After our departure from these islands the preceding year, a number of the natives had set out on a trading voyage to the islands lying to the westward, maritime pursuits forming their favourite occupation. They were everywhere received with friendship, and having obtained profitable returns for their cargoes, they returned home, impressed with thankfulness towards our Government for having established peace among the islands, and rendered them safe for traders. According to their information, the natives of Moa, Lette, Damma, Luan, and the other islands, were zealously employed in erecting new _kota companias_, or block-houses, for our residents, hoping that they would soon have Dutch garrisons among them, while the Christian teachers were supplied with necessaries in a most liberal manner. This news gave me the greatest satisfaction, as it proved in the strongest manner that my previous labours had not been fruitless. I afterwards found that many trading vessels from these islands, even from some which had had no communication for years, had visited Banda and Amboyna, causing a remarkable increase in the sale of European manufactures at those places, so that soon a most prosperous trade, coupled with increasing prosperity to the natives, will be the result of the good measures of our Government. A number of prahus from Kilwari and Kinaos, had taken their station among the islands and banks fronting the west coast of Timor-Laut, to lie in wait for and plunder the traders of the Tenimber Islands as they returned from their commercial voyage to the westward, and had succeeded in mastering two jonkos, the crews of which escaped on shore after losing some of their number. The Ceramese then plundered and burnt their prizes. The Tenimber islanders were extremely indignant at this act of the Ceramese, and made a sad complaint to me, thinking that our Government was already acquainted with the affair, as the Ceramese, when attacking them, called out that they were empowered to act as they did by the Company, and that the Tenimber Islanders should not fire at the Dutch flags which their opponents had received from the Government. It cost me much trouble to convince them that the Dutch took no part in this shameful transaction; but at length I succeeded by promising that the Government should certainly obtain compensation from the Ceramese for their losses.