The chiefs informed me, that in the time of the (Dutch) East India Company, the pearl fishery was carried on by their order;[28] but when the Arafuras found themselves becoming more and more independent of the Christians, and the chiefs were no longer incited by our Government to carry it on, it was very naturally discontinued, as the labour attending it is much greater than that of the trepang fishery. Small quantities of pearls are still obtained in shallow water for the Bughis traders, but these are of little value, and are chiefly disposed of to the Chinese, who use them as an ingredient in some of their medicines. On one occasion we met with a prahu from the Kabroor Islands (at the east side of the Arrus), the people in which were superior in appearance to the trepang fishers of Vorkay. They had clearer skins than the latter, and their hair, which was also much finer, was very neatly dressed, and adorned with beads. Their weapons, and the ornaments of their prahus, displayed great taste. The strangers, who called themselves Arafuras of Borassi, had abundance of food with them, together with several hunting dogs. During the year previous to my visit, when the Governor-General Baron Van Der Capellen visited the Moluccas, he sent two schooners of war, the _Daphne_ and _Pollux_ to the Arrus, to enquire into the condition of the people. The arrival of M. A.J. Bik, who was at the head of this expedition, had given rise to a hope among the natives that the Government would take an interest in their affairs, so that my visit naturally excited much joy among them. They welcomed us in the most friendly manner, kissed our hands, and expressed the greatest joy when I informed them of the object of my visit, and of the purpose of our Government to take them again under their protection. The frank and kind manner in which men and women, heathens as well as Christians, came forth to meet us, was truly striking and impressive, the more from these innocent people being, unlike many others of the Indian races, entirely free from dissimulation. Even the children crowded around to kiss us. On the afternoon of my arrival I went on shore accompanied by M. Kam and several other gentlemen, to the village of Wanla, which is erected on a point of limestone rock, about thirty feet above the level of the sea. It contains only ten or twelve poor and small houses; but the stone church, which also overhangs the sea, was in very good condition. Wanla is a dependence of Duryella, the capital of Wama, but is under the immediate control of an Orang Tua. In several places we saw prahus hauled up on the beach, which are hired to the traders during the time they remain among the islands. In the interior we saw a number of sago trees, the pith of which constituted the chief food of the natives. The ground, generally, is by no means fertile, and in many parts is overgrown with underwood, there being but few spots calculated for the cultivation of rice.