Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
XXXIII
The Aru Islands—Physical Geography and Aspects of Nature
In this chapter I propose to give a general sketch of the physical geography of the Aru Is-
lands, and of their relation to the surrounding countries; and shall thus be able to incorporate
the information obtained from traders, and from the works of other naturalists, with my own
observations in these exceedingly interesting and little-known regions.
The Aru group may be said to consist of one very large central island with a number of
small ones scattered round it. The great island is called by the natives and traders 'Tana-
bŭsar' (great or mainland), to distinguish it as a whole from Dobbo, or any of the detached is-
lands. It is of an irregular oblong form, about eighty miles from north to south, and forty or
fifty from east to west, in which direction it is traversed by three narrow channels, dividing it
into four portions. These channels are always called rivers by the traders, which puzzled me
much till I passed through one of them, and saw how exceedingly applicable the name was.
The northern channel, called the river of Watelai, is about a quarter of a mile wide at its en-
trance, but soon narrows to about the eighth of a mile, which width it retains, with little vari-
ation, during its whole length of nearly fifty miles, till it again widens at its eastern mouth. Its
course is moderately winding, and the banks are generally dry and somewhat elevated. In
many places there are low cliffs of hard coralline limestone, more or less worn by the action
of water; while sometimes level spaces extend from the banks to low ranges of hills a little
inland. A few small streams enter it from right and left, at the mouths of which are some little
rocky islands. The depth is very regular, being from ten to fifteen fathoms, and it has thus
every feature of a true river, but for the salt water and the absence of a current. The other two
rivers, whose names are Vorkai and Maykor, are said to be very similar in general character;
but they are rather near together, and have a number of cross channels intersecting the flat
tract between them. On the south side of Maykor the banks are very rocky, and from thence
to the southern extremity of Aru is an uninterrupted extent of rather elevated and very rocky
country, penetrated by numerous small streams, in the high limestone cliffs bordering which
