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CHAP. XX. — The Clove Trade ; — Endeavours of the Dutch to retain it excluflvely itthemfelves ; — Attempts of the Englijh to participate in it. — Garrifons and Eflabljh-ment at Amboyna . — Profits and Charges of this Province. Reflections on the CloveTrade ; — Large Stock of Cloves ; — Endeavoured to be diminifhed by Extirpations,and by burning great Quantities. — The Hongitogt, or yearly Expediton of the Governorround Ceram , &c. — Earthquake at Amboyna .
THE chief, if not the foie advantage derived to the Company from the pofleffionof Amboyna and its dependencies, is the colleftion of cloves, and the maftery of thisarticle to the exclufion of all other nations, by which they are enabled at pleafureto raife or lower the price.
This gave rife, at an early period after the conqueft of the ifiand, to much jealoufyand animofity between the Dutch and the Englifh ; and thefe difputes did not termi-nate with the expulfion of the latter from the ifiand, but were made a pretence manyyears afterwards for declaring war againft the republic: they were not finally fettledtill the conclufion of the peace -of Breda, in the year 1667.
The Company would not, however, ever have fucceeded in fecuring to themfelvesthe exclufive trade in this fpice, which is fpontaneoufly produced in all the adjacentMolucca iflands, had they not endeavoured wholly to transfer and confine the cultiva-tion of it to Amboyna ; partly by fubduing the princes of thofe iflands by force ofarms, and prefcribing to them fiach conditions of peace as they found convenient, theprincipal of which had relation to the clove-trade, efpecially with refpect to the Kingsof Ternate, Tidore, Machian, and Bachian, compelling them not to fell any of thecloves produced in their dominions to any other nation ; and partly by forcing them,about the middle of the laft century, to deftroy all the clove-trees which grew in theirterritories, for which they were to receive an equivalent in money.
In the fame manner the Company have entered into a contract with the King ofBouton, to whole dominion many places belong which yield fpices, that he fhall notonly allow the extirpator, whom they difpatch every year on an expedition through theiflands, to perform the fervice on which he is fent, but fhall alfo afford him everyafiiftance in doing it.
Yet, notwithftanding all this, and how far foever they may be able to extend theirextirpations in the circumjacent countries, they will never be able wholly to preventother nations from procuring fpices without their intermediation. There are too manyiflands, and too widely difperfed, that produce thefe commodities, of which neitherthey nor their allies are in poffeflion, or poflibly can be, without entirely exhauflingthemfelves by the ereftion of numerous fortreffes, which are indifpenfably neceffary,if all intercourfe with foreign nations mull be prevented**
Thus
* However affiduous the Dutch are in the dcftruflion of fpice-trees, they never have or can fucceedin extirpating them all. It is only in places of eafy accefs, and near the fea, that they are generally cutdown, but they grow abundantly in many retired fpots of the large and woody ifiand of Gilolo , in the re-cedes of Ceram, upon Ouby, Myfol, in the forefls of Bachian, as well as upon Cadoepan, and many otheriflands, where they are inaceffible to the deftrudlive ax of the extirpator; and what is actually deiiroyed,is not, perhaps, the hundredth part of the trees producing the ‘precious fpices. The parties fent out onfuch bufinefs generally confift of a military officer, or fome civil fervant belonging to the Dutch , with threeor four European attendants, and perhaps twenty or thirty Bugguefs foldiers, with their officer. They.generally .make it a party of pleafure; and the Bugguefs officer (while the chief is regaling himfelf in the