly increased, and the Malays said that alligators are met 
with in the swamps all over the islands. 
The village of Dobbo was not in the least altered in the few years which had 
elapsed since Wallace’s visit. Its line of Macassar trading vessels was drawn up on the 
beach. It is built on a spit of sand, extending a quarter of a mile from the shore, and 
about a cable broad ; it consists of three rows of houses, divided by two narrow streets. 
The houses, of the usual Malay type, are raised on heavy piles, and have bamboo lath 
sides and floors, the whole covered with a high pitched roof of thick thatch. The ground 
floor, i.e., the space between the piles enclosed by matwork, is used as storehouse and 
shop, and the floor above as the residence of the Malay families. Plate XXIII. shows a 
view up the main street of Dobbo ; some timber for shipbuilding is seen lying about. 
The village appeared fairly healthy. The inhabitants procured their water from wells 
close to the town, near a burying place, a very unsanitary arrangement, which might give 
rise to sickness. 
The Arrou group is nominally under Dutch authority. The Eesident at Banda pays 
periodical visits to Dobbo, and inquires into the condition of the people, but there is 
no regular governor or magistrate on the islands, and the inhabitants do not appear 
to need one. 
The Dutch have established a coal depot at the east point of Wamma Island, called 
by the Malays “Blakan Ammara,” which consists of a long shed 90 feet by 30 feet, and 
about 20 feet high, the coals contained in it being estimated at 300 to 350 tons. The 
water was deep right up to the beach on which the coaling shed was built, and boats can 
probably load at any time of tide, whilst ships requiring coals can find secure anchorage 
at a distance of about half a mile from the point. 
The sun was excessively powerful at Arrou, the glare on the white sandy beach being 
felt more severely than anywhere else during the voyage. In wading in search of sea- 
weeds on the coral shore platform, the water was positively found much warmer than 
was pleasant to the legs. The water was very shallow, only half way up to the knees, 
and the bottom white ; the unusual heating being probably caused by the strong 
insolation on the water in these conditions. 
Frequent excursions were made on shore with guides. The manner in which these 
guides met a heavy storm of rain was most amusing ; they had, of course, no umbrellas, 
but did not wish their clothes, which consisted merely of two cloths, one worn round 
the shoulders, and the other round the loins, to get wet. They therefore simply 
stripped naked, rolled their clothes up tightly inside a large Screw-pine leaf, and so 
walked along till the rain was over, when they shook themselves dry and put their 
clothes on again. 
A very large species of Screw-pine ( Pandcmus ), a common East Indian littoral plant, 
with fruit as big as a man’s head, is found along the shore. The stem, though large, is 
