Page:Scented isles and coral gardens- Torres Straits, German New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, by C.D. Mackellar, 1912.pdf/273

Rh Lying south of the Ké and Aru Isles is Timor, the nearest to Australia.

It is 300 miles long by 50 miles wide, and comprises an area of 11,650 square miles. The highest peak is Mount Alas, 12,250 feet, and others rise from 5000 to 6000 feet, thinly wooded, and on the side towards Australia quite sterile owing to the hot winds blowing from that continent. Germany has great desires towards acquiring Timor. It is: not known when the Portuguese first settled there. In 1859 the boundary between them and the Dutch part was settled. The Dutch capital is Kupang, which has7000 inhabitants: Malays, Chinese, Arabs, and natives. It is a good; well-kept town, with neat Dutch houses. In contrast to this is the Portuguese capital, Delli, or Dilli, a miserable place and most unhealthy, with a population of 3000, There are no roads round it, and the Portuguese do nothing to mend matters. Timor is full of divisions, each with its “king,” and of these there are forty-seven “kings” in the Portuguese part alone! At Delli are Europeans, a garrison, and some officers, but it is noted for crimes and disorder. It is said some officers wanting to get rid of the husbands of women they wished to live with, simply poisoned the husbands and no one minded or took any notice. There are few Europeans in the interior. Wheat and potatoes grow well at a height of 3000 feet, but all round the town are swamps and mud- flats. There are many eucalyptus trees, and it reminds most people of Australia. It is a frequent port of call for ships of different nationalities,