CELEBES (ante), was first discovered by the Portuguese in the early part of the 16t11 c., the exact date being given by some authors as 1512. At that time the 31acassars were the most powerful people in the island, having successfully defended themselves against the king of the Moluccas and the sultan of Ternate. In 1609, the English endea vored to gain a foothold. The Dutch arrived near the end of the 16th or the beginning of the 17th century. In 1611, the Dutch East India coinpany obtained a monopoly of the trade on the island of Buton, and in 1618, an insurrection in Macassar gave them an opportunity of obtaining a definite settlement in Celebes. In 1660, the native kingdom was forcibly subjugated by the Dutch, with 33 ships, and 2,700 men. Six years later, the war began again, but was ended in 1667, and a treaty was signed by which the Dutch were recognized asprotectors and mediators of the different states who were parties to the treaty. In 1683, the n.e. part of the island was conquered and put under the command of the governor of the Moluccas; and in 1824, the kingdom of Boni was reduced. Since that time there has been no important military event except the speedily suppressed insurrection in Boni in 1859. The island is very irregular in outline, and has been com pared to a star-fish with its limbs torn away from the w. side. There are few rivers, and none are navigable for any considerable distance; but the lakes are numerous, and some of them large. The most important of these is the Tamp-arang-Labaya, or Tempe, in the s.e. section of It has ,a depth of 30 ft., and is richly stocked with fish.
The scenery throughout the island is varied and picturesque. There are wonderful gorges, chasms, and precipices, many of the latter 600 ft. high, and yet covered with a tapestry of vegetation. Much of the country is still covered with the primeval forest, which is traversed here and there by scarcely perceptible paths, or broken by occasional clearings or villages. The fauna of Celebes exhibits some specimens peculiar to the island. Of 200 species of birds, 80 are not elsewhere found. There are only 14 species of mammalia, and of these 11 are almost entirely confined to the area. The most remarkable of these are an ape found in but one other country, a small ox-like quad ruped that inhabits the mountainous districts, and the pig-deer of the Malays. Neither the elephant, the tapir, the rhinoceros, nor any large beast of prey is represented. Not much attention has been given to agriculture, except where the Dutch influence and example are strong; and manufactures are few and crude. The women weave a toler able cotton cloth. The houses are of wood and bamboo, and are usually very frail. The whole of Celebes is practically iu the hands of the Dutch government, though but a comparatively small portion is under their direct administration, and many of the petty princes are permitted to manage their internal affairs much as they please. For admin istrative purposes there are three " residences," Celebes, Manado, and Ternate, the former two belonging solely to the island, while the third includes a large part of the 3foluccas, The most important and interesting people in the island are those iu the department of Macassar. They consist mainly of Macassars and Malays proper, of Endinese from the
island of Flores, and immigrants from the neighboring kingdom of Wadjo. The colonies are each under the management of a separate captain, and the Malays are under the care of a head priest. The Macassars belong to the Malay race; they are well built and muscular; with dark brown complexion, a broad and expansive face, black and sparkling eyes, high forehead, nose rather flat, large mouth, and black soft hair which they let fall over their shoulders. The women are sprightly, clever and amiable, and formerly brought large prices as slaves. The men are brave, ambitious, jealous, and revengeful, but not treacherous. Drunkenness is rare, but gambling and cock-fighting are passionately engaged in. Running "amok" was once so common that the Dutch dismissed the Macassar soldiers from their service to break up the evil. They take great pleasure in all bodily exercise. In religion they call themselves _Mohammedans, but their worship is full of pagan superstitions; they worship animals and a divinity called Kareng Love, who has power over their fortune and health. Their language, which belongs to the Malayo-Javanese group, is spoken by about 300,000; but it has a much smaller area than Buginese, which is the language of Boni. Their literature is poor, and consists mainly of romantic stories from the Malay, and religious treatises from the Arabic. Of their few original works the most important are the early histories of Goa, and some other states of the Celebes, and a collection of laws and maxims of the old princes and sages. In no part of their possessions, however, have the Dutch made more important transformations than in 3Iinahassa, or the confederation of 3Ianado. At the beginning of the century the people were still savages, and in almost continual warfare among themselves. About 1822, it was discovered that the soil of the mountain sides was very favorable for growing coffee; the cultivation was introduced, and a sys tem established by which the native chiefs undertook the management of the plantation. The result has been not only to make one of the best coffee districts in the archipelago, but wonderfully to advance the civilization of the inhabitants. Missions and education have been successful; villages of handsome houses have grown up; the country is tra versed by roads shaded by trees, and rivers have been bridged. The trade of the dis trict is in a flourishing condition, and promises to become still more important. The coffee plant produces kernel of transparent greenish-blue color, and brings a much higher price than that from Java. Besides other large district divisions, for the most part physically similar to those described, there is the district or state of Toradja, lying entirely inland, which is in possession of a wild pagan race who shun intercourse with other races, and arc generally regarded as the aborigines of the island.