* I 
Chap. I. 
Commodore RogGewein* 
felf is fo ftrong from Art and Nature, that it is, in a man- 
ner, impregnable*, and fo effedually commands the Har- 
bour, that it is limply impoffible for a Veflei to go in or 
out without being funk by the Cannon of the Fort, if the 
Governor fhould give Orders for that Purpofe. One would 
imagine, that fo rich a Commerce, as that of Cloves, 
might be a fufficient Return for the Expence the Company 
is at about this Eland : But fuch is their Care to improve 
every thing to the utmoft Advantage, that, of late Years, 
they have caufed Coffee to be planted in Amboyna , which 
is like to turn to great Account. Under the Government 
of Mr. Barnard , however, there was a Difcovery made of 
a Commodity more valuable than Coffee or Cloves ; for, 
through his Vigilance, it was found out, that in feme of 
the Mountains there were confiderable Quantities ofGold- 
duft wafhed down by the Torrents ; and this Difcovery, 
it is faid, hepurfued with fuch Effedt, as at laft to find out 
the Mine.-, fo that the Wealth of thefe Indian Countries is 
continually growing, when in the Hands of thofe who 
know how to make the beft Ufe of every thing ; and, with- 
out doubt, if the Dutch had fufpedled, that, befides Sugar, 
Gold and Diamonds might have been found in Brafil, they 
would not have fo eafily parted with that Country to the 
Portuguese, who yet, perhaps, do not draw near fo much 
.Riches from thence, as the Hollanders would have done, 
had it been continued in their Poffeffion. 
But as the Thing then flood, and they knew of no other 
Wealth than what arofefrom Sugar, Tobacco, and Dyin°-- 
woods, they preferred the Trade on the Coaft of Qua, , be- 
eaufe there they were fure to meet with Gold. In Procels of 
Time, perhaps, the fame Thing may happen with regard 
to I' err a Aujlralis Incognita : For though, at prefent, it is 
fcarce thought worth minding or difeovering more perfectly, 
hereafter, when Accident fhews it to be richer than 
People are at prefent inclined to believe it, we (hall fee the 
Difcovery of it profecuted with the utmoft Diligence, upon 
the good old Principle of, Whocould have imagined fb fine 
a Country fhould have been fo long negledled ? There is 
one Thing more to be taken notice of, before we leave Am- 
boyna ; and that is, a red kind of Wood, which is found in 
this Ifland, which, befide the Beauty of its Colour, is ex- 
ceedingly firm and durable ; and, which is ftill more extra- 
ordinary, is natuially embellifhed in its Grain with abun- 
dance of beautiful Figures. With this Wood they make 
Tables, Cabinets, Efcritoires, and other Pieces of Furniture, 
of which Prefents are made to the principal Perfons of the 
Government, and the reft fold all over the Indies at a very 
«fravagant Rate ; fo that this Article is to be added to 
thofe we have already mentioned of the Riches of Amboyna, 
3 2, third Government of the Indies is that of the 
Ifland of Banda , fituated twenty Leagues from Amboyna 
and to the South of the Moluccas. The Governor is, ge- 
rerally fpeaking, an eminent Merchant, whorefides at Nera 
T 11 ie 9 a P ita J die Country •, and he has, under his 
JunfdiChon, feveral other fmall Hands that lie in this Neigh- 
bourhood; The Council of this Government is fettled on 
the fame Foot with that of Amboyna. In fome of the Repre- 
sentations fent home to, and publifhed by, the Eafi India 
Company, this Ifland is fet forth as a Place very expenfive 
to the Company ; and it is particularly remarked, that it 
is fo thinly inhabited, as to take off very little of their 
Goods -, and, at the fame time, fo barren, as to require 
great Supplies of Provifions : But all this is pure Artifice • 
though Banda is a very fmall Hand, in Comparifon of Am- 
boyna, as not containing above twelve Leagues in Circum- 
Company £t ^ Certain ^ P rod uces as great Profits to the 
This arifes from the important Commerce in Nutmegs 
llel S T,t ere r in L* P rodl § ious Entities, as to en- 
able the • Dutch to fupply all the Markets in Europe. The 
Tree which produces this excellent Fruit, very much refem- 
bles a Pear-tree, but its Leaves are like that of a Peach, ex- 
cept that they are fmaller. The Nutmeg, when rip^, is 
pretty much of the fame Size as a Walnut and is covered 
f r n hG S 5 the firft 1S ver f tough, and of 
the Thicknefs of a Finger, which falls off of kfelf, as the 
F Tint ripens.. When it is candied, it has a very fine Tafte. 
The feepnd is of a red Colour, and has a very fine Smell : 
On the Opening of this, the Fruit appears with a little 
ip I 
Flower at the Top , which is very beautiful. They gather 
the Nuts, and dry them ; but, in the firft Place, they -are 
thrown into Quick-lime; for oaherwife Worms would breed 
in and deftroy them. There are feveral Hands in the 
Neighbourhood of Banda, in which Nutmegs would grow, 
il the Company did not take care to have them deftroyed 
eVei L^ ear ’ . h, at firft Sight, may feem fomewhat ex- 
tiaoidinary ; fince one would imagine, that their being 
t oroughly rooted out once, might prevent their growing 
agam : But this Difficulty is eafily folved, when it is known, 
that the Birds carry them annually into all thefe Hands ; 
w ence the Dutch ftile them, properly enough, the 'Gar- 
deners of the Spice-trees. 
!t is not agreed how this is performed by the Birds, tho® 
all Travellers allow, that it is performed by them. Mr. 
Tavermer trils us that the Nutmeg being ripe, feveral 
u.r^s come from the Hands towards the South, and devour 
* w d°V are forced to throw it up again before it be 
digeited : That the Nutmeg then, befmeared with a vifi* 
cous Matter, falling to the Ground, takes Root, and pro- 
duces a Tree, which would never thrive, if it was otherwife 
planted, Mr. Ihevenot again informs us, that the Tree is 
produced after this manner : There are, fays he, a kind of 
Birds in the Hand, that, having picked off the green Hulk, 
(wallow tne Nuts, which, having been fome time in their 
Stomach, they void by the ordinary way, and they fail not 
to take Root m the Place where they fall, and in time grow 
up to a Tree. This Bird is ffiaped like a Cuckoo, and 
the Dutch prohibit their Subjects, under Pain of Death, to 
kill any of them. 
There are, among the Inhabitants of this Ifland; a fort 
or fiee Burge fifes, who are called Perkiniers ; and thefe Peo- 
ple have the foie curing of the Nutmegs, which they fur- 
niffi to the Company in what Quantities they think proper 
to demand, for which they receive a very moderate Gra- 
tification, and yet live much at their Eafe. There grows 
here, as well as at Amboyna , a fort of Tree called CaUputte, 
nom whence they draw a very rich and falutaryOil which 
is fold at a very high Price. The Hand of Banda is fo 
wal fortified, that it is thought to be impregnable ; yet, 
to prevent any Accident that might happen, in cafe an 
Enemy ffiould get into the Port under Dutch Colours, 
there is always a large Squadron of fmall Yeffels plying 
round the Coaft, which, upon the firft Appearance of a 
ftrange Ship, immediately furround her, and examine 
whence fhe comes, whither bound, and of what Strength. 
. Garifon is numerous, but in a much worfe Condi- 
tion than any other in the Company’s Service, which arifes 
from the Want of Vidluals, the Hand being of a barren, 
fandy Soil, producing very little Food of any fort, which 
is the Reafon that the Soldiers eat Cats, Dogs, and any 
other Animals that come to hand. The reft of their Pro- 
vifions is the Tortoife, of which they have a reafonable 
Plenty for about fix Months in the Year ; and, after this, 
they think themfelves very happy, if they are now-and- 
then able to get a little forry Fiffi : They make their Bread 
or the Juice of a Tree, which refembles, when firft drawn, 
the Grounds of Beer ; but, when dried, it grows as hard a$ 
a Stone ; yet, when put into Water, it (wells and ferments, 
and fo becomes fit to eat, that is, in a Country where there 
is nothing elfe to be got. As for Butter, Rice, dried Fiffi, 
and other Eatables, they are all fent thither from Batavia , 
and come much too dear for the Soldiers to have any oreat 
Plenty of them. To fpeak the Truth, as the Inhabitants 
aie none of the happieft, fo, to do them blit Juftice, they 
niay be faid to live full as well as they deferve, fince there 
is not, and perhaps there never was, an honeft Man upon 
the Ifland. 
• ^ rf /f adves were f uc h a Race of cruel, perfidious, and 
intractable People, at leaft as the Dutch fay, that the Com- 
pany was forced to root them out for their own Security, 
at leaft in a great meafure, and to fend a Dutch Colony 
into the Hand ; but then it is fuch a Colony, as hath nqt 
much mended the Matter, being compofed intirely of a 
raically good-for-nothing People, that, not being able to 
live any-where elfe, were content to come, or otherwife 
were ientenced to be fent, to ftarve here. The beft of 
it is, that their Mifery is of no long Date ; for, in a very 
fhort time, they are carried off by the Dry-gripes, 
