The fairest way, perhaps, of giving my readers an idea of what Brunai
was and what it is, will be by quoting first from the description of the
Italian PIGAFETTA, who was there in 1521, and then from that of my
friend the late Mr. STAIR ELPHINSTONE DALRYMPLE, who visited the city
with me in 1884. PIGAFETTA'S description I extract from CRAWFORD'S
_Descriptive Dictionary of the Indian Islands_.
"When," says he, "we reached the city, we had to wait two hours
in the _prahu_ (boat or barge) until there had arrived two
elephants, caparisoned in silk-cloth, and twelve men, each
furnished with a porcelain vase, covered with silk, to receive
and to cover our presents. We mounted the elephants, the twelve
men going before, carrying the presents. We thus proceeded to
the house of the Governor, who gave us a supper of many dishes.
Next day we were left at our leisure until twelve o'clock, when
we proceeded to the King's palace. We were mounted, as before,
on elephants, the men bearing the gifts going before us. From
the Governor's house to the palace the streets were full of
people armed with swords, lances and targets; the King had so
ordered it. Still mounted on the elephants we entered the court
of the palace. We then dismounted, ascended a stair, accompanied
by the Governor and some chiefs and entered a great hall full of
courtiers. Here we were seated on carpets, the presents being
placed near to us. At the end of the great hall, but raised
above it, there was one of less extent hung with silken cloth,
in which were two curtains, on raising which, there appeared
two windows, which lighted the hall. Here, as a guard to the
King, there were three hundred men with naked rapiers in hand
resting on their thighs. At the farther end of this smaller
hall, there was a great window with a brocade curtain before
it, on raising which, we saw the King seated at a table
masticating betel, and a little boy, his son, beside him. Behind
him women only were to be seen. A chieftain then informed us,
that we must not address the King directly, but that if we had
anything to say, we must say it to him, and he would communicate
it to a courtier of higher rank than himself within the lesser
hall. This person, in his turn, would explain our wishes to the
Governor's brother, and he, speaking through a tube in an
aperture of the wall would communicate our sentiments to a
courtier near the King, who would make them known to his
Majesty. Meanwhile, we were instructed to make three obeisances
to the King with the joined hands over the head, and raising,
first one foot and then the other, and then kissing the hands.
This is the royal salutation. * * * All the persons present in
the palace had their loins covered with gold embroidered cloth
and silk, wore poiniards with golden hilts, ornamented with
pearls and precious stones, and had many rings on their fingers.
* * * * * *
We remounted the elephants and returned to the house of the
Governor. * * * After this there came to the house of the
Governor ten men, with as many large wooden trays, in each of
which were ten or twelve porcelain saucers with the flesh of
various animals, that is, of calves, capons, pullets, pea-fowls
and others, and various kinds of fish, so that of meat alone
there were thirty or two-and-thirty dishes. We supped on the
ground on mats of palm-leaf. At each mouthful we drank a
porcelain cupful, the size of an egg, of a distilled liquor made
from rice. We ate also rice and sweetmeats, using spoons of
gold, shaped like our own. In the place where we passed the two
nights, there were always burning two torches of white wax,
placed on tall chandeliers of silver, and two oil lamps of four
wicks each, while two men watched to look after them. Next
morning we came on the same elephants to the sea side, where
forthwith there were ready for us two _prahus_, in which we were
reconducted to the ships."
Of the town itself he says:--
"The city is entirely built in the saltwater, the King's house
and those of some chieftains excepted. It contains 25,000
_fires_, or families. The houses are all of wood and stand on
strong piles to keep them high from the ground. When the flood
tide makes, the women, in boats, go through the city selling
necessaries. In front of the King's palace there is a rampart
constructed of large bricks, with barbacans in the manner of a
fortress, on which are mounted fifty-six brass and six iron
cannon."
With the exception of the statement concerning the number of families,
Mr. CRAWFORD considers PIGAFETTA'S account contains abundant internal
evidence of intelligence and truthfulness. I may be allowed to point out
that, seeing only the King's house and those of some of the nobles were
on _terra firma_, there could have been little use for elephants in the
city and probably the two elephants PIGAFETTA mentions were the only
ones there, kept for State purposes. It is a curious fact that though in
its fauna Borneo much resembles Sumatra, yet, while elephants abound in
the latter island, none are to be found in Borneo, except in a
restricted area on the North-East Coast, in the territories of the North
Borneo Company. It would appear, too, that the tenets of the Mahomedan
religion were not strictly observed in those days. Now, no Brunai noble
would think of offering you spirits, nor would ladies on any account be
permitted to appear in public, especially if Europeans were among the
audience. The consumption of spirits seems to have been on a very
liberal scale, and it is not surprising to find PIGAFETTA remarking
further on that some of the Spaniards became intoxicated. Spoons,
whether of gold or other material, have long since been discarded by all
respectable Brunais, only Pagans make use of such things, the Mahomedans
employ the fingers which Allah has given them. The description of the
women holding their market in boats stands good of to-day, but the
wooden houses, instead of being on "strong piles," now stand on
ricketty, round _nibong_ palm posts. The description of the obeisance to
the King is scarcely exaggerated, except that it is now performed
squatting cross-legged--_sila_--the respectful attitude indoors, from
the Sanskrit çîl, to meditate, to worship (for an inferior never stands
in the presence of his superior), and has been dispensed with in the
case of Europeans, who shake hands. Though the nobles have now
comparatively little power, they address each other and are addressed by
the commonalty in the most respectful tone, words derived from the
Sanskrit being often employed in addressing superiors, or equals if both
are of high rank, such as _Baginda_, _Duli Paduka_, _Ianda_, and in
addressing a superior the speaker only alludes to himself as a slave,
_Amba_, _Sahaya_. I have already referred to the prohibition of the use
of yellow by others than the Royal family, and may add that it is a
grave offence for a person of ordinary rank to pass the palace steps
with his umbrella up, and it is forbidden to him to sit in the after
part of his boat or canoe, that place being reserved for nobles. At an
audience with the Sultan, or with one of the Wazirs, considerable
ceremony is still observed. Whatever the time of the day, a thick bees'
wax candle, about three feet long is lighted and placed on the floor
alongside the European visitor, if he is a person of any rank, and it is
etiquette for him to carry the candle away with him at the conclusion of
his visit, especially if at night. It was a severe test of the courteous
decorum of the Malay nobles when on one occasion, a young officer, who
accompanied me, not only spilt his cup of coffee over his bright new
uniform, but, when impressively bidding adieu to H. H. the Sultan, stood
for sometime unconsciously astride over my lighted candle. Not a muscle
of the faces of the nobles moved, but the Europeans were scarcely so
successful in maintaining their gravity.
Mr. DALRYMPLE'S description of Brunai, furnished to the _Field_ in
August, 1884, is as follows:--
"On a broad river, sweeping round in an imposing curve from the
South-Eastward, with abrupt ranges of sandstone hills, for the
most part cleared of forest, hemming it in on either side, and a
glimpse of lofty blue mountains towering skywards far away to
the North-East, is a long straggling collection of _atap_
(thatch made of leaves of _nibong_ palm) and _kajang_ (mats of
ditto) houses, or rather huts, built on piles over the water,
and forming a gigantic crescent on either bank of the broad,
curving stream. This is the city of Brunai, the capital of the
Yang di Pertuan, the Sultan of Brunai, _ætat_ one hundred or
more, and now in his dotage: the abode of some 15,000 Malays,
whose language is as different from the Singapore Malay as
Cornish is from Cockney English, and the coign of vantage from
which a set of effete and corrupt _Pangerans_ extended
oppressive rule over the coasts of North-West Borneo, from
Sampanmangiu Point to the Sarawak River in days gone by, ere
British enterprise stepped in, swept the Sulu and Illanun
pirates from the sea, and opened the rivers to commercial
enterprise.
"Standing on the summit of one of the above-mentioned hills, a
fine bird's eye view is obtained of the city below. The
ramshackle houses are all built in irregular blocks or clusters,
but present on either side a regular frontage to the broad
river, and following its sweeping curve, form two imposing
crescent, divided by a fine water-way. Behind these main
crescents are various other blocks and clusters of buildings,
built higgledy piggledy and without plan of any sort. On the
true left bank are some Chinese shops built of brick, and on the
opposite bank a brick house of superior pretensions and a waving
banner proclaiming the abode of the Chinese Consular Agent of
the British North Borneo Company. * * *
"A heterogeneous collection of buildings on the right side of the
upper part of the city forms the _palace_ (save the mark!) of
the Sultan himself. A little further down a large, straggling,
but substantial plank building, with a corrugated iron roof,
marks the abode of the Pangeran Temenggong, a son of the former
Sultan and the heir apparent to the throne of Brunai. Two steam
launches are lying opposite at anchor, one the property of the
Sultan, the other belonging to the heir apparent. * * *
"The public reception room of the Sultan's palace is a long
apartment with wooden pillars running along either side, and
supporting a raised roof. Beyond these on either side, are
lateral compartments. At the far end, in the centre of a kind of
alcove, is the Sultan's throne. The floors are covered with
matting. * * *
"Although the glories of Brunai have departed, and it is only the
shadow of what it was when PIGAFETTA visited it, a certain
amount of state is still kept up on occasions. A boat comes
sweeping down the river crowded with Malays, a white flag waving
from its stern, seven paddles flashing on either side, and an
array of white umbrellas midships. _It is_ the Pangeran di
Gadong coming in state to pay a ceremonial visit. As it sweeps
alongside, the Pangeran is seen sitting on a gorgeous carpet,
surrounded by his officials. One holds an umbrella over his
head, while another holds aloft the _tongkat kraidan_, a long
guilded staff, surmounted by a plume of yellow horse hair, which
hangs down round it. The most striking point in the attire of
the Pangeran and his Officers is the beauty of the _krises_ with
which they are armed, the handles being of carved ivory
ornamented with gold, and the sheaths of beautifully polished
wood, resembling satin wood. Cigars and coffee are produced, and
a _bichara_ ensues. A Quakers' meeting is no bad metaphor to
describe a Malay _bichara_. The Pangerans sit round in a circle
smoking solemnly for some time, until a question is put to them,
to which a brief reply is given, followed by another prolonged
pause.
"In this way the business on which they have come is gradually
approached.
"Their manners are as polished as their faces are immobile, and
the way to a Malay's heart lies through his pocket.
"To the outsider, Brunai is a city of hideous old women, for such
alone are met with in the thronged market place where some
hundreds of market boats jostle each other, while their inmates
shriek and haggle over their bargains, or during a water
promenade while threading the labyrinths of this Oriental
Venice; but if acquainted with its intricacies, or if paying a
ceremonial visit to any of the leading Pangerans, many a glimpse
may be had of some fair skinned beauty peeping through some
handy crevice in the _kajang_ wall, or, in the latter case, a
crowd of light-skinned, dark-eyed houris may be seen looking
with all their might out of a window in the harem behind, from
which they are privileged to peep into the hall of audience.
"The present population of Brunai cannot exceed 12,000 to 15,000
souls, a great number having succumbed to the terrible epidemic
of cholera a year ago. The exports consist of sago, gutta
percha, camphor, india-rubber, edible birds' nests, gum dammar,
etc., and what money there is in the city is almost entirely in
the hands of the Chinese traders. * * *
"In the old days, when it enjoyed a numerous Chinese population,
the surrounding hills were covered with pepper plantations, and
there was a large junk trade with China. At present Brunai lives
on her exports of jungle produce and sago, furnished by a noble
river--the Limbang, whose valley lies but a short distance to
the Eastward. One great advantage the city enjoys is a copious
supply of pure water, drawn from springs at the base of the
hills below the town on the left bank of the river. * * *
"Such is a slight sketch of Brunai of the Brunais. If the
Pangerans are corrupt, the lower classes are not, but are law
abiding, though not industrious. And the day may yet come when
their city may lift her head up again, and be to North Borneo
what Singapore is to the straits of Malacca."
This description gives a capital idea of modern Brunai, and I would only
observe that, from the colour of his flag and umbrellas the nobleman who
paid the state visit must have been the Bandahara and not the Di Gadong.
The aged Sultan to whom Mr. DALRYMPLE refers was the late Sultan MUMIM,
who, though not in the direct line, was raised to the throne, on the
death of the Sultan OMAR ALI SAIFUDIN, to whom he had been Prime
Minister, by the influence of the English, towards whom he had always
acted as a loyal friend. He was popularly supposed to be over a hundred
years old when he died and, though said to have had some fifty wives and
concubines, he was childless. He died on the 29th May, 1885, having
previously, on the advice of Sir C. C. LEES, then British
Consul-General, declared his Temenggong, the son of OMAR ALI SAIFUDIN to
be his successor. The Temenggong accended the throne, without any
opposition, with the title of Sultan, but found a kingdom distracted by
rebellion in the provinces and reduced to less than a fourth of its size
when the treaty was made with Great Britain in 1847.
I have said that there is no ground rent in Borneo, and that every one
builds his own house and is his own landlord, but I should add that he
builds his house in the _kampong_, or parish, to which, according to his
occupation, he belongs and into which the city is divided. For instance,
on entering the city, the first _kampong_ on the left is an important
one in a town where fish is the principal article of animal food. It is
the _kampong_ of the men who catch fish by means of bambu fishing
stakes, or traps, described hereafter, and supply the largest quantity
of that article to the market; it is known as the _Kampong Pablat_.
Next to it is the _Kampong Perambat_, from the casting net which its
inhabitants use in fishing. Another parish is called _Membakut_ and its
houses are built on firm ground, being principally the shops of Chinese
and Klings. The last _kampong_ on this side is that of _Burong Pingé_,
formerly a very important one, where dwelt the principal and richest
Malay traders. It is now much reduced in size, European steamers and
Chinese enterprise having altered entirely the character of the trade
from the time when the old Brunai _nakodahs_ (master or owner of a
trading boat) would cruise leisurely up and down the coast, waiting for
months at a time in a river while trade was being brought in. The
workers in brass, the jewellers, the makers of gold brocade, of mats, of
brass guns, the oil manufacturers, and the rice cleaners, all have their
own _kampongs_ and are jealous of the honour of each member of their
corporation. The Sultan and nearly all the chief nobles have their
houses on the true left bank of the river, _i.e._, on the right bank
ascending.
The fishing interest is an important one, and various methods are
employed to capture the supply for the market.
The _kélong_ is a weir composed of nets made of split bambu, fastened in
an upright position, side by side, to posts fixed into the bed of the
stream, or into the sand in the shallow water of a harbour. There are
two long rows of these posts with attached nets, one much longer than
the other which gradually converge in the deeper water, where a simple
trap is constructed with a narrow entrance. The fish passing up or down
stream, meeting with the obstruction, follow up the walls of the
_kélong_ and eventually enter the trap, whence they are removed at low
water. These _kélong_, or fishing stakes as they are termed, are a well
known sight to all travellers entering Malay ports and rivers. All sorts
of fish are caught in this way, and alligators of some size are
occasionally secured in them.
The _rambat_ is a circular casting net, loaded with leaden or iron
weights at the circumference, and with a spread sometimes of thirty
feet. Great skill, acquired by long practice, is shewn by the fisherman
in throwing this net over a shoal of fish which he has sighted, in such
a manner that all the outer edge touches the water simultaneously; the
weights then cause the edges of the circumference to sink and gradually
close together, encompassing the fish, and the net is drawn up by a
rope attached to its centre, the other end of which the fisherman had
retained in his hand. The skill of the thrower is further enhanced by
the fact that he, as a rule, balances himself in the bow of a small
"dug-out," or canoe, in which a European could scarcely keep his footing
at all. The _rambat_ can also be thrown from the bank, or the beach, and
is used in fresh and salt water. Only small fish and prawns are caught
in this way. Prawns are also caught in small _kélong_ with very fine
split bambu nets, but a method is also employed in the Brunai river
which I have not heard of elsewhere. A specially prepared canoe is made
use of, the gunwale on one side being cut away and its place taken up by
a flat ledge, projecting over the water. The fisherman sits paddling in
the stern, keeping the ledged side towards the bank and leaning over so
as to cause the said ledge to be almost level with the water.
From the same side there projects a long bambu, with wooden teeth on its
under side, like a comb, fastened to the stern, but projecting outwards,
forwards and slightly upwards, the teeth increasing in length towards
its far end, and as they sweep the surface of the water the startled
prawns, shut in by the bank on one side, in their efforts to avoid the
teeth of the comb, jump into the canoe in large quantities.
I have described the method of using the dip net, or _serambau_, on page
30. Many kinds of nets are in use, one--the _pukat_--being similar to
our seine or drag net.
The hook and line are also used, especially for deep sea fishing, and
fish of large size are thus caught.
A favourite occasional amusement is _tuba_ fishing. The _tuba_ is a
plant the juice of which has strong narcotic properties. Bundles of the
roots are collected and put into the bottom of the canoes, and when the
fishing ground is reached, generally a bend in a river, or the mouth of
a stream which is barred at low tide, water is poured over the _tuba_
and the juice expressed by beating it with short sticks. The fluid, thus
charged with the narcotic poison, is then baled out of the canoes into
the stream and the surface is quickly covered by all sorts of fish in
all stages of intoxication, the smaller ones even succumbing altogether
to the poison.
The large fish are secured by spearing, amid much excitement, the eager
sportsmen often overbalancing themselves and falling headlong into the
water to the great amusement of the more lucky ones. I remember reading
an account of a dignified representative of Her Majesty once joining in
the sport and displaying a pair of heels in this way to his admiring
subjects. The _tuba_ does not affect the flesh of the fish, which is
brought to the table without any special preparation.
The principal export from Brunai is sago flour. The sago palm is known
to the natives under the name of _rumbiah_, the pith, after its first
preliminary washing, is called _lamantah_ (_i.e._, raw), and after its
preparation for export by the Chinese, _sagu_. The botanical name is
_Metroxylon_, _M. Lævis_ being that of the variety the trunk of which is
unprotected, and _M. Rumphii_ that of the kind which is armed with long
and strong spikes, serving to ward off the attacks of the wild pigs from
the young palm.
This palm is indigenous in the Malayan Archipelago and grows to the
height of twenty to forty feet, in swampy land along the banks of rivers
not far from the sea, but out of the reach of tidal influences. A
plantation once started goes "on for ever," with scarcely any care or
attention from the proprietor, as the palm propagates itself by numerous
off-shots, which take the place of the parent tree when it is cut down
for the purpose of being converted into food, or when it dies, which,
unlike most other palms, it does after it has once flowered and seeded,
_i.e._, after it has attained the age of ten or fifteen years.
It can also be propagated from the seed, but these are often
unproductive.
If required for food purposes, the sago palm must be cut down at its
base before it begins to flower, as afterwards the pith or _farina_
becomes dried up and useless. The trunk is then stripped of its leaves
and, if it is intended to work it up at its owner's house, it is cut
into convenient lengths and floated down the river; if the pith is to be
extracted on the spot the trunk is split in two, longitudinally, and is
found to contain a mass of starchy pith, kept together by filaments of
woody fibre, and when this is worked out by means of bambu hatchets
nothing but a thin rind, the outer bark, is left. To separate the starch
from the woody fibre, the pith is placed on a mat in a frame work over a
trough by the river side; the sago washer then mounts up and, pouring
fresh water over the pith, commences vigorously dancing about on it with
his bare feet, the result being that the starch becomes dissolved in the
water and runs off with it into the trough below, while the woody fibre
remains on the mat and is thrown away, or, if the washer is not a
Mahomedan, used for fattening pigs. The starch thus obtained is not yet
quite pure, and under the name of _lamantah_ is sold to Chinese and
undergoes a further process of washing, this time by hand, in large,
solid, wooden troughs and tubs. When sufficiently purified, it is
sun-dried and, as a fine white flour, is packed in gunny bags for the
Singapore market. At Singapore, some of this flour--a very small
proportion--is converted into the pearl sago of the shops, but the
greater portion is sent on direct to Europe, where it is used for sizing
cloth, in the manufacture of beer, for confectionery, &c.
It will be seen that the sago palm thus affords food and also employment
to a considerable number of both natives and Chinese and, requiring
little or no trouble in cultivation, it is a perfect gift of the gods to
the natives in the districts where it occurs. It is a curious fact that,
though abounding in Sarawak, in the districts near Brunai and in the
southern parts of British North Borneo on the West Coast, it seems to
stop short suddenly at the Putatan River, near Gaya Bay, and is not
found indigenous in the North nor on the North-East. Some time ago I
sent a quantity of young shoots to a Chief living on the Labuk River,
near Sandakan, on the East Coast, but have not yet heard whether they
have proved a success.
A nasty sour smell is inseparable from a sago factory, but the health of
the coolies, who live in the factory, does not appear to be affected by
it.
The Brunais and natives of sago districts consume a considerable
quantity of sago flour, which is boiled into a thick, tasteless paste,
called _boyat_ and eaten by being twisted into a large ball round a
stick and inserted into the mouth--an ungraceful operation. Tamarind, or
some very acid sauce is used to impart to it some flavour. Sago is of
course cheaper than rice, but the latter is, as a rule, much preferred
by the native, and is found more nutritious and _lasting_. LOGAN, in the
_Journal of the Indian Archipelago_, calculates that three sago palms
yield more nutritive matter than an acre of wheat, and six trees more
than an acre of potatoes. The plantain and banana also flourish, under
cultivation, in Borneo, and Mr. BURBIDGE, in his preface to the _Gardens
of the Sun_, points out that it fruits all the year round and that its
produce is to that of wheat as 133 : 1, and to that of the potato as
44 : 1. What a Paradise! some of my readers will exclaim. There can be
no want here! I am sure the figures and calculations above quoted are
absolutely correct, but I have certainly seen want and poverty in
Borneo, and these tropical countries are not quite the earthly
paradises which some old writers would have us believe. For our poor
British "unemployed," at any rate, I fear Borneo can never be a refuge,
as the sun would there be more fatal than the deadly cold here, and the
race could not be kept up without visits to colder climates. But if
sago and bananas are so plentiful and so nourishing, as we are taught
by the experts, it does seem somewhat remarkable, in this age of
invention, that some means cannot be devised of bringing together the
prolific food stores of the East and the starving thousands of the
West.
Both before, during and after the day's work, the Malays, man and woman,
boy and girl, solace and refresh themselves with tobacco and with the
areca-nut, or the _betel_ nut as, for some unexplained reason, it is
called in English books, though _betel_ is the name of the pepper leaf
in which the areca-nut is wrapped and with which it is masticated.
A good deal of the tobacco now used in Brunai is imported from Java or
Palembang (Sumatra), but a considerable portion is grown in the hilly
districts on the West Coast of North Borneo, in the vicinity of Gaya
Bay, by the Muruts. It is unfermented and sun-dried, but has not at all
a bad flavour and is sometimes used by European pipe smokers. The
Brunai Malays and the natives generally, as a rule, smoke the tobacco in
the form of cigarettes, the place of paper being taken by the fine inner
leaf of the _nipa_ palm, properly prepared by drying. The Court
cigarettes are monstrous things, fully eight inches long sometimes, and
deftly fashioned by the fingers of the ladies of the harem.
Some of the inland natives, who are unable to procure _nipa_ leaf
(_dahun kirei_), use roughly made wooden pipes, and the leaf of the
maize plant is also occasionally substituted for the _nipa_. It is a
common practice with persons of both sexes to insert a "quid" of tobacco
in their cheek, or between the upper lip and the gum. This latter
practice does not add to the appearance of a race not overburdened with
facial charms. The tobacco is allowed to remain in position for a long
time, but it is not chewed. The custom of areca-nut chewing has been so
often described that I will only remind the reader that the nut is the
produce of a graceful and slender palm, which flourishes under
cultivation in all Malayan countries and is called by Malays _pinang_.
It is of about the size of a nutmeg and, for chewing, is cut into pieces
of convenient size and made into a neat little packet with the green
leaf of the aromatic betel pepper plant, and with the addition of a
little gambier (the inspissated juice of the leaves of the _uncaria
gambir_) and of fine lime, prepared by burning sea shells. Thus
prepared, the bolus has an undoubtedly stimulating effect on the nerves
and promotes the flow of saliva. I have known fresh vigour put into an
almost utterly exhausted boat's crew by their partaking of this
stimulant.
It tinges the saliva and the lips bright red, but, contrary to a very
commonly received opinion, has no effect of making the teeth black. This
blackening of the teeth is produced by rubbing in burnt coco-nut shell,
pounded up with oil, the dental enamel being sometimes first filed off.
Toothache and decayed teeth are almost unknown amongst the natives, but
whether this is in some measure due to the chewing of the areca-nut I am
unable to say.
It used to be a disagreeable, but not unusual sight, to see the old
Sultan at an audience remove the areca-nut he had been masticating and
hand it to a small boy, who placed it in his mouth and kept it there
until the aged monarch again required it.
The clothing of the Brunai Malays is simple and suitable to the climate.
The one garment common to men, women and children is the _sarong_, which
in its general signification means a sheath or covering, _e.g._, the
sheath of a sword is a _sarong_, and the envelope enclosing a letter is
likewise its _sarong_. The _sarong_ or sheath of the Brunai human being
is a piece of cotton cloth, of Tartan pattern, sewn down the side and
resembling an ordinary skirt, or petticoat, except that it is not
pleated or attached to a band at the waist and is, therefore, the same
width all the way down. It is worn as a petticoat, being fastened at the
waist sometimes by a belt or girdle, but more often the upper part is
merely twisted into its own folds. Both men and women frequently wear
nothing but this garment, the men being naked from the waist up, but the
women generally concealing the breasts by fastening the _sarong_ high up
under the arms; but for full dress the women wear in addition a short
sleeved jacket of dark blue cotton cloth, reaching to the waist, the
tight sleeves being ornamented with a row of half-a-dozen jingling
buttons, of gold if possible, and a round hat of plaited _pandan_
(screw-pine) leaves, or of _nipa_ leaf completes the Brunai woman's
costume. No stockings, slippers, or shoes are worn. Ladies of rank and
wealth substitute silk and gold brocade for the cotton material used by
their poorer sisters and, in lieu of a hat, cover their head and the
greater part of the face with a _selendang_, or long scarf of gold
brocade. They occasionally also wear slippers. The gold brocade is a
specialty of Brunai manufacture and is very handsome, the gold thread
being woven in tasteful patterns on a ground of yellow, green, red or
dark blue silk. The materials are obtained from China. The cotton
_sarongs_ are also woven in Brunai of European cotton twist, but
inferior and cheap imitations are now imported from Switzerland and
Manchester. In addition to the _sarong_, the Brunai man, when fully
dressed, wears a pair of loose cotton trowsers, tied round the waist,
and in this case the _sarong_ is so folded as to reach only half way
down to the knee, instead of to the ankle, as ordinarily.
A short sleeved cotton jacket, generally white, covers his body and his
head dress is a small coloured kerchief called _dastar_, the Persian
word for turban.
The nobles wear silks instead of cottons and with them a small but
handsome _kris_, stuck into the _sarong_, is _de rigueur_ for full
dress. A gold or silver betel-nut box might almost be considered as part
of the full dress, as they are never without one on state occasions, it
being carried by an attendant.
The women are fond of jewellery, and there are some clever gold and
silversmiths in the city, whose designs appear to be imitated from the
Javanese. Rings, earrings, broaches to fasten the jacket at the neck,
elaborate hairpins, massive silver or gold belts, with large gold
buckles, and bracelets of gold or silver are the usual articles
possessed by a lady of position.
The characteristic earring is quite a specialty of Brunai art, and is of
the size and nearly the shape of a very large champagne cork,
necessitating a huge hole being made for its reception in the lobes of
the ear. It is made hollow, of gold or silver, or of light wood gilt, or
sometimes only painted, or even quite plain, and is stuck, lengthwise,
through the hole in the ear, the ends projecting on either side. When
the ladies are not in full dress, this hole occasionally affords a
convenient receptacle for the cigarette, or any other small article not
in use for the time being.
The men never wear any jewellery, except, perhaps, one silver ring,
which is supposed to have come from the holy city--Mecca.
The Malay _kris_ is too well known to need description here. It is a
dagger or poignard with a blade varying in length from six inches to two
feet. This blade is not invariably wavy, or serpentine, as often
supposed, but is sometimes quite straight. It is always sharp on both
edges and is fashioned from iron imported from Singapore, by Brunai
artificers. Great taste is displayed in the handle, which is often of
delicately carved ivory and gold, and just below the attachment of the
handle, the blade is broadened out, forming a hilt, the under edge of
which is generally fancifully carved. Age adds greatly to the value of
the _kris_ and the history of many is handed down. The highest price I
know of being given for a Brunai _kris_ was $100, paid by the present
Sultan for one he presented to the British North Borneo Company on his
accession to the throne, but I have heard of higher prices being asked.
Very handsomely grained and highly polished wood is used for the sheath
and the two pieces forming it are frequently so skilfully joined as to
have the appearance of being in one. Though naturally a stabbing weapon,
the Malays of Brunai generally use it for cutting, and after an _amok_
the blade employed is often found bent out of all shape.
The _parang_ is simply an ordinary cutlass, with a blade two feet in
length. As we generally carry a pocket knife about with us, so the
Brunai Malay always wears his _parang_, or has it near at hand, using it
for every purpose where cutting is required, from paring his nails to
cutting the posts of which his house is built, or weeding his patch of
rice land.
With this and his _bliong_ he performs all his carpentry work; from
felling the enormous timber tree in the jungle to the construction of
his house and boat. The _bliong_ is indeed a most useful implement and
can perform wonders in the hands of a Malay. It is in the shape of a
small adze, but according to the way it is fitted into the handle it can
be used either as an axe or adze. The Malays with this instrument can
make planks and posts as smooth as a European carpenter is able to do
with his plane.
The _parang ílang_ is a fighting weapon, with a peculiarity in the shape
of the blade which, Dr. TAYLOR informs me, is not known to occur in the
weapons of any other country, and consists in the surface of the near
side being flat, as in an ordinary blade, while that of the off side is
distinctly convex. This necessitates rather careful handling in the case
of a novice, as the convexity is liable to cause the blade to glance off
any hard substance and inflict a wound on its wielder. This weapon is
manufactured in Brunai, but is the proper arm of the Kyans and, now,
also of the Sarawak Dyaks, who are closely allied to them and who, in
this as in other matters, such as the curious perforation of a part of
their person, which has been described by several writers, are following
their example. The Kyans were once the most formidable Sub-Malay tribe
in Northern Borneo and have been alluded to in preceding pages. On the
West coast, their headquarters is the Baram River, which has recently
been added to Sarawak, but they stretch right across to the East Coast
and Dutch territory.
There are many kinds of canoes, from the simple dug-out, with scarcely
any free-board, to the _pakerangan_, a boat the construction of which is
confined to only two rivers in North Borneo. It is built up of planks
fastened together by wooden pegs, carvel fashion, on a small keel, or
_lunas_. It is sharp at both ends, has very good lines, is a good sea
boat and well adapted for crossing river bars. It is not made in Brunai
itself, but is bought from the makers up the coast and invariably used
by the Brunai fishermen, who are the best and most powerful paddlers to
be found anywhere. The trading boats--_prahus_ or _tongkangs_--are
clumsy, badly fastened craft, not often exceeding 30 tons burthen, and
modelled on the Chinese junk, generally two-masted, the foremast raking
forward, and furnished with rattan rigging and large lug sails. This
forward rake, I believe, was not unusual, in former days, in European
craft, and is said to aid in tacking. The natives now, however, are
getting into the way of building and rigging their boats in humble
imitation of the Europeans. The _prahus_ are generally furnished with
long sweeps, useful when the wind falls and in ascending winding rivers,
when the breeze cannot be depended on. The canoes are propelled and
steered by single-bladed paddles. They also generally carry a small
sail, often made of the remnants of different gaily coloured garments,
and a fleet of little craft with their gaudy sails is a pleasing sight
on a fresh, bright morning. At the sports held by the Europeans on New
Year's Day, the Queen's Birthday and other festivals, native canoe
races are always included and are contested with the keenest possible
excitement by the competitors. A Brunai Malay takes to the water and to
his tiny canoe almost before he is able to walk. Use has with him become
second nature and, really, I have known some Brunai men paddle all day
long, chatting and singing and chewing betel-nut, as though they felt it
no exertion whatever.
In the larger canoes one sees the first step towards a fixed rudder and
tiller, a modified form of paddle being fixed securely to one _side_ of
the stern, in such a way that the blade can be turned so as either to
have its edges fore and aft, or its sides presented at a greater or less
angle to the water, according to the direction in which it is desired to
steer the boat.
I was much interested, in going over the Pitt-Rivers collection, at the
Oxford University Museum, to find that in the model of a Viking boat the
steering gear is arranged in almost exactly the same manner as that of
the modern Malay canoe; and indeed, the lines generally of the two boats
are somewhat alike.
To the European novice, paddling is severe work, more laborious than
rowing; but then a Brunai man is always in "training," more or less; he
is a teetotaller and very temperate in eating and drinking; indeed the
amount of fluid they take is, considering the climate, wonderfully
small. They scarcely drink during meals, and afterwards, as a rule, only
wash their mouths out, instead of taking a long draught like the
European.
Mr. DALRYMPLE is right in saying that a State visit is like a Quakers'
meeting. Seldom is any important business more than broached on such an
occasion; the details of difficult negotiations are generally discussed
and arranged by means of confidential agents, who often find it to their
pecuniary advantage to prolong matters to the limit of their employer's
patience. The Brunai Malays are very nice, polite fellows to have to
deal with, but they have not the slightest conception of the value of
time, and the expression _nanti dahulu_ (wait a bit) is as often in
their mouths as that of _malua_ (by-and-by) is by Miss GORDON CUMMING
said to be in those of the Fijians. A lady friend of mine, who found a
difficulty in acquiring Malay, pronounced _nanti dahulu_, or _nanti
dulu_ as generally spoken, "nanty doodle," and suggested that "the nanty
doodles" could be a good name for "the Brunai Malays."
As writing is a somewhat rare accomplishment, state documents are not
signed but sealed--"_chopped_" it is called--and much importance is
accordingly attached to the official seals or _chops_, which are large
circular metal stamps, and the _chop_ is affixed by oiling the stamps,
blacking it over the flame of a candle and pressing it on the document
to be sealed. The _chop_ bears, in Arabic characters, the name, style
and title of the Official using it. The Sultan's Chop is the Great Seal
of State and is distinguished by being the only one of which the
circumference can be quite round and unbroken; the edges of those of the
Wazirs are always notched.
By the aboriginal tribes of Borneo, the Brunai people are always spoken
of as _Orang Abai_, or Abai men, but though I have often enquired both
of the aborigines and of the Brunais themselves, I have not been able to
obtain any explanation of the term, nor of its derivation.
As already stated, the religion of the Brunais is Mahomedanism; but they
do not observe its precepts and forms with any very great strictness,
nor are they proselytisers, so that comparatively few of the surrounding
pagans have embraced the religion of their conquerors.
Many of their old superstitions still influence them, as, in the early
days of Christianity, the belief in the old heathen gods and goddesses
were found underlying the superstructure of the new faith and tinging
its ritual and forms of worship. There still flourishes and survives,
influencing to the present day the life of the Brunais, the old Spirit
worship and a real belief in the power of evil spirits (_hantus_) to
cause ill-luck, sickness and death, to counteract which spells, charms
and prayers are made use of, together with propitiatory offerings. Most
of them wear some charm to ward off sickness, and others to shield them
from death in battle. If you are travelling in the jungle and desire to
quench your thirst at a brook, your Brunai follower will first lay his
_parang_, or cutlass in the bed of the stream, with its point towards
the source, so that the Spirit of the brook shall be powerless to harm
you.
In caves and on small islands you frequently find platforms and little
models of houses and boats--propitiatory offerings to _hantus_. In times
of general sickness a large model of a boat is sometimes made and decked
with flags and launched out to sea in the hope that the evil spirit who
has brought the epidemic may take his departure therein. At Labuan it
was difficult to prevail on a Malay messenger to pass after sunset by
the gaol, where executions took place, or by the churchyard, for fear of
the ghosts haunting those localities.
Javanese element, and Hindu work in gold has been discovered buried in
the island of Pappan, situated between Labuan and Brunai. Mr. INCHE
MAHOMET, H. B. M.'s Consular Agent in Brunai, was good enough to procure
for me a native history of Brunai, called the _Telselah Besar_, or
principal history. This history states that the first Mahomedan
Sovereign of Brunai was Sultan MAHOMET and that, before his conversion
and investiture by the Sultan of Johor, his kingdom had been tributary
to the State of Majapahit, on the fall of which kingdom the Brunai
Government transferred its allegiance to Johor. Majapahit[8] was the
last Javanese kingdom professing Hinduism, and from its overthrow dates
the triumph of Mahomedanism in Java. This occurred in A.D. 1478, which,
if the chronicle can be trusted, must have been about the period of the
commencement of the Mahomedan period in Brunai. Inclusive of this Sultan
MAHOMET and of the late Sultan MUMIM, who died in May, 1885,
twenty-three Mahomedan Sultans have reigned in Brunai and, allowing
eighteen years for an average reign, this brings us within a few years
of the date assigned to the overthrow of the kingdom of Majapahit, and
bears testimony to the reliability of the chronicle. I will quote the
first few paragraphs of the _Telselah_, as they will give the reader an
idea of a Brunai history and also because they allude to the connection
of the Chinese with Borneo and afford a fanciful explanation of the
origin of the name of the mountain of Kinabalu, in British North
Borneo, which is 13,700 feet in height:--
"This is the genealogy of all the Rájas who have occupied the
royal throne of the Government of Brunai, the abode of peace,
from generation to generation, who inherited the royal drum and
the bell, the tokens from the country of Johore, _kamal
almakam_, and who also possessed the royal drum from
Menangkabau, namely, from the country of Saguntang.
"This was the commencement of the kingdom of Brunai and of the
introduction of the Mahomedan religion and of the Code of Laws
of the prophet, the beloved of God, in the country of
Brunai--that is to say (in the reign of) His Highness Sultan
MAHOMET. But before His Majesty's time the country of Brunai was
still infidel, and a dependency of Majapahit. On the death of
the Batara of Majapahit and of the PATIH GAJA MEDAH the kingdom
of Majapahit fell, and Brunai ceased to pay tribute, which used
to consist of one jar of the juice of the young betel-nut every
year.
"In the time of the Sultan BAHTRI of the kingdom of Johor, Tuan
ALAK BETATAR and PATIH BERBAHI were summoned to Johor, and the
former was appointed Sultan MAHOMET by the Sultan of Johor, who
conferred on him the royal drum and assigned him five provinces,
namely, Kaluka, Seribas, Sadong, Samarahan and Sarawak. PATIH
BERBAI was given the title of Bandhara Sri Maharaja. After a
stay of some little time in Johor, His Highness the Sultan
MAHOMET returned to Brunai; but His Highness had no male issue
and only one daughter. At that time also the Emperor of China
ordered two of his ministers to obtain possession of the
precious stone of the dragon of the mountain Kinabalu. Numbers
of Chinese were devoured by the dragon and still possession was
not obtained of the stone. For this reason they gave the
mountain the name of Kinabalu (_Kina_ = Chinese; _balu_ =
_widow_).
"The name of one of the Chinese Ministers was _Ong Kang_ and of
another ONG SUM PING, and the latter had recourse to a
stratagem. He made a box with glass sides and placed a large
lighted candle therein, and when the dragon went forth to feed,
ONG SUM PING seized the precious stone and put the lamp in its
place and u the dragon mistook it for the precious stone. Having
now obtained possession of the precious stone all the junks set
sail for China, and when they had got a long way off from
Kinabalu, ONG KANG asked ONG SUM PING for the stone, and
thereupon a quarrel ensued between them. ONG KANG continued to
press his demand for the precious stone, and ONG SUM PING became
out of humour and sullen and refused to return to China and made
his way back to Brunai. On arriving there, he espoused the
Princess, the daughter of Sultan MAHOMET, and he obtained the
title of Sultan AHAMAT.
"The Sultan AHAMAT had one daughter, who was remarkably
beautiful. It came to pass that a Sheriff named ALLI, a
descendant of AMIR HASSAN (_one of the grandchildren of the
prophet_) came from the country of Taif to Brunai. Hearing of
the fame of the beauty of the Sultan's daughter, he became
enamoured of her and the Sultan accepted him as his son-in-law
and the Government of Brunai was handed over to him by His
Highness and he was styled Sultan BERKAT. He enforced the Code
of Laws of the beloved of God and erected a mosque in Brunai,
and, moreover, ordered the Chinese population to make a stone
fort."
The connection of the Chinese with Brunai was an important event in
Borneo history and it was certainly to them that the flourishing
condition of the capital when visited by PIGAFETTA in 1521 was due. They
were the sole planters of the pepper gardens, the monopoly of the trade
in the produce of which the East India Company negotiated for in 1774,
when the crop was reported to the Company to have been 4,000 pikuls,
equal to about 240 tons, valued on the spot at 17-1/4 Spanish dollars
per pikul. The Company's Agent expressly reported that the Chinese were
the only pepper planters, that the aborigines did not plant it, and that
the produce was disposed of to Chinese junks, which visited the port and
which he trusted would, when the exclusive trade in this article was in
the hands of the Company, be diverted from Brunai to Balambangan.
The station at this latter island, as already mentioned, was abandoned
in 1775, and the English trade with Brunai appears soon afterwards to
have come to an end.
From extracts from the Journal of the Batavia Society of Arts and
Sciences published in _The British North Borneo Herald_ of the 1st
October, 1886, the first mention of Brunai in Chinese history appears to
be in the year 669, when the King of Polo, which is stated to be another
name for Bunlai (corruption of "Brunai"), sent an envoy to Pekin, who
came to Court with the envoy of Siam. Again, in the year 1406, another
Brunai envoy was appointed, who took with him a tribute of the products
of the country, and the chronicle goes on to say that it is reported
"that the present King is a man from Fukien, who followed CHENG HO when
he went to this country and who settled there."
This account was written in 1618 and alludes to the Chinese shipping
then frequenting Brunai. It is by some supposed that the northern
portion of Borneo was the destination of the unsuccessful expedition
which KUBLAI KHAN sent out in the year 1292.
Towards the close of the eighteenth century a Government seems to have
arisen in Brunai which knew not ONG SUM PING and, in 1809, Mr. HUNT
reported that Chinese junks had ceased visiting Brunai and, owing no
doubt to the rapacious and piratical character of the native Government,
the pepper gardens were gradually deserted and the Chinese left the
country. A few of the natives had, however, acquired the art of pepper
cultivation, especially the Dusuns of Pappar, Kimanis and Bundu and when
the Colony of Labuan was founded, 1846, there was still a small trade in
pepper with those rivers. The Brunai Rájas, however, received their
revenues and taxes in this commodity and their exhorbitant demands
gradually led to the abandonment of its cultivation.
These rivers have since passed under the Government of the British North
Borneo Company, and in Bundu, owing partly to the security now afforded
to life and property and partly to the very high price which pepper at
present realizes on account of the Dutch blockade of Achin--Achin
having been of late years the principal pepper-growing country--the
natives are again turning their attention to this article. I may remark
here that the people of Bundu claim and shew evidence of Chinese
descent, and even set up in their houses the little altar and joss which
one is accustomed to see in Chinamen's shops. The Brunai Malays call the
Chinese _Orang Kina_ and evidence of their connection with Borneo is
seen in such names as _Kina-batangan_, a river near Sandakan on the
north-east coast, _Kina-balu_, the mountain above referred to, and
_Kina-benua_, a district in Labuan. They have also left their mark in
the very superior mode of cultivation and irrigation of rice fields on
some rivers on the north-west coast as compared with the primitive mode
practised in other parts of Northern Borneo. It is now the object of the
Governments of Sarawak and of British North Borneo to attract Chinese to
their respective countries by all the means in their power. This has, to
a considerable extent, been successfully achieved by the present Rája
BROOKE, and a large area of his territory is now under pepper
cultivation with a very marked influence on the public revenues. This
subject will be again alluded to when I come to speak of British North
Borneo.
It would appear that Brunai was once or twice attacked by the Spaniards,
the last occasion being in 1645.[9] It has also had the honour in more
recent times, of receiving the attentions of a British naval expedition,
which was brought about in this wise. Sir JAMES, then Mr. BROOKE, had
first visited Sarawak in 1839 and found the district in rebellion
against its ruler, a Brunai Rája named MUDA HASSIM, who, being a friend
to the English, received Mr. BROOKE with cordiality. Mr. BROOKE returned
to Sarawak in the following year and this time assisted MUDA HASSIM to
put down the rebellion and finally, on the 24th September, 1841, the
Malay Rája retired from his position as Governor in favour of the
Englishman.
The agreement to so transfer the Government was not signed without the
application of a little pressure, for we find the following account of
it in Mr. BROOKE'S Journal, edited by Captain RODNEY MUNDY, R. N., in
two volumes, and published by JOHN MURRAY in 1848:--
"October 1st, 1841. Events of great importance have occurred
during the last month. I will shortly narrate them. The advent
of the _Royalist_ and _Swift_ and a second visit from the
_Diana_ on her return from Brunei with the shipwrecked crew of
the _Sultana_, strengthened my position, as it gave evidence
that the Singapore authorities were on the alert, and otherwise
did good to my cause by creating an impression amongst the
natives of my power and influence with the Governor of the
Straits Settlements. Now, then, was my time for pushing measures
to extremity against my subtle enemy the arch-intriguer MAKOTA."
This Chief was a Malay hostile to English interest. "I had
previously made several strong remonstrances, and urged for an
answer to a letter I had addressed to MUDA HASSIM, in which I
had recapitulated in detail the whole particulars of our
agreement, concluding by a positive demand either to allow me to
retrace my steps by repayment of the sums which he had induced
me to expend, or to confer upon me the grant of the Government
of the country according to his repeated promises; and I ended
by stating that if he would not do either one or the other I
_must find means to right myself_. Thus did I, for the first
time since my arrival in the land, present anything in the shape
of a menace before the Rája, my former remonstrances only going
so far as to threaten to take away my own person and vessels
from the river." Mr. BROOKE'S demand for an investigation into
MAKOTA'S conduct was politely shelved and Mr. BROOKE deemed "the
moment for action had now arrived. My conscience told me that I
was bound no longer to submit to such injustice, and I was
resolved to test the strength of our respective parties.
Repairing on board the yacht, I mustered my people, explained
my intentions and mode of operation, and having loaded the
vessel's guns with grape and canister, and brought her broadside
to bear, I proceeded on shore with a detachment fully armed, and
taking up a position at the entrance of the Rája's palace,
demanded and obtained an immediate audience. In a few words I
pointed out the villany of MAKOTA, his tyranny and oppression of
all classes, and my determination to attack him by force, and
drive him from the country. I explained to the Raja that several
Chiefs and a large body of Siniawan Dyaks were ready to assist
me, and the only course left to prevent bloodshed was
immediately to proclaim me Governor of the country. This
unmistakeable demonstration had the desired effect * * * None
joined the party of MAKOTA, and his paid followers were not more
than twenty in number.
"Under the guns of the _Royalist_, and with a small body of men
to protect me personally, and the great majority of all classes
with me, it is not surprising that the negotiation proceeded
rapidly to a favourable issue. The document was quickly drawn
up, sealed, signed, and delivered; and on the 24th of September,
1841, I was declared Rája and Governor of Sarawak amidst the
roar of cannon, and a general display of flags and banners from
the shore and boats on the river."
This is a somewhat lengthy quotation, but the language is so graphic and
so honest that I need make no apologies for introducing it and, indeed,
it is the fairest way of exhibiting Mr. BROOKE'S objects and reasons and
is, moreover, interesting as shewing under what circumstances and
conditions the first permanent English settlement was formed in Borneo.
Mr. BROOKE concludes his account of his accession to the Government in
words that remind us of another unselfish and modest hero--General
GORDON. He says:--
"Difficulty followed upon difficulty; the dread of pecuniary
failure, the doubt of receiving support or assistance; this and
much more presents itself to my mind. But I have tied myself to
the stake. I have heaped faggots around me. I stand upon a cask
of gunpowder, and if others bring the torch I shall not shrink,
I feel within me the firm, unchangeable conviction of doing
right which nothing can shake. I see the benefits I am
conferring. The oppressed, the wretched, the outlawed have found
in me their only protector. They now hope and trust; and they
shall not be disappointed while I have life to uphold them. God
has so far used me as a humble instrument of his hidden
Providence; and whatever be the result, whatever my fate, I know
the example will not be thrown away. I know it tends to a good
end in His own time. He can open a path for me through all
difficulties, raise me up friends who will share with me in the
task, awaken the energies of the great and powerful, so that
they may protect this unhappy people. I trust it may be so: but
if God wills otherwise; if the time be not yet arrived; if it be
the Almighty's will that the flickering taper shall be
extinguished ere it be replaced by a steady beacon, I submit, in
the firm and humble assurance that His ways are better than my
ways, and that the term of my life is better in His hands than
in my own."
On the 1st August, 1842, this cession of Sarawak to Mr. BROOKE was
confirmed by His Highness Sultan OMAR ALI SAIFUDIN, under the Great
Seal. MUDA HASSIM was the uncle of the Sultan, who was a sovereign of
weak, vacillating disposition, at one time guided by the advice of his
uncle, who was the leader of the "English party," and expressing his
desire for the Queen's assistance to put down piracy and disorder and
offering, in return, to cede to the British the island of Labuan; at
another following his own natural inclinations and siding altogether
with the party of disorder, who were resolved to maintain affairs as
they were in the "good old times," knowing that when the reign of law
and order should be established their day and their power and ability to
aggrandize and enrich themselves at the expense of the aborigines and
the common people would come to an end. There is no doubt that Mr.
BROOKE himself considered it would be for the good of the country that
MUDA HASSIM should be raised to the throne and the Sultan certainly
entertained a not altogether ill-founded dread that it was intended to
depose him in the latter's favour, the more so as a large majority of
the Brunai people were known to be in his interest. In the early part
of 1845 MUDA HASSIM appears to have been in favour with the Sultan, and
was publicly announced as successor to the throne with the title of
_Sultan Muda_ (muda = young, the usual Malay title for the heir apparent
to the Crown), and the document recognising the appointment of Mr.
BROOKE as the Queen's Confidential Agent in Borneo was written in the
name of the Sultan and of MUDA HASSIM conjointly, and concludes by
saying that the two writers express the hope that through the Queen's
assistance they will be enabled to _settle the Government of Borneo_. In
April, 1846, however, Mr. BROOKE received the startling intelligence
that in the December, or January previous, the Sultan had ordered the
murder of his uncle MUDA HASSIM and of several of the Ràja's brothers
and nobles of his party, in all some thirteen Ràjas and many of their
followers. MUDA HASSIM, finding resistance useless, retreated to his
boat and ignited a cask of powder, but the explosion not killing him, he
blew his brains out with a pistol. His brother, Pangeran BUDRUDIN, one
of the most enlightened nobles in Brunai, likewise terminated his
existence by an explosion of gunpowder. Representations being made to
Sir THOMAS COCHRANE, the Admiral in command of the station, he proceeded
in person to Borneo with a squadron of eight vessels, including two
steamers. The Sultan, foreseeing the punishment that was inevitable,
erected some well-placed batteries to defend his town. Only the two
steamers and one sailing vessel of war, together with boats from the
other vessels and a force of six hundred men were able to ascend the
river and, such was the rotten state of the kingdom of Borneo Proper and
so unwarlike the disposition of its degenerate people that after firing
a few shots, whereby two of the British force were killed and a few
wounded, the batteries were deserted, the Sultan and his followers fled
to the jungle, and the capital remained at the Admiral's disposition.
Captain RODNEY MUNDY, accompanied by Mr. BROOKE, with a force of five
hundred men was despatched in pursuit of His Highness, but it is
needless to add that, though the difficulties of marching through a
trackless country under a tropical downpour of rain were pluckily
surmounted, it was found impossible to come up with the Royal fugitive.
Negotiations were subsequently entered into with the Prime Minister,
Pangeran MUMIM, an intelligent noble, who afterwards became Sultan, and
on the 19th July, 1846, the batteries were razed to the ground and the
Admiral issued a Proclamation to the effect that hostilities would cease
if the Sultan would return and govern lawfully, suppress piracy and
respect his engagements with the British Government; but that if he
persisted in his evil courses the squadron would return and burn down
the capital. The same day Admiral COCHRANE and his squadron steamed
away. It is perhaps superfluous to add that this was the first and the
last time that the Brunai Government attempted to try conclusions with
the British, and in the following year a formal treaty was concluded to
which reference will be made hereafter.
(_To be continued._)
Footnotes:
[Footnote 8: CRAWFURD'S Dictionary--Indian Islands--_Majapait_.]
[Footnote 9: Captain RODNEY MUNDY, R. N., states that in 1846 he
captured at Brunai ten large Spanish brass guns, the longest being
14 feet 6 inches, cast in the time of CHARLES III of Spain and the
most beautiful specimens of workmanship he had ever seen. CHARLES III
reigned between 1759 and 1788.]