Malayo-Polynesian people in the Moluccas, except
Moors or Mohammedan Malays. Dr. Leyden mentions the
Tarnata language as-the vernacular speech of the Moluccas,
and terms it an original tongue, but he seems to have possessed
very little information respecting it.
S ection VIÏ.-—Islanders o f the Timorian Chain.
The term which I have here chosen may serve to designate
the whole chain of islands, many of which are of considerable
length from east to west, extending from the eastern extremity
of Java nearly in a straight direction toward the western coast
of New Guinea. In this number are comprehended, first, Sum-
bawa or the Sandal-wood Island,- the long island of. Ende,
called Flores by Portuguese navigators.' Ende is also termed
Great Solor. To the east of it is the groupe of Little Solor,
including Ombay and several other islands, and the great
island of Timor facing that part of the north-western coast of
Australasia termed De Witt’s Land and Arnheim’s Land.
Timor might seem to be the last island in this chain, as ft as
by far the most extensive; but I shall comprehend in it, for
reasons presently to be noticed, three other groupes which lie
between Timor and the great south-western bay or circularly
retiring coast of New Guinea. These are the groupe near
Timor Laut, including the island so named, the K e f Islands,
and the Arru Islands near the Papuan coast.
The population of these -islands seems to be composed of
various tribes of the Malayo-Polynesian race in different
stages of improvement, and of Papua tribes who inhabit
some of the inland countries, and especially the southern
parts. It is not unlikely that in some of these islands tribes
related to the Australians may hereafter be found. Dr. Latham
seems to have detected in the vocabulary of the Ombay
islanders several words whieh resemble synonymous words in
the Australian,dialects; and the physical characters of the
people, if we may form an opinion from a portrait given in
Perons’ account of Captain Baudin’s voyage, are not unlike
those of the Australians.
In these islands several races and languages are distinguished.
*, • ! 11
1. Sumbawa. The western part of the Island of Sumbawa
is inhabited by a race of people" who speak a different
language from that which prevails in the .eastern part of the
same island. This list is $ l, the Bima. It is spoken in
the eastern part of Sumbawa and in the greater part of the
island of Ende or Flores,which is subject.to thé sultan of
Beima.
Dr. Leyden collected a vocabulary of these two languages,
and collated them with the Bfrgis and Makasar of Celebes.
There are many words common to all these four languages,
and there seems to be no reaspn for doubt that the two former.
are,7 not less truly than the languages of p'elebesj Malay©-
Polynesian dialects. It may be observed that.all these contain
SanskriSwords.# Neither the Bima nor the Sumbawa
people havé any characters of their own: they use. the alphabets
of the Bügis and the Malays indifferently.f
3. Timorian.
Under this term I include all the tribes and languages
found in the islands of the Timorian chain to tire eastward of
Save. These islands were , unknown in an. ethnological point
of view till the late voyage .of Mr. Earle, who has collected
a great mass of most interesting information respecting them
and their inhabitants, with which he^wdfi ere long paitffy the
curiosity of the public. In the mean time he has figured
me by giving the following brief account, w j^ h must-be i%
Teresting to all those who estimate |he value of ethnographic!
information. ^
« The natives of Timor were these who first occupied my
attention, and as 1 was enabled to pay annual visits to this
and the neighbouring islands during .six years, I have learned
a great deal concerning them. The people, pf, Timor, Savu,
the Serwatty Islands, Timor Laut, and the Ki Islands are all
* The Makasar pronoun of the first person egQtis ijmkke, a curious instance
of resemblance to a Semitic language, with which the Makasar can have no
connection.' .
f Dr. Leyden, ubi supra.