FLORES, one of the Lesser Sunda islands, of the Dutch East Indies. It is the last large island of the chain which extends eastwards from Java, and lies between Celebes and Timor. Flores has an area of 8,87o sq. miles, is 224 miles in length, and 37 in width. It is attached politically to the residency of Timor, has an assistant-resident at Endeh, and is subdivided into Endeh, Larantuka, Maumere, Ngada, and Ruteng, each under a con troleur. Flores is a long, narrow island, extending from east to west, and with several deep inlets, the chief being Maumere bay, on the North coast, in the east, in which is the island of Great Bastard, or Pulo Besar. On the North coast, too, are Todo bay and Celebes bay, on the West coast, Bajo bay and Parapat bay (with Sendal island), on the South coast, Aimere bay and the Gulf of Endeh, and on the East coast Okka and Konga bays, two deep inlets, the former cutting through high mountains. The island is very mountainous, and heights are reached such as Amburombo (7,o5o ft.), Rokka (7,366 ft.) and Pocho Likka (7,815 ft.), in the north-west group, Mt. Egon (5,587 ft.) and Mt. Lobetobi (5, ft.), in the east, and Mt. Aomasi (5,289 ft.) and Mt. Bara (5,679 ft.), in the centre. The interior, which is heavily forested, has been but little ex plored, but the existence of slates, chalk and sandstones, with eruptive rocks, and volcanoes, indicates that geologically the island is similar in structure to others of the Lesser Sunda chain. The few rivers known run either northwards or southwards, and do not seem to be navigable, with the exception of the Reo river, for about a mile. In northern Manggarai, in the north west, where there is a considerable area of limestone, the rivers sometimes run underground. The mean temperature ranges from 7 7 ° to 8o ° and the average yearly rainfall is 47.44. Little is known of the flora and fauna, but the former includes, in the forests, coconut palms, and the sapan, cinnamon and sandal tree. The population of Flores in 1930 was it is mainly of a mixed Malay-Papuan type. In the west, the Manggarese have more of the Malayan characteristics, whilst in the central and eastern parts the people are more Papuan in appearance. In addition to these there are settlers all round the coast from Macassar, Sumba, Sumbawa and the Solor isles; in Todo, Mang garai, are colonists said to be descended from Menangkabau Malays; and on the Endeh coast are descendants of ship-wrecked Chinese. The indigenous population is largely heathen, but there are many Christians amongst the people of the east coast, and there are a number of Mohammedans in Manggarai. The people of Endeh and Manggarai are the most developed, those of Central Flores the most savage and warlike, but industry everywhere is at a low stage of development, and the people get their living mostly by fishing, hunting and agriculture. Maize is the chief food, though rice is also grown, and coconuts are cultivated, copra forming the chief article of export. Other items are coffee, sandal wood, cinnamon, tobacco, mother-of-pearl and trepang. Coffee is grown in the districts of Manggarai and Ngada, in the west, and tobacco, in the highlands, whilst cotton is cultivated un der Dutch supervision. Iron, brimstone, pumice-stone and saltpetre are found. Horses, buffaloes, pigs, dogs and fowls are kept, but meat is little eaten, except at festivals. Baju and sarong, or even trousers, are worn generally in the east and south, and often sarong only in the west, ceremonial garments are very elaborate, and many ornaments are worn. The form of house varies greatly. In Ngada houses are built on terraces, often on piles, and they are neat and regular in arrangement, and are surrounded by a hedge of bamboo, in Manggarai they are conical in form, with a roof reaching to the floor, divided into separate rooms for different families, and a passage, where unmarried men and strangers sleep, in the east the houses are smaller and inhabited by one family only, whilst in Endeh they are square, roomy and well-built. Each village has its barns, and generally a pemali house. Generally the ground is owned communally, by the tribe, and the head man, tuan tanah, has great power, but hereditary tenure of the individual prevails in Ngada, and here a stranger may own the uncultivated land he breaks up, whereas in the remainder of the island he has no rights. Marriage is patriarchal in character, the women having no freedom of choice. Large dowries are paid for wives, and the husband must assist, or work for, the bride's parents until the dowry is fully paid. Polygamy is rare, also divorce; child-betrothal is common. Generally the dead are buried, and if wealthy, in wooden coffins, but in central Flores, corpses are exposed on scaffoldings. Society is divided into the noble, middle and lower classes, but now that slavery has been abolished, this latter class tends to disappear. Dutch rule reaches the people through their own chiefs and is weaning them gradually from a state of savagery to one of semi-civili nation, which is apparent already in most of the coastal districts. Endeh, Aimere, Reo and Labuan, are ports of call for vessels of the Royal Packet Navigation Co. Flores originally was tributary to princes of Celebes, including Macassar, and when their power was broken by the Dutch in 1667, the island became open to Dutch influence, though Larantuka, in the east, to gether with some of the neighbouring islands, was claimed by Portugal, and in 1818 a commission confirmed Portugal's right. In this year the Dutch stationed an official at Endeh bay, to suppress piracy, but no impression was made until 1838, when the place was bombarded and seven chiefs journeyed to Kupang, in Timor, to apologize for their piratical activities. A treaty was then made with these, and other chiefs of Endeh. Trouble with the Portuguese authorities in Larantuka and the island of Solor in 1848 led to negotiations with Portugal when, in return for the remission of certain debts, the Portuguese Government renounced all claims to Larantuka and the neighbouring islands, and though the treaty embodying this was not ratified until 1859, Dutch troops were sent to garrison the ceded districts in 1851. Later the troops were withdrawn and a civil official ap pointed, to reside at Larantuka, and for many years afterwards there was considerable trouble here, and at Endeh, on account of slave raids and piracy. The Rajah of Larantuka, a Christian, was the principal cause of annoyance, and his arrest and banish ment, in 1905, led to a peaceful state of affairs. A treaty was concluded in 1874 with one of the principal chiefs of central Flores, but attempts made in 1887, 1888 and 1889, to penetrate into the interior failed, and in 1890 two large military expeditions were compelled to withdraw, owing to the hostility of the natives. Eventually, from Endeh, as a base, a body of mounted police succeeded in penetrating and pacifying the whole of the inland region (1907), and civil government was established. Manggarai has always been associated with the Sultan of Bima, in Sum bawa, the Dutch have only once interfered—to suppress a small rising, in 1909—and it remains so now, made into two divisions in 1915, with administrative officials at Reo and Ruteng. The other States of Flores are all under the "short declaration," which allows them some measure of self-government, under Dutch supervision. (E. E. L.)