The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

234 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.characterize its fauna as one of the most remarkable and beautifulupon the globe. On the 20th of February I finally quittedAmboyna for Ceram and Waigiou, leaving Charles Allen to goby a Government boat to Wahai on the north coast of Ceram,and thence to the unexi^lored island of Mysol.CHAPTER XXI.THE MOLUCCAS—TERNATE.On the morning of the 8th of January, 1858, I arrived atTernate, the fourth of a row of tine conical volcanic islandswhich skirt the west coast of the large and almost unknownisland of Gilolo. The largest and most perfectly conical mountainis Tidore, which is over five thousand feet high—Ternatebeing very nearly tlie same height, but vnth a more roundedand irregular summit.^ The town of Ternate is concealed from"\-iew till we enter between the two islands, when it is discoveredstretching along the shore at the verj^' base of the mountain.Its situation is fine, and there are grand "vdews on every side.Close oi^posite is the rugged jDromontory and beautiful volcaniccone of Tidore ; to the east is the long mountainous coast ofGilolo, terminated towards the north by a group of three loftyvolcanic peaks, while immediately behind the town rises thehuge mountain, sloping easily at first and covered with thickgroves of fruit trees, but soon becoming steeper, and furrowedwith deep gullies. Almost to the summit, whence issue perpetuallyfaint wreaths of smoke, it is clothed with vegetation, andlooks calm and beautiful, although beneath are hidden fireswhich occasionally burst forth in lava-streams, but more frequentlymake their existence known by the earthquakes whichhave many times devastated the town.I brought letters of introduction to ]\Ir. Duivenboden, anative of Ternate, of an ancient Dutch family, but who waseducated in England and speaks our language perfectly. Hewas a very rich man, owned half the town, possessed manyships, and above a hundred .slaves. He was, moreover, welleducated, and fond of literature and science—a phenomenonin these regions. He was generally known as the king ofTernate, from his large jiroperty and gi'eat influence withthe native Eajahs and their subjects. Tlirough his assistanceI obtained a house, rather ruinous, but well adapted to mypurpose, being close to the town, yet with a free outlet tothe country and the mountain. A few needful repairs weresoon made, some bamboo furniture and other necessariesobtained, and after a visit to the Resident and Police ]MagistrateI found myself an inhabitant of the earthquake-tortured1 Tlie officers of the Challenger found that Teruate was 5,600 feet liigh and Tidore5,900 feet.