Chap. I. Captain W iliu 
to ripen in •, whereas the Former have not above a Months 
fair Weather, and all the reft is rainy and cloudy ; fo that 
the Rays of the Sun cannot come to them; It is the com- 
mon received Opinion, that Cloves, Nutmegs* Mace* and 
Cinnamon, grow all upon one Tree ; but it is a great Mif- 
take. Theie Trees commonly bear fixty, feventy, or eighty 
Pounds Weight at a time ; and, every fix Years, they are 
fure to have a double Crop. There is a vaft Number of 
thofe Trees upon this Ifland, which are very carefully looked 
after, and a Regifter kept of them in the Company’s Books. 
They are numbered once a Year ; and beyond a certain 
Number they will not let them increafe, but cut them 
.down, and deftroy them, for fear of Jeffening .the Price. 
All thefe Trees belong to the Butch Company, or their 
Freemen • but thofe that belong to the Freemen, the Com- 
pany fets them an Allowance as to their Number ; and, if 
any one brings up more than what the Company allows of* 
he is feverely fined, and his Trees forfeited ; and whatfo- 
ever Cloves the Trees belonging to Freemen produce, the 
Freemen are obliged to fell to the Company, after the Rate 
of Sixpence a Pound : So that, properly, all the Cloves in 
the Ifland are ingrofled into the Company’s Hands. And* 
if any Freeman, or other, fells or conveys away to the 
Value of ten Pounds, all that he has in the World is for- 
feited to the Company, and he becomes a Slave during 
Life. The Inhabitants ufed formerly to cheat the Butch in 
the Sale of their Cloves * for it was common with them to 
put their Cloves in a large Sheet* which they hung up by 
the four Corners* under the Cieling of their Houfe ; and 
upon the Floor, immediately under the Cloves, they fet a 
large Tub of frefh Water* which the Cloves* being very 
dry, and of an hot Nature, would* by degrees, draw up* 
and make a large Addition to their Weight* without being 
eafily perceived. But now the Butch are grown too cun- 
ning for them •, for they always try them, by giving them 
a fmall Filip with their Forefinger on the Head; and then, 
if the Clove be throughly ripe, and no Deceit has been ufed, 
the Head will break afunder, like a Piece of thin brittle 
Glafs ; but, if it has been watered, then the Clove will 
be tough, and the whole Clove will fooner bend, than 
the Head fly off. There are fome few Nutmegs upon this 
Ifland, the Trees of which are much like the Peach ; but 
they grow moftly at the Ifland Banda , from whence two or 
three Ships Loads are exported every Year. The Fruit of 
this Tree confifts of four Parts : The firft and outward 
Rind is like that of a green Walnut ; the fecond is dry 
and thin, which we call Mace ; the third is a tough thin 
Shell, like that of a Chefnut ; and the fourth is the Ker- 
nel, included in the faid Shell, which we call Nutmeg. 
There are faid to be upon this Ifland fome Mines of Gold. 
One of the Malayans fhewed me fome of the Ore, which, 
he told me, was taken out of them ; but this was a great 
Crime, and, if the Butch Ihould know it, he faid, he 
lhould be feverely punilhed ; for this is an extraordinary 
Secret, which, as much as they can, they keep from all 
Europeans. Although, as I faid before, they can raife 
about five hundred and fifty fighting Men, upon occafion* 
in this Ifland ; yet once every Year they are forced to fpare 
a great many of their People, which are fent away upon 
other Bufinefs ; for, commonly, on the 20th of Odtober , 
each Year, eight or ten Days fooner or later, the Governor 
of this Place goes his Progrefs, attended with about 75 
Orambies, fome with 100, fome 80, fome 50, and fome 
40 Paddles apiece, in each of which go two Butch Soldiers. 
I reckon there may be in this whole Fleet, of Butch , about 
150, or 1 60, and about 5250 Malayans , reckoning 70 
Malayans to each Oramby one with another. Thefe 
75 Orambies are divided into three Squadrons, the firft 
confifting of 20 Orambies ; which Squadron is always 
commanded by one of the Council, who carries a yellow 
Flag. The Rear confifts of 20 more, and is commanded 
by the Fifcal, who commonly carries a red Flag : The reft 
are in the middle Squadron, and attend the Governor, 
who hath twelve Butch Soldiers, a Corporal, and a Ser- 
jeant, for his Body-guard, and carries a blue Flag. The 
Governor carries with him the Indian King, and all their 
Princes, for fear they Ihould rebel in his Abfence. In this 
Order they go and victual the Eaftern Iflands, but efpe- 
cially thofe that do, or are capable of producing Cloves 
3 
. M FDNNELL 145 
or Nutmegs ; and, at every Ifland they go to, they have 
an additional Strength. The Time of their cruifing in this 
manner is commonly fix Weeks, during which they cut 
down* burn, and deftroy, all the Clove and Nutmeg-trees 
they can find* except fuch as are referved for the Com- 
pany’s Ufe ; for all or moft of thefe Iflands do or would 
produce Cloves • but they will not fuffer them, becaufe 
they have enough to fupply all Europe at Amboyna alone ; 
and even there alfo, as I faid before* they will permit but 
a certain Number* left too great Plenty ol them Ihould 
lower the Price. Upon all thefe Iflands the Butch Com- 
pany keep Soldiers* three* fix, nine, or twelve, accord- 
ing as they are in Bignefs* whofe only Bufinefs it is to fee 
the Trees cut down, or, at leaft, to take care, that they 
do not increafe ; for they are very jealous* left the Englijh 
or French Ihould ferve them fuch a Trick as they them- 
felves ferved the Englijh at Amboyna. During the time of 
their cruifing, they gather Tribute from all the petty 
Kings and Princes of thefe Iflands ; and commonly, at 
the End of about fix Weeks* return again. Of Beads, 
here are Beeves, Hogs, wild Deer, lAc. Of Fowls, here 
are feveral Sorts, the Crocadore* the Cafiawaris, the Bird 
of Paradife, &c. The Crocadore is a Bird of various Sizes, 
fome being as big as Hens, and others no bigger than 
Pigeons : They are in all Parts exactly alike ; their Feathers 
are all over white, excepting only a Bunch upon their 
Head* which is always either yellow or red. The Bunch 
of Feathers lies lb clofe, fitted into a Dent in the Head, 
that they cannot be perceived, unlefs when the Bird is 
frighted, and then he lets it up an-end, and it fpreads open 
like a Fan. The Flefh and Legs of this Bird are very 
black, and they fmell very fweet. When they fly wild up 
and down the Woods, they cry Crocadore , Crocadore ; for 
which Reafon they go by that Name. The Cafiawaris is 
about the Bignefs of a large Virginia Turky ; his Head is 
the fame as a Turky’s* and he has a long* ftiff, hairy 
Beard upon his Breaft before, like a Turky ; he hath two 
great Legs, almoft as thick as a Man’s Wrift, with five 
great Claws upon each Foot ; he has an high round Back, 
and, inftead of Feathers, only long Hairs, and the fame 
upon the Pinions of his Wings. It lays an Egg fo big, 
that it will hold a Pint ; the Shell is pretty thick, fpotted 
with green and white, and looks exadtly like China-ware. 
I never tailed the Eggs, but the Bird itfelfis extraordinary 
good Victuals, as I have tried feveral times : It taftes very 
like a Turky, but much ftronger. The Birds of Paradife 
are about the Bignefs of PigeonS ; they are of various 
Colours, and are never found or feen alive, neither is it 
known from whence they come; I have feen feveral of 
them here embalmed with Spice, which, preferves them 
from Decay ; and, fo embalmed, they are fent as Rarities 
to feveral Parts of the World. It is related of thefe Birds* 
that when the Nutmegs are ripe, which is in the Months 
of February and March , they refort to the Places where 
they grow, viz. to Bctnda$ and this Ifland* and eat off' the 
outer Rind of the Nut ; after which, they fall down dead- 
drunk, and an innumerable Company of Ants gather about 
them, feed upon them, and kill them. Of Filh, here are 
alfo feveral Sorts ; but the moft noted is the Sea Porcupine : 
It is in Length about three Feet, and two Feet and an half 
round. It has a very large Eye, with two Fins on his 
Back, and one large one on each Side, near his Gills. It 
is very full of fharp-pointed Quills ; and, from thence, is 
called the Sea Porcupine; This Ifland of Amboyna is all 
over fandy, but the Water is fo deep, that there is no 
anchoring near it, but at the Ley (which is at the Weft 
End of the Ifland) in forty Fathom Water, clofe to the 
Shore, and in the common Harbour. This Harbour runs 
up a great Way into the Ifland, and almoft divides it into 
two, fo that they are, in a manner, two Iflands, being 
only joined by a fmall Neck of Land, fo narrow, that the 
Malayans often hale their Canoes over. At the Entrance 
into the Harbour on the Eaft Side, there is a fmall Forti- 
fication of about fix Guns ; and, clofe to it, is twenty 
Fathom Water ; and, about a League farther up, is the 
Harbour for Ships, where they lie under the Command of 
their great Caftle ; which, ever fmce the Maffacre of the 
Englijh , has been called the Caftle Victoria. About two 
Miles further to the North-eaft, within the Harbour, is 
the 
