CHAPTER XII.

Oceanica, embracing the islands of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Class es of inhabitants. Religion. Governments. Geographical position. Distances. Sumatra. Its situation and extent. Pepper plant. Camphor. Java in possession of the Dutch. Its productions. Batavia. The Upas tree. Borneo. Moluccas, or Spice islands. Cloves and nutmegs; how produced. Amboyna. Dutch monopolies. Introduction of spices into Europe. Philippine islands. Spanish establishment. Character of the inhabitants. Trade. Jesuit missions. Polynesia, or Eastern Oceanica. Whale fishery in the Pacific. Friendly islands. Society islands. English missionaries. Marquesas. Commodore Porter's possession of them. Their number and population. Sandwich islands; their number, situation, and population. Present importance. Condition in 1820. Success of American missions. Southern Polynesia. New Zealand. New Holland and Van Dieman's land.

OCEANICA. The four quarters of the globe, Europe, Asia, Africa and America, with their adjacent and connected islands, comprehend the whole of what former geographers have described as the habitable earth. Later discoveries have brought into view New Holland, Van Dieman's land, and several hundred other islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans, inhabited by numerous people, having no political connexion with either continent; this has led to a new division, termed by modern geographers, Oceanica or Polynesia.

These great oceans form but one body of water, extending from the western coast of America, to the eastern and southern border of the eastern continent, and as far as researches can be made, from the north to the south pole; the eastern and northern division is called the Pacific, and the southern, the Indian

ocean.

They cover more than one third of the globe, and present as large a surface at least, as both continents. They contain in every direction groups of islands of every size, description and character. The islands, as far as they have been explored, which are capable of furnishing any sustenance, are inhabited. The number, size and population of these islands are not known. Their whole number of inhabitants has been estimated at 20,000,000. In some of them, different European nations have

CLASSES OF INHABITANTS.

permanent trading establishments, and exercise jurisdiction over a portion of the territory. With such islands, the trade is under the exclusive control of the power possessing the establishment. At others, there are temporary residents of different powers; the trade of such islands is free to all. In the greater number of them, there are neither permanent nor temporary residents. Such have been only occasionally visited by European and American navigators. It is supposed that there are still great numbers which have never been discovered.

One of the most valuable productions of the islands, is the bread fruit tree. It grows to the height of forty feet; its fruit is the size of a child's head, and when gathered before it is fully ripe, and baked, it becomes a wholesome bread, like that produced from wheaten flour. It bears fruit for eight months in succession, and the produce of three trees is sufficient for one person a year. The trunk is used for building cottages and boats; the inner bark for manufacturing cloth; the leaves for napkins, and its glutinous juice for cement. The palm tree is another valuable production, common to most of the islands. It presents a long, straight body, to a great height without limbs, crowned at the top with a load of leaves, arranged in circles, one above another, yielding flowers and fruit. The trunk produces a hard and heavy wood; materials for wadding, ropes, and cordage are obtained from its fibres. The leaves also serve for fans, parasols, and paper. The cocoa, a species of the palm, furnishes a delicious fruit, enclosed in a shell, which supplies the place of a cup. The milky liquid found in its cavity may be converted into wine, vinegar, or alcohol; and from the same fruit oil is produced.

CLASSES OF INHABITANTS. The inhabitants are of two distinct races or stocks, the Malay and the negro. The former is much the most numerous, and constitute the mass of the population on the islands near to, and north of, the equator. There is a considerable variety of complexion, the fairest being on the northerly and westerly islands, all however having a dark, tawny cast. European and American visiters give them generally the character of thieves and robbers, openly plundering where they have courage, and stealing where they have not. In the intercourse between the islanders and such visiters, the balance of wrong is on the side of the latter. Their object is to obtain from the islands which they visit, such articles as they want, at the cheapest rate possible. Intelligence, and every other advantage is on their side, and which they never fail to improve. The instances of massacre and plunder which occur, and they are not unfrequent, are generally owing to some abuse on the part of the visiter. The general similarity of language, customs, manners and government of the inhabitants, constitute them one class of people, and afford evidence of a common ori

gin, though they have no political connexion, and their extremes are several thousand miles apart.

RELIGION. Their religion, excepting where Mahometanism has made some impression, or where missionaries have succeeded in introducing Christianity, is idolatry, or Fetichism, in its most disgusting forms, sometimes requiring human sacrifices. The dead chiefs are regarded as divinities, to whom the priests address their prayers. Their skulls are deposited in boxes, and kept in the houses of the principal inhabitants. In common with nearly all the human race, they believe in a future state. They divide it into heaven and hell, and assign to the latter such as have been killed and eaten by their enemies, and such as have come to their end by violence. Heaven, or a state of comfort and happiness, and well supplied with what they esteem good things here, is the general residence of all others. They hold human life in little estimation, admitting it to be taken away on many occasions.

In Otaheite, and some other of the islands, the society of Arreoy forms a singular and disgusting feature in their manners. Clubs of men and women associate for the purpose of debauchery and infanticide. By the constitution, or the fundamental laws of their society, the women are common, and infants, the consequence of this intercourse, are put to death as soon as born. The customary mode of salutation is by taking the hand or foot of the friend saluted, and rubbing it across the face.

ORIGIN OF THE INHABITANTS. The distance between the Moluccas, on the extreme west, and the Society islands on the east, is upwards of 7000 miles. The spaces between the different groups, and between some of them and any continent, is much too great to be passed by any navigation with which the present inhabitants appear to be acquainted; and yet the similarity in all the important points of national character, is so great as to indicate a common origin. These circumstances have given rise to ingenious speculations on the questions, how these islands became inhabited at all, and how there should be this coincidence of character. Malte Brun solves the difficulty by supposing that these people once formed a great nation, possessing maritime habits, and much greater skill in navigation than their descendants of the present age. This hypothesis, unsupported by any historical facts or traditions, and attended with many difficulties, may stand until a better one can be found to take its place.

LONGITUDE FROM WASHINGTON. Leaving these questions among the many things which yet remain unknown, our business is with their present condition. They are nearly on the opposite side of the globe to the United States, and yet such is the effect of commerce, that some of their productions enter

SUMATRA. JAVA.

into the composition of the daily food of most of their citizens. The 180th degree of longitude from the city of Washington, being its anti-meridian, passes through Sumatra, one of the largest and most westerly of the Oceanic islands, and extending it northerly, it passes through Siam, and crosses the 39th parallel of latitude, being that of the city of Washington, near Pekin, on the northern border of China. Midnight on this meridian, corresponds with noon at the capitol; and should two persons set out, and travel at the same time, and with equal speed in opposite directions, the one east and the other west, they would differ one day in their computation of time, at their meeting, the one having lost and the other gained half a day. This result was exemplified in the meeting of the British and American missionrries in this region, in relation to the sabbath. The Americans, proceeding westerly by the way of Cape Horn, had their sabbath on the Monday of the British, who proceeded easterly by the Cape of Good Hope. Both were right in their computation, but which day the islanders were to observe, was matter of curious inquiry.

SUMATRA. Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and the Moluccas, are on and near the equator, and are the region of spices. The most abundant native commodity, and the chief object of commerce in Sumatra, is the black pepper. The plant producing it is a vine, which begins to be productive in the third year, and continues until the twentieth. It is a climbing plant, and supported by a pole or tree set by the side of it, giving to the pepper grounds of Sumatra, the appearance of the hop-fields of more northern climates.

Black pepper, the produce of this vine, forms an extensive branch of commerce; it was formerly monoplized by the Portuguese, but is now open to all nations. Upwards of two millions of pounds are annually imported into the United States, the greater part of which is exported, leaving for home consumption about 200,000 pounds. Camphor is another important production, and is found in the form of crystals in the body of the camphor tree. This tree grows spontaneously in Sumatra, to the size of a large timber tree. This island is about 1000 miles in length, and 150 in breadth; and is separated from Java on the south by the straits of Sunda. The equator divides it obliquely into nearly equal parts.

JAVA. Java is considered as a Dutch possession, that nation having an important establishment on the island, and the control of its commerce, but they exercise no jurisdiction over the interior; their government being confined to their own citizens, and to their principal towns and port. It is the most populous and productive of the East India islands. The number of inhabitants is not known with any degree of certainty ; it is estima

ted from 2,000,000 to 5,000,000. It produces 10,000,000 pounds of sugar annually, and coffee, pepper, indigo, and cotton, in abundance. The principal town and port of the island is Batavia, on its north-west coast, in latitude 6° south. It is situated in a low, marshy plain, at the junction of two small rivers, navigable for boats only. Its low, stagnant waters, and hot climate render the place extremely unhealthy, and often fatal to Europeans. The city was founded by the Dutch, in 1616, and in 1780 its population was estimated at 160,000. In 1816, it was reduced to 47,000, only 2,028 of which were Europeans, or their descendants, and this is nearly the present condition of the city.

THE UPAS. The upas tree, noted for its poisonous quality, is a production of this island. The largest grow to the height of a hundred feet, with trunks six feet in diameter at the base. Its juice flows abundantly on an incision, and is viscous and bitter. The stories which have been told of the poisonous quality of the emanations from this tree, and of the atmosphere in its neighborhood, have been greatly exaggerated. Its effluvia is dangerous to some individuals, while others are little affected by it. A powerful poison is prepared from its juice.

BORNEO. Directly north of Java is the island of Borneo; 800 miles in length, and 700 in breadth, and, next to New Holland, the largest island known in the world. The equator passes nearly through its centre. Very little is known concerning its population. It is supposed to be nearly as numerous as Java, and of a ferocious character. No Europeans have ventured to explore its interior. The Dutch have some small trading establishments on its coast. Its climate, soil, and productions, are similar to those of the neighboring islands.

MOLUCCAS. To the east of Borneo, and separated from it by a narrow strait, are the Moluccas, a group appropriately called the spice islands, of which Celebes is the principal. These islands are the native country of the clove and nutmeg. The clove tree grows to the height of about fifty feet, with long, pointed leaves, like the laurel. It commences fruit bearing at the eighth year of its growth. The fruit at is first appearance, is of a deep green, and as it ripens turns dark. When wanted for propagation, it requires to ripen three weeks longer than when designed for market; during this time, it swells to an extraordinary size, loses its spicy quality, and forms a hard shell.

The gathering, drying, and packing the fruit for market, are simple operations, in which but little care or labor is required. The nutmeg tree, in its size and general appearance, resembles the clove; the cultivation of it is much more nice and difficult, and is no where successful but in the Moluccas. The fruit, when ripe, resembles the peach, and bursting its outer shell,