keep off the mosquitoes, and made a bowl of grog to keep off the effects
of the night air, which is occasionally very pernicious. We smoked and
quaffed, and had many a merry song and many a witty remark, and many a
laugh about nothing on that night. As it is highly imprudent to sleep in
the open air in Borneo, at ten o'clock we broke up and went to repose in
the boats under the spread awnings. Just as we were selecting the
softest plank we could find for a bed, we had an alarm which might have
been attended with fatal consequences. I omitted to mention that when we
rose to part and go into the boats, one of the party threw a lighted
brand out of the fire at the legs of another; this compliment was
returned, and as it was thought very amusing, the object being to leap
up and let the brand pass between your legs, by degrees all the party
were engaged in it, even the rajah and the natives joined in the sport,
and were highly amused with it, although with bare legs they stood a
worse chance of being hit than we did. At last the brands were all
expended and the fire extinct, and then, as I said, we went away to
sleep under the boats' awnings. We were in the act of depositing our
loaded rifles by our sides in a place of security, when the unearthly
war cry rose in the jungle, and in the stillness of the night these
discordant screams sounded like the yelling of a legion of devils.
Immediately afterwards a body of natives rushed from the jungle in the
direction of the boats, in which we supposed that our European party
were all assembled. Always on our guard against treachery, and not
knowing but that these people might belong to a hostile band, in an
instant our rifles were in our hands and pointed at the naked body of
natives, who were now within twenty yards of us. Mr. Hentig was on the
point of firing, when loud shouts of laughter from the Dyaks arrested
his hand, and we then perceived that Mr. Brooke and others were with the
natives, who enjoyed the attempt to intimidate us. It was fortunate
that it ended as it did; for had Mr. Hentig been more hasty, blood must
have been shed in consequence of this native practical joke. We joined
the laugh, however, laid down our rifles, then laid ourselves down, and
went fast asleep, having no further disturbance than the still small
voice of the mosquito, which, like that of conscience, is one that
"murders sleep."
The following morning we bade adieu to our friendly hunting party, and I
must not here omit to mention a trait of honesty on the part of the
Dyaks. I had dropped my pocket handkerchief in the walk of the day
before, and in the evening it was brought to me by one of the natives,
who had followed a considerable distance to bring it to me. It must be
known, that a coloured silk handkerchief is to one of these poor Dyaks,
who are very fond of finery, an article of considerable value. He might
have retained it without any fear; and his bringing it to me was not
certainly with any hope of reward, as I could have given him nothing
which he would have prized so much as the handkerchief itself. He was
made a present of it for his honesty.
We bade farewell to our friends at Kuchin, and continued our survey on
the coast. The boats were now continually employed away from the ship,
which moved slowly to the westward. At this time exposure and hard work
brought the fever into the ship. The barge returned in consequence of
four of her men being taken with it, and our sick list increased daily.
A few days afterwards the coxswain of the barge died, and was buried
along side the same morning. This death, after so short an illness,
damped the spirits of the officers and men, particularly of those who
were ill. After this burial we sailed for Sincapore. At this time our
sick report contained the names of more than thirty men, with every
probability of the number being increased; but, thanks to God, from
change of air, fresh provisions, and a little relaxation from the
constant fatigue, the majority were in a short time convalescent. On the
25th of September we arrived at Sincapore.
[Illustration: VIEW OF SINCAPORE.]
From the anchorage the town of Sincapore has a very pleasing appearance.
Most of the public buildings, as well as some of the principal
merchants' houses, face the sea. The church is also close to the beach,
I presume to allow the congregation the benefit of the sea breezes. It
has no architectural beauty to recommend it, being a plain building with
a spiral steeple, surmounted by a cross. The interior is fitted up with
more regard to neatness than elegance. It has an organ, and is supplied
with a host of young choristers from the academy.
Between the beach and Government Hill is a delightful upland, which is
generally attended by all the beauty and fashion of Sincapore in the
cool of the evening. A canal or small river divides the town into two
parts. On the western side of it, stand all the stone houses of the
merchants, and it is here that all commercial business is transacted. It
is densely populated with Armenian Jews, Chinese, and people from every
part of India, each nation residing in its own quarter, in the houses
peculiar to and characteristic of their country. Indeed, one of the
first things that strikes the stranger in Sincapore is the variety of
costume; Chinamen, Malays and Indians, Armenians and Jews, all mingle
together in every variety of picturesque costume, giving you an idea of
a carnival. The palanquins resemble an omnibus on a small scale, they
are drawn on four wheels, have a door on either side, and seats for four
people. They are very high, and drawn by one horse. The conductors,
however, are not perched up on high, but run by the side of the horse,
as do all the syces in India.
There are two hotels, the proprietors of which are of course rivals. One
is kept by an Englishman, the other by a Frenchman; both are equally
attentive, but the Frenchman's house has the preference, in consequence
of its superior locality, facing the esplanade, and looking upon the
sea. The governor's house is situated on the summit of a hill, about a
quarter of a mile from the beach. From it you have a bird's eye view of
the whole town, and also of the country in the interior for some
distance. From this eminence the town has a very picturesque
appearance; the houses on the east side of the river (the May fair of
Sincapore), are built apart and surrounded by pretty gardens and lawns;
beyond this you have the roads and the sea studded with every variety of
vessels; and the island of Binting rises from sea in the distance. The
interior is not without beauty: the eye ranges over a vast expanse of
grove and forest, interspersed with plantations of nutmegs, cinnamon,
cloves, and sugar canes, and from which a most delightful perfume is
brought by the breeze, while here and there white houses may be
perceived, looking like mere specks in the dark foliage by which they
are surrounded. It is surprising, when we reflect how short a space of
time has passed since this settlement was first made, how such a mass of
building and such a concourse of people can have been collected.
It certainly does appear strange, but it is no less true, that no nation
can colonise like the English, and I have often made that remark in my
wanderings and visitings of the various parts of the globe. England
fills the world and civilises the world with her redundant population,
and all her colonies flourish, and remind you of a swarm of bees which
have just left the old hive and are busy in providing for themselves.
The Dutch colonies are not what you can call thriving; they have not the
bustle, the enterprise, and activity which our colonies possess. The
Dutch have never conciliated the natives, and obtained their goodwill;
they have invariably resorted to violence, and to a disregard of
justice. One would have thought that the French, from their _bonhomie_,
would have been one of the very best nations to civilise, and certain to
have succeeded; but such is not the case. What can be the cause of this,
if it be not that, instead of raising the character of the native
population by good example and strict justice, they demoralise by
introducing vices hitherto unknown to them, and alienate them by
injustice? There was an outcry raised at the French taking possession
of Taheite, as if any attempt on their part to colonise was an
infringement on our right as Englishmen of universal colonisation. I
think if we were wise, we should raise no objection to their colonising
as much as they please. The whole expence of founding the colony,
raising the fortifications, and building the towns, and, if I may use
the phrase, of settling every thing, may safely be left to them. If a
war breaks out, they will have done a great deal of expensive work for
our benefit, as we are certain then to take possession. Algiers has cost
an enormous sum to France, and will cost still more, and yet it can
hardly be considered as a colony. It is a military possession, an
African barrack, no more; and what will be the result in case of the
breaking out of hostilities? Their possession of Algiers will be most
advantageous to England, for defend it they will with all their power.
We, with Gibraltar as a rendezvous, shall of course have a most
favourable position for assailing it, and the consequence will be, that
the whole focus of the war will be drawn away from our own coasts, and
the Mediterranean will be the arena of all the fighting. The struggle
must be before the Pillars of Hercules. The more we increase our fleets,
the larger must her force be, and she will have no squadron to spare to
send out to annoy our trade and colonial possessions. But as this is a
digression, and has nothing to do with my narrative, I beg pardon and go
on.
We found that the Dido had anchored there before us, and had received
her orders to proceed to England. Oh! how we envied her good fortune;
and surely if envy is a base passion, in this instance it becomes
ennobled by the feelings of home and country which excite it. The Dido
left on the 10th, and we regretted the loss of Captain Keppell most
deeply. Many merchant vessels had been lately wrecked on the north coast
of Borneo, and their crews made prisoners by the pirate hordes. Some of
the vessels had had females on board, who had not been heard of since. A
letter from a master of a merchant vessel was received by the
authorities at Sincapore, wherein it was stated on oath, that, having
lately put into the port of Ambong, in Borneo, an European woman had
been seen near one of the huts of the village; but that on their
approach, she disappeared. This account was corroborated by the evidence
of some Lascar seamen, who formed a portion of the crew of the vessel.
The contents of this letter being forwarded by the authorities to our
gallant captain, he determined upon proceeding to Ambong, accompanied by
our old ally, the Phlegethon steamer. Fortunately the town lay in our
track, as we were about to proceed to Labuan, and from thence to
Manilla. We again weighed anchor for Sarawak, whither the steamer had
already proceeded. On our arrival at the mouth of the river we anchored,
and the captain went up in his gig. The following day, to our great
surprise, we received an intimation that we might make a party of
pleasure (a party quite unknown in the Samarang), and go up to Kuchin.
We hurried away before the captain had time to repent his indulgence,
and set off, some seven or eight of us, in the cutter, and pulled away
as fast as we could, till we were first out of hail, and then out of
sight, when we considered that we were safe.
I have already stated that the native houses are built on the left side
of the Sarawak river, and those of the Europeans on the right. These
latter are pretty commodious little bungalows, built of cedar and pine
wood. At present there are but three, belonging to Mr. Brooke, Mr.
Williamson the interpreter, and Hentig, a merchant who has lately
settled there. Ruppell, Mr. Brooke's superintendent, and Treecher, the
surgeon, live in a large house on the native side of the river. Each of
these European houses has its chatty bath adjoining to it, and this
luxury is indulged in at all hours of the day. At nine o'clock a gong
summons all the Europeans to the breakfast table of Mr. Brooke. When
breakfast is over, they all separate, either to follow business or
pleasure, and seldom meet again till six in the evening, when dinner is
served, and the time is passed away till all retire to bed.
Let me describe the view from the front of Mr. Brooke's house:--The
schooner lying half way across the river is the Julia, belonging to Mr.
Brooke: she sails every month for Sincapore, laden with antimony ore;
and thus, at the same time, she forms a mail-packet between Sincapore
and Kuchin. The large open building, with a wharf, leading down to the
river, is the store in which the antimony is sifted, smelted, and
weighed. On the point near the bend of the river is the fort. It is a
strong building of large timbers, and mounts eight 24-lb. iron guns, in
very excellent condition. This is a very necessary defence, as the
European rajah has many enemies. The building whose top just appears
above the trees is the Chinese joss-house, or temple; for there are many
Chinese settlers at Kuchin, who are very useful in their capacities of
carpenters, blacksmiths, and agriculturists. Sweeping with the eye a
range of dwelling houses built on stakes, you stop at one of tolerable
proportions, which has a platform in front of it, on which are mounted
about twenty small guns, and there is a flag-staff, on which is hoisted
a red and yellow flag: that is the palace of Rajah Muda Hassan. Take a
canoe, and cross over to it. You will find Muda sitting cross-legged in
the centre of it: he shakes hands with you, and offers you cigars and
tea. You will also meet his brother, Bud-ruddeen. You take your leave of
the rajah, and amuse yourself with a walk round the town, during which
you examine the natives and their wives, their customs, their houses,
and their gardens.
With the exception of the more civilised tribes in the vicinity of the
Sarawak, the Malays who inhabit the coast of Borneo are a cruel,
treacherous, and disgusting race of men, with scarcely one good quality
to recommend them. The numerous tribes of these people are separately
governed, either by a rajah or petty sultan. Their laws are much more
respected than would be supposed in a country where every man is armed,
and is a robber by profession. The dress of the Malay is very uniform,
consisting of a loose jacket, a sash, and trousers: in some parts a
cloth is worn round the head; in others, a hat, made of leaves or
rattan. Their arms are the kris and spear; occasionally they carry the
sum-pi-tan, and poisoned arrows. Their houses are built upon stakes,
probably for the sake of cleanliness; as the flooring consists of a kind
of grating made of rattan, all dirt falls through. The houses are small,
and contain but one family, and, like those of the Dyaks, are built of
the lightest materials. The Malays pretend to Mahomedanism, and there is
generally a large empty building in every town which is dignified with
the name of a mosque: on the outside are hung drums or tom-toms, of huge
dimensions, which are used as gentle reminders of the hours of prayer.
I have already stated that these Malay tribes live almost wholly by
piracy, to carry on which each town possesses several large prahus,
which they man, and send out to intercept any unfortunate junk or other
vessel incapable of much resistance, which fate or the currents may have
driven too near their coast. When the vessels are captured the cargoes
are deposited in their warehouses, the vessels are broken up, and the
crews are retained as slaves, to dig yams or pound paddy. Unless they
are irritated by a desperate resistance, or they attack an inimical
tribe, they do not shed blood, as has generally been supposed;
restrained, however, by no other feeling than that of avarice, for the
slaves are too valuable to be destroyed. In their physiognomy these
Malays are inferior to the Dyaks: they have a strong resemblance to the
monkey in face, with an air of low cunning and rascality most
unprepossessing. In stature they are very low, and generally
bandy-legged. Their hair and eyes are invariably black, but the face is,
in most cases, devoid of hair; when it does grow, it is only at the
extreme point of the chin. The Borneo Malay women are as plain as the
men, although at Sincapore, Mauritius, and the Sooloos, they are well
favoured; and they wind their serang, or robe, so tight round their
bodies, that they walk in a very constrained and ungainly fashion. Many
of these tribes are intermixed with the natives of the Celebes, such as
the inhabitants of Sooloo.
[Illustration: MALAY WOMAN.]
The Malays deal with criminals in a very summary manner, the knowledge
of which prevents many crimes among this semi-barbarous people. Robbers,
for the first offence, lose their right hand; for the second they
undergo the penalty of death. When we were at Kuchin a Chinaman was
convicted of selling sam-schoo without permission: his goods were
confiscated for a time, to be redeemed only by his good behaviour. I am
not acquainted with their punishments for minor offences, except in the
above instance; but I believe it is generally by fine. Every rajah holds
despotic sway over the inhabitants of his province, and punishes as he
thinks proper, without reference to any tribunal, even in cases where
the sentence is death. The method of executing criminals with the kris
is as follows:--He is made to sit down in a chair, with his arms
extended horizontally, and held in that position by two men. The
executioner, who stands behind him, inserts his kris above the
collar-bone, in a perpendicular manner, which causes instant death, as
the weapon enters the heart.
[Illustration: MALAY CHIEF.
(SOOLOO.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS
LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]
The following anecdote, related to me by some of the Roche people, may
amuse the reader:--A celebrated Malay pirate, whose sanguinary deeds had
filled the Archipelago with terror, became violently enamoured with one
of the slaves of a rajah living on the river Sarawak. After vainly
endeavouring to obtain her from her master by offers of money and
entreaties, he lay in wait for her, and ran away with her into the
jungle.
He had hardly passed his honeymoon before the rajah discovered his
retreat, and he sent to the Malay to inform him, that, if he would make
his appearance at the audience upon a certain day, he should have
justice done him.
The Malay chief, who was a man of undaunted courage, and who felt
confident that the reputation he had acquired by his piratical exploits
was alone sufficient to awe his enemies, consented to appear, hoping
that arrangements might be made which would permit him to leave the
jungle, and allow him to enjoy his new bride in quiet.
On the day appointed he appeared before the council, armed, and
accompanied by his brother, both resting their hands upon the handles
of their krisses, a movement which among the Malays proclaims no
feelings of amity. In this attitude of preparation they walked into the
audience room, which was crowded with a host of enemies. The council
decided, that if on a certain day he would produce a specified sum of
money the girl should be his, and he should return unmolested. The sum
named was exorbitant, but the Malay chief agreed to the payment, and was
permitted to depart.
When the day of payment arrived, the council sat as before, and the
Malay chief again made his appearance; but this time he came alone, his
brother being absent on a piratical expedition. He had, in consequence
of his violent affection for the girl, made every attempt to raise the
stipulated sum, but could not succeed. He brought all that he could
collect, but it fell far short of the sum which had been agreed upon,
and he requested time to procure the remainder. The council consulted a
while, and then stipulated, that the chief, not having brought the sum
agreed upon, should leave his kris as a pledge till the rest should be
forthcoming. The kris that the chief wore was itself of great value,
very handsomely ornamented with precious stones. It had belonged to his
ancestors, and was, as they always are, highly prized, and they knew
that it would, if possible, be reclaimed. The chief was most reluctant
to part with it, but his love for his mistress overcame his scruples,
and also his prudence, for it left him unarmed amidst his implacable
enemies. He pulled out his kris, and laid it on the table upon the
money, and was busy disengaging the sheath to add to it, when, by a
signal from the rajah, he was seized from behind. He started up, but it
was too late; his trusty weapon, which had so often stood by him in his
need, was no longer within his reach, and he was in a moment transfixed
with a dozen blades, falling a victim to his love of the girl and the
treachery of his foes.
After passing two very pleasant days at Kuchin, we prepared to descend
the river. I have omitted to say that Mr. Treecher, the surgeon, was
fond of natural history, and possessed a very tolerable collection of
birds, and other animals indigenous to the country. I was shown several
skeletons of the orang outang, some of which were of great size. There
is no want of these animals in the jungle, but a living specimen is not
easy to procure; I saw but one, an adult female, belonging to Mr.
Brooke. It was very gentle in its manners, and, when standing upright,
might have measured three feet six inches.
[Illustration: PROBOSCIS MONKEY.]
On board of the Phlegethon there were two specimens of the wa-wa, or
long-armed ape, which had been presented to Mr. Brooke by one of the
neighbouring rajahs, and they are by the natives considered very
valuable. Their affection when domesticated is remarkable; their first
act when they meet one they know is to leap upon your breast and embrace
you with their arms, just like a child will its mother, and they will
remain, if permitted, in this position for hours, and complain if
removed. Their cry is very plaintive, and, heard at night in the jungle,
sounds like that of a female in distress. I was given to understand that
in the presents made by chiefs, a scarce variety of monkey is often the
principal gift, and most esteemed.
The scarcest monkey in Borneo is the proboscis, or long-nosed. I saw but
two specimens of this animal, one a female, with the nose very long, and
pendulous at the extremity; the other a male, very young, and with the
nose more or less prominent, and giving its face a more actual
resemblance to that of a man's than I had ever before seen. This monkey
has never, I believe, been brought to England alive. The British Museum
has a stuffed specimen. It is not so mischievous in its habits as the
tribe in general.
As Rajah Muda Hassan has been so frequently mentioned, it may be as well
to give a succinct outline of his history. At the death of the late
sultan, Muda Hassan was the heir-apparent to the throne, but he resigned
in favour of his nephew, retaining the office of prime minister, which
office he had held during the former reign, not only to the satisfaction
of the sultan, but also of the people, with whom he was deservedly a
great favourite. His influence, being even greater than that of the
sultan, occasioned a jealous feeling, and a contention of party, which
induced Muda Hassan to retire to Sarawak with his wives and personal
attendants. He was succeeded in his office of prime minister by an Arab,
Pangeran Usop, a man of unbounded ambition, who by his harsh and
tyrannical conduct soon became hated by the Brunese, who longed for the
return of Muda Hassan, under whose sway they had been quiet and happy.
Pangeran Usop, aware of the popular feeling, now considered Muda Hassan
as his enemy, and took every opportunity of vilifying and creating
suspicion of Muda Hassan on the mind of the sultan, who was little
better than an idiot. He asserted that Muda Hassan and his brother
Bud-ruddeen were leagued with the English, and were their only
supporters in their pretensions to the isle of Labuan, and that they
would assist the English in taking possession of Borneo.
These reports, although at first treated with disdain, continually
repeated had their effect, not only upon the sultan, but upon the
people; and Muda Hassan, who was informed of what had been going on, and
had not deigned to notice it, now considered that it was advisable to
repair to Borneo, and refute the charges brought against him.