s one of the Moluccas or Spice Islands, in the Eastern Archipelago, and belongs to the Dutch. It lies south-west of Ceram, in S. Lat. 3° 41'. E. Long. 128° 10', and is 32 miles in length, of a very irregular figure, with a superficial area of 13·3 geographical square leagues. Though but fourth-rate in size, it is the most populous of all the Moluccas, Ceram excepted, the number of its inhabitants in 1840 being 29,660. Its proper name is Hitoe; but it is usually designated Amboya, from its town. The town of Amboya contains 13,000 inhabitants, and is situated on the south-east of the island, in the peninsula of Leitimor, which is united to Hitoe by an isthmus about one mile broad. The arm of the sea separating these two very unequal peninsulas forms the extensive bay and roadstead of Amboya, which affords good anchorage for ships, with shelter from most winds. In the exterior bay there are no dangerous rocks or shallows; on the contrary, it has a depth of 50 fathoms, except in a few places; as, for instance, in the roadstead itself, towards the point of the Gibbet, and the other side of the bay, within the point of Laba. Ships, however, seldom cast anchor in this last place, unless, when attempting to enter the bay, the wind suddenly becomes Amboyna, contrary, which would otherwise compel them to take to the open sea.

Amboyna is a clean neat town, with broad unpaved streets running at right angles to each other, and intersected by numerous rivulets. The houses are of wood, roofed with palm leaves, and mostly of one story, the better to endure the shock of earthquakes, which are not infrequent. The Chinese and the Europeans occupy separate quarters of the town. An esplanade of 250 yards reaches from Fort Victoria to the town, and is terminated by a handsome range of houses, with a double row of nutmeg trees in front. Another fort has been erected in a more advantageous position, and is called Van der Capellen, in honour of the late excellent governor of that name. The town-house is a neat structure of two stories, fronting the esplanade. There are two Christian churches, a fine garden and menagerie, several bazaars and markets, and a hospital. The site of the town is level; but immediately to the east and south the country is hilly, and many mountain-streams descend to the sea close to the town; the country around is highly picturesque, and diversified with numerous villas; the forests are rich and varied, vegetation is most luxuriant, and the air is embalmed with the odours of flowers. Viewed from the sea, the aspect of this fertile island is high and mountainous, watered by innumerable streams, and interspersed with clove plantations. The average temperature is 80° Fahr., rarely sinking below 72°, and until the great earthquake in 1835 the climate was accounted highly salubrious; but since that period fever has been very prevalent, probably in consequence of mephitic vapours still exhaling from the fissures in the earth. Amboyna produces most of the common tropical fruits and vegetables, including the sago-palm, bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, sugar-cane, maize, coffee, pepper, cotton, &c., and a small quantity of very fine indigo. The variety of its ornamental woods is such, that Rumphius, the author of the Herb Amboinensis, had a cabinet composed of no fewer than 400 of its choice native woods. The governor of the Moluccas resides here, having under his jurisdiction the islands of Boeroe, Ambaluw, Ceram, Manipa, Klang, Boneoe, Haroekoe, Hominoe or Saporoea, Noesa-laut, and Hila. The varied climatic effects of the monsoons are felt at Amboyna, Ceram, Banda, the east coast of Celebes, and the adjacent seas; the east monsoon bringing rains, lightning, and hurricanes, the west monsoon fine weather. The monsoons also occasion irregularities of the tides.

This island is especially remarkable for producing the best cloves of commerce, and formerly was appropriated almost exclusively to that production; for its Dutch legislators, in order to secure a monopoly, exterminated thousands of clove trees, prohibited their culture in the other islands subject to them, and often burnt whole cargoes of spices, with the view to keep up their market-price. By an act passed in 1824 these prohibitory laws were abolished; and consequently the fraud, extortion, and tyranny to which they gave rise: the cultivation of land was opened to all; but on account of the indolence and indifference of the natives the government deemed it advisable to assign a plantation of this tree to each negriy, or village, under the superintendence of a chief, who is bound to deliver the annual produce to government at a just valuation.

The clove-tree (Caryophyllus aromaticus) attains the height of 30 or 40 feet, is slender and elegant, with a light-coloured stem, branches little spread, the leaves entire, small, Amboyna, and oblong. It bears about its fifteenth year, and its average duration is 75 years. The spice is the undeveloped flowers of the plant, the tubular part being the calyx, and the knob the unexpanded corolla. A tree will yield annually from 5 lb. to 20 lb. of cloves, according to its size and vigour; and some very large trees are said to produce even so much as 50 lb. It flourishes best in a dry, rocky soil, sheltered from blasts and sea-spray, and requires much care. In the other Moluccas it bears earlier, and is harder; but it is in Amboyna that this plant is produced in greatest perfection. From the leaves is extracted an oil powerfully aromatic. The harvest takes place in November and December, and averages from 250,000 to 300,000 lb. of cloves, which are dried quickly in the shade to preserve their aroma. The sago-tree (Sagis Rumphii), which furnishes the principal food of the Amboynese, is in danger of becoming extinct in that island from the constant destruction of the trees—a circumstance deserving the attention of the government. In Amboyna a tree now yields but about 400 lb. of sago, while those of Ceram give 1200 lb. or more. It flowers between its 20th and 25th year, and after lasting two years in this state, languishes and dies; but before this period the pith has become ligneous, and is useless. The best sago is in small round grains of a pale reddish-white: as usually found in commerce the grain is larger, and whitened artificially.

The natives of Amboyna are a mixed race of Haroforas or aborigines, Malays, Chinese, Arabians, and various European nations, with a consequent variety of complexion and feature; and it is worthy of remark that the descendants of the Portuguese are much darker than the aborigines. Of the latter very few now remain, and they are confined to the mountains. The Malays constitute the main population. They are indolent and effeminate, but expert fishers. Their corocoros, or war-canoes, are often 100 feet long, and carry 80 men. They live in wooden houses of one story, with roofs of palm-leaves, and windows of matted cane Malay, the common language, is pleasing in utterance: the Arabic character is employed in writing it, which they derived from the Arabians in the middle of the 16th century. The natives are of middle height and well formed. They are high spirited and of facile disposition, with more inclination for the military life than the inhabitants of the other Moluccas. Their costume differs little from that of the Malays of Java: it consists of a loose frock and trousers, and a round hat, their glossy hair twisted into a queue, or turned up with a comb. The chiefs of the villages dress like the Europeans. Mohammedanism is the prevailing religion; but some profess Christianity, and distinguish themselves by black garments.

If the ancient statistical documents may be relied on, this island once contained 50,000 inhabitants. The great decrease at the present day has been ascribed to several causes; such as piracy, the ravages of smallpox and cholera, enrolment for military service in 1806, 1809, and 1826, the insurrections of 1817 and 1829, and the epidemic of 1837: to which may be added the grievous oppression they so long endured.

Amboyna has the usual domestic animals, but is very barren in indigenous mammals. Its birds are few in species, nor is it richer in mollusca and zoophytes. The splendid

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1 Many errors have been propagated respecting the policy of the Dutch with regard to their East India possessions; the fact being that the chartered privileges of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (like those of our own East India Company under its original charter), constitute a monopoly of the carrying trade in the hands of that body, to the exclusion of the majority of the Dutch merchants and merchant seamen; and all that the British have received in accordance with the provisions in the treaty of 1824 is a parity of exclusion with the great majority of the Dutch themselves.—See Edinburgh Review, No. cxiv., p. 71. Amboyna, and valuable shells sold by the Chinese merchants at Amboyna are rarely found on its shores; and in this and other instances mistakes have frequently arisen in making Amboyna the habitat of animals not found there. In the Moluccas but thirty mammiferous animals have hitherto been observed: they do not possess a single quadruman, nor any formidable beast of prey: the feline tribe is not even represented: no marsupials: the insectivora are wanting: of the rodentia there is but the mus decumanus, which is found everywhere, or a species nearly allied to it: no edentata: the pachydermata are represented by the wild boar and the horse, and the ruminantia by the deer (Cervus axis): the monotremata are wanting. The birds of these islands form characteristic groups: such are the cockatoos with plumage almost purely white, and parrots beautifully variegated with scarlet, purple, and bright blue. Among the gallinaceae are the megapodes, remarkable for the disproportionate size of their eggs, and their habit of subjecting them to the heat of fermenting vegetable matter, instead of hatching them in the usual way. The serpents that occur in Amboyna are described by M. Schlegel as the following:—Calamaria brachyorrhos, Lycodon modestus, Dendrophis rhodopleuron, Dipsas irregularis, and the Homalopsis Schneideri, and Python Schneideri, inhabiting Amboyna; and in the surrounding seas are found the Hydrophis striata, H. pedamis, H. pelamoides, H. colubrina, and probably some others. The entomology of these isles is peculiarly rich; and we may specially notice the brilliant lepidoptera, and the phasma of enormous size. In the pith of the sago tree is found the larva of a cerambyx, which is eaten as a great delicacy, like the gruyer worm of the West Indies. The seas are very prolific: the dugon is common: the antarctic whale, the porpoise, the baleenoptera or finner, but especially the cachalot (Physeter macrocephalus) which yields the spermaceti of commerce, attract many English, American, and other vessels to these seas. Extravagant estimates have been made of the number of cachalots annually taken; but it is stated that 190 large whaling vessels are annually engaged in this pursuit.

Geology.—The greatest part of the island of Amboyna is composed of rocks of igneous formation. To the north of Leitimor, near the village of Roebang, there is a hill several hundred feet in height composed entirely of granite; in other places this rock underlies serpentine, and a calcareous rock of more recent formation. The island in other parts presents a volcanic aspect; and earthquakes and sudden oscillations of the sea, from time to time, attest the agency of subterranean fire. Pennant mentions a dreadful eruption of the Wawani Mountain of Amboyna in 1691. Sulphur is found in some quantity, and gold occurs in the granite districts.

History.—Amboyna was first visited in 1512 by the Portuguese, who established a factory there in 1521; but they did not obtain peaceable possession of it till 1580. They were dispossessed by the Dutch, after repeated attempts, in 1605. The British seized it in 1615; and in turn were expelled by the Dutch, but retained a factory in the island. The destruction of this establishment by the Dutch in 1622, and the frightful tortures inflicted on the unfortunate persons connected with it, long formed the theme of fruitless political negotiations: till Oliver Cromwell compelled them to give the sum of £300,000, together with a small island, as compensation to the descendants of those who suffered in the "Amboyna massacre." In 1796, the British, under the Admiral Rainier, captured Amboyna, but restored it to the Dutch at the peace of Amiens. They re-captured it in 1810; and once more restored it to the Dutch after the treaty of Paris in 1814.

The sources of public revenue are customhouse and port dues, imposts on merchandise, a monopoly of arrack, and Ambracia various licenses. The exports are spices and other natural produce: the imports chiefly opium, and some Indian and European goods.—See Cours-de-ciel General sur les Possessions Neerlandaises dans l'Inde Archipelagique, par C. J. Temminck. Cannabich, Lehrbuch. (r. s. t.—L.)