*75
I found little pleafure or fociability here ; which, I was told, was to be afcribed tothe late governor, whofe diftruftful temper made him look upon all focial meetingswith jealoufy ; this did not feem improbable to me, as I found that a fhort time beforehe left the ifland, and when he was not an object of apprehenfion or hope,' as before,both focial intercourfe and innocent gaiety became daily more prevalent, whichafforded much fatisfadliomto the new governor.
The common Europeans, both foldiers and mechanics, have very little opportunityof earning any money here, and their pay affords them little elfe than fago, and at moltrice, with a little filh, for food, and water, fagwire, or arrack, for drink. The foldiersmake a very lhabby appearance; their uniform is made of blue linen, and hangs intatters about them, without fhoes or (lockings, excepting, indeed, the body-guards ofthe governor ; they attend the parade bare-footed, and are badly difciplined ; to thispifture may be added, an unhealthy, dropfical, and feeble habit of body, occafioned bythe immoderate ufe of fagwire, to which, too, is attributed the circumftance of theirall having fwolri and ulcerated legs ; though this latter complaint is as rife among thefailors and mechanics as among the military: their number is never complete, not-withftanding the fupplies that are fent every year from Batavia. ,
There are very few women here born of European fathers and mothers ; but thereare a great number of a mixed race, as many Europeans take Indian women for concu-bines, whofe children are afterwards legitimated, and incorporated into the Europeannation *.
Married women live here very retired ; they do not often mix in company with themen, and flill more feldom enter into converfation with them; every thing that isaddreffed to them is anfwered by a Angle affirmative or negative. I was told, thatbeing always accullomed to fpeak the Malay tongue, they felt awkward, and werea pprehenfive of expreffing themfelves wrong in the Dutch ; yet I obferved the fametelerve, and want of power to carry on a converfation when they were fpeaking in theMalay language, as when they were addreffed in Dutch . Society is, then, here dividedmto male and female, by which, in my opinion, all company is rendered dull, formala nd difagreeable.
-I he drefs of the ladies is like that of thofe at Batavia. The men drefs in the Euro-pean falhion, with this peculiarity however, that the greatell contrail in colours is foughta fter, for inllance, blue filk breeches, with fcarlet waillcoat, and black or dark brownc °ats, and vice verfd.
. No carriages are feen here ; indeed there are no roads fit for them, for the countryjs every where both mountainous and rocky, fo that it can even fcarcely be traverfed onnorleback. A fort of fedan-chairs are made ufe of in the room of carriages, withw mch the Amboynefe run up and down the moll dangerous paths in the mountains,Without there being hardly a fingle example of their letting them fall, or overturn-ln g them.
The town of Amboyna, if a place without gates or walls may deferve that name,le s on the peninfula of Leytimor, at the north-well fide, about half way between theP°mt of Nouffanivel and the pafs of Baguewala, in a hoping plain at the foot of thehiU Unta ' nS So y a ’ w bich furround it behind, and end at the Rooden-berg, or Red1 ? about two hundred and twenty roods, eall-north-ea
-eall from the callle.
* At Amboyna, the children of European fathers and Indian mothers are called Mixtices, who are ofn olive complexion ; the children of a Mixtice and an European are called Poeltices; and thofe of a Poef-r* a L nd an European are Caftices, who are nearly as fair as Europeans ; after which no diftin&on is made ,the children proceeding from further unions are reckoned among the Europeans. Tr.
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