ntains, besides the houses of the Government officers, ample
storehouses for the reception of the nutmegs grown upon Great Banda;
together with very commodious barracks for the troops, and an airy and
well appointed hospital. In addition to the Government officers and
troops, a considerable number of Chinese have settled in Banda Neira.
They reside in a part of the town by themselves; and some of them,
judging from the appearance of their houses, seem to be prospering in the
world.

The harbour is well sheltered in both monsoons, and is easy of access,
but it is closed against foreign merchant vessels.* We found two merchant
vessels under Dutch colours, at anchor; one was commanded by an
Englishman, and the other, the property of a rich Chinaman living in
Banda, by an old friend, who piloted us last year into Dobbo Harbour.

(*Footnote. A shoal extends from Great Banda towards the Gounung Api,
leaving a deep passage of not more than a quarter of a mile wide. Upon
this shoal, a considerable portion of which is dry at low-water,
extensive bamboo fish-weirs are erected, which seem to be very
productive. The natives also use fish-pots formed of bamboo, resembling
in principle the common drum-net, which they leave down in shoal water
during the night, and generally find a good supply in the morning. On
another part of the shoal we observed a number of large stones, which are
said to have been projected from the volcano, during a violent eruption
some years ago.)

ADVENTURES OF A JAVANESE.

His history was a strange one. He was a half-caste, born in Java, who,
after various adventures in different parts of the world, had been
pressed into our naval service, and served some time on board a
man-of-war, where he learned the English language. On his discharge from
her, he was for some time in distress in London, and eventually he found
his way back to his native country, where his enterprise, knowledge of
seamanship, and facility in acquiring languages, of which he spoke seven
or eight, soon got him employment.

The commandant of the troops, Captain De Stuers, nephew to the
Governor-General of the Moluccas, who had very civilly pointed out the
best anchorage to us, and given us every information in his power, on our
first arrival, finding that we were interested in the manners and customs
of the natives, very kindly invited us to see a menado dance performed by
some of the native soldiers of the garrison. We landed with him