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We who were on board the Vittoria, apprehenfive of her being too heavily laden,which might occafion her foundering at fea, determined on landing fixty quintals ofcloves, and caufed them to be tranfported to the houfe in which the crew of the Tri-nidad were lodged. Some of our party, however, refolved on remaining in the MaluchoIflands, either from fear of our veffel being unable to fuftain a voyage of fuch length,or from remembrance of what they had already endured before they reached thefeiflands, and dread of perilhing of hunger in midft of the ocean.
On Saturday, 21ft December, St. Thomas’s day, the King of Tadore brought ustwo pilots whom we paid beforehand to take us through the channels of the iflands.They told us the feafon for beginning our voyage was excellent, and that the foonerwe failed the better it would be; but being under neceffity of waiting for the lettersof our comrades, who remained at the Malucho iflands, to their friends in Spain , wedid not weigh anchor till noon. The two veffels then bade adieu to each other by areciprocal difcharge of artillery. Our comrades followed us as far as they were ablein their boat, and we parted in tears. Juan Carvajo remained at Tadore with fifty-three Europeans and thirteen Indians.
The governor, or minifter, of the King of Tadore, accompanied us as far as theifland Mare •, and fcarcely had we arrived there before four boats came alongfide ourveffel, laden with wood, which in lefs than an hour was taken on board.
All the Malucho iflands produce cloves, ginger, fago (the tree of which bread ismade), rice, cocoa-nuts, figs, bananas, almonds of larger fize than ours, pomegranatesfweet as well as acidulous, fugar-canes, melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, a fruit calledcomilicai # , extremely refreshing, and of the fize of a water melon, a fruit refembling apeach, and called guavaf, befides other vegetables good to eat; oil is likewife extra&edfrom the cocoa-nut and gengili. As for ufeful animals, here are goats, fowls, and afpecies of bee, not larger than an ant, which builds its hive in the trunks of trees, inwhich it depofits its honey, of excellent flavour. There is a great variety of parrots,among others white ones, called catara, and red ones denominated nori which are themolt valued, not only on account of the extreme beauty of their plumage, but alfofor their fpeaking more plainly the words they are taught than the others do. Aparrot of this fpecies cofts a bahar of cloves.
Scarcely fifty years are paft fince the Moors firft came to and fubdued the MaluchoIflands, and introduced their religion. Before this they were peopled by Gentiles, whopaid but little attention to the clove-trees.
The ifland Tadore lies in latitude twenty-feven minutes north, longitude one hundredand fixty one degrees from the line of demarcation. It is nine degrees thirty minutesfouth-eaft by fouth of the firft ifland of this archipelago, called Zamal.
The ifland Tarenate lies in latitude forty minutes north. Mutir is exactly upon theequinoctial line.
Machian is fituate in latitude fifteen minutes fouth. Bachian in latitude one degreefouth.
Tarenate, Tadore, Mutir, and Machian have high and cone-fhaped mountains onwhich the clove-tree grows. Bachian, though the largeft, is not diftinguilhed fromthe four other iflands. Its mountain of clove-trees is not fo much elevated nor f°pointed at its fummit, as thofe of the other iflands, but its bafe covers a largerarea.
• A fpecies of armna, or pine apple-
f Pfidium pyrifera, Linn.
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