by their cargoes of spices from these regions,
that they were able to give in exchange, jewels, gold, and the richest
manufactures, which they brought from Europe or India. When, however,
the Dutch took possession of the country they determined to confine the
production to one or two islands, over which they could keep a strict
watch, in order completely to confine the monopoly to themselves. They
chose the island of Banda for the cultivation of nutmegs, and fixed on
Amboyna for the production of the clove. The cultivation of the nutmeg
in Banda has been eminently successful, but that of the clove in Amboyna
has scarcely paid its expenses; the soil and climate of that island not
suiting it as well as the regions where it was first found. The object
of the Dutch has been to keep the monopoly of the sale of spices in
their own hands, and thus to raise the price. They have therefore
compelled the native chiefs to destroy the spice trees growing in their
territories wherever they have been able to do so. To induce them to do
this, they paid to each a fixed subsidy, the chiefs indeed being
therefore somewhat the gainers. Formerly their sultan kept the trade
solely in his own hands, and he was far more tyrannical than the
Portuguese or Dutch. When our own circumnavigator Drake visited these
islands, he purchased his cargo from the sultan, not from the native
cultivators. As I walked about Ternate I felt satisfied that I should
not at all wish to take up my abode there, for in every direction were
seen the ruins of massive stone or brick buildings of every description
which had been overwhelmed by earthquakes; indeed, considering the
frequency of their occurrence, it is surprising that people should be
willing to remain in the island. I, of course, was not able to see much
of the country, as I was compelled to be on board, the more so as
several of the crew were ill, and had been removed on shore, where the
merchant I spoke of had them kindly looked after. We had great
difficulty in getting a mast of sufficient size to replace the mainmast
we had lost. At length, however, we got both our lower masts in, and we
hoped, in the course of a week, should Captain Davenport and the rest of
the crew be sufficiently recovered, to continue our voyage.

One evening when work was over, Mr Thudicumb, with the second mate and
several of the men, went on shore, leaving the ship under charge of the
boatswain, with about a dozen Engl