The Baju or Baja Laut, meaning the Sea Baju, are a maritime people in the Aru Islands, who venture far to sea. Many of the Baju remain throughout the year near the Dutch Settlement of Macassar, on the south end of Celebes, where they are found very useful in carrying despatches. They are chiefly employed by the Chinese in fish ing for trepang or sea-slug, and, according to the policy invariably adopted by the latter in their dealings with the natives, are generally involved in debt, from which extrication is nearly hopeless. The demand against each boat or family usually averages about four hundred guilders (twenty-five pounds sterling), and, extraordinary as it may appear, no instance is on record of their ever having absconded to avoid the payment of their debts. About Sulu and the circumjacent islands, the Baju Laut are the most industrious and useful race, and to them Sulu is indebted for bringing its submarine wealth. A hundred sail of ten to twenty tons burden have been seen at one time at Bontian under Dutch colours. They are a different race from the Orang Laut of the Malay Peninsula and the Straits of Malacca. They are the Orang Solok of the east of Subanas and Lutas. They speak the language of Sulu, and profess Muhammadanism.
The Kei Group of ten islands adjoins the Aru Islands. Ke, Kei, or Ki is prefixed to the names of all their villages. The Great Ki is about the size of Tanakeka, an island near Macassar. The Ki group form the northrn of the south-easterly islands. The natives ar industrious, and great boat-builders. The islands, covered with luxuriant forests, are occupied by two races, one of them the Papuan, who make cocoanut oil, build boats, and make wooden bowls ; their boats are from small planked canoes to prahus of 20 to 30 tons burden. They build the skin first and fit on the knees and bends and ribs. Money is not used, but every transaction is in kind. The Papuan wears a waist-cloth of cotton or bark. The Papuan women of Ki are not Secluded, the children are merry, noisy, and have the Nigger grin, and amongst the men is a noisy confusion of tongues and excitement on every occasion. The other race are Muhammadans who were driven out of Banda, and cotton clothing. They are probably a brown race, more allied to Malays, but their mixed descendants have great varieties of hair, colour, and features, graduating between the Malay and Papuan tribes. The men profess Muhammadanism, but eat hog's flesh. The islands produce Maratigo and Banyaro woods, well adapted for masts.
Carpophaga concinna occurs in the, Ki and in Banda, where it is called the nutmeg pigeon. Cyphogastra calepyga, a beautiful species of the Buprestidm, occurs here ; also the butterfly Orchis, Phalmnopsis,grandiflora, two large beetles, Therates labiata and Tricondyla aptera. T. labiata is ever on the watch, and from time to time emits an odour like otto of roses. Tricondyla aptera of
the Malay Islands resembles a large ant, more than au•inch long, and of a purple-black colour. It is wingless.
The PHILIPPINE ISLANDS were discovered in 1521 by Magellan, and they were named alter Philip II. of Spain. There are ten principal islands, 400 of medium size, and 800 islets, running 900 miles from north to south, and 500 miles from east to west, from lat. 5° 40' to 18° 47' N., and between the meridians of 120° and 125° E.
The larger islands are traversed by chains of lofty mountains, in which are active volcanoes, amongst others, Dabao in Mindanao, Albay and Taalen in Luzon. Earthquakes recur apparently three times in a century, and hurricanes frequently sweep across the islands. The population is about four millions, in many distinct nations or tribes, speaking distinct languages unintelligible to each other. ''They are sometimes called the Manillas, and their inhabitants Manillamen.
Spanish territory is nearly 116,000 square miles, and population about 8 millions, and a trade exchange of 12 millions sterling. The three great outlets into'the Pacific lead from the Philippines, viz. the Sulu channel, leading direct to New Guinea ; the Bernardino strait opposite the Pelew and Mariana Islands, and in the north the Bashi passage, the nearest outlet from China. In 1833, the population of the principal islands was estimated Batanes Islands, . 8,000 Mindoro, . . . . 41,190 Calamianas,.. . . 20,730 Negros, . . . . 60,980 Leytes, . . . . 91,273 Panay, . . . 425,745 Luzon, . . . 2,323,395 Samar, . . . . 92,730 Magindanao, . . 77,690 Zebu, . . . . 203,555 A writer in the Quarterly Review (No. 314 of 1884) says their southern half is tenanted by the Visaian (Bisayan), who resemble the Dyak of Borneo. Many of them have adopted Christianity. They are fond of music and gaiety.
The Tagala subdivisions are the Kosan, Bicol, Igorrotes, and others in the northern part the Philippines. They are darker than the Visaian, are excellent agriculturists, ingenious artificers, and daring seamen. Chinese have married with the Tagal. The total number of Spaniards does not much exceed 5000.
The Negrito are believed to have been'the pricir occupants, and to have retired into the mountain districts before invaders. They are a black, woolly-haired race, of diminutive stature, 4 feet 0 inches to 4 feet 8 inches high, with hair like that of the Papuan and many Negroes of Africa. But of the central group of the Philippines, consisting of Panay, Negros, Samar, Leyte, Mas bate, Bohol, and Zebu, only in the first two were Negrito tribes remaining, the crest of the mountain range of Negros, which extends for 120 miles throughout the length of the island, being almost exclusively occupied by scattered tribes of Negritos.