ons. He was generally known as the king of
Ternate, from his large property and great influence with the native
Rajahs and their subjects. Through his assistance I obtained a house;
rather ruinous, but well adapted to my purpose, being close to the town,
yet with a free outlet to the country and the mountain. A few needful
repairs were soon made, some bamboo furniture and other necessaries
obtained, and after a visit to the Resident and Police Magistrate I
found myself an inhabitant of the earthquake-tortured island of Ternate,
and able to look about me and lay down the plan of my campaign for the
ensuing year. I retained this house for three years, as I found it very
convenient to have a place to return to after my voyages to the
various islands of the Moluccas and New Guinea, where I could pack
my collections, recruit my health, and make preparations for future
journeys. To avoid repetitions, I will in this chapter combine what
notes I have about Ternate.

A description of my house (the plan of which is here shown) will
enable the reader to understand a very common mode of building in these
islands. There is of course only one floor. The walls are of stone up to
three feet high; on this are strong squared posts supporting the roof,
everywhere except in the verandah filled in with the leaf-stems of the
sago-palm, fitted neatly in wooden owing. The floor is of stucco,
and the ceilings are like the walls. The house is forty feet square,
consists of four rooms, a hall, and two verandahs, and is surrounded
by a wilderness of fruit trees. A deep well supplied me with pure cold
water, a great luxury in this climate. Five minutes' walk down the road
brought me to the market and the beach, while in the opposite direction
there were no more European houses between me and the mountain. In this
house I spent many happy days. Returning to it after a three or four
months' absence in some uncivilized region, I enjoyed the unwonted
luxuries of milk and fresh bread, and regular supplies of fish and eggs,
meat and vegetables, which were often sorely needed to restore my health
and energy. I had ample space and convenience or unpacking, sorting, and
arranging my treasures, and I had delightful walks in the suburbs of the
town, or up the lower slopes of the mountain, when I desired a little
exercise, or had time for collecting.

The lower part of the mountain, behind the town of Ternate, is almost
entirely covered with a forest of fruit