THE END OF THE FIRST STAGE
[Illustration:
THE RAJAH'S TOMB.]
We are drawing near to the close of the first stage in the History of
Sarawak. It had opened with great hopes. To his mother the Rajah had
written in 1841: "I trust there may be marked out for me a more useful
existence, that will enable me to lay my head on my pillow and say that
I have done something to better the condition of my kind, and to deserve
their applause," and again, "I hope that thousands will be benefited
when I am mouldering in dust," and these hopes have been fulfilled. But
the last period of the Rajah's life was clouded with sorrow,
disappointment, and pecuniary anxieties.
He had practically given up the government in 1863, though he reigned
for five years longer, and could make his will felt when need be. His
health had broken down, and he wrote on May 29, 1863: "I cannot stand
the climate and work," and in that year he left Sarawak for good, having
installed his nephew, the Tuan Muda, as administrator. He was then only
sixty, but for over twenty years his life had been full of anxiety, and
had been a continual struggle against adversities, the most serious
caused by the "malignant and persevering persecutions"[287] of his own
countrymen, to whom he had turned for a little sympathy and a little
help, which would have cost England nothing. In his policy and his
actions he had been guided by no personal ambition; the great desire of
his heart had been throughout the extension of British influence in the
Far East, the improvement of trade, the suppression of piracy, the
horrors of which he had witnessed, and the amelioration of the lot of
the oppressed and suffering natives, whom he had come to love and esteem
for their many good qualities.
With regard to the other countries included in the general policy of the
Rajah, this book has little to do. It suffices to note that had that
policy not been discredited, Siam,[288] the Sulu archipelago, the whole
of New Guinea, and a greater part of Borneo might now have been under
British influence. To the Rajah's unaided efforts, frowned upon at home,
England owes it that Sarawak, Bruni, and Labuan are not now Dutch
Residencies, and North Borneo, through conquest from the Spaniards, an
American colony.
By his enterprise Sarawak, weakened by civil war and oppression, was
converted into an independent and cogent State, and became a check upon
any further advance of the Dutch northwards; and their strong diplomatic
objections to the Rajah's presence in Sarawak shows what they had in
view. Moreover, the treaty he effected with the Sultan of Bruni in 1847
effectually prevented any settlements other than of an English character
being established in northern Borneo.
From southern Borneo England had retired in favour of the Dutch, and,
previous to this, after the disaster of Balambangan, and its withdrawal
from Bruni, had ceased to take any further interest in northern Borneo,
nor was any attempt made to re-establish its prestige there, or to
suppress piracy, even after Singapore had been founded in 1819. As
usual, England had to wait for a man of action and resolution, and
twenty years afterwards, though, fortunately, when not too late, he
appeared in the person of the late Rajah. Such a man also was Sir
Stamford Raffles, who saved Singapore and the Malay peninsula to
England. It is almost a parallel case.
The members of the East India Board were furious, and the Ministers
of the Crown were "excessively angry." Indeed had it not been for
Raffles ... it is certain that Singapore would have been abandoned
by the British. Raffles made it, and Raffles saved it.... Raffles'
genius and patriotism were rewarded by endless worry, by the
disapproval of his employers, and by public censure from his
country's Ministers.[289]
But the Rajah abandoned the larger policy as hopeless, and devoted his
life and his means to his adopted country; and here the British
Government, influenced by Gladstone, Cobden, Sidney Herbert, and their
Little England followers, did its best to paralyse his efforts.
"My duty has been done at any cost," he wrote sadly, "and the
British Government will be responsible for the consequences which
must follow upon its abandonment of Sarawak. I do not mention the
treatment I have personally received at its hands, for I seek no
favour, nor expect justice, and I shall close a troubled career with
the conviction that it might have been useful to my country and
honourable to myself and a blessing to the native race, but for the
indifference, the inconstancy, and, I regret to say, the injustice
of the British Government."[290]
In an introduction to his nephew the Tuan Muda's _Ten Years in Sarawak_,
written in January 1866, he expressed what had been the ambition of his
life, and his disappointment at its nonfulfilment.
I once had a day-dream of advancing the Malayan race by enforcing
order and establishing self-government among them; and I dreamed too
that my native country would desire the benefit of position,
influence, and commerce, without the responsibilities from which she
shrinks. But the dream ended with the first waking reality, and I
found how true it is, that nations are like men, that the young hope
more than they fear, and the old fear more than they hope—that
England had ceased to be enterprising, and could not look forward to
obtaining great ends by small means perseveringly applied, and that
the dependencies are not now regarded as a field of outlay, to yield
abundant national returns, but as a source of wasteful expenditure
to be wholly cut off. The cost ultimately may verify the old adage,
and some day England may wake from the dream of disastrous economy,
as I have awakened from my dreams of extended usefulness. I trust
the consequences may not be more hurtful to her than they have been
to me.
Since this, I have found happiness in advancing the happiness of my
people, who, whatever may be their faults, have been true to me and
mine through good report and evil report, through prosperity and
through misfortune.
From the very commencement of his career in Borneo he had invited the
support of the British Government "to relieve an industrious people from
oppression, and to check, and if possible, to suppress piracy and the
slave trade." He was anxious to see a British Settlement established,
under the direction of others if necessary, and he was prepared to
transfer his rights and interests to any successor. He looked upon
himself in the light of "an agent whom fortune had enabled to open the
path," and he felt "if a case of misery ever called for help, it is
here, and the act of humanity which redeems the Dayak race[291] from the
condition of unparalleled wretchedness will open a path for religion,
and for commerce, which may in future repay the charity which ought to
seek for no remuneration." His wish had always been that the country
should be taken under the wing of England, and, though he at first
justly asked that what he had sunk into it of his own private fortune
should be repaid him, he was finally prepared to waive this
consideration if only England would adopt the struggling little State.
Failing this, he desired that the British Government would extend a
protectorate over the State, so that capitalists should be encouraged to
invest money for the development of its resources. But even recognition
of Sarawak as an independent State was not granted till 1863. Protection
was not accorded till 1888, and then it was offered, not asked for, and
was granted, not in the interests of Sarawak, but for the safeguarding
of Imperial interests, lest some other foreign power should lay its
hands on the little State.
[Illustration:
KUCHING (UPPER PART).]
Recognition, for which the Rajah had striven for so many years, being at
last granted, filled him with the greatest satisfaction. But considering
the past history of Sarawak, and bearing in mind how well that country
has since done without extraneous aid, it would seem to have been a pity
that Sarawak ever attracted the attention of England, and that the Rajah
ever sought for encouragement or protection there. Sarawak has stood the
test of nearly seventy years as an independent State, and continues its
prosperous career, without owing anything to any one, and requiring only
to be let alone. But financial troubles had overtaken the State in the
latter days of the Rajah, and to him these were an endless source of
worry and anxiety. From 1863, to the time of his death in 1868, his
letters to his representative in Sarawak, the Tuan Muda, were almost
always on this subject. To matters relating to general policy, there is
in them little reference to be found; though throughout they express
constant forebodings in regard to the future of the raj. "Alone,
burdened with debts, with few friends and many foes, how are you to
stand without support," he wrote to the Tuan Muda; the last years of his
life were clouded by a dread of evils, for he placed too much weight on
public opinion, which was generally as erroneous as it was
inimical.[292] In 1863, the whole responsibility was thrown upon the
present Rajah's shoulders, to whom it was left to find a way to
establish the revenue on a sound basis, and to reduce a large debt
without sacrificing efficiency. The Government under the present Rajah
practically commenced in that year.
Sir Spenser St. John says, in his _Rajah Brooke_:—
"In the autumn of 1866 he (the Rajah) received a severe shock. His
nephew, the Tuan Muda, wrote that he had sold the steamer _Rainbow_
to pay off a debt due to their Singapore agent—a debt incurred
through careless extravagance in carrying out his many public works
at a time when funds were scarce. For a moment it almost stupefied
him, as this steamer had not yet been paid for," and "Sarawak
without a steamer, he felt assured, would sink back into its old
state of insecurity; and therefore another steamer must be had. By
great exertion, he succeeded in raising the necessary funds, and
purchased a vessel which was christened the _Royalist_."
Sir Spenser must have trusted to his memory, which played him false. The
Sarawak Government had then another and a larger steamer, the
_Heartsease_,[293] and the Rajah was having the _Royalist_[294] built in
England to carry mails and merchandise to and from Singapore. He was
consulted about the sale of the _Rainbow_ and sanctioned it, for he
wrote to the Tuan Muda on March 6, 1865, "We are quite agreed as to the
advisability of selling the _Rainbow_," the purchase money to go towards
paying for the new vessel he was having built. The Singapore agents were
instructed to remit the money home, but, without the knowledge of the
Tuan Muda, kept it to cover an over-draft. This over-draft was not
incurred to pay expenses of public works, but for absolute necessaries.
The Rajah had but little trouble to raise the balance due on the
_Royalist_; and even this was not necessary, for a Singapore Bank at
once advanced an amount equivalent to the balance due on the _Rainbow_,
which was remitted to England.
At Burrator, his little out-of-the-world Devonshire seat, on the edge of
the moors, the Rajah was perfectly happy so long as not troubled with
bad news from Sarawak. He devoted himself to the country-side folk, who
were greatly attached to him. His life was one simple and contented; he
enjoyed the exceeding quietude, and he was happy in trying to make
others happy. Riding and shooting, so long as his health permitted, were
his amusements, parish affairs, and the improvement of his little
property, his chief interests.
The longing to return to his people was strong upon him. But, as time
advanced and his strength diminished, he foresaw that what had become
the desire of his life would be denied him. Some three years before his
death he wrote to the Tuan Muda, "Farewell, think of me as well content,
free from anxiety, and watching your progress with pride and pleasure."
Largely assisted by the late Sir Massey Lopes, who owned the land in the
parish, he "restored" the Parish Church, and was instrumental in a new
school being provided. The church contained a magnificent rood-screen,
richly carved and gilt, extending across the nave and aisle; indeed it
was the finest specimen in that part of the county. Unhappily neither
the Rajah nor Sir Massey could appreciate its artistic and antiquarian
value, and it was ruthlessly swept away. No architect was employed, only
a local builder, and the new work done in the church is as bad as can be
conceived, such as was likely to proceed from the designs of a common
ignorant builder.
On June 11, 1868, Sir James Brooke died at Burrator, leaving the
succession of the raj to his nephew Charles Brooke, and his male issue,
failing such to his nephew H. Stuart Johnson and his male issue. In
default of such issue, the Rajah devised his said sovereignty, "The
rights, privileges, and power thereto belonging, unto her Majesty the
Queen of England, her heirs and assigns for ever."
He was buried in the churchyard at Sheepstor, and a memorial window to
him has been placed in the church.
Dr. A. Russel Wallace, in _The Malay Archipelago_, 1869, says:—
That his Government still continues after twenty years,
notwithstanding frequent absences from ill health, notwithstanding
conspiracies of Malay chiefs, and insurrections of Chinese
gold-diggers, all of which have been overcome by the support of the
native population, and notwithstanding financial, political, and
domestic troubles—is due, I believe, solely to many admirable
qualities which Sir James Brooke possessed, and especially to his
having convinced the native population, by every action of his life,
that he ruled them, not for his own advantage, but for their good.
Since these lines were written, his noble spirit has passed away.
But, though by those who knew him not, he may be sneered at as an
enthusiast, adventurer, or abused as a hard-headed despot, the
universal testimony of every one who came in contact with him in his
adopted country, whether European, Malay, or Dayak, will be that
Rajah Brooke was a great, a wise, and a good ruler—a true and
faithful friend, a man to be admired for his talents, respected for
his honour and courage, and loved for his genuine hospitality, his
kindness of disposition, and his tenderness of heart.
Writing in 1866, the old Rajah said of his nephew:—
He is looked up to in that country (Sarawak) as the chief of all the
Sea-Dayaks, and his intimate knowledge of their language, their
customs, their feelings, and their habits far exceed that of any
other person. His task has been successfully accomplished of
stamping out the last efforts of piratical Malayan chiefs, and their
supporters among the Dayaks of Saribas, and of other countries. He
first gained over a portion of these Dayaks to the cause of order,
and then used them as his instruments in the same cause, to restrain
their countrymen. The result is that the coast of Sarawak is as safe
to the trader as the coast of England, and that an unarmed man could
traverse the country without let or hindrance. It is a great
gratification to me to acknowledge my nephew's devotion to the cause
to which my own life has been devoted. It is well that his strength
has come to supply my weakness, and that his energies and his life
(if needed) should be given to establish the governorship, and
promote the happiness of the people of Sarawak. My career draws to
its close, but I have confidence that no consideration will turn him
from the work which I shall leave for his hand to do.
How deserved this trust was, has been made manifest by the present
Rajah's own life-long devotion to the interests of the people he was
ordained to govern. On his accession, no change was made in the wise and
liberal policy of his predecessor. Only such reforms and improvements,
administrative or otherwise, consistent with that policy have been made.
Up to the time of the first Rajah's death, no great progress
commercially and financially had been effected, and it was left to his
successor to promote the commercial and industrial advancement of the
State. The Sea-Dayaks and tribes of the interior still required a strong
hand and a watchful eye to keep them in order, and the subsequent large
additions of territory entailed greater responsibility and harder work.
In the gradual establishment of a government suitable to the country and
its people, the main principles that have guided the late and the
present Rajah are—that the natives should, through their chiefs, have a
full though subordinate share in its administration and its councils;
that their own laws and customs should be respected, though modified
where necessary in accordance with the first principles of justice and
humanity. That no sudden and wholesale changes disquieting to the native
mind should be made, and that reforms should be very carefully
considered from both the white man's and the native's point of view
before being introduced, and that if carried out, it should be done
gradually. Thus, without giving rise to any opposition or discontent,
slavery, which was at one time in a cruel and oppressive form, by a
gradual process of ameliorating the condition of the slaves, enlarging
their privileges, reducing the powers of owners and increasing their
responsibilities, in course of time ceased to be a profitable
institution, and died a natural death without any sudden and violent
legislation.
How that was done will be shown in the following chapter.
Among the Spartans a drunken helot was produced, staggering and
imbecile, to show the young into what a disgraceful condition a man fell
who gave way to liquor. And in Borneo, in the Sultanate of Bruni, the
people had before their eyes a reminder of what was a bad, irresponsible
government.
The old Rajah left behind him one of the noblest records of a life
devoted to the cause of humanity, and of a task completed, which has
been equalled by few men. His motives, untarnished by any desire for
honours or for worldly advancement, were as pure as was his chivalry,
which was without reproach. No better man, and few greater, have lived.
That those who vainly sought by the degradation of his position to
enrich themselves should have turned round upon him, and have vilified a
character whose humane and lofty views were foreign to their own, is not
so surprising as that ministers and politicians of the highest repute
should have lent ready ears to their libellous and unfounded statements,
and have treated with a total absence of a spirit of fair play a man
whose policy and methods merited their fullest recognition and support.
Ergo Quintilium perpetuus sopor
Urguet? cui Pudor, et Iustitiae soror,
Incorrupta Fides, nudaque Veritas
Quando ullum inveniet parem?
HORACE, Od. i. 24.
-----
Footnote 287:
Lord Palmerston, Debate in House of Commons, July 10, 1851.
Footnote 288:
Sir Spenser St. John says that, "ever since our Mission to Siam (of
which the Rajah was the head, having been appointed Special Envoy by
the Government) in 1850, Chaufa Mungkat (then Prime Minister, but very
shortly afterwards he became the King) had kept up a private
correspondence with the Rajah of Sarawak, in whose doings he showed
great interest." This King afterwards presented the Rajah with a
Siamese State barge, still in use, and a gold snuff-box. We mention
this to show the power of the Rajah's influence, and to what good
purposes that influence might have been put.
Footnote 289:
_British Malaya_, p. 71; Sir Frank Swettenham, K.C.M.G.
Footnote 290:
Extract from a letter to Lord John Russell, dated December 10, 1859.
Footnote 291:
The Land-Dayaks of the Sadong, Sarawak, and Lundu rivers.
Footnote 292:
Mr. Templer to the Tuan Muda, March 1872.
Footnote 293:
Built in Singapore, and commissioned in September 1865.
Footnote 294:
Launched in March 1867.
[Illustration:
FORT MARGHERITA, KUCHING.]