it seems a wonder that such awkward boats can live
any time in a rough sea. A number of Bugis traders
are also at anchor near by. They are mostly hermaphrodite
schooners, carrying a square-sail or foresail, a
fore-topsail, and fore-royal, and evidently designed,
like the praus, to sail only before the wind. - They
visit the eastern end of Ceram, the southwestern and
western parts of Papua or New Guinea, the Arus, and
most of the thousand islands between Banda, Timur,
and Australia. When the mail-steamer that took
me to Amboina touched here, a merchant of this
place, who joined us, brought on board four large
living specimens of the Pa/radisea a/poda or “ Great
Bird of Paradise,” which he had purchased a short
time before from one of these traders, and was taking
with him to Europe.* They were all sprightly,
and their colors had a bright, lively hue, incomparably
richer than the most magnificent specimens I
have ever seen in any museum.
At our main truck a small flag slowly unfolds
and displays a red ball. This indicates that the governor
is on board, and immediately a boat comes to
take us to the village 5 but as business is not pressing—
as is usually the case in the East—we prefer to
conform to the established custom in these hot lands,
and enjoy a siesta, instead of obliging our good friends
on shore to come out in full dress and parade in the
scorching sunshine.
At 5 p . m . we landed, and the Resident politely
conducted us to his residence. Our first excursion
* Subsequently I learned that two of them were still living when he
reached France.