Molloy, Francis, an Irish divine of some celebrity, flourished in the College of St. Isidor at Rome, Italy, in the second half of the 17th century, as professor of the- ology. He wrote Sacra Theolofjia (Rome, 1666, 8vo) : — Lucema Fiddium (1676, 8vo), a Roman Catholic Cat- echism in Irish : — Grammatica Latino-I/ibernica com- pendiata (1677, 12mo). Shingel, who gives an abstract of the last work in his A rcheeoloficul Britannica, saya that it was the most complete Irish grammar then ex- tant, although imperfect as to syntax, etc. See Ware, Writers <f Ireland, vol. ii.
Mo'loch (lleb. Me'lek, T|^^, kint/, as often; Sept. and N. T. .MoXox), the name of an Ammonitish idol (Amos i v, 2() ; Acts vii, 43) ; usually called Molecii (q. v.).
Molokans. See Malakans.
Molten Image. See Idou
Molten Sea. See Sea, Molten.
Moluccas (or Royal or Spice Islands), a num- ber <if islands of the Jlalay Archipelago, in tlie Indian Ocean. Tiie term comprehends, in its most exten- sive sense, all the islands between Celebes and New Guinea, situated to the east of the Molucca passage, in long, 126^, particularly those of (iilolo; but, in a more limited sense, it is usually restricted to the Dutch Spice Islands: (1) Ternate, the most important, lies in 0= 55' X. lat, and 127° 10' E. long., and is 25 miles in circumfer- ence. It has a population of 7,500, of whom oidy about 400 are Europeans, Its natives are maiidy Mohamme- dans, It was formerly the residence of sultans, who ruled over large territories, and could call out 100,000 fighting-men. The island is fertile and well watered. Rice, cotton, tobacco, etc, are cultivated, and a trade is supported with the adjacent islands. (2) Tidore, south of Ternate, in 0= 45' N. lat. and 127^ 25' E. long,, is 30 miles in circumference, and rises towards the interior.
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Of its population of 8000, the natives are less gentle but more inelustrioiis than those of Ternate, and dili- gently cultivate the soil, weave, and fish. They are also Mohammedans, and have many mosques. The sultans of Ternate and Tidore are subsidized by and subject to the Netherlands, being appointed by the gov- ernor of the Moluccas, and exercising their authority under the surveillance of the resident. (3) Makian, in 0= 18' 30" N. lat. and 127° 2-i' E. long., is very fertile- yields much sago, rice, tobacco, canary-oil, etc., and has important fishings, (4) Farther north is the island of j\Iutir, which is uninhabited, but formerly yielded a considerable quantity of cloves, and later sent much earthenware to all the Spice Islands. (5) Batjan, the only remaining Roval Island, situated between 0° 13'- 03 55' S. lat. and 127° 22'-128° E. long., is 50 miles in length and 18 in breadth, and has many mountain-peaks from 1500 to 4000 feet in height, the sources of numer- ous rivers. The greatest part of this beautiful island is covered with ebony, satin-wood, and other valuable timber-trees, which give shelter to numerous delicately- plumaged birds, deer, wild hogs, and reptiles. Sago, rice, cocoa-nuts, cloves, fish, and fowls are plentiful, and a little coffee is cidtivated. Coal is abundant ; gold and copper are found in small quantities. The inhabit- ants, who are lazy and sensual, are a mixed race of Port- uguese, Spaniards, Dutch, and natives. All the above- named islands are volcanic, Ternate being a moun- tain, sloping upwards to 7000 feet, to which Tidore bears a striking resemblance. Makian is an active vol- cano, and, SI) late as December, 1861, threw forth im- mense quantities of lava and ashes, by wliich 326 lives were lost, and 15 villages in part or in whole destroyed. Motir is a trachj^te mountain, 2296 feet in height; and Batjan a chain with lofty peaks. The total population of the Moluccas proper is 21,500. (6) To the south- west of Batjan lie the Obi group, consisting of Obi Ma- jor, Obi Minor, Typha, Gonoma, Pisang, and Mava. Obi Major, in 1° 35' S. lat. and from 127° to 128° 'e. long., is by far the largest of these, it having an area of 598 square miles. It is hill^' and fertile, being covered, like the smaller islands of the group, with sago and nutmeg trees. The Obi group are uninhabited, and serve simply as lurking-places for pirates and escaped convicts. In 1671 the Dutch built a block-house, call- ed the Bril ; and a few years later the sultan of Batjan sold them tlie group, but the unhealthy climate caused its abauiloument in 1738.
The Moluccas, or Spice Islands, in the broad use of the terra, lie to the east of Celebes, scattered over nearly eleven degrees of latitude and longitude, between 3° S.- 8° N. lat. and 126°-135° E. long., including all the ter- ritories formerly ruled over by the sultans of Ternate and Tidore. They are now tributary to Holland, and are virtually under the jurisdiction of the governors ap- pointed by the Dutch, and are divided into the residen- cies of Amboyna, Banda, and Ternate ; a fourth resi- dency, under the governor of the Moluccas, being Me- nado. Over the northern groups of the Spice Islands the Netherlands exercise an indirect government, the sultans of Ternate and Tidore requiring to have all their appointments of native officials ratified by the resident. The southern groups are directly under European rule. The residency of Amboyna contains that island — some- times called Ley-Timor, or Hitu, from the two penin- sulas of which it is formed— Burn, the Uliassers group, and the west part of Ceram. That of Banda includes the Banda, Keffing, Key, Arru, and other islands ; also the eastern part of Ceram. Under the residency of Ternate are placed the Moluccas proper, Gilolo, the neighboring islands, and the north-west of Papua. The population ruled over by the governor of the Moluccas is 707,000. Amboyna, the Banda and Uliasser islands, chiefly supply the cloves, nutmegs, and mace which form the staple exports. The Banda Islands are Neira, or Banda-Neira, Great Banda, Ay or Way, Rhun, Ko- ziugain, and Goenong-Api, containing an area of 588