Online Encyclopedia

south; and is divided for administrative purposes into nine districts (afdeelingen): 1) Amboyna, the island of that name; (2) Saparua, with Oma and Nusa See also:

LAUT

Laut; (3) Kajeli (Eastern See also:

BURU

Buru); (4) Masareti (Western Buru); (5) Kairatu (Western See also:

CERAM (Sirang)

Ceram); (6) Wahai (the See also:

NORTHERN

northern See also:

PART

part of See also:

Mid-Ceram); (7) Amahai (the See also:

SOUTHERN

southern part of Mid-Ceram); (8) the Banda Isles, with East Ceram, Ceram Laut and Gorom; (9) the islands of Aru, Kei, See also:

Timor Laut or Tenimber, and the south-western islands. The See also:

TOTAL

total See also:

AREA

area of the residency is about 19,861 sq. m., and its See also:

POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population 296,000, including 2400 Europeans. Amboyna Island lies off the south-See also:

west of Ceram, on the north See also:

side of the Banda Sea, being one of a See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of volcanic isles in the inner circle See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round the sea. It is 32 M. in length, with an area of about 386 sq. m., and is of very irregular figure, being almost divided into two. The south-eastern and smaller portion (called Leitimor) is See also:

UNITED

united to the northern (Hitoe) by a See also:

NECK (O. Eng. hnecca; the word appears in many Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch ride, Ger. Nacken; in O. E. the common word was heals; cf. Ger. Hals)

neck of See also:

LAND

land a few yards in breadth. The highest mountains, Wawani (3609 ft.) and Salhutu (4020 ft.), have hot springs and solfataras. They are considered to be volcanoes, and the mountains of the neighbouring Uliasser islands the remains of volcanoes. See also:

GRANITE (adapted from the Ital. granite, grained; Lat. granum, grain)

Granite and See also:

SERPENTINE

serpentine rocks predominate, but the shores of Amboyna See also:

Bay are of See also:

CHALK

chalk, and contain stalactite caves. The See also:

SURFACE

surface is fertile, the See also:

rivers are small and not navigable, and the roads are See also:

mere footpaths. See also:

COCOA

Cocoa is one of the products.

The See also:

CLIMATE

climate is comparatively pleasant and healthy; the See also:

AVERAGE

average temperature is 8o° F., rarely sinking below 72°. The rainfall, however, aftet the eastern monsoons, is very heavy, and the island is liable to797 violent hurricanes. It is remarkable that the dry See also:

SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season (See also:

OCTOBER

October to See also:

APRIL

April) is coincident with the See also:

period of the west See also:

monsoon. Indigenous mammals are poor in See also:

SPECIES

species as well as few in number; birds are more abundant, but of no greater variety. The See also:

ENTOMOLOGY (Gr. iv-roµa, insects, and Xiryos, a discourse)

entomology of the island, however, is very See also:

rich, particularly in respect of See also:

LEPIDOPTERA (Gr. ?emir, a scale or husk, and 7rrepov, a wing)

Lepidoptera. Shells are obtained in See also:

GREAT

great See also:

numbers and variety. Turtle-See also:

shell is also largely exported. The vegetation is also rich, and Amboyna produces most of the See also:

COMMON

common tropical fruits and vegetables, including the See also:

SAGO

sago-See also:

palm, See also:

BREAD

bread-See also:

FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit, cocoa-See also:

nut, See also:

SUGAR

Sugar-See also:

CANE

cane, See also:

MAIZE, or INDIAN CORN

maize, See also:

COFFEE (Fr: cafe, Ger. Kaffee)

coffee, See also:

pepper and See also:

cotton. See also:

CLOVES

Cloves, however, See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form its chief product, though the See also:

trade in them is less important than formerly, when the Dutch prohibited the rearing of the clove-See also:

tree in all the other islands subject to their See also:

RULE

rule, in See also:

order to secure the See also:

MONOPOLY (Gr. govomeXla or govoircaXwv, exclusive sale, from govds, alone, and irwXeiv, to sell)

monopoly to Amboyna. Amboyna See also:

wood, of great value for ornamental See also:

WORK

work, is obtained from the hard knots which occur on certain trees in the forests of Ceram. The population (about 39,000) is divided into two classesorang See also:

BURGER, GOTTFRIED AUGUST (1748-1794)

burger or citizens, and orang See also:

NEGRI, ADA (187o– )

negri or villagers, the former being a class of native origin enjoying certaix privileges conferred on their ancestors by the old Dutch East See also:

India See also:

COMPANY

Company. The natives are of mixed See also:

MALAY

Malay-Papuan See also:

BLOOD

blood.

They are mostly Christians or Mahommedans. There are also, besides the Dutch, some See also:

ARABS

Arabs, See also:

CHINESE, JAPANESE AND

Chinese and a few Portuguese settlers. Amboyna, the chief town, and seat of the See also:

RESIDENT

resident and military See also:

COMMANDER

commander of the Moluccas, is protected by Fort See also:

Victoria, and is a clean little town with wide streets, well planted. See also:

Agriculture, See also:

FISHERIES

fisheries and import and export trade furnish the chief means of subsistence. It lies on the north-west of the See also:

peninsula of Leitimor, and has a safe and commodious anchorage. Its population is about 800o. The Portuguese were the first See also:

EUROPEAN

European nation to visit Amboyna (1511). They established a factory there in 1521, but did not obtain peaceable See also:

possession of it till 1580, and were dispossessed by the Dutch in 1609. About 1615 the See also:

BRITISH

British formed a See also:

settlement in the island, at Cambello, which they retained until 1623, when it was destroyed by the Dutch, and frightful tortures inflicted on the unfortunate persons connected with it. In 1654, after many fruitless negotiations; See also:

Cromwell compelled the United Provinces to give the sum of 300,000, together with a small island, as See also:

COMPENSATION (from Lat. compensare, to weigh one thing against another)

compensation to the descendants of those who suffered in the " Amboyna See also:

MASSACRE

massacre." In 1673 the poet See also:

DRYDEN, JOHN (1631-1700)

Dryden produced his tragedy of Amboyna, or the Cruelties of the Dutch to the See also:

ENGLISH

English Merchants. In 1796 the British, under See also:

ADMIRAL

Admiral Rainier, captured Amboyna, but restored it to the Dutch at the See also:

peace of See also:

AMIENS

Amiens in 1802. It was retaken by the British in 181o, but once more restored to the Dutch in 1814.

End of Article: AMBOYNA (Dutch Ambon)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.

» Add information or comments to this article.

Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.

Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
AMBOISE, GEORGES

[next]
AMBRACIA (more correctly AMPRACIA)