The reader will find some interesting particulars regarding the history of this celebrated island in the body of the work. Its great importance, as the centre of the Clove-trade, renders it necessary that we should here enter into some further details. It is divided into two unequal parts, by two deep bays, which are separated only by a narrow isthmus of one mile across. The bay on the west side extends to about two thirds of the length of the island, and forms a commodious and safe harbour. That on the east side is much smaller, and, as a harbour, very insecure, both on account of its bad anchorage, and of its rocky shores. The largest division is called Hitoo, and the smallest division Leytimoor. Although the larger bay is more commodious for a settlement, it is in the Leytimoor division that the Europeans have chosen to fix their residence; and they have here erected their principal fortification of Victoria, which is an irregular hexagon, with a ditch and covered way on the land side, and a horn-work towards the sea. Being commanded however by two ranges of heights, at the distance of from 700 to 1200 yards, it could make no serious resistance against an invading force. "The town of Amboyna is extremely clean, and both neatly and regularly built. The streets run at right angles, and the houses, on account of the frequency of earthquakes, are seldom above one storey high. From the covert way of the fort to the town, there is an esplanade of nearly 250 yards, terminated by a range of handsome dwelling-houses, with a double row of nutmeg-trees." in front of them. In these houses, the principal inhabitants reside. There are two well built churches in the towns established by the Dutch Government, one for the European, the other for the Malay Christians. All the other public buildings are in the fort, except the stadhouse, which fronts the esplanade, and is a neat building of two stories." (Asiatic Annual Register for 1800.)

Amboyna has long been the seat of the supreme government of the Spice Islands; and, under its jurisdiction are comprehended ten other islands; namely Ceram, which is equal in size to all the rest, Ceram Laut, Bouro, Amblaw, Manipa, Kelang, Bonoa, Harackau, Saporouna, and Noossa Laut. The cultivation of the nutmeg has been, for some years past, prohibited in Amboyna; the industry of its inhabitants being chiefly directed to the rearing of the clove-tree. It is only in Amboyna, and the three islands of Harackau, Saporouna, and Noossa Laut, that cloves are now cultivated.

"The clove-tree grows to the height of about forty or fifty feet, its branches spread, and its leaves are long and pointed. In a favourable soil, it begins to bear at fifteen years' growth, is in perfection at twenty, and continues to bear, without any apparent decay, till the age of forty or fifty. Some trees yield thirty pounds of cloves; but the average quantity produced, does not amount to more than six pounds a tree. They grow to the greatest perfection in deep valleys, well sheltered by hills and woods, and in a soil of rich black mould, quite dry; though they require frequent rain for the greatest part of the year, and very hot weather at the gathering season; which commences generally about the latter end of October, or the beginning of November, and continues until February. In April and May, there is an after-crop, but of a very inferior quality." (Asiatic Annual Register for 1800.)

The Dutch East India Company appear to have been actuated by the same sordid, narrow, and oppressive views, which have, in a greater or less degree, characterized all the European governments established in the east. Cloves, the great article of produce throughout the island, are rigorously engrossed for the benefit of the Company. And for the convenience of this monopoly, the province, and its dependencies, is divided into several districts, over which residents or governors are appointed, for the purpose of preventing all contraband trade, and to take care also, that the whole produce of the country is strictly delivered up, at a fixed price. The Governor has under his immediate management seven great, and twenty-four small districts; and the subordinate residents have committed to them from six to ten districts, with the exception of the resident of Saporouna, who has under his superintendence twenty-four districts. These districts are likewise called regencies; and the officers who govern them are distinguished by the names of Regents, Rajahs, Patties, and Orankaios. Several of these regencies are hereditary, and are enjoyed by the lineal descendents of the Portuguese families who first settled in the island. All the others are appointed by the Governor, although, in this respect, he is obliged to regulate his choice by the ancient customs and prejudices of the people, whose reverence for the ties of consanguinity carries them so far, as to induce them to keep a regular pedigree of their families, which is registered in the secretary's office, and on which the candidate for a vacant regency rests his primary claim. The regents are the vassals of the Company, who not only claim the sovereignty of the island, but the actual property of the soil; the whole of the lands being in their immediate possession, except a few pieces of ground belonging to burghers and private persons, who, under the prohibition of cultivating the clove-tree, are permitted to alienate them. A similar claim has been advanced by the English East India Company to all the lands of Bengal. But the justice of these claims is exceedingly doubtful; for it is certain that, before the English or Dutch visited India, the soil was possessed; and the question is, how the new claimants came to have a better title than the original proprietors? In Amboyna, however, though the Dutch Company claim a paramount right in the soil, they still so far acknowledge the rights of individuals to certain districts, that they do not attempt to deprive them of their property without compensation; especially if their lands produce clove-trees, which, being considered the peculiar inheritance of the planters, are held to be inviolable.

It is only in the districts marked out by the state, that the cultivation of cloves is permitted; and the grounds which are appropriated for this purpose, are portioned out to the inhabitants. These grounds are called Daty-lands; a regular register of the produce of them is kept; the clove-trees are numbered once a-year; and their qualities particularly noted. The entire produce of these trees the people are bound, under pain of death, to deliver annually into the Company's stores. Where clove-trees flourish spontaneously without the limits of the lands appointed for their cultivation, an account of them is immediately taken, and inserted in the register; and where young trees shoot up, they are immediately transplanted into Daty-lands, unless the number of trees in them is already sufficient.

To enforce the law for cutting down all the clove trees, which, from the spontaneous bounty of nature, may shoot up in different parts of the island, an annual circuit is made by the governor, accompanied by a detachment of troops, and such of the gentlemen of the settlement as he may appoint to accompany him. As this expedition is performed by water, it is escorted by a number of the regents of the districts in their barges, which they are obliged to equip at their own expense. The governor generally sets out in the middle of October, attended by all the residents of those districts under the immediate management of the supreme government. As he proceeds, he calls on the attendance of all the principal people of the district through which he passes. He makes the tour in this manner of his whole dominions, continuing to increase his train of attendants, until, having made the complete circuit of the island, he returns to his capital. His annual cavalcade is much complained of, on account of the numerous exactions to which it gives rise.

In gathering the cloves, each labourer brings the quantity which he gathers to a weigh-house, where the name of the person, together with the quantity delivered, is regularly noted. But, unless the cloves are thoroughly dried, the full weight is not always admitted. There must be an allowance for wastage, which is entirely at the discretion of the receiving officer, and under this pretence the unprotected inhabitants are exposed to numerous frauds. The price at which cloves are received by the State is 4s. 8d. per pound. But this price is merely nominal, in consequence of large deductions being subsequently made on various accounts. Of these the principal is an allowance of 20 per cent. on the weight of the cloves, for the benefit of the governor, and the other servants of the Company; besides which, there are other deductions for the regent and chief magistrates of the district, and the labourer's wages are also paid out of the price allowed by the State. The annual produce of cloves is estimated at 600,000 lb., from which a deduction of one-fifth, or twenty per cent., amounts to 120,000 lb.; and the tribute thus levied is portioned out among the residents and members of the executive government, according to their respective ranks. The produce of cloves is apt to vary, however, according as the season is favourable or otherwise.

For six years, ending 1791, the average quantity of cloves imported into Holland amounted to 597,617 lbs., and were sold for a sum equal to L. 155,129; besides which, considerable quantities are annually sent to various parts of India, Persia, Arabia, and China; the exact amount of which it is impossible to ascertain. When the island was taken possession of by the British in 1796, there were in store 515,940 lbs. of cloves. The quantity imported by the English East India Company after the conquest of the island by Britain, was, in the years 1803, 1804, 1805, respectively, 49,441; 127,866; 179,507 lbs, which were sold for L. 8,789; L. 19,994; L. 27,912.

The despotism under which this fine island is oppressed, is sufficiently implied in the monopoly of its produce for the state, and in the severe and sanguinary laws which are found necessary to prevent contraband trade. If the government were to deal fairly with its subjects, the temptation to resort to other countries with this produce would be much diminished; and, in proportion to the severity of the laws established against such an intercourse, we may, therefore, fairly estimate the extent of the fraud practised upon the inhabitants by their mercantile despots. Monopoly, besides being in itself an odious abuse, is an impure source from which other abuses naturally spring; and in Amboyna, accordingly, we find that, as the produce of the inhabitants is engrossed by the State at an undervalue, they are upon the same principle forced to purchase at prices proportionally exorbitant, whatever necessaries they may require. A lucrative trade of this nature is carried on by the residents of the respective provinces, as well as by the military officers at the outposts with the peasantry under their authority. They procure from the supply of stores which the Dutch company used to send annually from Batavia, such articles as the natives require, particularly blue cloth, which they oblige them to purchase at a price far above its value; and, in order to furnish them with the means of satisfying their wants, the residents lend them money at usurious interest; so that these people are reduced to the miserable alternative either of submitting to the grossest oppression and fraud, or of remaining destitute of those things which nature and custom unite to render necessary. The accumulated debt in which the peasantry are thus involved, is a never-falling instrument of bondage and oppression; as it places them entirely at the discretion of their task-masters, to whose bounty they are indebted for their miserable subsistence. An order in council was published by the Dutch government, some time before the island was conquered by the British, prohibiting the residents from stopping from the peasantry for debts due to themselves, more than two-thirds of the amount of their spice money. But, while the residents retain the extensive powers with which they are necessarily vested, in order to enforce the system of monopoly, the peasantry must be at their mercy; and in that case, the government being tyrannical in its principle, pretexts will never be wanting for evading the force of particular laws.

The maxims on which this country is governed are well explained in a Code of written regulations drawn up by order of the Dutch Company some years before the island came into the possession of the British. This Code, in place of containing mild and liberal regulations for the general improvement of the community, is filled with all the impolitic restrictions of avarice and despotism; the general tendency of which is, by bending down and oppressing the lower orders of the community, to strike at the root of national prosperity, and, finally, to impoverish and degrade the country. From a view of those regulations, it appears to have been the settled policy of the government of Amboyna for 150 years back, to discourage cultivation,—to check all attempts to establish manufactures,—and, in short, to suppress every improvement which might enable the inhabitants to supply their own wants, and might thus render them independent of the monopolies established by their rulers. In this they have been but too successful; and hence the people are fettered down in a state of the most wretched poverty and dependence,—destitute of the common necessaries of life, in consequence of their progressive advance in price; while, in the meantime, the wages of labour have been forcibly depressed, or rather indeed have been kept back from the labourer by fraud; he being bound to the state for a variety of severe duties and services, for which he receives no remuneration. In consequence of these oppressions, the inhabitants are poor and indolent. Agriculture has made no progress. Not more than one-tenth of the island is under cultivation, and it is therefore dependent on Java for supplies of cattle, and grain. The same causes which have discouraged the cultivation of land and the rearing of cattle, have prevented the improvement of manufactures, or of the mechanic arts; of which the inhabitants are so ignorant, that they do not even manufacture the coarse cloth of which they make their own wearing apparel; but are furnished with it from Java or Ben-

Amboyna gal, and receive it in retail from the residents and men in office, at such prices as they choose to fix on it.

All the natural productions of this island are in like manner neglected by the policy of its rulers. It formerly produced indigo of the finest quality and colour. But the growth of this valuable commodity was discouraged by the Dutch, chiefly with a view of protecting the indigo trade carried on between the mother country and her colonies in the West Indies; and from a jealousy also, that the natives, by acquiring wealth, might be enabled to assert their independence. Sugar grows to great perfection; but its cultivation is discouraged. Coffee is produced in great plenty in different parts of the island; and, were the culture of it sufficiently attended to, it would be equal in quality to the first Mocha coffee. Wheat might be cultivated to great advantage on the beautiful heights contiguous to the town of Amboyna, the soil and climate being well adapted for it. Of maize there is already a great abundance; and the dry and mountain rice is known here; but they have been but little attended to. The bread-fruit tree grows spontaneously all over the island; but is only made use of by the lowest orders of the people. The cocoa tree also grows here; but the cultivation of it is almost entirely neglected. If the culture of vegetables were sufficiently attended to, this island would produce a great variety of the finest quality. All sorts of roots are produced in abundance, particularly yams and sweet potatoes; and the increased circulation of species, since the island has been in possession of the English, has induced the farmers to bring ample and regular supplies to the market. There is also great variety of fruits, of the finest quality and flavour. The general appearance of the island is extremely beautiful and picturesque. Mountains everywhere covered with lofty woods in perpetual foliage, and valleys clothed in verdure, interspersed with hamlets, and enriched by cultivation, exhibit the most delightful variety that nature in those tropical regions is capable of producing.

Amboyna was captured by the British in 1796, and restored to the Dutch by the peace of Amiens. It was again taken possession of in 1810, and restored to its former owners by the treaty of Paris concluded in 1814. See Asiatic Annual Register for 1800, p. 200; and Mr Milburn's valuable work, entitled Oriental Commerce, Vol. II. p. 394. (o.)