is remarkable, that this word is the Dame for the dog in the languages of tribes
remote from Java; being those too of countries having themselves no wild dog, as
Floris, Timur, and the Philippine Islands. This fact seems, at least, to show that
Java was the source from which these countries derived the domestic dog. It may be
added that neither this word, nor any other Malayan name for it, has reached Australia
or the Polynesian islands. A wild dog exists in Napal, and a variety of it in some of
the southern parts of Continental India, the Canis primsevus; and this seems to me
by far the most likely to have formed the stock from which, not only the halfdomesticated
dog of the islands, as well as those of Hindustan itself and the neighbouring
countries have spruDg, but even all the varieties of the European dog. I
have seen the Napal wild dog, which certainly very much resembles that of the
domesticated one of Hindustan.
DONGALA. The name of the principal place and port of the state of Kaili, in
Celebes, situated in a bay on the shore of the Straits of Macassar, in latitude south
2° 20'. Much of the gold of Celebes is collected at this place for exportation by
the Bugis traders of Waju.
DORY HARBOUR. This is the name of the most frequented part of the
northern coast of the great island of New Guinea, and the chief place within the
great bay of Geelvink, so called from the name of a Dutch ship which surveyed it
in the year 1705. This bay itself may be thus briefly described. Its entrance is
in south latitude 2° 20', and in east longitude 140° 47'. Prom cape to cape, east and
west, it is full 200 miles broad, while its extreme depth is 180. Thus it so deeply
indents the island as to make it to consist of two peninsulas, leaving a connecting
isthmus not exceeding 20 miles in breadth. The coast line of the bay extends oyer
at least 500 miles, and contains the debouchements of many rivers, some of which
seem to proceed from the eastern or larger peninsula, and to be of considerable
size. Within the bay are many islands, two of which, Jobi and Mysori, are of large
size.
The inhabitants of the islands and shore of the Bay of Geelvink appear all to be
of one race, and nearly in the same state of society as those which are best known,
those of Dory ; an account of which, therefore, will in a good measure serve for all
the rest. In the year 1849, the Dutch government of India sent a mission to inquire
into the condition and resources of the northern coast of New Guinea, of which,
M. Kops, a most intelligent officer of the Netherlands navy, has given a faithful
and sensible narrative, from which I take my account of Dory. This place is situated
only 5 miles within Hut Point, the north-west angle of the bay, which is itself 46
miles south of the equator, and east of the meridian of Greenwich 132° 15'. The
harbour consists of a succession of three bays connected with each other; the two
innermost of which are safe harbours, with sufficient water, good anchorage, and a
sandy beach. The outermost is protected by the two islets of Masinama and
Nasmapi, as well as by two isolated reefs. Dory consists of two villages only,
the number of houses in one of which only is given, and this is 33, but they are
large and capable of accommodating twenty persons each. If every house then
were full, we should have a population of this, the principal village, of 660.
If the smaller village contain half as many inhabitants as Lonfabi, for that is
the name of the larger, then we shall have a population for Dory short of 1000 at
the utmost.
Of the personal appearance of the inhabitants of Dory, M. Kops gives the
following account, omitting particulars that are not essential. The stature of
the men is in general short, the greater number not exceeding 5 feet 3 inches, and
very few attaining 5 feet 6 inches. Thus, then, the Papuas are about the average
stature of the Malay race, and about 5 inches short of the height of Europeans, in
so far as the race is represented by the people of Dory. Their colour is a dark
brown, inclining in some individuals to black. The hair is black and frizzled, and
wearing it usually to the full length that it will grow to, it makes the head seem, at
a distance, of twice the natural size; while from no care being bestowed upon it, it
has a disorderly appearance, which gives the wearer a wild aspect. The beard is
crisp, but short; the forehead high, but narrow;—the eyes dark brown or black.
The nose is flat, the mouth large, the lips thick, and the teeth fine. M. Kops,
however, states an apparent anomaly in the physical form of this people, which has
also been noted of the Papuans in other parts of New Guinea, that notwithstanding
the prevalence of negro features, many of them are found with arched noses and thin
lips, giving them an European physiognomy.
The people of Dory are properly fishermen, and but partially agriculturists.
Their dwellings are on posts in the water, which at flood tide reaches nearly to their
floors, and they are connected with the shore by bridges. Their patches of cultivation
are at a distance in the forest, surrounded by hedges to protect them from the
wild hog. In these are raised a little rice, without irrigation ; maiz, millet, with
yams and tobacco. The palms reared are the coco and the sago ; and the chief
fruits the banana, the pine-apple, and oranges, the latter abundant. The only
domestic animals are the hog, and the crown-pigeon, but both rare. The people of
Dory have boats with out-riggers, and are constantly in these or in the water, for
they are bold swimmers and expert divers. They understand the smelting and the
forging of iron; making their own implements, although preferring those of strangers.
Their food consists chiefly of fish and sago. The first, which are caught in
nets or killed with the spear, are abundant. The chief employment consists in the
fishery of the tripang, the tortoise, and the pearl oyster, to exchange with strangers
for rice, iron, or clothing. They are ignorant of letters, native or foreign, and have
no substitute for them. “ Their religion,” says M. Kops, “ consists in the worship
and consultation of a wooden image, called Harwar, which every man makes for
himself, and which is considered the protector of the owner. This image, of the
height of a foot and a half, rudely carved in a human form, stands behind a carved
shield. When worshipping, they place the image before them,—sit down,—raise the
hands together to the forehead,—bow before it, and relating what they intend to do,
ask its advice. It surprised me,” says M. Kops, “ that while they gave to all the
human figures on their praus, shields, and houses the character of a Papuan with
bushy hair, they did not do so with the images of their deities, for all had the head
smooth, or covered with a kerchief.” The head was in these unnaturally large; the
nose long and sharp at the point; the mouth wide and furnished with numerous
te eth; and every part of the body disproportioned.” Besides these penati they had
other images, such as wooden figures of alligators, lizards, and snakes.
The moral characters, not only of the men, but of the inhabitants of the islands
of the bay which he visited, is summed up by M. Kops in the following few words.
“ Gentleness even to timidity, good nature, chastity, and a sense of justice appear
to be general, and to form the ground-work of their character.” In another place
he observes : “ Theft is considered by them as a very grave offence, and is of very
rare occurrence. They have no fastenings to their houses, and yet the chiefs assured
us that seldom or never was anything stolen. Although they were on board our
ship, or along-side the whole day, we never missed anything.” Except that they are
less softened by intercourse with strangers, the state of society among the tribes of
the coast and islands of Geelvink, does not probably differ materially from that of
the Dorians. The race is the same, and the manners and habits similar. They are
divided into many small independent tribes, speaking languages which, to all appearance,
differ among themselves to such a degree at least, that the parties are not
intelligible to each other. They are at perpetual war, the object of which is
to get heads as trophies, or to make prisoners to sell or to ransom. The whole
bay and its islands have been for ages tributary to the petty kings of Tidor, one of
the five true Moluccas; the power obtained by the sale of cloves to the nations of
the West having enabled this mere islet to effect conquests, at the distance of at least
700 miles. All the tribes referred to are maritime; but of those of the interior we
only know, and this from the captives that are brought for sale to the coast, that they
are essentially the same Papuan negros as those of Dory.
DRAGON’S-BLOOD. This colouring substance is a granular matter adhering to
the ripe fruit of a species of ratan, Calamus draco, and obtained by beating or thrashing
the fruit in little baskets. Within the Archipelago, the principal place of production
is Jambi, on the north-eastern side of Sumatra. The plant is the wild
produce of the forest, and not cultivated, although some care is taken to preserve it
from destruction. The collectors of dragon’s-blood are the wild people called Kubu,
who dispose of it to the Malays, at a price not much exceeding a shilling a pound,
ih e whole quantity produced in Jambi is said to be about 1000 hundredweights,
j. tie article is often adulterated by a mixture of damar. The best kind imported
into Europe m reeds, is manipulated by the Chinese. The canes of the male plant
used in former tunes to be exported to Batavia, and very probably formed the “ true
am bees, commemorated in the Spectator as the most fashionable walking-sticks in
the reign of Queen Anne.
DRAMA (in Javanese, R in g g it) , a word which literally signifies a deputy