About one degree north of Sambas there i_The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido For the Suppression of Piracy

belonging to the Rajah of Borneo Proper; there is a vast district

abounding in tin, in veins as rich and as plentiful as those wrought

on Banca: but they have been neglected for a series of years; they

were partially wrought before those of the latter were discovered, in

the beginning of the last century. The tyranny of that government, the

want of hands, and the contiguity of rich and valuable gold-mines, have

together caused their utter neglect; and there is little probability

of more favorable results, except under a change of government,

and a happier order of things.

In the Matan districts there is an extensive and most valuable

iron-mine, producing pure metal without any admixture of ore: it is

fully equal in quality to the best Swedish iron. They run it into

shot, and much of it is exported; but the gold-mines in its vicinity,

and the want of a proper government, are obstacles to its further

productiveness and utility. At Maday, on the northeast coast of

Borneo, in the province of Mangidara, there is a very rich mine of

gold. Pasir and Coti, in the Straits of Macassar, produce considerable

quantities of gold; and gold and diamonds are brought down by the

river to Benjarmasing. I have, however, no accurate information on

the subject, and can simply note the general fact.

There are several fine specimens of crystal found at Kimanis and Sulo;

they call them water diamonds. To give full effect to the mines in

the kingdom of Sukadana, says the Sultan of Pontiana, and to raise

the excess of food required for the additional hands, would together

give employment to at least a million of Chinese. Under the British

flag, he thinks thousands of new settlers will find their way in the

annual junks.

All that extensive range, from Cape Unsing, passing by the Tawi Tawi

islands and Sulo, as far as Baselan, is one vast continued bed of

pearl-oysters, principally of the Behoren or mother-of-pearl-shell

species; these are called by the natives _tipi_. There is likewise

an extensive bed of the Ceylon oyster, called by the Malays _kapis_;

the principal banks of the latter are found in Maludu Bay. The Sulo

pearls have, from time immemorial, been the most celebrated, and

praised as the most valuable of any in the known world. Pigofetta,

the companion of Magalhaens, mentions having seen in 1520 two Sulo

pearls in the possession of the Rajah of Borneo as large as pullet

eggs. Very large ones, from one to two hundred _chaw_ weight, are at

all times to be purchased at Sulo; and there are altogether sold here

to the China junks, the Spaniards, &c. more than two laks of dollars

worth annually. The quantity of mother-of-pearl-shell, _communibus

annis_, sold there is two thousand piculs, at six dollars a picul. The

fishery is partly carried on by the Malays, and partly by the Chinese;

the large pearls they endeavor to conceal as much as possible, from

a law that all pearls above a certain size of right belong to the

sultan. "The small narrow guts," says Dalrymple in his account of the

Sulo seas, "about Tawi Tawi, are the most rich and valuable fishery in

the world." I have had an opportunity of inspecting the banks about

Manar and Tutacoryn, as well as all the banks in the Sulo seas; but

the former have not banks near as extensive, equaling in the quantity

of oysters, in productiveness, size, or richness, the Sulo pearl, nor

are they to be compared in any way to the Sulo beds. Still the Ceylon

fishery has netted the British Government from one to two laks of

pagodas for permitting it to be fished fourteen days annually. As this

portion of Borneo belongs to the English, a much greater revenue might

be drawn from these vast sources of wealth, under proper management.

As there are no people of sufficient opulence to contract for so vast

a fishery, the Company might undertake it themselves; three or four

gun-boats would be necessary to protect the fishermen; and a small

fort should be erected at Tambisan or Tawi Tawi. But it is necessary

to observe, the Sulo people do not practice diving at all, as is

the case at Beharen and Ceylon, but only comprehend the slow method

of dredging for the tipy with a thing like the fluke of a wooden

anchor. It would be a desirable thing, in the event of prosecuting

this valuable fishery as a national concern, to obtain forty or fifty

Arab divers from Beharen, and perhaps an equal number of Chulias

from Nagore and Negapatam, from the number employed annually on the

Ceylon fishery. These men would teach the Malay the superiority of

diving, which can, in fourteen days' fishing, bring into government

a revenue of two laks of pagodas, pay the expenses of the fishery,

and enrich all parties concerned; while the Malayan operose plan of

dredging perhaps affords but a precarious subsistence. But had they

divers, from the extent of the banks, instead of fourteen days in the

year, they might, one after another, be fished the whole year round,

and never be exhausted. The Chinese fishermen, though laborious,

possess no enterprise, and can never be prevailed on to dive, from

apprehension of the sharks. The Caffris from New Guinea and the Arroes

would be superior to them.

The Sultan of Sulo, in 1810, proposed to me to bring over one hundred

Chulia divers from Negapatam on our joint expense and profit: and

the divers agreed to go over on receiving each twenty-five rupees

advance, their victuals being found, and one-fourth of the produce of

oysters allowed them, as at Ceylon. Circumstances, however, occurred

to prevent an undertaking which I think must have turned out highly

lucrative. They dredge the banks all the year round. The water on the

Tahow, Maludu, and Tawi Tawi banks, is from seven to ten fathoms deep;

in other places they fish in fifteen fathoms water.

The Malays of Borneo understand the art of cutting, polishing, and

setting their diamonds. Gold and silver filagree works they excel in;

gunpowder is manufactured at Pontiana; brass cannon is cast at Borneo

Proper; iron-shot is run from their mine. They can manufacture and

repair krises, and clean their arms. Their carpentry extends to the

building and repairing of prows, and the erecting of a hut. Their

industry is further exerted in collecting birds'-nests and wax; in

cutting rattan and felling timber; in the pearl and tripan fisheries;

or as mariners in commercial or piratical pursuits. The tillage

of the ground and the edible fisheries are often left to the more

indefatigable industry of the Chinese. For the exercise of every

other useful occupation also, the mechanical and scientific arts,

and the labor of the mines, these indolent savages are indebted solely

to the superior industry and civilization of the Chinamen.

The amusements of the Malays in other parts are unpractised on the

shores of Borneo: the only ones I ever saw were flying the kite,

swimming, and the songs of their women; this latter is confined to

the rajahs.

Wherever a water-communication on Borneo presents, the indolence of the

Malay will not permit him to think of the construction of a road. In

the interior, however, there are pathways in all directions; about

Mompava, where the river is narrow and shallow, they have constructed

several roads. Being a people much occupied in maritime pursuits,

they prefer, like the amphibious Dutch, traveling by rivers, or the

innumerable cuts, canals, and creeks, which everywhere intersect the

country: beside, their prows afford more protection from surprise,

and they conceive their town as safer by being surrounded by a

jungle and situated in a swamp; nor have they any conception beyond

water-carriage.

Their laws neither depend upon the Koran nor any written code,

human or divine, beyond the whim and caprice of the chief (assassin)

and his gang of desperadoes. The Sultan of Pontiana has, however,

established the following regulations:

Punishments for murder:--Life for life, except when the parties can

commute the same by fine.

A proclamation is publicly affixed announcing the law, that if any

person be found adulterating gold-dust, or uttering it, so depreciated,

with a view to defraud, the perpetrator shall lose his right arm,

and the adulterated gold shall be confiscated.

For theft:--Five dollars per head is given by the sultan to any one

bringing in the head of a thief: if brought in alive, he is suspended

by the heels and flogged as far as nature can bear short of death,

and the punishment repeated _ad libitum_.

Prisoners taken from an enemy, whether found in arms or not, are made

slaves of, or suffer death, at the option of the captor.

The Malay government is said to exhibit the feudal system in its most

perfect form. The chief, or rajah, issues his orders to the Pangerans,

or princes of the blood; to the Datus, or nobles of royal descent;

or to the Orang Kayas, or wealthy vassals. All these obey and follow

him to war, free of expense, when the king is sufficiently powerful

to enforce it; but whenever the vassal feels himself strong enough

to throw off the yoke, and to assert his independence, he sets up for

himself. These vassals exact the same obedience from their slaves or

villains, who pay the like deference only so long as they are compelled

to observe and obey them. The property acquired by a slave he is often

allowed to enjoy unmolested during his lifetime; but at his death, his

master administers to the estate as heir, executor, and sole legatee.

In fact, it is a government that inspires on all sides one universal

distrust--that rules by precedents of oppression without a view

to protection. The chiefs dread the power of their vassals, who,

in return, apprehend everything from the rapacity of the governing

power; while the bulk of the people, having no property to lose, are

still compelled to appear abroad armed to defend their very persons

from the outrage and violence of the next assassin they meet.

Where governments not only tolerate murder, rapine, thefts, piracies,

conflagrations, with every outrage violating the happiness and safety

of society, but are the first to set the example and to consecrate the

atrocity--where the people are taught no one principle of morality

or religion--where the arts and sciences are wholly unknown or

despised--where the amusements and sociabilities of human life are

totally disregarded--where the bounties and comforts of nature are

rather dispensed with than enjoyed, and where the absolute necessaries

to existence and the decorations of life are more scanty and wretched

than yet discovered among the rudest set of barbarians extant; if,

from the experience of the past, expectations of the future are to be

formed, we may safely infer that every vestige of Malay government

and dominion will be ingulfed in the vortex of self and mutual

destruction. Such a system of society has in itself the seeds of

dissolution, and is rapidly verging to an inherent decay and general

oblivion, which it will doubtless meet, unless some beneficent power

arrest its baneful impetus, and direct its feverish energies through

channels calculated to promote the happiness and to consolidate the

welfare of the inhabitants of these scattered regions.

Should so fortunate an occurrence ever fall to the lot of

Borneo--should a strong and a wise government ever be established on

her shores--a government that will religiously respect property and

secure to industry the fruits of her labor--that will, by a wise system

of laws, protect the peaceable and punish the violator of the laws of

a well-organized society--that will direct their industry to useful

purposes, and check their propensities to violence and plunder--such

a government, in a short series of years, would behold, as if by

magic, a paradise burst from her wilds, see cultivation smile upon

her jungles, and hail a vast and increasing population, blessing the

hand that awoke them to life, to happiness, and to prosperity. That so

felicitous a change is not the mere reverie of a glowing imagination,

or the sheer effusion of benevolence alone, is easily demonstrable.

Whoever has seen the Egyptian fertility of the soil, from the

moistness of the climate, the numberless rivers meandering around and

intersecting the country in all directions, with the mild temperature

of the climate, from similar causes--whoever considers the vast extent

and inexhaustible wealth of her innumerable mines of pure native gold,

her block-tin, her copper, her iron, her diamonds, &c., her various

valuable fisheries of pearl and tripan--whoever views her ports,

her harbors, and her productive shores, at the threshold of the

over-teeming population of China, and at the same moment recollects

that the country abounds in various valuable products in the highest

possible estimation, and of increasing demand in the empire of China,

must easily conceive what a tempting field and rich harvest this

land of promise holds out to their industry and cupidity under such

a system of laws and government as we have deemed a _sine qua non_.

If, under the present codes of tyranny, oppression, and general

ferocity, where nothing is permanent but violence and desolation--if,

under such a system of barbarism, a hundred thousand Chinese (which

is the fact) have found inducements sufficiently strong to settle on

her shores, what might we not hope and expect from the overburdened

population of that vast empire under a happier order of things? The

astonishing number of Chinese settled within a few years at Pulo

Pinang, on a contracted soil, possessing no peculiar advantages

but from a free trade and equitable laws impartially administered,

is both a fact and an illustration; and what might not Borneo hope

for from a happier soil, greater inducements, and other physical

advantages? Java, under the despotism of the Dutch, with the character

of a sickly climate, and the remembrance of the cruel massacre of sixty

thousand innocent Chinese, could still boast a hundred thousand of

these people at the period it fell to the British arms; and withal,

let it be remembered that these shores were once blessed with the

industry of these people to a far greater extent under a happier

period of her history.

Whatever, indeed, might prove the work of ages in various other parts

of the globe would, under the present circumstances of the Chinese

empire, be instantaneous on these shores; and their habits of industry

and civilization, when once rooted to the soil, would soon spread

their genial influence to the extensive population of the interior,

unite them in the bonds of social life, cement them in the general

prosperity, and render these extensive shores a valuable appendage

and an increasing resource to the wealth and power that brought about

so happy a revolution in their affairs.

For a considerable series of years past, the piratical ports of

Borneo, &c., have been in the habit of committing depredations upon

the commerce of British India, in the capture of her ships, the

insulting of her flag, the offering of outrageous violence to the

persons and lives of her mariners, merchants, &c., and this, too,

with the most perfect impunity; no retribution having been exacted,

no reprisals made, no remonstrance presented, and, in fact, no notice

taken of their atrocious depredations. Hence these desperadoes, from

inference and experience of the past, have been led to conclude, that

whatever was practicable would be tolerated; that wherever they had

the means or opportunity of overpowering, it was their duty, as it was

to their advantage, to seize it to their own use, without any other

apprehensions of the consequences than what might arise in the attempt.

Under this discouraging aspect of affairs, there was but little more

left to the commercial community of India than either to abandon the

valuable commerce of Borneo wholly; or, if allured to it by a prospect

of gain, to proceed in armed vessels at an increased expense and high

insurance, so as to cover the extraordinary risks. These enhanced

prices either operated as a prohibition to the trade, or circumscribed

it so much, that an occasional capture excited no surprise, and was

frigidly dismissed as a matter of course.

But, from the prodigious accession of territorial possession, including

the whole of the vast Dutch empire in the East, the communications

between these and British India have necessarily increased a thousand

fold; consequently, the recent alarming depredations upon our commerce,

the serious obstacles to a safe communication, almost tantamount to a

blockade of our Eastern ports by these pirates, imperiously call upon

the British Government to adopt the most energetic means and decisive

measures to crush their power and annihilate their resources, either by

extirpating them wholly, or placing them and their possessions under

such future control and checks, as shall prevent the possibility of

a revival of a power capable of recurring to enormities that have so

long outraged and disgraced the British flag in the Eastern seas.

The idea of extirpating whole hordes of piratical states, were it

possible, must, from its cruelty, be incompatible with the liberal

principles and humane policy of a British government. The simple

burning down of a Malay town can prove no serious impediment to

future piratical enterprises: constructed, as they are, of bamboos,

mats, and atap leaves, a town is almost rebuilt in the same period

of time as it takes to destroy it. The Dutch, who had centuries of

dear-bought experience, knew there was no other mode of prevention

and radical cure than building small redoubts at the principal towns,

and keeping up an adequate force to check piratical enterprises, and

to turn their restless minds to exertions of industry; satisfied if,

with the attainment of these objects, they covered the expenses of

the establishment. This is the true history of the innumerable little

forts on Celebes, Borneo, Timor, and all the Eastern isles.

The principal piratical ports that still exist, beside those of

Lingin, Rhio, and Billiton, are--1st, Pangeran Annam, at Sambas; 2d,

Port Borneo Proper, and four hundred prows at Tampasuk, both under the

Rajah of Borneo Proper; 3d, the Pasir pirates; 4th, the Sulo pirates;

5th, the Illano, or pirates on the Isle of Magindano.

I shall, from memory, cite such few of their depredations as I

recollect.

In 1774, says Forrest, the British were expelled from their infant

settlement of Balambangan by an insurrection of the Sulos, who,

finding the garrison weak and sickly, unprepared and off their guard,

murdered and plundered them, and set fire to their settlement:--this

was in return for having released their sultan from prison, and

reestablished him on the musnud of his ancestors. In 1800, Captain

Pavin and a boat's crew were cruelly murdered in the palace of the

Sultan of Sulo while the commander was drinking a cup of chocolate:

they fired upon the ship Ruby, but did not succeed in capturing her. In

1810, they plundered the wreck of the ship Harrier of a valuable cargo:

several of her crew are still in slavery at Bagayan Sulo. In 1788,

the ship May of Calcutta, 450 tons burden, Captain Dixon, was cut off

at Borneo Proper: they were invited up to the town with the ship,

and while at dinner, the sultan and his people fell upon them, and

murdered Captain Dixon, three officers, and ten Europeans; the lascars

were retained in slavery, the valuable cargo plundered, and the ship

burnt. In 1803 the ship Susanna of Calcutta, Captain Drysdale, was

cut off near Pontiana by the Sambas and Borneo pirates; the Europeans

were all massacred, and the vessel taken. In 1769, Captain Sadler,

with his boat's crew, was murdered by the Sambas pirates off Mompava,

having a prodigious quantity of gold-dust: they did not succeed in

cutting off the ship. In 1806, Mr. Hopkins and crew, of the Commerce,

were murdered by the pirates of Borneo Proper; the ship was plundered

by them and the Sambas pirates. In 1810, Captain Ross was cut off. In

1811, Captain Graves was cut off by the Pasir pirates with a rich

cargo. In 1812, the enormities of Pangeran Annam have out-heroded

Herod: these are too recent to require recapitulation. Independent

of his depredations on the Coromandel, a Portuguese ship, &c., nine

Europeans of the Hecate have been seized and made slaves; two have

been since murdered; two have escaped; and five are hamstrung and

otherwise maimed. Mrs. Ross and her son are still in slavery there.

The Tampasuk pirates, belonging to the Rajah of Borneo Proper, aiding

and abetting Pangeran Annam against the English, are Datu Akop,

Datu Aragut, and Datu Jumbarang, with ten large men-of-war prows:

there is also there the Rajah Endut, a Siak chief.

Matan is under an independent rajah, who was formerly styled Sultan

of Sukadana; but about seventeen years ago the Dutch burnt down his

city. At length, by some pecuniary aid received from the late Sultan of

Pontiana, he was enabled to reestablish his affairs as Rajah of Matan;

and, in consideration of this aid, entered into a treaty of alliance,

which stipulated, that on his daughter's marriage with the grandson

of the late, and son of the present. Sultan of Pontiana, he would

cede his kingdom and large diamond as a marriage-portion: the parties

yet remain single. Under the head mineralogy we have pointed out how

valuable a country this might become under better management. Iron,

gold, tin, and diamonds abound here; also much wax, pepper, rattans,

garu, and about two piculs of the finest birds'-nests, which sell at

twenty-eight dollars the catty at Pontiana. Most of the trade finds

its way to Pontiana, Benjar, or Java, in prows. The population is

about ten thousand Dayers, &c.

Sukadana, once the most celebrated city on Borneo, as the name implies,

a terrestrial paradise, the capital of a kingdom and a great mart of

trade, since burnt down and destroyed by the Dutch, exhibits nothing

but ruins. There still remain numberless delicious fruit-trees, and

a country still susceptible of general cultivation, being yet clear

of jungle and morass. It is utterly abandoned: that it has not been

rebuilt is owing to the Rajah of Pontiana, at whose suggestion it was

destroyed, and whose interest it was to keep it down, having himself

risen upon its ashes.

There are no towns of any importance between Matan and Pontiana. The

rise of this dynasty of sultans has been noted in another place; it

is, however, almost the only power that has been expressly raised,

supported, and that still exists, by commerce. It is situated in

latitude 4 deg. north of the equator. The river has two mouths to it; the

northern mouth is the deepest, the most direct, and of the greatest

breadth; there are in this branch only two reaches up to the town. The

city is no more than fifteen miles from the mouth of the rivers; its

site is on the junction of the Matan and Landa rivers. About two-thirds

of the way up it is fortified; first, with a battery on piles in the

center of the stream, mounting five guns; on the left bank is another

with wooden pales, mounting likewise five guns; on the opposite bank

is a third, similar to the foregoing, with a like number of cannon;

and, lastly, on the same bank is their grand battery, constructed of

stone, mounting five eighteen-pounders, at the batu, or rock. Here the

mausoleum of the royal family is erected, containing the tomb of the

late sultan. The whole of this side of the river exhibits the marks

of infant cultivation. The jungle has been, in part, cleared away,

and here and there a solitary hut greets the eye. The sultan's palace

has a battery of eleven guns of all sizes; none of these are calculated

to make any serious resistance. So sensible is the sultan of this that

he has commenced staking round with piles a low, swampy island, just

detached from the palace. On this stands the grand mosk. He proposes

throwing mud and stones within the ranges of piles, and planting

upon them the heaviest-calibered cannon: it is a commanding site,

and capable of being rendered formidable. There are no roads about

Pontiana; the town is situated in the midst of a swamp, so low that

the tide at high water overflows the lower parts of the houses, and

this, with the addition of a country overrun with impenetrable jungle,

renders it extremely unhealthy, and a most disagreeable residence.

The campo China contains about two thousand souls, and lies on the left

bank of the Matan river, abreast of the palace; the campo Buguese,

on the right bank of the Landa; and the campo Malayu adjoins the

palace. The whole population is about seven thousand souls: no Dayers

are found hereabout. The whole of the districts under Pontiana produce

about three hundred coyans of rice, the average selling price of which

is from fifty-five to seventy Spanish dollars the coyan. The king's

revenue is forty thousand dollars per annum. The Chinese plead poverty,

but some of the Buguese are pointed out as wealthy. The quantity of

gold that finds its way to Pontiana is annually from three to four

piculs. The imports there consist of opium, iron, steel, salt, rice,

hardware, cutlery, blue and white gurras, salampories, Java cloths,

gunpowder, beside China produce of all possible descriptions. They

make their returns in gold, diamonds, birds'-nests, wax, rattans,

garu, ebony, agar-agar; beside pepper, sago, camphor, cassia, tripan,

&c. brought here by the prows: five Chinese junks annually visit

Pontiana, bringing down produce amounting to about fifty thousand

dollars. The depredations of the Pangeran Annam prevent an extension

of this most useful of all trades to this country. One or two Siamese

junks arrive annually. The Tringanu, Timbilan, Karimata, and Borneo

Proper prows trade here; and before Java fell to the British arms,

the Buguese from the eastward traded here to a considerable amount.

The stone walls built by the Dutch still encompass the palace. The

piles on which their factory stood are yet discernible, but the

buildings have been pulled down. Should the English hoist their flag

here, a new factory must be erected; the most eligible situation for

which would be where the mosk now stands, or the mosk itself might

be converted into one, and another rebuilt elsewhere; but to this

the sultan has insuperable objections. In an English fort, to think

to have a mosk open to the ingress of a large body of Malays at all

times is wholly incompatible with a certain reserve and security

required from it. Beside, as the island is small, and soldiers at

times inconsiderate, they might profane or defile its holy precincts,

and thus lay the foundation of perpetual disputes, or even a serious

rupture. The fort and factory, if built at all at Pontiana, must hence

be fixed in some detached place. The sultan is building a new palace

and covering it with tiles; a novelty in this quarter. There is but

a scanty supply of fowls and buffaloes, and the necessaries of life

are scarce and dear. It is altogether the most uncouth and dreary

spot under the sun, though the sultan prefers it to Sambas and Mompava.

Their naval force consists of two small ships, two brigs, fifty prows

large and small, and about one thousand men. There is water on the bar

to admit vessels drawing nine feet water. The roadstead, with seven

fathoms water on it, lies seven miles from the river's mouth. Care

must be taken not to mistake the Pongole river seen from the offing,

and which lies ten miles farther southward. The only stock procurable

here were hogs at ten dollars the picul, and water shipped off in

China tank-boats at four and a half dollars the ton.

The next port is Mompava, about sixteen miles to the northward of

Pontiana, and the second port belonging to the sultan. The river is

shallow, narrow, extremely serpentine, and constantly running down

with great rapidity. The country around is a paradise in comparison

with Pontiana. It is upon an elevated site, and, wherever the eye

reaches, it is clear of jungle, and of fine rich mold, susceptible

of the highest culture. There is a walk up to the town about eight

miles from the mouth of the river; here the fishing-stakes nearly

extend across the river, beside two miserable forts, mounting each

five or six pounders, to defend the river. The population is seven

thousand men, Malays, Buguese, and Dayers, and about two thousand

Chinese. Formerly the territory of Mompava extended as far as 1 deg. north

latitude. This territory belonged to a chief or rajah, reduced by the

Dutch twenty-five years ago, shortly after they settled at Pontiana;

the territory thus conquered was delegated in trust to the Rajah of

Pontiana. The Sambas rajah has forcibly taken possession of a part

of it. Sultan Kassim, of Pontiana, governed this district during his

father's lifetime. On his accession to the musnud, five years ago, he

placed a half-brother there, a stupid fellow, about twenty-five years

of age. This man, about eight months ago, was trying to establish his

independence, which he found he could not maintain. It has the same

trade as Pontiana, but the regulations of the sultan do not admit of

any vessel's touching here for that purpose. The palace is extensive,

paled round with a sort of a fortification. The campo China, in

October last, was in part burnt down by the people of Sambas, to the

number of four hundred houses. There is a variety of roads hereabout;

one leading to Sambas, one to Landa, one to Mintrada, &c. Groves of

cocoanut-trees mark the site of ancient villages, since demolished; and

indicate that it once enjoyed a superiority and preeminence, of which

it has been despoiled. In point of susceptibility of cultivation, it

is a full half century beforehand with Pontiana; it is capable of great

improvement, and much grain might be raised with very little trouble.

There is a considerable mud-flat at the mouth of the Sambas river,

extending four or five miles out, but no regular bar. Vessels

drawing thirteen feet may get in at high water springs; nine feet is

the least water, and there is thirteen at the flood. In the offing

there is a rise and fall of seven feet. At the entrance of the river

neither shore must be too closely hugged, having ledges of rocks near

them. Twelve miles above the bar the river branches into two parts;

the broad or northern branch is called the Borneo river, having its

source in Kiney Baulu; the other, leading to the town of Sambas,

is named the Landa river, having its source in the diamond mines;

where these two unite below there was formerly a fort. The Landa

river is extremely serpentine, deep to the very bushes on both sides,

and quite clear of danger up to the town, except near Siminis creek,

about ten miles below the fort; here a reef of rocks runs across

the stream, and as the fair way over them is somewhat intricate,

the channel ought to be buoyed before attempted to be passed. The

Barracouta, drawing thirteen feet, just scraped them at high water.

About five or six leagues up the Landa branch, and about thirteen from

the sea, stands the town and palace of Sambas, on the confluence of the

Landa and Salako rivers. The fort on the right bank of the Landa is

about a league below the town, built of two rows of large piles, the

interstices being filled up with mud and stones, apparently mounting

five guns, eighteens and twelves in the lower tier, and an equal number

of smaller caliber on the ascend or more elevated range. A boom or

dam of fishing-stakes was constructed across the river one-eighth of a

mile below the fort, a large armed prow was moored in the center of the

river, mounting two long twelves, and a masked battery opposite to the

right, the number of guns unknown. The reach which these forts command

is a mile and a half. The land makes an elbow where these forts are,

which obliged the Barracouta to haul athwart the river, to get her

broadside to bear. The whole of this Landa river is very narrow,

but near the forts not one-third additional to her length. Both

sides of this river toward the fort appear tolerably clear from

the mast-head, interspersed with pleasant hills inhabited by the

Chinese. The tides are pretty regular, six hours and six hours,

running a knot and a half per hour. This river is too serpentine

and narrow to admit sailing up; sweeps, towing, or tiding it up are

the only modes that can be resorted to. The great branch of Borneo

river, before mentioned, when up it twenty miles, divides into two;

the branch running north being called Tampasan river, the other still

retaining the name of Borneo. The Tampasan branch leads to old Sambas;

it is from hence they get their supplies of rice and provisions,

by the two cuts above the town of Sambas, which reunites the Landa

and Borneo streams. There are roads from the great branch leading

to the town, fort, and palace. Since the Dutch abandoned Sambas,

three sultans have reigned on this musnud (within fifty years, or

thereabout). There are four Pangerans, Annam being the most daring of

the whole. His naval force consists of the Portuguese ship of 400 tons,

one brig, and eight or ten large fighting prows, beside his allies

from Borneo Proper, with ten large prows. The population amounts to

twelve thousand Dayers and Malays, and thirty thousand Chinese.

Under the head mineralogy we have given a detailed account of the

principal sources of its industry. Sambas produces, beside gold, ten

piculs of birds'-nests annually (of an inferior quality), much ebony,

rattans, wax, &c. The trade here is much the same as at Pontiana,

and susceptible of a tenfold increase: it is every way superior to the

latter for the capital of a large mart. The country is better cleared,

and hence susceptible of more easy cultivation; the land more elevated

and less swampy, consequently healthier; the river deeper and farther

navigable; the population more dense, and, the land being clear of

jungle, more capable of being increased. Beside, it is the vicinage of

the most considerable gold-mines on all Borneo. The Sultan of Pontiana

would make it his capital if desired; his apprehensions of the power

of the Sambas princes lead him to give the preference to Pontiana.

The town of Calaca, belonging to the Rajah of Borneo Proper, lies

north of Tanjong Datu; it is the principal port of trade south of

the capital, and the mart of the Sedang country. Here much grain

is produced, one hundred piculs of black birds'-nests, two hundred

piculs of wax, some gold, pepper, camphor, &c., but the tin-mines,

before mentioned, are utterly neglected. There are several other towns

upon each of the rivers along this coast; the principal ones are Salat,

Bacalo, Pasir, and Baram. They produce nearly the same articles as the

above, which are, however, sent on to the capital as fast as collected.

It is here necessary to observe, that all the rocks and shoals laid

down on this coast do not exist at all; such as Volcano Island, the

Byhors, Krenpel, the whole Slykenburgh, five Comadas, &c. Having

beat up this coast twice, and carefully surveyed the whole, I can

declare a finer and clearer coast does not anywhere exist. The old

chart, published by A. Dalrymple, is much more correct than the recent

ones. The numbers of immense drifts and floating isles hereabout must

have given birth to all these imaginary dangers.

The town of Borneo Proper, the capital of the kingdom of the same

name, lies in latitude 5 deg. 7' north; it is situated fifteen miles up

one of the finest rivers in the world, with three fathoms low water on

the bar, and a rise and fall of fifteen feet. A correct plan of the

river and town is published by Mr. Dalrymple. Here are mud docks for

vessels of 500 or 600 tons. The town consists of about three thousand

houses, built on stakes, in the middle of the river, with a population

altogether of fifteen thousand souls, Chinese, Malays, Moruts, &c.

The palace is slightly fortified; but the Rajah of Pontiana says, the

Rajah of Borneo Proper is preparing the means of defence, apprehending

the resentment of the English in vindicating the rights of their flag,

so frequently insulted by them with impunity; however, as there is

sufficient water for a line-of-battle ship to the city, nothing need

be apprehended from them. The remains of a stone fort up the river

are still seen, but the one on Pulo Laboan is destroyed. Both banks

of the river are planted with pepper, which formerly produced sixty

thousand piculs annually; these are now running to decay from want

of commerce. The Chinese junks, for years past, have ceased touching

here, from the numberless piratical depredations committed upon them;

and the Portuguese from Macao have attempted to renew the trade

from time to time, but at length, in 1808, their agent withdrew to

Macao, a large ship having been cut off and the crew murdered the year

preceding. They now have no other resource but piracy; and the produce,

such as it is, finds its way in prows to Tringan, Sambas, Pontiana,

Lingin, and Malacca. Very large quantities of the finest camphor in

the world are procurable here; it comes down from the Morut country, by

the great river; a great deal of wax, some gold, much birds'-nests of

an inferior quality, any quantity of sago, cassia, clove-bark, pepper,

betel-nut, rattans, camphor-oil, &c., tripan, tortoise-shell, &c.

The hills hereabout are clear of jungle, and wear a beautiful

appearance, and, without the aid of history, bear evident marks of

a more extensive population and culture. There are plenty of black

cattle, buffaloes, goats, fruits and vegetables of all kinds, abundance

and variety of fish, turtle, &c. The articles best suited for this

market are coarse China, white cangyans, brass plates, China crockery,

brass wire, tea, sugar-candy, coarse China silks and satins, blue and

white coarse guras and salampories, coarse ventipallam handkerchiefs,

arcot chintzes, iron and steel, quallies, cooking utensils, and other

articles suited to a Malay market--all coarse; no opium. The Borneo

catty is two and a half lbs.

The English have been very desirous of a port in the China seas for

ages past, but have generally appeared to stumble on the most unhealthy

and ill-adapted places possible, such as Balambangan, Pulo Condore,

&c.; and even the principal object of Lord Macartney's embassy was

the obtaining of a cession of this nature. But if a capital harbor,

a navigable and majestic river, a productive country, a healthy site,

population ready formed, and a commerce all sufficient to pay the

expenses of an establishment (within one hundred miles of Balambangan)

is required, the East India Company ought to have pitched upon Borneo

Proper. It was once a most flourishing country, and a very short

period under British auspices would render it the first mart in the

East for China-Malayan commerce. There are large, populous towns of

Moruts, and Orang Idan, who abhor the Malays, but who would be soon

reconciled to a milder and less traitorous government.

Kimanis lies in latitude 5 deg. 8' north; this is the first port on this

coast ceded to the English by the Sultan of Sulo. The town lies ten

miles up the river, at the foot of some of the most beautiful hills

I ever saw, and is inhabited by thirty-five thousand Orang Idan. The

river is small, and almost choked up at the mouth. This province

has the following sea-ports in it, viz., Kimanis, Benome, Papal,

and Pangalat, each governed by Orang Kayas, which still continue

to send their produce to Borneo Proper, consisting of ten piculs

of birds'-nests annually, two hundred piculs of wax, two piculs of

camphor, and cassia, sago, betel-nut, and pepper, as much as required;

tripan, camphor-oil, and rice; with fruit, fish, and provisions,

of sorts which are cheap and plentiful. The articles mentioned as

fit for Borneo answer here, only their produce is had about fifty

per cent cheaper.

The province of Kiney Baulu has the following seaports:--Putatan,

Mangatal, Innanam, Labatuan, Mangabong, Tawaran, Sulaman, Ambung, Abai,

Tampasuk, and Padasan. The whole of this province is tremendously

high. The stupendous mountain of Kiney is about fifteen miles from

Tampasuk, which at present is the most considerable pirate-port in the

Malay seas, and belongs to the Rajah of Borneo Proper. The pirates

frequenting this place have committed such depredations hereabout

as to have induced the English to call the north of Borneo Pirates'

Point. These desperate banditti originally resided at Tawaran, but

were compelled to leave it from the resentment of whole tribes of

Orang Idan. The whole of this province is very fertile; it is the

source of all the great rivers on the island, and is more populous

with the aborigines of the country than perhaps the rest of the island

put together. The gold mines of Tampasuk have been mentioned; there

are also mines of rock-crystal. Tawaran and several other places

abound in goats and cattle. Abai has a small harbor, and the whole

of this coast is accurately laid down by Lieutenant James Burton,

in the sloop Endeavor. There are produced in this province much

wax, tortoise-shell, very fine camphor, sago, rattans, and a red

birds'-nest (which comes from Mantanane isle to Pandasan). They send

their produce to Borneo Proper. The pirates are commanded by Datus

from Borneo Proper. The lake in the vicinity of Kiney Baulu is said

to be delightful; it is many miles in circumference, well cultivated,

populous, and productive. It is said to be very cold, from the extreme

elevation, and the inhabitants are almost as fair as Europeans. There

is a valuable coral-tree somewhere hereabout.

The Bay of Maludu, on the north of Borneo, is thirty miles in length,

and from four to six in breadth, with numberless rivers flowing into

it. There is no danger on the right-hand shore going up, but what

is seen; on the larboard shore considerable coral-reefs are met

with. Laurie and Whittle's chart of it is tolerably correct. The

principal towns are, Sungy Bassar, nearly at the head of the bay,

and Bankaka, on the left; the former, under Sheriff Mahomed, sends

its produce to Sulo; the latter, under Orang Kayas, trades with Borneo

Proper. The British, when last at Balambangan, threw up a small redoubt

on the Bankaka side, with a view to supplies of rice and provisions;

and this part is tranquil and a good roadstead, being sheltered from

the swell brought in by the sea-breeze.

The rich and valuable fishery of copis or Ceylon oyster in this bay

has been mentioned; it might be rendered of considerable value. The

whole of the rivers for miles up abound in rattans; Mr. A. Dalrymple

thinks four thousand tons might be easily cut down every year without

exhausting it, and sent by junks to China. There are forests of

beautiful pines of stately growth, well calculated for the largest

masts, and in high esteem at China. There is no quarter of the world

which abounds more in that species of the sea-turtle (called by the

Malays pakayan) which yields the shell; any quantity may be had on

all the shores and isles of this bay.

The interior abounds in camphor, which can be had in any quantities;

so vastly abundant is it, and so little does the Orang Idan know of

the extreme value of this commodity, that a bamboo of camphor may

be procured in exchange for a bamboo of salt. The petty towns are

Sandeck, Bowengun, Patasan, Pone, and Milawi. It produces in one

year two hundred piculs of wax, fifty piculs of tortoise-shell,

ten piculs of best camphor, and as much inferior; ten piculs of

birds'-nests, at ten dollars the catty; 1st camphor, twenty-five;

rattans, one dollar per picul; tortoise-shell, one dollar the catty;

wax, twenty the picul. Articles required are the same as at Borneo

Proper. Rice, provisions, fish, and fruits are abundant and cheap;

the sugar-cane also.

The province of Paytan is the principal district for camphor of any

in the world. Whole forests for miles everywhere meet the eye, and

the produce from them is the finest that can be conceived, large and

transparent as Chin-chew sugar-candy. The principal towns are Pitan,

Kinarubatan, Kulepan, and the famous town of Sugut. The coast is so

full of coral-reefs, and has been so very indifferently surveyed,

that it is only frequented by prows; there is a road from Sugut to

Bankaka in Maludu Bay. Much wax, tripan, sago, &c., is produced here.

Labuk has the towns of Camburcan, Labuk, and Songsohi; its produce is

somewhat similar to that of Paytan, with the addition of clove-bark

and birds'-nests.

Sandakan. This celebrated harbor has been already mentioned as one

of the finest in the world. The towns within it are Towsam, Duyom,

Lu, Bokean, Dom or Doung, Seagally-hood and Tong luly luku; all

these are governed by Datus from Sulo, who have expressly settled

here to collect the prodigious quantities of birds'-nests abounding

in this district. They are procured here at ten dollars the catty;

and sent to Sulo, with tripan, wax, &c. The Sulos are very jealous of

any ships going in here, and will leave no attempt untried in cutting

off a vessel going in, although an English port.

In the province of Mangidora lies the great river Kinnabatingan,

which is navigable a vast way up, with several towns of Orang Idan

on its shores. The other towns are Salasany, Supabuscul, Tambesan,

which forms also an elegant harbor, Laboan or Saboan, Tuncu, Salurong,

Giong, and Maday, which has a gold-mine, before mentioned. The whole

of this province, it is said, will produce above one hundred piculs

of the finest birds'-nests, much black ditto, some camphor, tripan,

honey, wax, dammer, Buru mats, fine spars; sago and pepper were

formerly largely cultivated here. The pearl-banks of Tawi Tawi have

been mentioned.

Tirun. The sea-ports of this last mentioned and valuable province,

ceded to the English by the Sulos, are chiefly inhabited by Buguese

people. The towns are Sibuku, Sambakung, Leo or Ledong, Sikatak,

Sabellar, Kuran or Barrow, Talysion Dumaung, Tapeandurian. The

principal ports are Kuran and Sibuku; they produce a large quantity

of very fine white birds'-nests, a quantity of black ditto, much

dammer, sago, tripan, wax, rattans, camphor, honey, Buru mats, gold,

&c. The people of Tapeandurian are represented as very ferocious,

and the sea-coast hereabout requires surveying.

The ports of Pasir and Coti originally belonged to the King of

Benjarmasing; very fine birds'-nests are procured here at twenty

dollars the catty; much gold, tripan, wax, &c.

Were Borneo to be settled, I think the principal factory ought to be

at Borneo Proper; the second at Sambas; the third at Benjarmasing;

the fourth at Pasir; the fifth at Tabesan or Sandakan.

In looking over the map of the world, it is a melancholy reflection to

view so large a portion of the habitable globe as all Borneo abandoned

to barbarism and desolation; that, with all her productive wealth

and advantages of physical situation, her valuable and interesting

shores should have been overlooked by all Europeans; that neither

the Dutch nor the Portuguese, with centuries of uncontrolled power in

these seas, should have shed a ray of civilization on shores bordering

upon their principal settlements; that her ports and rivers, instead

of affording a shelter to the extensive commerce of China, should

at this enlightened period of the world hold out only terror and

dismay to the mariner; and that all that she should have acquired

from the deadly vicinage and withering grasp of Dutch power and

dominion has been the art of more speedily destroying each other,

and rendering themselves obnoxious to the rest of mankind. Now that

her destinies are transferred to the enlightened heads and liberal

hearts of Englishmen,--now that her fortunes are embarked under the

administration of a wise and liberal government,--we may confidently

hope that a happier order of things will, under the blessing of an

all-ruling Providence, speedily restore these extensive shores to

peace, to plenty, and to commerce; and we ardently trust that another

age may not be suffered to pass away without exhibiting something

consolatory to the statesman, the philosopher, and the philanthropist.

No. V.

_Extracts from the late Mr. Williamson's Journal._

In October, 1845, Mr. Brooke commissioned some of the European

gentlemen of his party to make a tour of inspection through the

outlying Dyak tribes dependent on Sarawak, for the purpose of

ascertaining their condition and prospects, and taking steps for the

redress of any grievances of which they might have to complain. A few

extracts from the rough journal kept on that occasion by Mr. Williamson

may not be uninteresting to the reader, as showing what a large

measure of success had already attended Mr. Brooke's wise and earnest

efforts to restore peace and plenty to the poor persecuted Dyaks;

what incessant vigilance on his part was still requisite to check the

inveterate propensity of the knavish Malays to plunder and oppress

them; and with what well-directed activity he pursues his labors

for the physical welfare and the moral regeneration of his subjects

and neighbors.

"_Wednesday, Oct. 8th._--At 11 A.M. arrived at Pankalum Bunting,

where we found about thirty Dyaks in a small hut ready to welcome us,

and carry our luggage up to the village. At one o'clock started for

the Bakar village, about five miles from the landing place, at the

foot of the Sadong hills. This tribe consists of one hundred families,

occupying four villages. There are about twenty-five houses in Mungu

Babi (_i. e._ Hog Hill), the village where we are at present, and

five padi stores. It is very recently that the Dyaks have ventured

to store their padi in houses. At 8 P.M. attended the feast given in

our honor, where we saw the women dancing; they appeared very happy,

and pleased to see us.

"_9th._--This morning we had all the Orang Kayas of the four villages,

who informed me they were very comfortable and happy. I told them the

object of my mission, at which they all seemed pleased, and said that

that if they were oppressed they would come to Sarawak and complain

to the Tuan Besar, When I asked them about the Sadong Dyaks, they said

I should hear all when I met them, as they will hide nothing from me.

"The only thing these Dyaks complain of is, that Nakodah Mahomed told

them he had the Tuan Besar's chop, and gave them to understand that the

powder, muskets, &c., in his possession, belonged to the Tuan Besar;

in consequence of which they carried these goods for Nakodah Mahomed

without receiving any payment for their labor. I told them that in

future they need not carry goods for any man coming from Sarawak, or

elsewhere, without due payment in ready money; and that should traders

at any time leave their goods in the Dyak houses, they need not be

alarmed, but bring the goods to the Tuan Besar and tell him how they

were left behind. They further told me that the Siringi wish to claim

their siri cave, where they get their birds'-nests which is close

to Kumpung, and has belonged to them as long as they can remember;

that this cave is a whole day's journey from Siring--how, then, can

it belong to the Siringi? I answered, that on my return the Tuan Besar

would set the matter right, and give the cave to its proper owners.

"_Same day._--Proceeded to Jinan, about eight miles distant. There

are here fifteen houses, and the Dyaks are very comfortable, having

plenty of grain, and being well off for sugar-cane, sweet potatoes,

plantains, betel-nut, beside various other fruit-trees. The houses

here, as at Mungu Babi, are very shabby.

"_10th._--This morning met Orang Kaya Kusunan, who told me the

Toup Dyaks were waiting half way to receive us. At 4 P.M. I had the

Orang Kaya Tumangong of Toup, and the Orang Kaya of Kurran, Si Labi,

Si Mabong, Daah, Bugu (Sadong tribes), and the Orang Kaya Pasunan,

beside other Dyaks, the Bandar Cassim, with his Sadong Malays, and our

own people, at the house where I was staying. I explained my mission

to them, and made them understand that, at the Bandar's express wish,

the Tuan Besar had sent me to them to ascertain their condition. The

Bandar then told them it was his wish to institute the same laws and

customs as at Sarawak; after which, I informed the Dyaks that there

will be no more forcing of goods on them at exorbitant prices, and

that for the future, should any one 'serra' them, they must complain

to the Bandar, and subsequently lay their case before Mr. Brooke. The

conference, I am glad to say, ended to every one's satisfaction.

"At 8 P.M. the Orang Kaya Rih and two others of the same tribe

complained to me of their grievances, and told me that Si Tore,

a Sadong man, had forced 10 pieces of iron, weighing 15 catties,

on them about two years and a half ago, and that he now demanded 100

pasus of padi for it. (This is serra with a vengeance: 100 pasus are

equal to 2 1/2 tons weight!) They had paid 10 pasus; should they,

they asked me, pay the rest? I told them I would settle the business

at Bandar Cassim's village.

"_11th._--The Dyaks gave us a feast last night; the women danced and

the merriment was kept up till morning. At 11 started in boats with

Bandar Cassim, and at 2 P.M. arrived at his village [34] called * * *,

where every thing had been got ready for our reception; a house was

well fitted with gay curtains and mats, and after a salute of three

guns as we approached, we took up our residence and made ourselves

very comfortable. At 7 in the evening we met all the respectable

part of the community of this little Malay village. I told them what

I was sent for, the Bandar as usual giving way to our wishes, and

repeating that Sarawak and Sadong, and Sadong and Sarawak, were as

one country. I told Si Tore, Sebi Gani, and Sirdeen, that they must

make no further demands on the Rih Dyaks, and that neither they nor

anybody else could serra the Dyaks any longer--not even the Bandar

himself; for they must recollect that the Sadong Dyaks would take

refuge in Sarawak if oppressed.

"After the Bandar had left, the brother-in-law of the Orang Kaya

of Sinkaru, together with the Orang Kaya of Si Nankau Kujang, and

Orang Kaya Kurang, came to me. The former of these complained that

Abang Tahar (the old Patingi's son-in-law), about two years ago,

forced a small tatawak [35] and one brass dish on them, for which

he demanded three Dyaks as slaves, whom he seized at the time and

took away, and that now he demanded another Dyak boy. I replied they

were on no account to comply, that they must complain to the Bandar;

and if he took no notice of it, to go to Sarawak to the Tuan Besar.

"The Orang Kaya likewise told me that formerly there were twenty-five

families in his tribe, but now they were reduced to fifteen, the

rest having been seized and sold into slavery! (Here follow other

complaints. The day's journal concludes thus:)--The Sinkaru Dyaks have

not yet returned to their former Tumbawong, [36] but are scattered

about in the jungle and very poorly off. I told them to return to

their former place of residence, and to collect the tribes there.

"_Sunday, 12th._--Orang Kaya Si Rubin and Orang Kaya Signa Mantay,

of Rubin, likewise came to me to say that they were scattered, some

at * * * some at Bedope, and some at Rubin, and all badly off for

grain. When collected, they have about thirty families; formerly

they had about fifty. Those missing had mostly been seized and made

slaves. At 11h 30m we started for * * * (part of Rubin tribe), where

we arrived about half-past two. We found one house with five families

in it, and a Pangah [37] attached. Pa Rigan, the * * * of this tribe,

told me that Abang Tahar, Abang Ally, Abang Bakar, &c. &c. (all of

Gadong, under Patingi Mueel), demand from the Dyaks old serras, which

have been paid long ago. Dangon, a Sirkaru Dyak, told me that Abang

Tahar, a short time since, demanded from his tribe a Dyak boy, and

four Dyak boys from the En Singi Dyaks. Bandar Cassim put a stop to

these demands at the time; but he has revived them since. The Malays

of Sadong, whenever they go among the Dyaks, seize their fowls, eggs,

rice, cocoa-nuts, and all sorts of property. The Bandar tells me he

never permits these people to go among the Dyaks, but that they do

it by stealth over land, and that the Tuan Besar must do something

to prevent them from oppressing and frightening the Dyaks. (Here

follow other complaints against the Gadong people, after which the

journal continues.)

"_13th._--Girang, a Bedope Dyak of the Rubin tribe, told me how

very much he is bullied and troubled by the Gadong people, who are

constantly threatening to attack him. I advised him to collect the

tribe at Rubin, their old Tumbawong. At 7 started back for the Bandar's

village, where we arrived at 10 o'clock. After a bath and breakfast,

the Bandar's mother came to me with a present of two sarongs, one

for the Tuan Besar and one for myself, and begged that I would urge

the Tuan Besar to take care of the Bandar as if he were his own son,

and not to cast him off. I told her that Mr. Brooke would support

the Bandar as long as he conducted himself properly. The Orang Kaya

Baga, Orang Kaya Sinching of Milikin, * * * of En Tayen, Orang Kaya

Laja of Rahmone, Orang Kaya Rinjou of Sirkaru, Orang Kaya Mior

Muntah, Pangara Lilli of Bunan, Orang Kaya Nijou of Mapuh, Orang

Kaya Ganggong of En Kelas, and Pangara Achong of En Singi, all met

me. I told them the object of my mission in presence of the Bandar

and several other Malays, and they were highly delighted. They asked

me to allow the Bandar to govern them, as they are much troubled

by the Gadong people. Abang Tahar lately demanded four Dyak boys

of Pangara Achong, and two from the Orang Kaya of Sirkaru; beside

which, the Sadong people seize their property whenever they go among

them. They are very poorly off for grain. They asked me for a letter

which should prevent people from annoying them. I told them I should

represent the matter to the Tuan Besar, and that no doubt he will

give his chop to each tribe. They all speak well of Bandar Cassim;

but his people are bad, and those at Gadong [38] are worse.

"_14th._--At 6h 30m started up the river Kayan toward Tumma,

having left Talip with nineteen men to return to Sarawak by way of

Samarahan. At 8 we stopped at Mang-garut, where the Dyaks presented

us with a deer they had caught. These Dyaks are badly off for grain,

and it is the same tribe Bandar Cassim attacked in the Goa Siri (siri

cave) some few years ago. Orang Kaya Pa Jampat told me, that on that

occasion the Bandar seized eight Dyaks and took them with him. [39]

The river here begins to be narrow and shallow, with pebbly banks,

and clear water. At noon we stopped at Muara Rubin, where we intended

to stay a day to inquire for coal, which was stated to have been

found in this neighborhood; but as nobody knew the whereabout, and

as the Hindoo remains (said to consist of one stone in the shape of

a Malay hat) were five hours out of our way, we continued our route

till evening, having parted company with the Bandar at Muara Rubin,

as I well knew the Tumma Dyaks would be afraid of his approach.

"_15th._--At daylight started toward Tumma, and at 9 stopped below

Muora Sangan, where we breakfasted, after which we pushed up again,

and at 1 arrived at Si Sijack, where the Tumma are. Orang Kaya Pa

Muany, the chief, told me they were very much bullied, as a Sarawak

man, named Pakar, and Marrat, the father-in-law of Bandar Mulana of

Sarawak, forced upon them a quantity of goods in the name of the

Tuan Besar and the Bandar Mulana. (Here follows a list of things,

such as gongs, tatawaks, jackets, handkerchiefs, and the like, with

the most exorbitant prices affixed to them. The rice and padi had not,

however, been paid for.) There are three villages of this tribe; two

about 250 yards apart; one of which, containing about ten families,

is ruled by the Orang Kaya Pa Muany, and the other, with about thirty

families, by the Orang Kaya Mayo and the Orang Kaya Pa Balet. In the

other village, about three reaches above, is the Orang Kaya Pa Magong,

with ten families. They said they were very comfortable under the

Patingi Ali (father of the present Bandar Mulana), but that since

Bandar Mulana has succeeded, they have been oppressed. They told

me they had run away from Sadong because they heard the Tuan Besar

was a just and good rajah, and that all his Dyaks were comfortable,

but now they are oppressed. Pakar told them that if they did not take

his tatawaks they must not remain here, but run away!

"There are forty families of the Si Nangkan Soyar tribe, and thirteen

families of the Tibader tribe. The Orang Kayas told me that, had I not

arrived, the rice in payment of the goods forced on them would have

been taken down, as Pakar was here hurrying them to carry it to Sanar;

but that when he heard of my coming he could not be persuaded to wait

and meet me. The following goods have just been returned by the Gregan

Dyaks (here follows a long list of goods and prices). Pangara Achong

of the En Singi tribe told me that he has one family of his tribe at

Gregan, and he wanted them to return with him. I asked the Pangara of

Gregan whether this family wished to return, but he did not know. I

then told them no one could force them, but that they might do just as

they pleased. The Orang Kaya Pa Jampat goes down with me to Kuching to

lay before the Tuan Besar a claim made upon him by the Malay Pangeran

of Samarahan. Beside which, I take down the Orang Kaya and Pangara

of Tumma, Si Markan Singan and Tebadu, together with all the goods

forced on them, that the case may be judged by the Tuan Besar.

"Bandar Cassim demands a debt of the Orang Kaya Pa Muany of Tumma;

he originally sold them (_i. e._ forced on them, of course) a gong

for 150 pasus of padi, 100 of which was paid; and the question is,

whether they were to pay the rest. This was four years ago. I left it

for the Tuan Besar's decision." (Here follows a list of goods forced

on the Tebadu Dyaks.) [40]

THE END.

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