Chap. II. through the great eft Part of the EAST - INDI E S. 789 
They make ufe alfo fometimes of Fire-arms, but what they 
put their chief Truft in is the Lance, being eight or ten 
Foot long, which they caft with fuch Dexterity and Strength, 
that they will run a Man through with it : Of thefe they 
commonly have two, which, after they have caft, they be- 
take themfelves to their Swords. They make ufe of a kind 
of light Gallies, having on each Side, juft above the Sur- 
face of the Water, two Seats like Wings, where the Slaves 
are fet to row. There are two allotted for each Seat every 
one with his Oar, which being made like a hollow wooden 
Shovel, they thruft it as far as they can into the Sea, and in 
drawing it back, turn it about their Heads with fuch a Slight 
and Swiftnefs, that there are but few Ships that can over- 
take them with all the Sail they can make. 
The Natives of Banda live very often to one hundred 
and twenty Years of Age. When they inter their Corps 
they are carried by twelve Perfons upon a Bier or Coffin, 
covered with Calicoe, the Men firft, and the Women fol- 
lowing it ; after it is buried, they return to the Houfe of 
the deceafed, where they feaft together, order J licence to 
be burnt over the Grave for twenty-four Hours, and fet up 
a burning Lamp at Night in a Hut made for that Purpofe. 
The Men lead a very idle Life, leaving all Bufmefs to the 
Management of the Women, who are employed in break- 
ing the Nutmeg- ihells, and drying the Nut and Mace, 
the chief Thing they rely on for their Maintenance. As 
Far as ever I could learn, the moft excellent Spice grows 
no where but in the Ifle of Banda , and the fix following 
adjacent Hands, which make up the Archipelago called 
Banda , by the Inhabitants, viz. Gunaxi , Pera, and Ban- 
ter , (which is the beft Road for Veffels) Puloway , Pulaim , 
and Bayfmgin . 
It is next to aParadox to believe that thefe fix fmall Hands 
jffiould be able to produce fuch prodigious Quantities of 
Nutmegs as are fufficient for the whole World, unlefs it be 
confidered, that befides a few Durions, Bananas, Oranges, 
and Cocoa-trees, the Hands are covered all over with them 
like one continued Foreft, the Trees of which are loaded 
with Flowers and Fruits, which is gathered three times a 
Year, viz. in April , Auguft , and December ; but the beft 
is gathered in April. The Tree itfelf refembies our Peach- 
tree, the Leaves whereof are fomewhat lefs and round. 
The Fruit is enclofed within a Hulk as thick as that of our 
Wallnuts, which, being opened, you fee a Leaf very thin 
upon a hard Shell, which may be difcovered through it. 
This Leaf is the Flower of Nutmeg or Mace ; and to 
come to the Fruit, you muft break the Shell. While the 
Nut is green, the Flower is of a Carnation Colour, which, 
after it is parted from the Shell, turns to an Orange Co- 
lour. It makes a moft excellent Preferve, if done with 
Salt and Sugar. The Inhabitants make a good ftomatick 
Ointment of Nutmegs or Mace, powdered and mixed 
with the Oil of Rofes. The Inhabitants don’t amount to 
above 12000 in all, amongft them not above 500 fit to 
bear Arms ; yet are they fo mutinous and ftubborn, that 
to bridle them the Dutch have two Forts here, called Naf- 
fau and Belgica , where Veffels may anchor at nine or ten 
Fathom Water within Mulket-ftiot, and that without the 
leaft Danger. 
The Moluccas , properly fo called, are no more than 
five in Number, viz. the Ifies of Ternate , Aider, Ma- 
ttel, Machiam , and Bachiam , known to the antient Pagans 
by the Names of Cupe, Douco , Mon til , Mac a, and^&z- 
que, and fituated all together within the Space of 25 
Leagues. The Sun-beams are fo penetrating here that 
they render the Earth as dry as a Pumice-ftone, which not 
only fucks in all the Rains that fall, but alfo fwallows the 
very Torrents near their Sources ; but as they are not able 
to penetrate through the thick Forefts, fo the Ground here 
produces both Trees and Herbs ; whence it is that thofe 
Hands are fufficiently ftored with Bananas, Cocoas, Le- 
mons, Oranges, Sandal, and Callamba, befides Spices of 
ail forts •, but they produce neither Rice, nor any other fort 
of Grain ; the Defed of which is fupplied by the Tree, 
called by the Natives Laudan , and Seguciro by the Por- 
tugueze , the Pith of which furni&es them with a kind of 
Meal for Bread, as the Leaves, when come to their full 
Growth, ferve them for the Covering of their Houfes, 
and the bigger Veins for Rafters, as the Ieffer make good 
Numb, 53, 
Cordage : While thefe Leaves are young, they are co- 
vered with a kind of wooly Subftance, which affords Ma- 
terials for Stuffs. They are not unlike the Cocoa-leaves, 
the Tree which bears them being commonly twenty Foot 
high, and the Trunk a Fathom in Compafs j but being 
compoled only of the Bark and Pith, is eafily cut down, 
the firft not exceeding one Inch in Thicknefs. The Pith 
is very white, and may be eaten without any farther Pre- 
paration, after the Strings of the Wood, which are mixed 
with it, are removed \ but if they intend to make Meal 
of it, they beat the Pith to Powder, put it in a Sieve, made 
of the Bark of the fame Tree, over a Tub, made of its 
Leaves, and by pouring a fufficient Quantity of Water 
upon it, feparate the Strings from the mealy Part, hvhich 
fettles to the Bottom of the Tub, and being Separated from 
the Water and dried, affords the Meal they call Sagu. 
This they bake in certain Moulds of Earth, made red-hot, 
with incredible Difpatch. This Tree, which grows alfo 
in Amboyna and fome other Places, affords alfo a certain 
Liquor called Thorack, which taftes like Wine. 
The Handers, though not deftitute of Cattle, yet live, 
for the moft part, upon Fiffi. They have no Gold, Silver, 
or any other Mines, being furnilhed with Iron from the 
Hand of Amboyna. They are generally black, though 
the Women not fo black as the Men, with black fhining 
Hair, large Eyes and Eyebrows, and ftrong Limbs. They 
foon become grey, yet live to a great Age ; are aftive ra- 
ther than laborious, and very fociable in Converfation, but 
fomewhat inclining to Boldnefs and Infolence, and in their 
Dealings crafty and deceitful : The Men wear generally 
Turbans, like the Turks , covered with Plumes. The 
King is diftinguifhed from his Subjects by a kind of Mitre, 
clad in Drawers only of blue, red, green, or yellow Sat- 
tin. Some of thefe Handers make ufe of a clofe-bodied 
Coat, faftened round the Shoulders, and cut below like 
the military Garment of the ancient Romans. The Wo- 
men wear no Head-dreffes, but lay their Hair fmooth over 
their Heads, which they tie behind, and cover it with 
Plumes, or Flowers. Their Garments are of China Silk ; 
but their chief Ornaments are their Bracelets, Rings, and 
Necklaces of Pearls, Diamonds, Rubies, and Emeralds. 
The Chinefe were the firft that made themfelves Mafters of 
thofe Hands, and after, the Perfians and Arabians , who 
introduced Mohammedifm here. Their ancient Cuftoms 
are their only Law : They allow Poligamy, yet don’t pu~ 
nifh Adultery ; but dealing is a capital Crime. 
At Break of Day certain Perfons who are appointed for 
that Purpofe, beat the Drum about the Streets to excite the 
People to the Performance of their matrimonial Duty. 
They ufe generally the Malayan Language, though every 
one of thefe Hands has its peculiar Tongue, which fhews 
them to be defeended from divers Nations. The He of 
Ternate , the biggeft of the Moluccas , is fituated in 48° 
28 Leagues from the He of Banda. Its Compafs is 
about eight Leagues. It affords but little Provifions, ex- 
cept Goats and fome Poultry ; but the Almonds here 
are moft excellent, the Shell being fo hard that the Smiths 
ufe them inftead of Coal. It produces alfo fome To- 
bacco, but much inferior in Goodnefs to that brought 
from the Weft- Indies. The Town of Gamma Lamma , 
the Capital of the whole Hand, confifts only of one Street, 
2500 Paces long, built along the Sea-fide, the Houfes be- 
ing all of Cane or Timber j the Road is not fit for An- 
chorage, the Bottom being all rocky, which makes the 
Dutch Veffels always lie at Anchor hear the Village of 
Tellingamma , within two Miles of Malay, betwixt the 
Hands of Ternate and Tidor. 
But the chief Product of thefe Hands is the Clove, called 
C lavas by the modern Spaniards , by reafon of its Refem- 
blance to an ordinary Nail. The Tree that bears it is by 
thofe of the Moluccas called Sigar, the Leaf Vacaqua, 
and the Fruit itfelf Qhamque. The Tree refembies the 
Laurel, its Leaves being however fomewhat narrower, 
like thofe of the Almond-trees, {hooting forth its Branches 
at the Top, not unlike the Mirtle. The Fruit i$ white at 
firft, grows green by degrees, and brown when it comes 
to Maturity, but does not turn black till it be dried in the 
Sun, which is done in two or three Days. The Tree 
grows naturally without planting or cultivating, bears 
' Fruit 
