of Ternate and Tidore were once celebrated through the
East for their power and regal magnificence. When Drake
visited Ternate in 1579, the Portuguese had been driven
out of the island, although they still had a settlement at
Tidore. He gives a glowing account of the Sultan : “ The
King had a very rich canopy with embossings of gold
borne over him, and was guarded with twelve lances.
From the waist to the ground was all cloth of gold, arid
that very rich; ;in' the attire of his head were finely
wreathed in, diverse rings of plaited gold, of an inch or
more in breadth, which made a fair and princely show,
somewhat resembling a crown in form; about his neck
he had a chain of perfect gold, the links very great and
one fold double.; on his left hand was a diamond, an
emerald, a ruby, and a tu rk y ; on his right hand in one
ring a big and perfect turky, and in another ring many
diamonds of a smaller size.”
All this glitter of barbaric gold was the produce of the
spice trade, of which the Sultans kept the monopoly, and
by which they became wealthy. Ternate, with the small
islands in a line south of it, as far as Batchian, constitute
the ancient Moluccas, the native country of the clove, as
well as the only part in which it was cultivated. Nutmegs
and mace were procured from the natives of New
Guinea and the adjacent islands, where they grew wild;
and the profits on spice cargoes were so enormous, that
the European traders were glad to give gold and jewels,
and the finest manufactures of Europe or of India, in
exchange. When the Dutch established their influence
in these seas, and relieved the native princes from their
Portuguese oppressors, they saw that the easiest way to
repay themselves would be to get this spice trade into
their own hands. For this purpose they adopted the wise
principle of concentrating the culture of these valuable
products in those spots only of which they could have
complete control. To do this effectually it was necessary
to abolish the culture and trade in all other places, which
they succeeded in doing by treaty with the native rulers.
These agreed to have all the spice trees in their possessions
destroyed. They gave up large though fluctuating
revenues, but they gained in return a fixed subsidy, freedom
from the constant attacks and harsh oppressions of the
Portuguese, and a continuance of their regal power and
exclusive authority over their own subjects, which is maintained
in all the islands except Ternate to this day.
It is no doubt supposed by most Englishmen, who have
been accustomed to look upon this act of the Dutch with
vague horror, as something utterly unprincipled and barbarous,
that the native population suffered grievously by
this destruction of such valuable property. But it is
certain that this was not the case. The Sultans kept this
lucrative trade entirely in their owTn hands as a rigid