CHAPTER XX. AMBOYNA.
(DECEMBER 1857, OCTOBER 1859, FEBRUARY 1860.)
TWENTY hours from Banda brought us to Amboyna, the capital of the
Moluccas, and one of the oldest European settlements in the East. The island
consists of two peninsulas, so nearly divided by inlets of the sea, as to leave only
a sandy isthmus about a mile wide near their eastern extremity. The western inlet
is several miles long and forms a fine harbour on the southern side of which is
situated the town of Amboyna. I had a letter of introduction to Dr. Mohnike, the
chief medical officer of the Moluccas, a German and a naturalist. I found that he
could write and read English, but could not speak it, being like myself a bad
linguist; so we had to use French as a medium of communication. He kindly
offered me a room during my stay in Amboyna, and introduced me to his junior,
Dr. Doleschall, a Hungarian and also an entomologist. He was an intelligent and
most amiable young man but I was shocked to find that he was dying of
consumption, though still able to perform the duties of his office. In the evening
my host took me to the residence of the Governor, Mr. Goldmann, who received
me in a most kind and cordial manner, and offered me every assistance. The
town of Amboyna consists of a few business streets, and a number of roads set
out at right angles to each other, bordered by hedges of flowering shrubs, and
enclosing country houses and huts embossed in palms and fruit trees. Hills and
mountains form the background in almost every direction, and there are few
places more enjoyable for a morning or evening stroll than these sandy roads and
shady lanes in the suburbs of the ancient city of Amboyna.
There are no active volcanoes in the island, nor is it now subject to frequent
earthquakes, although very severe ones have occurred and may be expected
again. Mr. William Funnell, in his voyage with Dampier to the South Seas in
1705, says: "Whilst we were here, (at Amboyna) we had a great earthquake,
which continued two days, in which time it did a great deal of mischief, for the
ground burst open in many places, and swallowed up several houses and whole