ACCOUNT OF CELEBES , AMBOYNA, &C. Z6$

about nine o’clock, a failor of one of the Hoops that lay juft behind ray {hip, on hisfwimining afhore to fetch his pocket handkerchief which he had left, was fo dreadfullybitten by fome filh or other in the head that he died the fame night; and he wouldprobably have been dragged to the bottom and devoured, had not immediate afliftancebeen given to him, upon his loud cries for help, as well from my fhip as from theother veffels.

From lions, tigers, wolves, and other beafts of prey Amboyna is free. The moltnoxious animals are fnakes, of which there are feveral forts in the woods and fields,which are amply defcribed by Valentyn.

I one morning, walking in the garden behind my houfe, found the oelar bifa nepis,or thin poilon fnake *, fo clofe to me, that I Ihould probably have trodden on it, hadit not firft difcovered and hiffed at me, whereby I had juft time to retire from thedangerous neighbourhood ; I caught it a little while afterwards, and preferved it infpirits.

The fnakes with legs appear to me to belong rather to the lizard tribe, than that offnakes. Among the Angularities here we may reckon the flying lizard.

I {hall not fpeak of the other animals and infe&s, crocodiles, alligators, gek-koss,lizards, fcorpions, centipedes, nor of the very curious infeft called the walking leaf, as;they are all iufficiently defcribed by Valentyn f.

Of the domeftic animals, among which are enumerated buffaloes, cows, horfes,iheep, goats, and hogs, the laft-mentioned only are natives of the country ; the othershave been brought hither, as well by the Portuguefe as by the Dutch, from Java,Celebes , and the fouth-weftern lfles.

The cows here give much lefs milk, and worfe butter than in Java ; the price of thebutter remains the fame as it was eighty years ago, in the time of Valentyn, viz. oneHx-dollar per pound.

CHAP. XVIII. — Inhabitants of Amboyna. — The Alfoerefe; — Account of them by Rum -phius. — The Amboynefe ; — Their Stature ; —Appearance ; — Temper. — TheWomen ; — Their Lafcivioufnefs. — The Religion of the Amboynefe ; — Their Idolatry ;

■ Vices. — A.mboynefe Chrijlians ; — Their Superjlition ; — Their Government. —The Chinefe. — Account of a Chinefe Marriage at A?nboyna. — Defendants of Portu-guefe. .— Foundation and Extenfon of the Power of the Duchy here ,

THE inhabitants of Amboyna, and of the adjacent iflands belonging to this govern-niay properly be divided into four claffes, viz. the Alforefe, the Amboynefe,he r Europeans, and the Chinefe.

■1 he Alfoers or Alfoerefe are, in all probability, the firft and moft ancient inhabi-. a nts of thefe countries ; at the prefent day they ftill remain feparate from the otherhabitants, and dwell in the mountains of Bouro and Ceram, where they live accord-

or b[ Near ly twenty different forts of fnakes are defcribed by Valentyn. Among them the oelar bifa biroe,inch Ue ,h°'^ on fnake, is the mcft venomous ; it is no more than a foot and a half in length, and about twofear* 1 UC k ’ lt; Is remarkably quick, and its bite is mortal. The olear bifa nepis, or thin porfon fnake, is* tlc urab] a t l ua ’ ler of an inch thick, and about afoot and a half, or two feet in length ; its bite is equally

The inellimable work of Valentyn, to which the reader is fo frequently referred, is fcarce even in0 land; it confilts of five large folio volumes, containing upwards of one thoufand copper-plates. Thelator is in polFefiion of a copy, which he procured at much pains and expence ; and would his limitsjof it, he would be more copious in his extrads from it, as it is a treafure locked up in a cheft, ofich few have the key, no tranflation having ever been made of it. Tiw

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