AMBOINA. 
107 
Amboina is one of the most salubrious of 
towns. It is situated on a long, river-like arm 
of the sea, and commands a fine prospect over 
the water to the mountains beyond, while it is 
encircled by verdure-clad slopes, to which shady, 
arbour-like roads lead from the centre of the 
town. Along the shore are stores, factories, and 
the dwellings of the trading portion of the com- 
munity. Between this quarter and the pleasant 
environ where the European dwellings stand, is 
a stretch of greensward, the parade-ground of 
the troops and the promenade of Europeans, for 
whose pleasure the military band discourses 
music twice a-week. To the left of the sward is 
the fort, enclosed within which are the post- 
office and Government offices. To the right is a 
club, where the 4 Illustrated London News/ the 
4 Graphic,' and other high-class periodicals lie for 
perusal, The most elegant mansions in the 
town belong not to Europeans, but to Chinese 
and Arabs, who have every scope for exercising 
their powers as money amasscrs, for Amboina 
has been more or less a centre of European occu- 
pation for some 350 years. ■ When the Dutch 
took the rule in these parts from the Portuguese, 
they made Amboina the clove - garden of the 
Moluccas ; but although there has now been 
