TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
The numerous islands lying between the Moluccas and the northern coasts of Australia, have hitherto been very little known to the world; indeed, we cannot discover that any account of them has yet been made public, with the exception of some observations in Valentyn's "Oude en Nieuw Oost Indien," a work published in Holland more than a century ago:—we are, therefore, induced to offer a few particulars concerning their early history, as an introduction to M. Kolff's narrative.
We cannot discover that these islands were ever visited by Europeans previous to 1636, in which year Pieter Pieterson, a Dutch navigator, touched at the Arru Islands during his voyage to examine the northern coasts of Australia, which had been discovered thirty years previously by a small Dutch vessel, called theDuyfken. Six years subsequently the Arru group was again visited by F. Corsten, when several of the native chiefs were induced to acknowledge the supremacy of the Dutch East India Company, binding themselves to trade with no other Europeans, and investing them with the monopoly of the pearl banks, the produce of which the Dutch conveyed to Japan, and there found a ready market and a lucrative return. Transactions, with similar views, subsequently took place at the adjacent islands, on which small bodies of troops were placed, to whose control the simple natives willingly submitted, and viewed with indifference the destruction of the spice trees, which were vigorously sought for and up-rooted by the new comers.
As it was the object of the Dutch to restrict the trade in spices within narrow limits, in order to enhance the value of this commodity, of which they enjoyed the monopoly, the East India Company did not permit even their own countrymen to carry on a commercial intercourse with these islands; indeed, the only advantages the Company derived from their possession, consisted in their affording slaves to cultivate the clove and nutmeg plantations of Banda and Amboyna, the only settlements in which they allowed spices to be grown. Notwithstanding these restrictions, an extensive contraband trade was carried on with the islands; for the Europeans who were, from time to time, encouraged by the Company to settle in the Moluccas as planters, although receiving bounties in the shape of free grants of land, with advances of slaves and provisions on credit and at original cost, under the sole condition that they should supply the Company with the produce at a fixed price, soon abandoned their plantations, and embarked in the more exciting and lucrative trade with the islands to the southward, sending confidential slaves in charge of their prahus.[1]It isrecorded, that many individuals collected enormous fortunes by this traffic, which, indeed, was nearly all profit, as the goods sent there were of very small value. The trepang fishery, now the principal source of wealth to these islands, then scarcely existed, and the return cargoes of the prahus consisted chiefly of less bulky articles, such as amber, pearls, tortoise-shell and birds-of-paradise.
Towards the close of the last century, when the rigorous monopoly of the Dutch had induced other natives to produce spices, which were cultivated with success by the French in the Isle of Bourbon, and by the English on the west coast of Sumatra, the Moluccas began to decline in importance, and with a view to reduce government expenditure, the Dutch withdrew their military establishments from the islands to the southward. The Bughis, an enterprising people from the southern part of the island of Celebes, and Chinese merchants from Java and Macassar, immediately engrossed the trade with the islands:—the wars which broke out in Europe about this time affording them great encouragement, since the Dutch, sufficiently occupied in maintaining their more important possession, could offer little interruption. The British, during their short occupation of the Moluccas, were so exclusively occupied by the immediate affairs of newly-acquired settlements, that the countries beyond their limits were, in a great measure, neglected; indeed, the inhabitants of some of the more remote islands were not aware that the Moluccas had changed masters; the Dutch flags left among them many years previously, being still hoisted on festive occasions.
When Java and its dependencies were restored to Dutch dominion after the peace of 1814, their East India Company had ceased to exist; the Government, however, continued to monopolize the traffic with the Moluccas. The Chinese merchants of Java and Macassar had, by this time, embarked largely in the trade with the Arru and Serwatty Islands; several brigs and large prahus, manned with Javanese, but having Chinese supercargoes, annually resorting to them from Sourabaya, and the other commercial ports to the westward.
Christianity, the seeds of which had been sown by the Dutch during their occupation of the islands, also began to spread among the inhabitants, and the native Amboynese teachers, who established themselves in some of the chief villages, were encouraged rather than molested by the Bughis and Chinese traders, these perceiving that their interests would be promoted by any advance the natives might make in civilization. The Bughis, unlike the Malayan and Ceramese Mohammedans, care little about making proselytes; neither do the Chinese feel much inclination to obtain converts to their half atheistical creed, which they themselves seem disposed to ridicule.
The founding of Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles, in the year 1819, forms an important era in the history of the Indian Archipelago. The liberality of the institutions adopted there gave an impulse to commerce and civilization throughout the Eastern Seas, and even the most distant and barbarous tribes have not been excluded from participation in the general improvement. Among the first to avail themselves of this new state of affairs, were the enterprising Bughis tribes of Celebes, who flocked to Singapore by thousands, delighted at the favourable opportunity offered them for disposing of their produce to Europeans and Chinese merchants, without being subjected to extortionate imposts, or the annoyances of custom-house officers, which had hitherto checked their enterprize.
The islands in the eastern part of the Archipelago were, however, too distant from this emporium for the natives to partake of the benefits it offered, in an equal degree with those of the countries more adjacent. The greater portion of the produce afforded by the Arru and neighbouring islands, was collected and brought by the Bughis to Celebes, where it was re-shipped for Singapore; at least twelve months being required to send the goods to market and receive the returns.
It was chiefly to establish an intercourse with the natives of these parts, by presenting to them a more convenient mart for their produce, that a British settlement was formed on Melville Island, near the coast of Australia, in 1824, by Captain, now, Sir J.J. Gordon Bremer, and if this, and the settlement subsequently formed at Raffles Bay, proved unsuccessful, it is more to be attributed to our want of information concerning these islands than to any other cause. Two small vessels successively were sent among them by the authorities of Melville Island, neither of which returned. It will be seen by M. Kolff's narrative, that, unhappily, both these vessels directed their course to parts previously unvisited by foreigners, and that the natives, unable to resist the temptation of acquiring more valuable property than they had ever before contemplated, attacked and plundered them, killing the greater portion of their crews. Had they visited the parts of these islands which were frequented by the traders, they might have done so with comparative safety, as the natives there would have been too well aware of the value of commerce to risk the danger of putting a stop to it by an action likely to draw upon them the vengeance of a powerful people.
From M. Kolff's voyage having been undertaken so soon after our occupation of Melville Island, there is some reason to believe, that the formation of that settlement had considerable influence in inducing the Dutch Government suddenly to take a deep interest in the islands adjacent to it, which had been almost totally neglected for half a century previously. Whether this voyage was beneficial or otherwise to the British interest in that quarter the reader will be able to judge from the work itself, but, at all events, we have to thank M. Kolff for information which cannot but be valuable, now that we are about to found another settlement in that part of the world; H.M. shipsAlligatorandBritomart, again under the command of Sir Gordon Bremer, being on their voyage to the northern coast of Australia for the purpose. The arrangement of the work for publication has afforded the Translator occupation and amusement during a long voyage, and he trusts it may be the means of conveying useful information concerning a simple and industrious people, occupying a number of richly productive islands, in the immediate vicinity of a continent which may be considered a vast British colony, and with whom his countrymen may open an intercourse likely to prove advantageous to both parties.
H.M. ShipAlligator,Sydney.
FOOTNOTES:[1]Si quelque habitans de Banda avaient acquis des richesses, ils ne les avaient nullement à l'industrie agricole, mais à la contrabande et au commerce avec les îles d'Arauw (Arru), ou ils envoyaeint des embarcations dirigées par les esclaves qu'on leur avait procurés pour l'entretien des pares (spice plantations). Quelques individus ont fait de cette manière une immense fortune.—Count de Hogendorp's "Coup-d'œil sur l'Isle de Java,"p. 333.
[1]Si quelque habitans de Banda avaient acquis des richesses, ils ne les avaient nullement à l'industrie agricole, mais à la contrabande et au commerce avec les îles d'Arauw (Arru), ou ils envoyaeint des embarcations dirigées par les esclaves qu'on leur avait procurés pour l'entretien des pares (spice plantations). Quelques individus ont fait de cette manière une immense fortune.—Count de Hogendorp's "Coup-d'œil sur l'Isle de Java,"p. 333.
[1]Si quelque habitans de Banda avaient acquis des richesses, ils ne les avaient nullement à l'industrie agricole, mais à la contrabande et au commerce avec les îles d'Arauw (Arru), ou ils envoyaeint des embarcations dirigées par les esclaves qu'on leur avait procurés pour l'entretien des pares (spice plantations). Quelques individus ont fait de cette manière une immense fortune.—Count de Hogendorp's "Coup-d'œil sur l'Isle de Java,"p. 333.