1770. ' -"When the; natives of this ifland were firft formed into a
September.^ is not certainly known, but at prefent it k
divided into five principalities or nigrees: L a a i , .Sbba,
R egeeUa, T imo, and M a s s a r a , each of which is governed
by its refpedtive Raja or King. The Raja of Seba, the principality
in which we were afhore, feeroed to have great authority,
without much external parade or fhow, or much
appearance of perfonal refpech. .He was about five and thirty
years of age, and the fatteft man we faw upon the whole
■ ifland: he appeared to be of a dull phlegmatic difp.ofition,
and to be directed almoft implicitly by the old man who,
upon my prefenting him with a fword, had procured us a
fair market, in fpight of the craft and avarice of the Dutch
-fatStors,. The name of this perfon was Ma;n,n.u DjaRiWE, and
it may reafonahly be fuppofed that, he was a man of uncommon
integrity and abilities, as, notwithftanding his ppflef-
fion of power in the character of a favourite, he was beloved
by the whole principality. If any difference ariffs among
the people, it is fettled by the Raja and hi? counfellors, without
delay or appeal, and, as we were; told, with the molt
fql.emn deliberation and impartial juftice.
We were informed by Mr. Lange, that the chiefs who had
fucceflively prefided over the five principalities of this ifland,
had lived for time immemorial in the ftriifeft alliance and
moft cordial friendfhip with each other; yet he faid the
people were, of a warlike difpofition, and had always cou-
rageoufly defended themfelves againft foreign invaders. We
were told alfo, that the ifland was able to raife, upon, very
fhort notice, j 7300 .fighting men, armed with, mufkets,
fpears, lances, and targets. Of this force,: Laai was faid to
furnifh 2690, Seba 2000, Regeeua, 1 jco, Timo 800, and
Maffara 400. Befides the ar^s that have been already mentioned,
each man is- furnifhed with a large pole-ax,, refem-
S WinS
blina a wood-bill, except that it has a ftrait edge, and is >77<>- 0 _ . - Septembermuch
heavier: this, in the hands of people who have cou- v— ,— -j
rage to come to clofe quarters with an enemy, mull be a
dreadful weapon; and we were told that they were fo dexterous
with their lances, that at the diftance of fixty feet they
would throw them with fuch exadtnefs as to pierce a man’s
heart, and fuch force as to go quite through his body.
How far this account of the martial prowefs of the inhabitants'of
Savu may be true, we cannot take upon us to
determine; but during our flay, we faw no appearance of
it. We faw indeed in the town-houfe, or houfe of aflfembly,
about one hundred fpears and targets, which ferved to arm
the people who were fent down to intimidate us at the
trading place ; but they feemed to be the refufe of old armories,
no two being of the fame make or length, for fome
Were fix, and fome fixteen feet long: we faw no lance among
them, and as to the mufkets, though they were clean on the
outfide, they were eaten into holes by the ruft within; and
the people themfelves appeared to be fo little acquainted
with military difeipline, that they marched like a diforderly
rabble, every one having, inftead of his target, a cock, fome
tobacco, or other merchandife of the like kind, which he
took that opportunity to bring down to fell, and few or none
of their cartridge boxes were fumilhed with either powder
or ball, though a piece of paper was thruft into the hole to
fave appearances. We faw a few fwivel guns and pateraros
at the town-houfe, and a great gun before it; but the fwivels
and pateraros lay out of their carriages, and the great gun
lay upon a heap of ftones, almoft confumed with ruft, with
the touch-hole downwards, poflibly to conceal its fize,
which might perhaps be little lefs than that of the bore.
Vol. III. We