practically the rule is never transgressed. One fertile source of want, and one
great incentive to idleness and crime, is thus present with the one class, but
absent in the other; but besides this the Christians look upon themselves as
nearly the equals of the Europeans, who profess the same religion, and as far
superior to the followers of Islam, and are therefore prone to despise work, and
to endeavour to live by trade, or by cultivating their own land. It need hardly be
said that with people in this low state of civilization religion is almost wholly
ceremonial, and that neither are the doctrines of Christianity comprehended, nor
its moral precepts obeyed. At the same time, as far as my own experience goes, I
have found the better class of "Orang Sirani" as civil, obliging, and industrious
as the Malays, and only inferior to them from their tendency to get intoxicated.
Having written to the Assistant Resident of Saparua (who has jurisdiction over
the opposite part of the coast of Ceram) for a boat to pursue my journey, I
received one rather larger than necessary with a crew of twenty men. I therefore
bade adieu to my kind friend Captain Van der Beck, and left on the evening after
its arrival for the village of Elpiputi, which we reached in two days. I had
intended to stay here, but not liking the appearance of the place, which seemed
to have no virgin forest near it, I determined to proceed about twelve miles
further up the bay of Amahay, to a village recently formed, and inhabited by
indigenes from the interior, and where some extensive cacao plantations were
being made by some gentlemen of Amboyna. I reached the place (called
Awaiya) the same afternoon, and with the assistance of Mr. Peters (the manager
of the plantations) and the native chief, obtained a small house, got all my things
on shore, and paid and discharged my twenty boatmen, two of whom had almost
driven me to distraction by beating tom-toms the whole voyage.
I found the people here very nearly in a state of nature, and going almost
naked. The men wear their frizzly hair gathered into a flat circular knot over the
left temple, which has a very knowing look, and in their ears cylinders of wood
as thick as one's finger, and coloured red at the ends. Armlets and anklets of
woven grass or of silver, with necklaces of beads or of small fruits, complete
their attire. The women wear similar ornaments, but have their hair loose. All are
tall, with a dark brown skin, and well marked Papuan physiognomy. There is an
Amboyna schoolmaster in the village, and a good number of children attend
school every morning. Such of the inhabitants as have become Christians may be
known by their wearing their hair loose, and adopting to some extent the native
Christian dress-trousers and a loose shirt. Very few speak Malay, all these coast
villages having been recently formed by inducing natives to leave the
inaccessible interior. In all the central part of Ceram there new remains only one