ACCOUNT OF CELEBES , AMBOYNA, &C. 267

rience of their adroitnefs in this refpect, during my refid^nce among them. Maliceand envy are predominant paflions in their breads, and are carried to great excefs;they envy each other the lead degree of benefit or profperity; yet this is feldom pro-ductive of public adadination or private murder among them, for being a pufillani-inous and fuperditious race of men, death is to them, more than to any other nation,a king of terrors.

When thefe Amboynefe Chridians go in their veffels pad a certain hill on the fouthcoad of Ceram, they make an offering to the Evil Spirit, which they believe refidesthere, in order that he may not do any harm to them or to their veffels. Thisoffering is made in the following manner: they lay a few flowers, and a fmall pieceof money into empty cocoanut-fhells, which they fet a-floating in the water: if it be inthe evening, they put oil into them, with little wicks, which they fet a-light, and letburn out upon the water: they are perfuaded that by this means they have appeafedthe Evil Spirit, and that he will not raife any dorm againd them.

Valentyn has been fufficiently ample in deferibing their drefs, houfes, difeafes,cudoms, &c. * to preclude the neceffity of my faying more about them ; I wifli onlyto obferve that that writer has placed almod every thing in the mod advantageousKght.

The inhabitants of Amboyna feem, from time immemorial, never to have beenunited under one head; but, as the mod ancient accounts and traditions relate, eachnegree, or village, was governed by its own chief. It is true, there have been, andthere are at prefent, unions of four or five negrees under one chief; but they are thelead in number: among thefe, the principal is Nouffanivel, whofe rajah, or king, hasthree other negrees under his dominion.

Thefe chiefs are didinguifhed into three claffes, or ranks; thus, there are rajahs, orkings ; pattis, who may be faid to be dukes or earls ; and oran cayos, which fignifies astouch as rich men. Their chiefs, however, do not poffefs an abfolute authority : everyne gree has given as council to their chief, confiding of the olded and mod refpettablemen of the village, who are called oran touas, that is, elders; and the rajah, patti,°r oran cayo, of the negree is bound to confult with them at the caleeuw, or council-kali, on all the concerns of the community.

Every negree has likewife its marmhos, who do not adid at the councils, but areexalted above the commonalty, and ferve for exhorters and encouragers of the people*n every public work.

Beddes feveral little fervices which the common people are obliged to perform forthefe chiefsf, the lad have ljkewife an income proceeding from the crops of cloves,which the Company have bedowed upon them.

Ihe Company pay, for every bhar of five hundred and fifty pounds weight ofcloves, fifty-fix rix-dollars, or one hundred and thirty-four gilders, and eight divers J ;hut of this, the planters receive only fifty-one rix-dollars, the remaining fivebein g divided among the village-chiefs, three being allotted to the rajah, patti, or° r an cayo, one and a half to the oran touas, or elders, and one-half rix-dollar to thetuarinhos.

„ _ 1° chapter i, ii, Jii, and iv. of the fourth, and chapter i. of the fifth book of vol. ii. of Valentyn'sjJcdennieuwOftlndien.” Tr.

an! I, y are obliged to build the houfes of their chiefs, and to furnifh all the timber, gabbe-gabba, atapW o^k 'cjjy'aterials necefiary for the conflruftion, but the chiefs mull maintain them while they are at

^ ^ cloves coft the Dutch Company, at Amboyna , full fix {livers per pound, or about 6Jd. fter-

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