Ternate

TERNATE, the northernmost of the line of islands off the western coast of Halmaheira, Dutch East Indies, which stretch southwards to the Bachian archipelago. It has an area of 25 sq.m., a width of six miles, and consists mainly of a conical volcano 5,600 ft. in height, with three peaks (Arfat, Madina and Kekan), its curious formation being due to many extremely destructive eruptions. Within the last four centuries there has been volcanic activity at Ternate on no less than 7o occasions, the worst re corded being the eruption in 1763, which overwhelmed the thriving little village and Ft. Takomi, which is situated on the north-west coast, and so completely devastated one slope with lava flow that it has since been known as Burnt cape (Batu Angus), whilst two small crater lakes were formed where the village stood. An eruption in 1840 destroyed nearly every house in the town of Ternate, and when A. R. Wallace was there in 1858 he experienced an earthquake and noted the destructive effects of former shocks. The northern half of the island has suffered most from volcanic activity. There, lava streams have flowed down the mountain side right to the sea, and there are numerous bare tracts of land, but on the southern and eastern coast there is forest and luxuriant vegetation, with a good deal of cultivated land on the flat strip by the shore ; vegetation extends even far up the mountain side. Rice and maize are grown, also sago, coffee, pepper, nutmegs and fruit (good mangoes and durians) ; Ternate was once a leading centre of spice cultivation. It now has a population of 18,924, including 58o Europeans and Eurasians, 77 Chinese and 474 Arabs, the native population being of very mixed blood, probably Malay preponderating, but with Papuan elements, having a language of their own, written in the Arabic character, and Mohammedan by religion (also Crang Seracci descendants of natives converted to Christianity by the Portuguese). Ternate is of importance as one of the two resi dences which make up the Government of the Moluccas, Am boyna being the other. Ternate residency is composed of the Ternate-Tidore group (13 islands, and the Kayua and Goraityi groups), the Halmaheira group (Gilolo, west Halmaheira, Weda, south, and Tobelo, north and north-eastern Halmaheira, with the island of Morotai), the Bachian and Obi groups, the Sula group (with the State of Banggai, in east Celebes and the Banggai islands), west New Guinea (with the island of Bisol), Sorong (north-west New Guinea, with the islands Waigiu, Salwatti and Battanta), Manokwari (the westerly part of north New Guinea), Yappen (the island of that name, with a strip of the coast of New Guinea from the Mamberano river to the Wapangga), Hollandia (the easterly part of North New Guinea, from the Mamberano river to the boundary between Dutch and British New Guinea), and the Schouten islands (the group of islands of that name). The population of the residency in 1927 was Ternate Town, population 6,374, lies on a flat strip of land on the south side of the island, at the foot of the mountain. It is a very picturesque settlement, the houses interspersed amongst a wealth of trees, with the volcano for a background, and, being close to other volcanic islands, one of which, Tidore, is so close that it helps to form the fine harbour of Ternate, and to the coast of Halmaheira, it has magnificent views. The port, which

possesses piers and a coaling jetty, is a regular place of call for vessels of the Royal Packet Navigation company, affording fre quent communication with Celebes, Amboyna and New Guinea.

Although it is the headquarters of a residency, Ternate has now only the shadow of its former greatness. Its trade is small (chiefly copra and nutmegs), its sultan is a pensioner of the Dutch Government and many of its inhabitants live by his bounty on his lands.

History.

Ternate became known to Europe through the Portuguese, who settled there in 1521, and made it one of their chief spice-collecting centres. Conflict with the sultan, or king, as he was styled then, who objected to the establishment of a Portuguese spice monopoly, led to the expulsion of the Portu guese from the island in 1581. In the meantime, in 1579, Sir Francis Drake had called at Ternate, being received favourably by the king, and allowed to ship between four and five tons of cloves, but the visit was never followed up. Drake was much impressed with the wealth and state of the king of Ternate, and wrote, of his visit to the monarch : "The King had a very rich canopy with embossings of gold borne over him, and was guarded with twelve lances. From the waist to the ground was all cloth of gold, and that very rich ; in the attire of his head were finely wreathed diverse rings of plaited gold, of an inch or more in breadth, which made a fair and princely show, somewhat re sembling a crown in form ; about his neck he had a chain of perfect gold, the links very great and one fold double; on his left hand was a diamond, an emerald, a ruby, and a turky (turquoise) ; on his right hand in one ring, a big and perfect turky, and in another ring many diamonds of a smaller size." When the Dutch visited Ternate, at the beginning of the 17th century, the sultan, who was anxious to extend his power over the Moluccan islands generally, and even over a part of Celebes, arranged to give the Dutch a spice monopoly for their assistance against the Spaniards and Portuguese (Portugal had become incorporated with Spain and the Spaniards had reconquered Ternate). So Ternate rose to power and made many of the Moluc can islands, the eastern and northern part of Celebes and Buton suzerain, but the Dutch bolstered up the power of Ternate only so long as suited their purpose, and when, in their efforts to confine Moluccan spice cultivation to cloves in Amboyna and nutmegs in the Banda islands, they destroyed ruthlessly the spice gardens of the northern Moluccas, Ternate included, causing Ternate to revolt, an example which was followed in neighbouring islands. They found it convenient (in 1683), to declare all contracts with Ternate void, and the chiefs who had looked to Ternate as their suzerain were informed that henceforth they would hold their lands directly from the Dutch. Since that time, although the power of the sultan of Ternate as their vassal, has been recog nized by the Dutch nominally, and he has certain privileges regarding the native population, the executive, in Ternate, and throughout the lands of the Residency, remains in Dutch hands.

See A. R. Wallace, The Malay Archipelago (London, 189o).

(E. E. L.)