THE MOLUCCAS 
333 
them from New Guinea and many distant islands. From 
here they are sent in large quantities to Singapore. The 
celebrated Amboina wood, much esteemed for cabinet 
work, is obtained from the knotty protuberances formed 
on certain forest trees growing in Ceram. The true 
seedless bread-fruit, very rarely found out of the Pacific 
Islands, grows in Amboina and the smaller adjacent islands. 
The island exhibits an extraordinary climatic abnor¬ 
mality, the period of the west monsoon, from October to 
April, being the fine season. At this time the monthly 
average of rainy days is 13 only, and the rainfall 8 
inches, while during the remainder of the year 21 days 
out of every month are wet, and the monthly rainfall 27 
inches. The total annual rainfall is thus 191 inches, 
and with the steady high temperature prevailing it might 
be imagined that the island would be particularly trying 
to Europeans, but this does not appear to be the case. 
The trade of Amboina is not large, as most of the 
Bugis who visit New Guinea and the remoter islands now 
carry their produce direct to Makassar or even to 
Singapore. Numbers of small native vessels, however, 
continually visit it, bringing the produce of the surround¬ 
ing coasts and islands. In 1890 turtle shell to the 
value of £5050 was exported, and 107,107 lbs. of 
cloves, valued at £3179, these being the chief exports 
from the islands. On the giving up of the monopoly of 
cloves, a tax was imposed upon the heads of families of 
the native population. In 1893 this was changed into 
a tax which is levied on the whole male population 
above sixteen years of age. 
11. Banda. 
The Banda group, though small in extent, is important 
