The Arafuras of the interior had been in a very unsettled state some time past, all regularity of government having been put an end to by the death of the Raja, Johannes Pitta, whose heir had retired with his mother to the island of Kissa. The natives besought me in the most earnest manner to summon this young man back to his native island, and install him as their chief. The two chiefs and several of the people, returned with me to the brig, where I presented them with some cloth and a Dutch flag, promising to promote their interests to the best of my power at Kissa, towards which island, having nothing more to detain me here, I now steered. Kissa possesses only two anchoring places, one on the west, and the other on the south-east side of the island. When seen from a distance the land does not appear to be much elevated above the level of the sea, but on a nearer approach it will be perceived that the shores rise abruptly from the water, and are of a very rocky nature. Small creeks and inlets are to be seen here and there, but these will only admit prahus of a small draught of water. In former times Kissa was the seat of the Dutch Residency of the south-west islands,[9] and it is still the most populous of the group, the people being also farther advanced in civilization than their neighbours. In standing westward towards the roads, we ran close along the south-west side of the island, where the violent breaking of the sea against the steep shore, presented a very picturesque appearance; but to us, who were at a very small distance from the land, the sight was combined with something of the terrific. On the 13th of June we anchored in a bight to the northward of the south-west point, on a strip of sand and rocks, with very irregular soundings on it, and moored the brig with a hawser made fast to the steep shore. The beach was here flat and sandy, but was fronted by a reef, steep to on the outer side, over which small prahus can go at the time of high water. The inhabitants haul up their _jonkos_ (trading prahus of about twenty tons burthen) on the beach. The natives hoisted a Dutch flag on our arrival, and several of the chiefs came off to welcome us to their shores shortly after we had come to an anchor. I soon went on shore, accompanied by M. Kam and several of the gentlemen, when we found a multitude of natives assembled on the beach to receive us, provided with litters to carry us up into the country. The proofs of joy at our arrival, evinced by the assembled crowd, were indeed striking in the extreme.