C l o v e s .
R u m p h iu s ,
live in the mountains are a brave race of men, difdain a dependent
life, and never fail to facrifice the Dutch to their fury,
whenever they make their defcent from their heights."
By means of the Arabs, the clove was introduced into Europe
by the common paffage over tlie IJlhmus o f Suez; but before
their conquefts towards the Indian Archipelago, it was carried to
the ports o f weftern tibidoojlan, and from thence, by Rottiati merchant
ihips, to Myojbormus, the great emporium on the Red Sea.
I cannot but think that the clove was early known, and that the
Garyopbyllon o f Pliny * Was the fjpice which he might truly fay,
“ tradunt inlndico luco idgigni. Advebitur odoris gratia.” The
Romans were particularly fond o f aromatic perfumes. Pliny
may not be over accurate in his defcription ; but he is exadt in
place and property; and the name, except in one letter, agrees
entirely with the Latin retained to this day.
T h e native place o f the clove-is faid by Rumpbius to have
been Macbian, one o f the Molucca iflands, which we fhall have
occafion foon to mention. The Dutcb thought proper to confine
the growth o f them to Amboina, and to extirpate them in
every other ifland in the manner we have related. There are
none here growing wild, but all are raifed from the feed, and
difpofed o f in plantations. They are alfo difieminated and propagated
by the pigeons, Hom-bills, and Cafuary, in the fame
manner as the nutmegs. Of quadrupeds, hogs and deer are
found in this ifland.
No country was ever fo happy in a Florift as Amboina. The
celebrated George Everard Rumpbius, made it his refidence a
* Lib. xii. c. 7.
great
great number o f years. He was born in 1627, and became dofior
o f phyfic in the univerfity of Hanover. He went over to this
ifland in character o f conful and merchant ; and applied his leifure
moments to the itudy o f botany ; but by the vaft fruits o f his
labors, he mull be fuppofed to have dedicated his whole time to
that purfuit. By his continual refearches after plants, and other
obje&s o f natural hiltory on this burning foil, he had, at the age
o f forty-three, the misfortune oflofing his fight. Notwithftanding
this he perfevered in his purfuits, and being deprived o f his
viiual faculties, acquired that o f diitinguiihing plants by the
fenfes of feeling and finell. He formed a Hortus Siccus, in ten
folio volumes, and in 1690 dedicated them to the governor and
council o f the Eajl India Company, who depofited it in the India
houfe at Amjlerdam ; with them he probably depofited his defcription
o f fiihes, and other animals of the ifland. His botanical
labors were not printed during his life; they had the
good fortune to fall into the hands o f that able naturali!! Doétor
John Burman, who publifhed the firft volume o f the celebrated
Herbariuiti! Ambo-itienfe i® 1740, and -completed the whole by the
year 1751. It confifts o f fix folio volumes, and an AuSluarium,
which are illnftrated with feven hundred plates, relative to the
fnbjedt, befides two portraits, one o f Rumpbius, in the fixty-ei gh th
year o f -his age, in a fiate o f blindnefs. He is reprefe-nted.feel-
ing the plants and ihells, placed before him on a table ; the other
portrait is o f his publifher, Doctor Burman, I do not know for
certain the time of his death ; it probably was at Amboina, for
he dates the dedication o f his Hortus Skcus, from the cafile of
Fidloria, 1.690, in the 63d -year o f his age.
Z a G o v e r n o r