On the morning of the 18th, a small brig, belonging to Mr. Franquemont, a merchant of Sourabaya, arrived in the basin. The object of the captain in visiting the island was to purchase stock, which the Java traders are in the habit of obtaining here, but as at the present time the natives had none for sale, the brig sailed immediately for one of the neighbouring islands. At nine o'clock in the morning of the day fixed for the meeting, I landed, accompanied by several of the gentlemen attached to the expedition, and by a detachment of marines, (as I shall henceforward call the armed seamen,) the brig firing a salute from her great guns. Several of the chiefs and a large number of the people had already assembled, to whom the interpreter read the letter sent by our Government, with the usual accompaniment of a _feu-de-joie_ from the musketry. The business connected with the subject of the letter was soon transacted, but the arrangement of other affairs was attended with much more difficulty than had been experienced at Kissa, the natives there being farther advanced in civilization than at Lette. I was employed during two entire days in deciding petty differences that had arisen among them. A spirit of contention upon the merest trifles forms a peculiar trait in the character of these islanders, and they appeared to prefer living in variance, indeed, in a state of open warfare with one another, to making the least advances towards reconciliation. They would sacrifice all they possessed to keep up the strife, and the result of these disturbances was that many families were forced to wander in poverty over the island, while some actually died of want. The people frankly acknowledged their failing upon this point, to obviate which they were anxious that a Dutch Resident or other government officer should reside among them, to whom they might refer their disputes for adjustment. They promised to abide implicitly by his decision; indeed, during my short stay on the island I had numerous proofs of their willingness to admit our mediation, of which I will here give an example. Throughout the Molucca Seas it had been the custom of the Government to permit those chiefs, whose conduct had been highly meritorious, to carry a Dutch pennant in their _orang-baays_, or state barges. This mark of distinction had been conferred upon some former chiefs of the village of Batu Meau, and their successors, considering themselves as being also entitled to it, continued to display the pennant from their prahus. This assumption on their part had drawn upon them the violent enmity of the chiefs of the neighbouring villages, who had ever since been in a state of open warfare with those of Batu Meau. It will readily be conceived how difficult it was to reconcile parties so strongly embittered against each other. It required some time to convince the chiefs of Batu Meau, that they had acted wrongly; but at length I was fortunate enough