Gorant is a group of three islands at Mano wolko, east of Ceram ; a slight infusion of Papuan on a mixture of Malay and Bugi has produced a good-looking people. The Goram people are wholly traders; every year they visit the Tenimber, Ki, and, Aru islands, the whole N.W. coast of N. Guinea, from Oetanata to Salwatty, and the islands of Waigiou and Myaol. They also extend their voyages to Tidore, Ternate, Banda, and Amboyna. Their trade is in trepang, medicinal Mussoi bark, wild nutmegs, and tortoise - shell, which they sell to the Bugi traders at Ceram Laut and Aru. Their prahus are all built by the Ki islanders, who annually turn out hundreds of neat boats.
S.E. of Goram is a high group composed of raised coral reefs 300 or 400 feet, with a volcano on the island of Teor, which broke forth in 1659.
Sangir and Siau Islands are two groups between Celebes and the Philippines. The inhabitants resemble the people of Menado, whom Mr. Wallace (ii. pp. 292-95) describes as Negrito. Christianity has made progress among the Sangir islands, the Christian population in the middle of the 19th century having been 20,000. There are several extinct , volcanoes, and some still in full action, in the Sangir group ; the devastations which they have caused from time to time have been disastrous to the inhabitants. The eruption of Duwana, in 1808, completely anni hilated the village of .Tagalando, destroyed all the surrounding forests, and suddenly deprived the inhabitants of all means of livelihood, by the destruction of their fields. The Gunong Api causes numerous ravages in the island of Siau ; its peak, 6000 feet above the level of the sea, forms the culminating point of this group. Gun ong Api covers with its base all the northern part of Sangir-besar ; this volcano was active in ,1812, when the torrents of lava destroyed the extensive forests of cocoanut trees with which this part of the island was covered, and caused the death of many of the inhabitants. These islands furnish more than 25 kinds of wood suited for building and furniture. Two harbours, sheltered from all winds, exist in the larger. Sangir, one in the Bay of Taruna, the other called Midelu on the eastern ' side..
Floris or Flores is an extensive island of the Archipelago, 201 miles long from E. to W., and from 34 to 45 miles broad. It was so ,named from the Portuguese word Flor, a flower, but is called Ende and Mangerye, from its chief south and west ports. It is in lat. 8° and 9° S., and in long. 123 E. The inland parts are very moun tainous and woody, and it contains several active volcanoes of considerable height. The Portuguese early visited and named this island, but they do not appear ever to have settled on it, and in 1812 the Bugi expelled all European settlers. But on
the east of the island many profess Christianity, and hoist the Portuguese flag. Its chief trade at Ende is with Sumba or Sandal-wood Island ; the Mangerye port trades with the Bugi and Malay. According to the statements of Bugi traders who had settled in Flores, that island is inhabited by six different tribes or races speaking as many different languages, the Ende, the Maugarai, the Kio, the Roka or Rakka, the Konga, and the Galeteng, names derived from the principal places of their residence. The coast is occupied by the Malay or brown race, but in the interior is a people with frizzled hair, and a similar frizzled hair people live in the mountainous parts of Solor, Pintar, Lombatta ; and Ombay. On the south coast is the Rakka or Roka tribe, who are re ported to be cannibals, accustomed to eat their enemies and their own relatives who die. Captain Keppel says that the natives captured from the island used to be much esteemed by the Celebes pirates as slaves.
Solor. island is about 70 miles in circumfer ence, lying south of Celebes. Its N.E. extremity is in lat. 8° 26' S., and long. 123° 10' E., and it is separated from Flores by the straits of that name. The mountaineers appear to be the original in habitants. Up to 1837 they were perfectly savage, subsisting on and bartering forest products with the coast tribes. The latter are said to be of the Malay race, are called by Moor the Baju Lane or Orang Laut, are remarkable for their skill in managing their prahus and canoes, and are the most expert fishermen in these seas, frequently capturing the black fish, a small variety of the cachalot or sperm whale, which no other fisher men in these seas will venture to attack. Thc blubber or fat obtained from them is used as food, and also as an article of barter with the inland inhabitants ; and the oil and spermaceti is some times disposed of to the Bngi and Macassar traders, who prefer it to cocoanut oil for burning in their prahus. Several Solor fishermen are always to be found at Coupang, the Dutch settlement on Timor, chiefly in the service of the Netherland Government, from whom they obtain a fixed allowance of rice and maize. These are relieved by others every year, in compliance with an old treaty, by which the coast natives of Solor agreed to furnish an annual quota of men for the public service. As all the youths have to, take their turn, the system makes them accustomed to inter course with Europeans. Their religion is Muham madan, but many on the north coast have been converted to Christianity.