The Malay archipelago : the land of the Orang-Utan, and the bird of paradise : a narrative of travel, with studies of man and nature

Abstract

THE MOLUCCAS -TERNATE.the morning of the 8th of Tannaiy, 1858, 1 arrived at Ternate, the fourth of a row of fine conical volcanic islands which skirt the west coast of the large and almost unknown island of Gilolo.The largest and most perfectly conical mountain is Tidore, which is over four thousand feet high-Ternate being very nearly tlie same height, but with a more rounded and irregular summit.The town of Ternate is concealed from view till we enter between the two islands, wlien it is discovered stretching along the shore at the very base of the mountain.Its situation is fine, and there are grand views on every side.Close opposite is the rugged promontory and beautiful volcanic cone of Tidore ; to the east is the long mountainous coast of Gilolo, terminated towards the north VOL.II.B TERNATE.[chap.XXI.2 by a group of thi'ce lofty volcanic peaks, while iiunie- (liately behind the town rises the huge mountain, sloping easily at first and covered with thick groves of fruit trees, but soon becoming steeper, and 'furrowed with deep gullies.Almost to the summit, whence issue perpetually faint wreaths of smoke, it is clothed with vegetation, and looks calm and beautiful, although beneath are hidden fires which occasionally burst forth in lava-streams, but more frequently make their existence known by the earthquakes which have many times devastated the town.I brought letters of introduction to Mr. Duivenboden, a native of Ternate, of an ancient Dutch family, but who was, educated in England, and speaks our language per- fectly.He was a very rich man, owned half the town, possessed many ships, and above a hundred slaves.He was moreover, well educated, and fond of literature and science-a phenomenon in these regions.He was gene- rally known as the king of Ternate, from his large pro- perty and great influence with the native Eajahs and their subjects.Through his assistance I obtained a house, rather ruinous, but well adapted to my purpose, being close to the town, yet with a free outlet to the country and file mountain.A few needful repairs were soon made, some bamboo furniture and other necessaries obtained, and after a visit to the Resident and Police Magistrate I found myself an inhabitant of the earthquake-tortured island of CHAP.XXI.] J/r HEAD-qUARTERS. 3Ternate, and able to look about me and lay down the plan of iny campaign for the ensuing year.I retained this house for three years, as I found it very convenient to have a place to return to after my voyages to the various islands of the Moluccas and New Guinea, where I could pack my collections, recruit my health, and make preparations for future journeys.To avoid repetitions, I will in this chapter combine what notes I have about Ternate.Garden. Road.A description of my house (the plan of which is here shown) will enable the reader to understand a very TEBNATK 4 [cH.\r.XXI.common mode of building in tlie.seislands.There is of course only one floor.The walls are of stone up to three feet high ; on this are strong squared posts supporting the roof, everywhere except in the verandah filled in with the leaf-stems of the sago-palm, fitted neatly in wooden framing.Tlie floor is of stucco, and the ceilings are like the walls.The house is forty feet square, consists of four rooms, a hall, and two verandahs, and is surrounded by a wilderness of fruit trees.A deep well supplied me with pure cold water, a great luxury in this climate.Five minutes' walk down the road brought me to the market and the beach, while in the opposite direction there were no more European houses between me and the mountain.In this house I spent many happy days.lieturning to it after a three or four months' absence in some uncivilized region, I enjoyed the unwonted luxuries of milk and fresh bread, and regular supplies of fish and eggs, meat and vegetables, which were often sorely needed to restore my health and energy.I had ample space and convenience for unpacking, sorting, and arranging my treasures, and I had delightful walks in the suburbs of the tow)i, or iqi the lower slopes of the mountain, Avhen I desired a little exercise, or had time for collecting.The lower part of the mountain, behind the town of Ternate, is almost entirely covered with a forest of fruit trees, and during the season hundreds of men and women, CHAP.XXI.] THE MOUNTAIN.5 boys and girls, go up every day to bring down the ripe fruit.Durians and Mangoes, two of tlie very finest tropical fruits, are in greater abundance at Ternate than I have ever seen tlieni, and some of tiie latter are of a quality not inferior to any in the world.Lansats and IMangustans are also abundant, but these do not ripen till a little later.Above the fruit trees there is a belt of clearings and cultivated grounds, which creep up the mountain to a height of between two and three thousand feet, above which is virgin forest, reaching nearly to the summit, which on the side next the town is covered with a high reedy grass.On the further side it is more elevated, of a bare and desolate aspect, with a slight depression marking the position of the crater.From this jDart descends a black scoriaceous tract, very rugged, and covered with a scanty vegetation of scattered bushes as far down as the sea.This is the lava of the great eruption near a century ago, and is called by the natives " batu-angas " (burnt rock).Just below my house is the fort, built by the Portu- guese, below which is an open space to the beach, and beyond this the native town extends for about a mile to the north-east.About the centre of it is the palace of the Sultan, now a large untidy, half-ruinous building of stone.This chief is pensioned by the Dutch Government, but retains the sovereignty over the native population of the island, and of the northern part of Gilolo.The sultans \ 6 TERNATE.[chap.xxi.of Ternate and Tidore were once celebrated tlirou"!! the O East for tlieir power and regal magnificence.When Drake visited Ternate in 1579, the Portuguese bad been driven out of the island, although they still had a settlement at Tidore.He gives a glowing account of the Sultan ; " The King had a very rich canopy with embossings of gold borne over him, and was guarded with twelve lances.From the waist to the ground was all cloth of gold, and that very rich ; in the attire of his head were finely wreathed in, diverse rings of plaited gold, of an inch or more in breadth, which made a fair and inincely show, somewhat resembling a crown in form ; about his neck he had a chain of perfect gold, the links very great and one fold double ; on his left hand was a diamond, an emerald, a ruby, and a turky ; on his right hand in one ring a big and perfect turky, and in another ring many diamonds of a smaller size."All this glitter of barbaric gold was the produce of tlie spice trade, of which the Sultans kept the monopoly, and by which they became wealtliy.Ternate, with the small islands in a line south of it, as far as Batchian, constitute the ancient INToluccas, the native country of the clove, as well as the only part in which it was cultivated.Nut- megs and mace were procured from the natives of New (luinea and the adjacent islands, where they grew wild ; and the profits on spice cargoes were so enormous, that CHAP.XXI.] DESTRUCTION OF SPICE TREES.7 the European traders were glad to give gold and jewels, and the finest manufactures of Europe or of India, in exchange.When the Dutch established their influence in these seas, and relieved the native princes from their Portuguese opjDressors, they saw that the easiest Avay to repay themselves would be to get this spice trade into their own hands.For this 2)urpose they adopted the wise principle of concentrating tbe culture of these valuable products in those spots oidy of whicli they could have complete control.To do this effectually it was necessary to abolish the culture and trade in all other j)laces, which they succeeded in doing by treaty with the native rulers.These agreed to have all the spice trees in their posses- sions destroyed.They gave up large tliougb fluctuating revenues, but they gained in return a fixed subsidy, free- dom from the constant attacks and harsh oppressions of the Portuguese, and a continuance of their regal power and exclusive authority over their own subjects, which is main- tained in all the islands except Ternate to this day.It is no doubt supposed by most Englishmen, who have been accustomed to look upon this act of the Dutch witli vague horror, as something utterly unprincipled and bar- barous, that the native population suffered grievously by this destruction of such valuable proj)erty.But it is certain that this was not the case.The Sultans kept this lucrative trade entirely in their own hands as a rigid 8TERNAl'E.[CIIAP.XXI.monopoly, and they would take care not to give their sub- jects more than would amount to their usual wages, while they would surely exact as large a quantity of spice as they could possibly obtain.Drake and other early voyagers always seem to have purchased their spice-cargoes from the Sultans and Itajahs, and not from the cultivators.ISiow the absorption of so much labour in the cultivation of this one product must necessarily have raised the price of food and other necessaries ; and when it was abolished, more rice would be gi-own, more sago made, more fish caught, and more tortoise-shell, rattan, gum-dammer, and other valuable products of the seas and the forests would be ob- tained.I believe, therefore, that this abolition of the spice trade in the Moluccas was actually beneficial to the inha- bitants, and that it was an act both wise in itself and morally and politically j ustifiable.In the selection of the places in which to carry on the cultivation, the Dutch were not altogether fortunate or wise.Banda was chosen for nutmegs, and was eminently successful, since it continues to this day to produce a large supply of this spice, and to yield a considerable revenue.Amboyna was fixed upon for establishing the clove culti- vation ; but the soil and climate, although apparently very similar to that of its native islands, is not favourable, and for some years the Government have actually been paying to the cultivators a higher rate than they could purchase CHAP.XXI.] EAIiTUqUAKES.9 cloves elsewhere, owing to a great fall in tlie price since the rate of payment was fixed for a term of years by the Dutch Government, and which rate is still most honourably paid.Ill walking about the suburbs of Teriiate, we find everywhere the ruins of massive stone and brick buildings, gateways and arches, showing at once the superior wealth of the ancient town and the destructive effects of earthcpiakes.It was during my second stay in the town, after my return from New Guinea, that I first felt an earthquake.It was a very slight one, scarcely more than has been felt in this country, but occurring in a place that had been many times destroyed by them it was ratlier more exciting.I had just awoke at gun-fire (5 a.m.), when suddenly the thatch began to rustle and shake as if an army of cats were galloping over it, and immediately afterwards my bed shook too, so that for an instant I imagined myself back in New Guinea, in my fragile house, wliich shook when an old cock went to roost on the ridQ-e ; but remembering that I was now on a solid earthen floor, I said to myself, "Why, it's an earthquake," and lay still in the pleasing expectation of another shock ; but none came, and this was the only earthquake I ever felt in Ternate.The last great one was in February 1840, wdien almost every house in the place was destroyed.It began about TO TERNATE.

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