I 
788 The Voyages and Obfervations of J. A. de Mandelfioe, Book L 
Gold, and Bezoar, which Stone breeds in the Maw of a 
Sheep, or Goat, within the Subftance of which is alfo found a 
Tuft ofGrafs. It is fmooth, inclining to a greenifii Colour, its 
Goodnefs being £0 be tried by its Weight. In the Country 
of Pan , near Malacca , is a certain fmooth and frippery Stone 
found in the Gall of certain Hogs, of a reddifh Colour, and 
bitterifri Tafte, which being fteeped only in cold Water, 
affords a rnoft effectual Remedy againft all Poifon, and in- 
fedious Diftempers. The Ifle of Borneo furnifhes alfo Dia- 
monds, Sapan-wood, ufed by s , the Dyers, Branl-wood, 
Wax, Pepper, Frankincenfe, Maftick, and divers other 
Gums. The Ifle is not deftitute of good Harbours, among 
which that of Borneo , at the Mouth of a very good River, 
Is the largeft and moil commodious. Their Cities are not 
very populous, and their wooden Houfes fo flightly built, 
that they remove them at Pleafure. They are accounted 
very ingenious, but will rather live by Piracy than Induftry, 
unto which they are fo much addicted, that their Veffels 
are feen upon the Coaft of Pegu four hundred Leagues 
thence. They ufe Swords, Bucklers, Lances, Darts, and 
Pikes. The King and moft of the Inhabitants near the 
Sea-fide are Mohammedans ; but deeper in the Ifland they 
are Pagans. They are black, and well fet, wear Calicoe 
wrapped about their Loins, like moft of the other Indians , 
and Turbans on their Heads. 
13. The Ifle of Celebes lies betwixt that of Borneo and 
Moluccas , under the Equinoctial Line. Mercator would 
have it to be one of thefe Iflands called Sindas by Ptolemy. 
Its capital City is called Macajfar , which lies in the moft 
Southern Part of the whole Ifle, 5 0 17' beyond the Line. 
The Inhabitants are fo induftrious, that they leave not an 
Inch of Ground unmanured, and fow with Rice what they 
Hand not in need of for their Cattle and Cocoa-trees. It is 
not long fince they embraced Mohammedifm. They 
much referable the Siamefe and thofe of Pegu , efpecially in 
their Faces, and are of a comely Stature. The Women 
drefs their Heads like thofe of Malacca , and in the Street 
have their Breafts open, and Breeches reaching down to 
their Knees. The North-weft Winds, which blow here 
from November to March , make the Shore very unfafe 
during that Time, and the continual Rains overflow the 
flat Country, which is the Reafon that moft of their Houfes 
are built upon Piles, nine or ten Foot above the Ground. 
There are two Kings more, viz. one of Telbo , and the 
other of Battergoa , in this Bland. 
The Ifle of Gilolo , by the Portuguese called Bato China 
de Moro , produces Plenty of Rice, and Sagu, Tortoifes, 
The Inhabitants are very well limbed, but barbarous, 
and not many Years ago were Canibals. The Ifland of 
Amboyna is fo near the Moluccas , that fome have accounted 
it among their Number ; its Circuit is twenty-four Leagues. 
The chief City, has to the North-weft of it a very fair Bay 
of fix Leagues, where there is fafe Anchorage, and good 
Shelter for Ships againft the Wind ; the Bay enters fo deep 
into the. Country, and the Sea on the oppofite Side cuts fo 
deep within the Land, that the Ifle is very near divided 
into two, there being only a fmaH Ifthmus of a hundred 
and twenty Fathom left, by which it is joined toge- 
ther. The Idler Part of the Ifle wherein is the Caftle of 
Amboyna , contains about a hundred and twenty fmali 
Towns, and the greater but four Towns, and about feven 
Villages. The Inhabitants were heretofore Savages and 
Canibals, and applied themfelves to no kind of Agriculture, 
which made the Country appear a Wildernefs ; but of late 
Years they have applied themfelves to cultivating the 
Ground, which being very fertile, produces great Plenty of 
Oranges, Lemmons, Cocoas, Bananas, Sugar-Canes, beftdes 
Cloves. They continue ftill to be ignorant People, the 
only Skill they fhew being in the Management of a Dart, 
with fo much Dexterity, that at fixty Paces Diftance they 
will hit a Crown-piece. They are famed for their Cakes 
made of Rice, Almonds, and Sugar, which the Inhabitants 
of the adjacent Iflands take againft the Bloody-flux; for their 
Rice-Bread, made in the Shape of our Sugar-Loaves ; and 
tor their fmali Gallies, which in Swiftnefs exceed any in 
Europe. 
It was firft difcovered by the Portuguese in the Year 
1515 ; but the Dutch having afterwards alfo got Footing 
there, the Portuguese being refolved to fpoil their Com- 
merce,' fet upon five Dutch Veffels in the Port of Banda % 
but being repulfed with Lofs, revenged their Difgrace upon 
the Amboynians , who. were fufpcded to favour the Dutch in 
thofe Parts. Stephen Verhagen , two Years after, viz . on 
the 2 ift of February 1 603, landed a certain Number of Sol- 
diers near Amboyna , in order to attack the Caftfe ; but whilft 
he was landing his Artillery, the Portuguese Governor, not 
daring to Hand the Shock, furrendered the Place without a 
Cannon being (hot, though theGarrifon con lifted of fix hun- 
dred Men. Before Mohammedifm was introduced in the 
I-fles of Java, Amboyna , and the Moluccas , by the Perfians 
and Arabians trading hither, they were all Pagans , fome 
of them continue fo ftill •, others, though circumcifed, 
yet perfevere in their Pagan Superftitions. 
Nothing is more frequent here than to worfliip the De- 
vil, though they are not able to tell you what he is. They 
affirm him to be an Aereai Demon ; whence they give him 
the Name of "Lanithe^ i. e. Air, yet make him fubordinate 
to another called Lanthila , as well as to him they call Tau- 
tay , who is a Degree lower than Lanthila. They give 
them one general Name, vis. Tito , i. e. Evil Spirits, and fay 
that they appear to them in human Shape, when they are to 
produce their Oracles, and reveal unknown things to them. 
To do this twenty or thirty of them affemble, and by the 
Help of a fmali Drum called Tifa , fome Wax-Candles, and 
certain Conjurations, as alfo a Sacrifice of Meat and Drink, 
make them appear before them. As they are of opinion, 
that what 111 befalls them comes from the Devil, they are 
very careful not to negled his Worfliip for which Pur- 
pofes they have Wax-candles lighted in their Houfes, where • 
they facrince Meat and Drink to thefe phantaftick Beings. 
Their Circumcifion is alfo different from that of the 
Jews or Mohammedans for inftead of cutting off the Pre- 
puce, they only flit it, and that not till they are twelve or 
thirteen Years of Age. Their Marriages are foon made, 
and as foon diffolved ; for every thing being agreed upon, 
they ufe no farther Ceremonies, except that the Bride- 
groom’s Father gives a fmali Prefent to the Bride, in lieu 
of which her Father makes the Wedding Feaft, where 
they have their Mufick and Dancing. If a Wife have a 
mind to part from her Huflband, fhe has no more to do 
than to reftore the Prefent •, which done, fhe pours Water 
on her Hufband’s Feet, to intimate, that thereby they are 
both cleanfed from all Impurities they have con traded du- 
ring their Marriage, which is thereby diffolved, and .either 
Party at liberty to provide themfelves another Spoufe as foon 
as they pleafe. When they are to take a folemn Oath, 
Water is put into a Difh, into which having caft Gold, 
Earth, and a Leaden Bullet, they dip into it the Extre- 
mity of a Mufket- Barrel, the Point of a Halbert, Sword, 
Knife, or fome other Weapon, and fo give the Difh with 
Water unto him who is to take the Oaths, to put him in 
mind, that all what has been caft, or dipped into the Water, 
will be inftrumental to his Deftrudion, if he forfwear him- 
felf. They have among them a certain Gang, who under 
pretence of Witchcraft, do Mifchief to their Neighbours, 
either by Poifon, or other Means ; they are called Zevangi ; 
but whenever they are found out, they are fure to meet 
with very fevere Punifhment. 
The Natives of Amboyna are naturally ftupid, timorous, 
and void of Underftanding •, they commonly bury their 
Riches for fear of being robbed *, and fuch is their Simpli- 
city, that they are not to be brought up to any Trade. They 
are fo far from any Knowledge, that they have not fo much 
as any Charaders among them. All they apply themfelves 
to is Fifiiing, and cultivating their Gardens, upon the Fruit 
of which they live very miferably, though it is obfervable 
that they are generally ftrong, and well proportioned. The 
Dutch have three Forts in this Ifle, vis. the Fort Cambell a, 
or Victoria^ and thofe of Hi ten and Louro. 
The Ifle of Banda , which is three Leagues in Length, 
and one in Breadth, lies twenty-four Leagues from Amboyna , 
extending from North to South. It has fome few Towns, 
the chief of which is Nera. The Inhabitants are very zea- 
lous Mohammedans *, as they are always at War with fome 
of their Neighbours, fo they keep a conftant Guard along 
their Coaft s. Their Arms are a Cymitar and wooden 
Buckler, four Foot long, in the managing of which they 
are very expert, as being trained up to it in their Infancy. 
