S a l w a t t y .
miles long, with a mud bottom. Piatnis and Famuay are ifl.es of
no note, ftill more fouth; but Salwatty, the moft remote of
the Papuas, and o f a confiderable lize, is-divided from the
coaft o f New Guinea by the narrow ftreight o f Galoway. It is
o f a lozenge ihape, very populous, and governed by a rajah.
In 1770 the rajah, with more than a hundred o f the Papuan
boats, from that ifland, Arrou, and Myxoal, made the tour of
the ifles, and failed up the fireights which divide Gtlolo from
Batchian. The Dutch, apprehenfive o f fome mifchief, made
their chieftains prefents o f cloth, See. Their flay was ihort,
■for after fifhing and hunting a few days, they difperfed and
went home, the rajah excepted, who, with a few o f his
people, remained behind, without offering the leail offence.
The Dutch treacheroufly inveigled him to Ternate, and even
made him a prefent of a bag o f dollars, to be laid out in any
o f the European articles he chofe out o f their magazines. He
entered the fort with a few of his men, and was immediately informed
that he was a prifoner. His people inftantly gave figns
o f running a muck to fave their mafter, or to fell their own lives
dearly. The generous rajah whifpered to them an order o f forbearance,
and to endeavor their own efcape, which they ef-
fedted. The prince gave up his cris, and was foon tranfported
to the Cape, to join the miferable exiles on Robben ljland.
T h e Dutch might have fome caufe for their fears, it being
cuftomary for the Papuans of New Guinea and Salwatty. to af-
femble in great numbers in the months ro f March and April
¡(when the feas are generally fmooth), and make war on Gilolo,
Ceram, Amboina, and as far as Aulla BeJJi, In 1765 they plundered
deredthe ifle of Amblou, near Buero, and carried away many of
the inhabitants.
T h e Papuans, the inhabitants o f thefe ifles, and o f the land of
Papuas, or New Guinea, and (according to Mr. Forrejl, p. 68.) the
internal parts of the Moluccas, are a moil; lingular race of men,
o f a horrible appearance and great ferocity; brave, fays M. Son-
nerat, lovers o f war, cruel, fufpicious, and treacherous. Mr.
Forrejl faw them frequently, but his account o f them is brief;
they behaved to him eafy and familiar, and even furnilhed him
with fiih, or fuch proviiions their iflands afforded. Forrejl conciliated
their affedtion. It is highly probable that Sonnerat received
his accounts from fome Europeans who had provoked
them by their infults. They live chiefly on fiih or turtle, o f
which they have abundance, and neglect every fpecies o f agriculture.
When they want bread, they carry live turtle, and
faufages made o f their eggs, dried fiih, 8cc, to the ifland o f
Waggiou, where they exchange them for /ago, baked or freih.
Their own ifles furniih the trees in quantity; but fo lazy are
they, that they very feldom will give themfelves the trouble o f
cutting them down. They alfo bring with them tortoife-ihell
andfuallo, which they fell to the Chineje whom they find trading
in the different iflands. Their wives and children accompany thepi
in thefe voyages, which.are performed in boats like thofe we call
punts, fquare at each end, and furnilhed with an out-rigger of
a Angle frame; they row with very broad oars. They take with
them their bows, arrows, and lances; .and for fiihing are provided
with a fmall round net, diftended at the end of a pole, of the
fame kind as our Engli/h landing net. Add to this two or three
Yon. IV. D d . fox-
P a p u a n P e o p l e ,