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 726 MOLUCCAS bear upon its elaboration a mind of singular clearness, a wonderful logical power, and a capacity of patient research of the highest order. Besides conferring on him the title of count and making him large donations, the emperor of Germany appointed him in 1871 general field marshal, and in 1872 life member of the upper house. In January, 1874, he was returned to the Reichstag, and in the following month delivered a speech showing the necessi- ty of being prepared for retaliation on the part of France, which produced a strong impres- sion. His most important work is Der deutsch- franzosische Krieg (Berlin, 1873 et seq.). MOLUCCAS, or Spice Islands, a group of the In- dian or Malay archipelago, between lat. 3 N. and 9 S., and Ion. 122 and 133 E., scattered over the sea which extends from the E. coast of Celebes to the W. coast of Papua, and from the Philippine islands on the north to Timor on the south; area, 42,946 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 331,879 natives and 1,803 Europeans. The number of the islands is estimated at sev- eral hundreds; many of them are small and uninhabited. The large islands are Ceram, Gi- lolo, and Booro. This part of the archipelago is naturally divided into three clusters, viz., the Moluccas proper or Gilolo group, the Ceram group, and the Timor Laut group. The first comprehends Gilolo, Morty, Mandioly, Batchi- an, Oby, Motir, Makian, Ternate, Tidore, and many other islands. The Ceram cluster, which lies in the centre of the group, contains, among others, the islands of Ceram, Booro, Amboyna, and Banda. The third cluster lies further S. between Australia and the west of Papua, Timor Laut being the principal island. Origi- nally, and in a more circumscribed sense, the Moluccas comprehended only the small isl- ands off the W. coast of Gilolo, including Bat- chian, Motir, Ternate, and Tidore; under the early Dutch dominion the appellation was ex- tended to Amboyna and Booro, but was still restricted to the smaller isles. The outline of the coast of the Molucca islands is very irregular; in many places they rise abruptly from the water to a considerable elevation. There are many excellent harbors, but sand banks which render navigation intricate and dangerous are frequently formed by earth- quakes. Nearly all the islands are mountain- ous, and some of them contain peaks 7,000 or 8,000 ft. high. The formation of the group is volcanic ; the surface is singularly broken and indented with lofty peaks and rocks piled up to great elevations ; there are several active craters and hot springs, and violent earth- quakes are frequent. On account of the com- parative smallness of the islands and the reg- ular monsoons, the heat is never excessive. Cereals cannot be cultivated to any great ex- tent, and the people subsist almost entirely upon the pith of the sago palm. The most common tropical fruits and vegetables thrive well, and sugar cane, coffee, pepper, cotton, and small quantities of indigo are grown ; but the Moluccas are especially remarkable for the production of cloves and nutmegs. The bread- fruit tree, the cacao, and many of the fruit trees of India are found. There are more than 400 different kinds of wood in the forests, in- cluding the lingoa (pterocarpus draco), which is admirably adapted to cabinet work. Gold is found in small quantities on Gilolo, but no other metals on any of the islands. The group has comparatively few indigenous mammals, but birds are very numerous, and the fauna presents close affinities to that of Papua. Of the mammalia there are 35 known species, in- cluding 25 bats, a baboon-monkey, a civet cat, several species of pigs, a deer, a shrew, and four marsupials, one of which is a flying opos- sum. Of birds there are 265 species known to inhabit the group. These comprise the cas- sowary, found in Ceram, the megapodii or mound makers, 22 species of parrots, and 27 species of pigeons. . The surrounding seas are exceedingly prolific, and the cachalot, which yields the spermaceti of commerce, is met with; but the whale fishery, once of some importance in this region, is now quite insig- nificant. Pearls are frequently found on the coasts. Cloves and nutmegs are exported in large quantities ; sandal wood and other valu- able woods are obtained ; edible birds' nests, sea slugs, and shark fins are sent to China. The imports are chiefly opium and Indian and European goods. The Dutch monopolies con- fined the commerce for many years within very narrow limits, but a more liberal policy is now pursued. The Moluccas, like nearly all the islands which constitute the Indian archipelago, are chiefly inhabited by two races, the Malays and Papuans. The latter people, supposed to be of the same family as the abo- rigines of Australia and Papua, have been ex- terminated in many of the smaller islands by the Malays, and in the larger ones have only retained possession of the interior and more inaccessible parts. The Moluccan Malays, ac- cording to Wallace, form one of the five di- visions of Smi-civilized Malays found in the Indian archipelago. They are in possession of the lower lands and seacoasts, Vhere they cultivate the soil or gain a subsistence by fish- ing. They are very expert in the construction and management of their vessels, and are great- ly addicted to piracy. The Malay is the com- mon language, and the Arabic character is employed in writing it. Mohammedanism is the prevailing religion ; but some profess Chris- tianity, and distinguish themselves by wearing black garments. The laws are chiefly founded upon the precepts of the Koran. The Moluc- cas had been visited by the Arabs, and the Mohammedan religion spread among the peo- ple long before the arrival of the Portuguese in 1511. The Portuguese had only begun to form settlements when the Spanish vessels un- der Magalhaens arrived from the east, and a pro- longed dispute arose between the two nations respecting the possession of the islands, which