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famous* The Hills are, in great meafure, barren ; but the 
Valleys are very fruitful. The Soil is black, and the Sur- 
face affords Salt-petre. The Middle of the Ifland lies in the 
Latitude of about 3 0 4/ South. It is inhabited by Malay- 
ans , who are the original Natives. They are of a middle 
Stature, and tawny •, but the Women are of a brighter 
tawny than the Men, and have long black Hair, which 
reaches down to the Calves of their Legs. They have round 
Faces, fmall Mouths, Nofes, and Lips. They wear a Li- 
nen Waiftcoat, which reaches no farther than the lower 
Part of their Breads ; and, about their Middle, they wear 
a Piece of Cloth, about four Yards wide, and a Yard deep. 
This they roll round them, and it ferves them inftead of a 
Petticoat 5 for none are allowed to wear Petticoats, but the 
Dutch Women only : Neither are any of the Malayan Men 
allowed to wear an Hat, excepting only their King. Al- 
though the Malayans are the mod numerous, yet the Dutch 
are poffeffed of all the Sea-coad, and have here a drong 
Cadle, built of Stone, and mounted with dxty Guns, be- 
iides dveral other fmall Fortifications in other Parts of the 
Hand. Near this Cadle is a fmall Town, of about 100 
Dutch Houfes, all drongly built of Stone, Brick, and Tim- 
ber ; but all very low, none exceeding one Story, becaufe 
of Earthquakes, to which this Place is very fubjebt ; fo that, 
Ihould they be built higher, it would endanger the falling 
of them, as they often do, notwithdanding they are fo low. 
Whild we were here, we had a great Earthquake, which 
continued two Days, in which Time it did a great deal of 
Mifchief ; for the Ground burd open in feveral Places, and 
fwallowed up feveral Houfes, and whole Families. Several 
of the People were dug out again, but mod of them dead ; 
and many of them had their Legs or Arms broken by the 
Falls of Houfes. The Cadle-walls were rent afunder in fe- 
veral Places, and we thought, that it, and all the Houfes, 
would have fallen down. The Ground, where we were, 
fwelled like a Wave of the Sea •, but near us we had no 
Hurt done. As to the Dutch Policy in the Hand, it is 
governed by a Council, which confids of five Perfons ; viz. 
the Governor, the chief Merchant (or upper Koop-man ), 
the Malayan King, the Captain of the Fort, and the Fifcal, 
who is in the Nature of a Judge. Upon the Hand are faid 
to be about 350 Dutch Soldiers, with 120 or 130 Dutch 
Freemen and petty Officers, and near as many of the Chi- 
nefe , who live here for the Advantage of T rade, although 
they are not allowed to trade in Spice, that being a peculiar 
Trade, which the Dutch Company referve to themfelves ; 
fo that, I reckon, they can make in all about 550 fighting 
Men, Dutch and Chinefe. As to the Malayans , they would 
be but of little Service to them, but rather be glad to afiift 
any-body againft them. The Malayan Women are laid to 
be great Whores, of which they are not affiamed. They are 
foon ripe, and often married by nine Years of Age •, and 
many of them are faid to have Children by ten or eleven. 
All near the Water-fide are forced to be under the Dutch 
Government, which is very abfolute and tyrannical : For 
any fmall Fault they are feverely handled ; and many think 
themfelves well off, if they are not made Slaves, and wear 
an Iron upon their Leg during Life : Thofe, I fay, who 
dwell near the Sea-fide, are all fubjedt to the Dutch Govern- 
ment, and are Chriftians ; but thofe within the Country, 
who are called the Hill Malayans , are Mohammedans. They 
are always at War with the Dutch ; and, if they take any 
of them Prifoners at any time, they never give him any 
Quarter ; but, after they have kept him in Prifon five Days, 
without either Victuals or Drink, they bring him out, and, 
jfirft of all, rip up his Bread: with a ffiarp Knife, and take 
out his Heart ; at which there is great Rejoicing of all the 
Malayans that are prefent. Then they cut off his Head, 
and embalm it with Spice to keep ; and they who can fhew 
moft of thofe Heads, are accounted the moft honourable, 
and value themfelves much upon it. The dead Body is 
left expofed to the ravenous Birds of Prey to feed on. The 
Dutch^ to retaliate this Ufage, when they take any of thefe 
Malayans , load them with many Irons, and lay them in 
Prifon, where they lie for fome time ; after which they cut 
©ff their Nofes and Ears, and then they are fent to Prifon 
again, where they continue fome further time ; after which 
they are brought out the fecond and laft time, and then they 
rack them till they die. As for thofe under their own Go- 
Book 1 
vernment, if they are found guilty of Thieving* they often 
cut off their Nofes and Ears, and put a great Iron Chain 
about their Legs, and fo make them Slaves during Life. 
There were near 500 of thefe poor Wretches, who were in 
continual Slavery, whilft we were here ; and they always 
took care to keep them employed, fome in fawing of Tim- 
ber, others in cutting of Stone, fome in carrying Burdens, 
and other Labour. At Sun-rifing every Morning, they are 
let out of the Prifon in which they are kept, the Men in 
one, and the Women in another, and are immediately fent 
to work, where they continue till twelve at Noon; at which 
time they return back, and have an Hour’s time to dine. 
Their Dinner is always the fame, being a Pint of coarfe 
Rice boiled for each Man. At one they are fent to work 
again, where they continue till fix in the Evening ; at which 
time they are brought back, and go to Supper, which is 
always the fame, both in Quantity and Quality, with their 
Dinner. Soon after they have fupped, they are put into their 
Lodgings, and locked in, where they lie upon the bare 
Boards, and have feldom any thing but a large Piece of 
Wood, which commonly ferves five or fix of them for a 
Pillow. Sometimes thefe poor Wretches make fiiift to 
efcape ; but, if they are caught again, they are fure to be 
feverely handled. There was one of thefe poor Slaves, a 
Woman, who had been harffil^ ufed by the Dutch ; and, 
having once made her Efcape, and being taken, again, ffie, 
knowing how cruelly fhe ihould be ufed, cut her own 
Throat the Day before her appointed Punifhment ; after 
which, ffie was, by the Hair, dragged out of the Prifon all 
round the Town, and then hung upon a Gibbet by her 
Feet, with her Head downwards ; which is the common 
Puniffiment of any that are guilty of Self-murder. Such as 
are in Debt, and cannot fatisfy their Creditors, are, by 
them, turned over to the Company, who fend them to 
work among their Slaves. They have nothing allowed them 
but Rice and Water, as the other Slaves ; only they have 
Two-pence a Day given them towards the Payment of their 
Debts, which avails but little ; fo that it is very feldom, if 
ever, that any one gets abroad, till he is carried out dead. 
But tho’ the poor Natives are thus feverely handled, yet 
the Dutch themfelves will wink at each other’s Faults ; fo 
that it is a great Rarity for any one of them to be puniffied, 
unlefs it be for Murder. In any other Cafe, a fmall Mat- 
ter of Money will buy off a great Fault. The Women, that 
are Slaves to the Freemen, have all the Liberty that may be 
from their Matters and Miftreffes ; only they are obliged 
every Night to- bring them a certain Acknowledgment, 
which is commonly about Sixpence, and to find their own 
Victuals, Cloaths, &c. in Default of which, they are feverely 
ufed. They may whore and fteal, and all is well, if the 
daily Acknowledgment be but brought, and no Complaint 
be made againft them. The chief of this Hand’s Products 
are Cloves, Ginger, Pepper, Rattans, Canes, and fome few 
Nutmegs. The Clove-tree is not of a very great Body, but 
rather llender. It is in Height from twelve to thirty or 
forty Feet. The Branches are fmall; the Leaves about five 
Inches long, and two broad, and end tapering. One of thefe 
Leaves, rubbed between the Fingers, will fmell very ftrong 
of Cloves ; but, without rubbing, they have no Smell at 
all. The Cloves grow out at the Tip of the Branches, ten, 
twelve, or fourteen in a Clufter. They are firft white, then 
green, then of a dark-copper Colour,: which is the Time of 
their being ripe. The Manner of gathering them is, to 
fpread Cloths or Sheets round the Bottom of the Tree for a 
good Diftance ; then they ffiake the Tree, and all the 
Cloves that are throughly ripe, and fit to be gathered, fall 
down. The reft, which are left upon the Tree, they foi- 
fer to remain for about fix or feven Days ; then they ffiake 
as many more of them off as are ripe, and will' fall. This 
they do four or five times, till they are all down. The ufual 
Time of gathering of them is October and February. Thofe 
which are ripe in Oftober, are called the Winter Clove, this 
being the End of their Winter; and they are not accounted 
fo good or ftrong as the other. Thefe they commonly pre- 
ferve, and put up in fmall Jars of about a Quart, of which 
they tranfport great Quantities to feveral Parts of the World. 
Thofe which are ripe in February , are called the Summer 
Clove. Thefe are efteemed much better and ftronger than 
the former 3 becaufe they have the beft Part of the Summer 
to 
The VOYAGES of 
J 
