islands lying nearly midway between the eastern end of the Straits of Malacca and
Borneo, in north latitude 1 1'. The largest of them seems to be a mass of granite
covered, for the most part, with a heavy forest. The whole group is computed to
f ve ,aSAr?a of n ,2 geographical square miles. The inhabitants are Malay fishermen
about 750 innumber, occupying a village in a cove at the eastern side of the island,
ih e productions exported from it are coco-nuts, coco-nut oil, palm sugar, and salt
nsn, ior which they receive m exchange at Singapore, rice, clothing, and utensils. Pulo
limbalan, m Malay, means literally, balance, equipoise, or requital island, but why this
name, “ as not been explained. It forms with all the other islands between tbe Peninsula
and Borneo, at least nominally, part of the territory of the principality of Jehor.
TIMOAN and TIMUN, correctly, in Malay, Tiyoman, a word, however, with the
origin ot which I am unacquainted. This is the name of the largest of a chain of
islets, lying off the eastern coast of the Malay peninsula, and towards its southern
extremity, belonging to the petty state of Pahang. It lies between north latitudes
À 44 and 2 54 , is about ten miles long, and from five to six broad, and, as far as
examined, consists of a mass of trap rock, bold and precipitous, presenting views not
only picturesque but grand. Such is the account given of it by a most intelligent
and judicious writer in the Journal of the Indian Archipelago, Mr. J. Thomson
who visited it m 1849. Several of its peaks rise to the height, above the levei
™ the sea, of from 2394 to 3444 feet. “ On the southern shore of Tioman,” says
IT ' A , “ 30n’„ are two remarkable peaks, or pinnacles, called by the English
the Ass s Ears, and by the Malays, Chula-naga (chula, a horn, and naga, the fabulous
snake or dragon of the Hindus). They rise out of the spur of one of the southern
mountains, at about 1500 feet above the level of the sea, and from this height on
one side, they spring perpendicularly 1000 feet. They form a most magnificent
feature in the aspect of the island, and cannot be beheld without wonder and awe
even by the most unsusceptible.” In another place he observes, “ Tioman being
mountainous and bold in its configuration, and abounding in lofty pinnacles, peaks
and precipices, naturally inspires feelings of wonder not unmixed with awe, when
closely approached. These emotions may be occasionally heightened, if the observer
when nearmg it, experience, as was the case with us, a heavy squall, which covers thé
towering masses, wrapping the whole in gloom, exaggerating their apparent heights,
when these can occasionally be discovered through the lurid haze. I t is, therefore
not to be wondered at, that we find this island to be the subject of mythic tradition!
The feelings which the scene inspires in the breasts of the simple races that inhabit
these parts have sought expression in figurative language, what it would be otherwise
difficult to explain, or which would, at least, have required a lengthened description,
lioman has been pictured as a dragon, the most hideous and powerful monster of
tradition. Whether the myth had or had not its origin in a metaphor, the native now
literally appeals to the peaks and ridges, in which he seeks to discover a similitude to
the various parts of the monster, in order to give evidence to the traditions which
spring from the prior idea.”
Tioman produces nothing for exportation but swallows’ esculent nests, ratans and
damar, all wild products of the rocks or forests. About 30 years ago, according to
information furnished to myself by some of its natives, the whole population of
this comparatively sterile island amounted only to 50 souls. Most of these were
seized and carried off as slaves by the corsairs of Mindano, and the remainder
abandoned the place. About 1839 it was re-occupied, and during Mr. Thomson’s
visit, ten years after, the population was reckoned to be 200, or about one-seventh
part of that of the smaller but more fertile Pulo Aoar.
TIMUR. This is the Malay name of the eighth in number, reckoning from
Sumatra, of the more considerable of the chain of islands which geographers have
n n Ju j Sunda. I t is, however, out of the direct line of these, extending to near the
l l th degree of south latitude,—differs from them in geological formation, and in animal
and vegetable products, and, therefore, ought not to be classed with them. To the
west, the nearest large island to it is Floris, with many islets intervening, and to the
east the nearest extensive land to it is New Guinea, with which it is almost connected
by a chain of islets, although the distance be 440 miles. To the south, Australia is
not above one half that distance with nothing between but ocean. Timur is about J nono g’ 50 broad in its widest part, and is computed to contain an area
of 9808 geographical square miles, so that it is about one-fourth the size of Java, and
about double tbat of our island of Jamaica.
The geological formation of Timur, instead of being, like that of the islands from
TIMUR
Java to Floris, volcanic, is, on the contrary, plutonic and sedimentary, the principal
rocks consisting of clay schists and especially of madreporic limestone, containing
many caves and caverns. Notwithstanding the absence of volcanic formation, the
island is subject to frequent earthquakes, and a particularly destructive one took place
in 1794, which overthrew the church and other buildings of the Dutch settlement of
Koepang. A chain of mountains runs through the length of the island from east to
west, the highest points of which are from 4000 to 4500 feet above the level of the
sea. The surface of the island generally consists of hills and narrow steep valleys,
but there are a few plains of considerable extent, such as that of Koepang at the western
end, which is about 10 miles square. The only metals, besides iron, that have been
found are gold and copper, but neither of them in any great quantity. The rivers are
numerous, but from the formation of the land they are but precipitate brooks of short
course, and not navigable, even for boats, above the reach of the tide, generally not
exceeding 400 yards. There are no lakes. The only two harbours in the island are
Dili, the Portuguese establishment on the north-eastern side, and Koepang at the
western end, add both are imperfect ones.
YeSe!ation °f .Timur, instead of being luxuriant like that of the western islands
i}le, lebj pelaS0’ comparatively thin, meagre, and sombre, more in the character
ot that of the northern part of Australia. The Cassuarinas, especially, remind the
observer of ti ie Australian vegetation. The palms are few in number, the only
species that is frequent being the Gabang, or the Corypha gebanga of botanists. The
coco-nut is scarce, and the rich fruits of the western islands, the durian, the
mangostin, and the duku do not exist. The zoology is scanty like the botany. None
of the largest mammiferous animals, as the elephant, the rhinoceros, the ox, the
buffalo, the tiger, or even the leopard exist. The largest animal, and the only deer
of the island is the same as that of the Moluccas (Cervus Moluccensis), There is one
undescribed species of wild hog, differing from those of Java, Borneo, and Sumatra.
There is but one marsupial animal, an opossum, the Phalangista cavifrons, and there is
also but one monkey, the Cercopithecus cynomologus, being the same as that of the
Moluccas, and the only ape which reaches so far eastward. The squirrels and
porcupines of the western islands are all wanting, and the only representative of the
class of gnawers is the common brown rat. There is one species of the feline family
only, and this is new, a small cat, Felis megolotis. The family of bats is numerous,
and some of the species either rare or altogether new. Among birds, crows, jays, and
birds of Paradise are wholly absent. There exist two gallinaceous birds, one of them
resembling the Gallus bankiva, the supposed original of our domestic poultry.
Among reptiles which are not numerous, the most remarkable is that crocodile,
named by naturalists biporcatus, but a variety from that of Java and the other
western islands. Even the fish of the seas of Timur are not abundant, nor do the
natives possess any skill in taking them.
The domesticated animals of Timur are the horse, the buffalo, but not the ox, the
goat, the sheep introduced by Europeans, the dog, the domestic cat, the common
fowl, goose, and duck, but except the horse and buffalo none of them abundant. I t
is evident from the number of the two last that are bred, and their low price, that
Timur is better adapted for pasture than for tillage.
The inhabitants of Timur seem to be of a race intermediate between the Malay
and Papuan negro, but partaking most of the first. I t is far more likely to be
an aboriginal and distinct race than an admixture of these two, since it is difficult
to imagine how such admixture could have taken place, as no negro race exists
nearer than New Guinea, between four and five hundred miles distant, the intermediate
islands being all peopled by the Malayan. They are thus described by the
well-informed but anonymous author of an account of the island contained in a
compilation called Moor’s Indian Archipelago, being a collection of articles from the
first newspaper published in Singapore, a considerable number of which were contributed
by myself. “ The natives,” says he, 1 are generally of a very dark colour, with
mzzled bushy hair, but less inclining to the Papuan than the natives of Endd (Floris).
They are below the middle size, and rather slight in their figure. In countenance
they more nearly resemble the South Sea Islanders than any of the Malay tribes.”
Compared with the principal nations of the western portion of the Archipelago, the
people of Timur stand very low in the social scale. They seem to be divided into
i?an • ^rlbes> speaking different languages, among which two, the Manatoto and
the Timuri, are the most prevalent. The first of these tongues is spoken in the
north-eastern part of the island, and the last used as a medium of communication
among several tribes in the south-western part. Alphabetic writing has never been
F F