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CHAP. IX. — Account of the Kingdom of Boni. — Sketch of its Hijlory. — TheirfirftKings. — Origin of their Enmity to Goach. — Singular Revolutions under Queen Bat-tar a Todja. — Piracies of Aroe Seenkang. — War with Wadjo .—• Arone Tanete, aCannibal. — Method of accufing and punijhing Criminals . — Story of a Duel betweentwo Princes, Grandfons of the reigning King. — Cruelty of the King towards the Objedlof their Difagreement.
AT the time of the Boni contract, that kingdom extended along the weftern fhoreof the gulph, which is ftill called the Bay of Boni *, from the river Chinrana to theriver Salenico, a length of about twenty leagues; inland it bordered upon Soping,Lamoere, Macafler, and Boeleboele. This kingdom was independent of and uncon-nected with any other in very ancient times. Their traditions affirm, that their firftKing likewife defcended from heaven. When he came upon earth he had no name,but was afterwards called Matta Salompo by the people, fignifying as much as, all-feeing. He married a Princefs of Toro, who was equally of celeftial origin ; he hadby her one fon and five daughters, from whom all the fucceeding Kings of Boni aredefcended, and of whofe pofterity, born from marriages with royal Princeffes, fuchonly being, in every refpeCt, entitled to the crown, according to Mr. Blok’s account,no other remained alive in 1759 than Aroe Palakka, the grandmother of the thenreigning King of Goach. She was ftill living when I was at Macafler in 1775, andgoverned as Queen of Tannetta.
This, their firft monarch, inftituted the laws of the country, which are ftill ob-ferved ; he made the royal ftandard, called Worong Porong, and appointed feven elec-tors, under the denomination of Matoua Petoes. Thefe are hereditary in feven families,though it has fometimes happened that two, and even three of them, have been of thefame lineage. This high office defcends upon women as well as upon men. All mattersof importance, relating to the kingdom, muft be determined by them : their power, inparticular, extends over the election and depofition of the Kings, and the making ofpeace and war f.
King
* Called Sewa by the natives, and Bugguefs, or Long Bay, by the Englifli. The following accountof it, given by Captain Foreft, from the information of a Bugguefs noquedah, or sea-captain, may not beunacceptable : “ Having paffed the (trait between Celebes and Saleyer, called the Budgeroons, keep onin a direction north-eaft-by-north, about one hundred and thirty miles, and you will find near the weftcoait of the Sewa a fmall illand called Baloonroo; it is vifible eight or ten leagues off, and has fome rockyiflets at its eaft end. Farther on, about a day’s fail, which I fix at fixty miles, is the mouth of the riverChinrana: this river takes its rife in the Warjoo country, the capital of which is called Tofforo, and lies aday’s journey by water from the mouth of the river; it afterwards paffes through Boni: it has a goodmuddy bar, paffable by large (hips, and is navigable a good way up ; it has feveral mouths, and there arcmany towns on its banks, where a great trade is carried on in gold, rice, fago, caffia, tortoife-lhell, pearls,&c : the anchorage is good off the river’s mouth. Halt a day’s fail farther north, along the weft coaft of theSewa is the river Peeneekee, not very confiderable. Farther on are two places called Akolingan andTellu-dopin, which are pretty well inhabited. Continuing ftill north, you come to the river Sewa, not very con-fiderable ; then to the river Loo, famous for boat-building: then you come to Mankakoo, where there isgold, and much fago, very cheap ; they have alfo caffia and feed-pearl. Being now come to the bottom°f Bugguefs Bay, the fago-tree abounds very much ; and in many parts of the Sewa, there are fpots of toulground on which they fifll for fwallow, which they generally carry to Macafler, to fell to the China junk.On the eaft fide of the Sewa the country is not fo well inhabited as on the weft fide. The fouth-ealt pointof the Sewa is called Pajungan: here is a clufter of iflands, rather fmall, with good anchorage amongftthem.” Tr.
f According to Foreff, Boni is governed by a Prince, who is called Pajong. He is defied for life byfeven nobles, a fixed number, which may be kept up by the Pajong (but not incrcafed), from the dyons
(certain