Lansats And Mangustans
Are Also Abundant, But These Do Not Ripen Till A Little Later.
Above The Fruit Trees There
Is a belt of clearings and cultivated
grounds, which creep up the mountain to a height of between two
and
Three thousand feet, above which is virgin forest, reaching
nearly to the summit, which on the side next the town is covered
with a high reedy grass. On the further side it is more elevated,
of a bare and desolate aspect, with a slight depression marking
the position of the crater. From this part descends a black
scoriaceous tract; very rugged, and covered with a scanty
vegetation of scattered bushes as far down as the sea. This is
the lava of the great eruption near a century ago, and is called
by the natives "batu-angas"(burnt rock).
Just below my house is the fort, built by the Portuguese, below
which is an open space to the peach, and beyond this the native
town extends for about a mile to the north-east. About the centre
of it is the palace of the Sultan, now a large untidy, half-
ruinous building of stone. This chief is pensioned by the Dutch
Government, but retains the sovereignty over the native
population of the island, and of the northern part of Gilolo. The
sultans of Ternate and Tidore were once celebrated through the
East for their power and regal magnificence. When Drake visited
Ternate in 1579, the Portuguese had been driven out of the
island, although they still had a settlement at Tidore.
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