ACCOUNT OF CELEBES, AMBOYNA , &C. 269
The young couple were forced to endure the repetition of this tedious ceremony forthree fucceffive days, and always in fight of their nuptial bed, before they were allowedto perform the eflential rites of marriage.
There are ftill many defcendants of the Portuguefe here, who, when their country-men were forced to give up the dominion of the ifland to ours, chofe to remain underthe government of the Dutch .
The principal Amboynefe Chriftians ftill bear Portuguefe names, which their an-ceftors received at their baptifm; but the Portuguefe language is lefs fpoken here thanin any other part of India , and the number of the abovementioned defcendants ofPortuguefe is not large.
Our countrymen who, in the year 1605, under the command of their admiralStephen Van der Hagen, took the caftle of Victoria, which was the chief fettlementof the Portuguefe upon the ifland, are now here abofolute mailers, as well over thepeninfulas of Hitoe and Leytimor, as over the Uliaffers, which comprehendsthe iflands of Oma, Honimoa, Nouffa, and Molaria, and likewife over Manipa,Kelang, Bonoa, the north coaft of Bouro, Little Ceram or Hoewamoehil, and fomeplaces on Great Ceram; although a great part of the laft century was elapfed beforethey were in full poffeflion of the coaft of Hitoe, as well as of Little Ceram, onaccount of the oppofition they met with from the £)uimelahas, or Ternatefe governn ors, the king of Ternate looking upon part of thefe countries as his territory; andfrom the four chiefs of Hitoe, who refufed to be deprived of their independence, andopenly refilled the arms of the Company. But thefe obftacles being now removed,the Company have little more to do than to oppofe the attempts of foreign nations,and to prevent a clandeftine trade with them, of which I Ihall fay more hereafter.
£hap. XVIII. — Government at Amboyna . — Counfel of Polity. — Revenues of theGovernors. — Vice-Governor. — Commandant of the Military. — Refident of Hila. —Chief of Separoua. — Fifcal. — Chief of Harouko. — Refident of Larike. — Chiefs°f Bouro and Manipa .'— Other Servants of the Company. —j Allowance to the Com-pany's Servants out of the Crop of Cloves. — Repartition of it among them. — Council°f Jujlice. — Great Influence of the Governor. — Shameful Abufes. — Injlance of un-exampled Cruelty and Injuftice. —- Other Courts or Boards. — Clergymen and Eccle-fajlical Matters.
THE general adminiftration of the affairs of this province is veiled in a governor,W10 is appointed by the council of India , and is commonly one of the fecretaries of»e council, or one of the Company’s fervants at other out-fadlories; the fecond hase c *om fucceeded to the command, the reafon of which I am ignorant of.
A council is appointed to affift the governor, confifting of the firft qualified fervantsthe. Company, whofe advice and concurrence he is bound to have, in planning,r r ^ n g ln g, and executing all matters of importance, as is the cafe in all the out-actories j but in how far the power of the governor is hereby circumfcribed, iseatily deducible from the confideration, that he poffeifes the power of diftniffmg the^Qunfellors from the Company’s fervice, and fending them to Batavia, where it does°t often happen that a fuperior is call in any difpute with an inferior ; and the in-jured party feldom finds either redrefs or confolation, unlefs he have powerful friends* ntere ^ m his behalf. Befides that fuch a governor is able by a thoufand? rent means, and in indirect ways, to treat fuch as he is difpleafed with in fo mor-th ym S a manner, and to curtail then income and emoluments to fuch a degree, thate y would rather thank heaven to be out of his hands.
But