BORNEO

AND

THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 

London:SPOTTISWOODE AND SHAW, New-street Square. 

[Illustration: CHINESE JOSS HOUSE. 

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

[Illustration: (Transcriber's Note: No caption in originaltext--Picture shows a Bornean ship with the book title, author'sname and publisher printed on the sails and hull. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS]

BORNEO

AND

THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 

WITH

DRAWINGS OF COSTUME AND SCENERY. 

BY

FRANK S. MARRYAT, LATE MIDSHIPMAN OF H. M. S. SAMARANG, SURVEYING VESSEL. 

LONDON:LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 1848. 

INTRODUCTION. 

I wish the readers of these pages to understand that it has been withno desire to appear before the public as an author that I havepublished this Narrative of the Proceedings of Her Majesty's shipSamarang during her last Surveying Cruise. 

During the time that I was in the ship, I made a large collection ofdrawings, representing, I hope faithfully, the costumes of the nativesand the scenery of a country so new to Europeans. They were considered, on my return, as worthy to be presented to the public, as being morevoluminous and more characteristic than drawings made in haste usuallyare. 

I may here observe, that it has been a great error on the part of theAdmiralty, considering the great expense incurred in fitting outvessels for survey, that a little additional outlay is not made insupplying every vessel with a professional draughtsman, as wasinvariably the case in the first vessels sent out on discovery. Theduties of officers in surveying vessels are much too fatiguing andsevere to allow them the time to make anything but hasty sketches, andthey require that practice with the pencil without which natural talentis of little avail; the consequence is, that the engravings, which haveappeared in too many of the Narratives of Journeys and Expeditions, give not only an imperfect, but even an erroneous, idea of what theywould describe. 

A hasty pencil sketch, from an unpractised hand, is made over to anartist to reduce to proportion; from him it passes over to the hand ofan engraver, and an interesting plate is produced by their jointlabours. But, in this making up, the character and features of theindividual are lost, or the scenery is composed of foliage notindigenous to the country, but introduced by the artist to make a goodpicture. 

In describing people and countries hitherto unknown, no descriptiongiven by the pen will equal one correct drawing. How far I may havesucceeded must be decided by those who have, with me, visited the sameplaces and mixed with the people delineated. How I found time tocomplete the drawings is explained by my not doing any duty on board atone time, and at another by my having been discharged into thehospital-ship at Hong Kong. 

It was my intention to have published these drawings withoutletter-press, but in this I have been overruled. I have therefore beencompelled to have recourse to my own private journal, which certainlywas never intended for publication. As I proceeded, I found that, as Iwas not on board during the whole of the time, it would be better, andmake the work more perfect, if I published the whole of the cruise, which I could easily do by referring to the journals of my messmates. 

I would gladly mention their names, and publicly acknowledge theirassistance; but, all things considered, I think it as well to withholdthem, and I take this opportunity of thanking them for their kindness. 

FRANK S. MARRYAT. 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

LITHOGRAPHIC PLATES. 

Chinese Joss House _Frontispiece_

Bornese Vessel _Title-page_

Loondoo Dyak _To face page_ 5

River Sarawak and Townof Kuchin 6

Keeney-Ballo 59

Serebis Dyak 79

Saghai Dyak 80

War Dance of the Dyaks 85

Malay Chief (Sooloo) 101

Bruni 106

Court of the Sultan of Borneo 109

West Point, Hong Kong 142

View on the Island of Poo-too 151

Chinese Joss House at Ningpo 156

Quelpartians 182

Mandarin of Quelpart (Corea) 183

Japanese 185

Natives of Luzon (Philippines) 199

View in Samboangan 201

Illanoan Pirate 207

Dusum 210

Port Louis 220

WOODCUTS. 

Mr. Brooke's House 7

Dyak Head 13

Malays of Kuchin 23

Native of Batan 27

Native of Pa-tchu-san 31

Sooloo Village 42

Native Boat--Borneo 63

Dyak War Prahu 64

Dyak Women in Canoe 74

Teeth of Dyaks 79

Costumes of Dyak Women 80

Sum-pi-tan--Blow-pipe, with poisoned Arrows 80

Dyak Village 82

Obtaining Fire 89

View of Sincapore 93

Malay Woman 100

Proboscis Monkey 103

Natives of Bruni 108

City of Manilla 121

Procession of the Sultan ofGonong Tabor 133

Ears of Dyaks at Gonong Tabor 135

Portrait of Mahomed Pullulu, Sultan of Sooloo 139

Tanka Boats--Hong Kong 141

Chinese Fishermen 145

Cook's Shop 146

Pagoda--Ningpo 154

Tanka Boat Women 165

Man-of-War Junk 168

Trading Junks 169

Japanese Boat 184

Salt Smugglers 193

Spanish Galleon 196

Water Carriers--Manilla 199

Illanoan Pirates 208

Natives of N. E. Coast of Borneo 210

Convict 215

Kling Woman 216

BORNEO

AND

THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 

On the 25th of January, 1843, H. M. S. Samarang, being completelyequipped, went out of Portsmouth harbour and anchored at Spithead. Thecrew were paid advanced wages; and, five minutes after the money hadbeen put into their hats at the pay-table, it was all most dexterouslytransferred to the pockets of their wives, whose regard and affectionfor their husbands at this peculiar time was most exemplary. On thefollowing day, the crew of the Samarang made sail with full hearts andempty pockets. 

On the 25th February, sighted Fuerto Ventura: when off this island, theman at the mast-head reported a wreck in sight, which, as we neared it, appeared to be the wreck of a brig. Strange to say, the captainrecognised it as an old acquaintance, which he had seen off CapeFinisterre on his return from China in the Sulphur. If this was not amistake, it would be evidence of a southerly current in this quarter ofthe Atlantic. This may be, but I do not consider the proof to besufficient to warrant the fact; although it may lead to thesupposition. If this was the wreck seen at such a long interval by thecaptain, a succession of northerly winds and gales might have driven itdown so far to the southward without the assistance of any current. Itis well known that the great current of the Atlantic, the gulf stream(which is occasioned by the waters, being forced by the continuous tradewinds into the Gulf of Mexico, finding a vent to the northward by thecoast of America, from thence towards Newfoundland, and then in a moreeasterly direction), loses its force, and is expended to the northwardof the Western Islands; and this is the cause why so many rocks havebeen yearly reported to have been fallen in with in this latitude. Wrecks, all over the Atlantic, which have been water-logged but do notsink, are borne by the various winds and currents until they get intothe gulf stream, which sweeps them along in its course until they arriveto where its force is expended, and there they remain comparativelystationary. By this time, probably, years have passed, and they arecovered with sea-weeds and barnacles, and, floating three or four feetout of the water, have every appearance of rocks; and, indeed, if runupon on a dark night, prove nearly as fatal. 

March 3rd. --Anchored off the town of Porto Praya, Island of St. Jago, innine fathoms. Porto Praya is a miserable town, built on a most unhealthyspot, there being an extensive marsh behind it, which, from its miasma, creates a great mortality among the inhabitants. The consul is a nativeof Bona Vista: two English consuls having fallen victims to the climatein quick succession, no one was found very willing to succeed to such acertain provision from the Foreign Office. The interior of the islandis, however, very different from what would be expected from the sightof Porto Praya. Some of the officers paid a visit to the valley of St. Domingo, which they described as a perfect paradise, luxuriant withevery tropical fruit. Porto Praya is renowned for very large sharks. Iwas informed by a captain in Her Majesty's service, that once, when heanchored at Porto Praya, he had left the ship to go on shore in one ofthe twenty-two-foot gigs, not unaptly nick-named coffins in the service. He had not pulled more than a cable's length from the ship, when ashark, nearly as long as the gig, came up swimming with great velocityafter them; and as he passed, the animal shouldered the boat, so asnearly to upset it: as it was, the boat took in the water over thegunwale. As the animal appeared preparing for another attack, thecaptain thought it advisable to pull alongside, and go on shore in thecutter instead of his own boat; and on this large boat the shark did notmake a second attempt. 

April 25th. --Anchored in Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope. Sailed again onthe 7th of May, and fell in with a favourable wind; and too much of it. For six days we were scudding before it under a close-reefedmain-topsail and fore-staysail. On the 10th we lost one of the best menin the ship, the sailmaker, Charles Downing, who fell overboard; theship was rounded to, the life-buoy let go, but we saw nothing of him. June 7th saw Christmas Islands, and on the same afternoon the land ofJava. On the 11th we arrived off the town of Anger, in company with afleet of merchant vessels of all nations and of all rigs. Having been solong without a fresh meal, we were not sorry to find ourselvessurrounded by boats loaded with fish, fruit, and vegetables; we ateenormously, and they made us pay in proportion. 

On the 19th we arrived at Sincapore, and found the roads very gay withvessels of all descriptions, from the gallant free trader of 1000 tonsto the Chinese junk. As Sincapore, as well as many other places, wasmore than once visited, I shall defer my description for the present. OnJune the 27th we weighed and made sail for the river of Sarawak(Borneo), to pay a visit to Mr. Brooke, who resides at Kuchin, a townsituated on that river. 

The public have already been introduced to Mr. Brooke in the volumespublished by Captain Henry Keppel. Mr. Brooke is a gentleman ofindependent fortune, who was formerly in the service of the Company. Theusefulness and philanthropy of his public career are well known: if theprivate history which induced him to quit the service, and afterwardsexpatriate himself, could with propriety, and also regard to Mr. Brooke's feelings, be made known, it would redound still more to hishonour and his high principle; but these I have no right to make public. Mr. Brooke, having made up his mind to the high task of civilising abarbarous people, and by every means in his power of putting an end tothe wholesale annual murders committed by a nation of pirates, whosehands were, like Ishmael's, against every man, sailed from England inhis yacht, the Royalist schooner, with a crew of picked and tried men, and proceeded to Sarawak, where he found the rajah, Muda Hassein, theuncle to the reigning sultan of Borneo, engaged in putting down theinsurrection of various chiefs of the neighbouring territory. Mr. Brooke, with his small force, gave his assistance to the rajah; andthrough his efforts, and those of his well-armed band, the refractorychiefs were reduced to obedience. Willing to retain such a powerfulally, and partial to the English, the rajah made Mr. Brooke mostsplendid promises to induce him to remain; but the rajah, like allAsiatics, did not fulfil the performance of these promises until aftermuch delay and vexation to Mr. Brooke, who required all the courage andpatience with which he is so eminently gifted, before he could obtainhis ends. At last he was successful: Muda Hassein made over to him alarge tract of land, over which he was constituted rajah, and Mr. Brooketook up his residence at Kuchin; and this grant was ultimately confirmedby the seal of the sultan of Borneo. Such, in few words, is the historyof Mr. Brooke: if the reader should wish for a more detailed account, Imust refer him to Capt. Henry Keppel's work, in which is published agreat portion of Mr. Brooke's own private memoranda. 

[Illustration: LOONDOO DYAK. 

(N. W. COAST OF BORNEO. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

On the morning of the 29th June we saw the high land of Borneo, but forseveral days were unsuccessful in discovering the mouth of the river. Onthe night of July the 4th we anchored off the entrance of a river, whichthe captain supposed to be the Sarawak. The next morning the two barges, well armed, were sent up the river to obtain information. After pullingwith the stream six or eight miles, they discovered a small canoe, which, on their approach, retreated up the river with great speed. Mr. Heard, the officer in charge of the boats, had taken the precaution, ashe ascended the river, of cutting a palm branch for each boat, and thesewere now displayed at the bows as a sign of peaceable intentions. 

These universal tokens of amity reassured the natives, who, seeing them, now turned the bows of their canoes, and paddled towards the boats. Thecanoe contained four men, almost in a state of nudity, their onlycovering consisting of a narrow slip of cotton fastened round themiddle. They were copper-coloured, and extremely ugly: their hair jetblack, very long, and falling down the back; eyes were also black, anddeeply sunk in the head, giving a vindictive appearance to thecountenance; nose flattened; mouth very large; the lips of a brightvermilion, from the chewing of the betel-nut; and, to add to theirugliness, their teeth black, and filed to sharp points. Such is thepersonal appearance of a Loondoo Dyak. 

They informed us that the river we were then in was the Loondoo, andthat the Sarawak was some distance to the eastward. They also gave usthe information that the boats of the Dido had been engaged withpirates, and had been successful, having captured one prahu and sunkanother. After great persuasion, we induced one of them to accompany usto the ship, and pilot her to the Sarawak. 

The same evening we weighed anchor, and stood towards a remarkablepromontory (Tangong Sipang), to the eastward of which is the principalentrance of the Sarawak river; a second, but less safe, entrance beingwithin a mile of the promontory. Light and variable winds prevented ourarrival at the mouth of the river until the evening of the followingday. From thence, after two days' incessant kedging and towing, weanchored off the town of Kuchin, on the morning of the 8th instant. Thetown of Kuchin is built on the left-hand side of the river Sarawak goingup; and, from the windings of the river, you have to pull twenty-fivemiles up the river to arrive at it, whereas it is only five miles fromthe coast as the crow flies. It consists of about 800 houses, built onpiles driven into the ground, the sides and roofs being enclosed withdried palm leaves. Strips of bamboo are laid across, which serve as afloor. In fact, there is little difference between these houses andthose built by the Burmahs and other tribes in whose countries bambooand ratan are plentiful. The houses of Mr. Brooke and the rajah are muchsuperior to any others, having the advantage and comfort of wooden sidesand floorings. We visited the rajah several times, who invariablyreceived us with urbanity, and entertained us in a very hospitablemanner. Muda Hassein is a man about fifty years of age, --some thinkmore, --of low stature, as are most of the Malays, well made, and with avery prepossessing countenance for a Malay. His brother, Budruden, is amuch finer man, very agreeable, and very partial to the English. TheMalays profess Mahomedanism; but Budruden in many points followedEuropean customs, both in dress and drinking wine. 

[Illustration: RIVER SARAWACK AND TOWN OF KUCHIN. 

(BORNEO. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

The residence of Mr. Brooke is on the side of the river opposite to thetown, as, for the most part, are all the houses of the Europeans. Instructure it somewhat resembles a Swiss cottage, and is erected upon agreen mound, which slopes down to the river's bank, where there is alanding-place for boats. At the back of the house is a garden, containing almost every tree peculiar to the climate; and it was anovelty to us to see collected together the cotton-tree, the areca, sago, palm, &c. , with every variety of the Camellia japonica in a stateof most luxurious wildness. 

[Illustration: MR. BROOKE'S HOUSE. ]

The establishment consists of six Europeans, and the house contains onelarge receiving-room, and several smaller ones, appropriated to theresidents as sleeping apartments, besides Mr. Brooke's own privaterooms. The large room is decorated with rifles, swords, and otherinstruments of warfare, European and native; and it is in this room thatthe European rajah gives his audiences: and it is also in this room thatevery day, at five o'clock, a capital dinner is served up, to which wewere made heartily welcome. During our stay, Mr. Brooke, accompanied byseveral of our officers and some of the residents, made an excursion upthe river. We started early in the morning, with a flowing tide; and, rapidly sweeping past the suburbs of the town, which extend somedistance up the river, we found ourselves gliding through mostinteresting scenery. On either side, the river was bounded by gloomyforests, whose trees feathered down to the river's bank, the waterreflecting their shadows with peculiar distinctness. Occasionally thescene was diversified by a cleared spot amidst this wilderness, where, perchance, a half-ruined hut, apparently not inhabited for years, theremains of a canoe, together with fragments of household utensils, wereto be seen, proving that once it had been the abode of those who hadbeen cut off by some native attack, and probably the heads of its formeroccupants were now hanging up in some skull-house belonging to anothertribe. The trees were literally alive with monkeys and squirrels, whichquickly decamped as we approached them. Several times we were startledby the sudden plunge of the alligators into the water, close to theboats, and of whose propinquity we were not aware until they made theplunge. All these rivers are infested with alligators, and I believethey are very often mischievous; at all events, one of our youngsterswas continually in a small canoe, paddling about, and the nativescautioned us that if he was not careful he certainly would be taken byone of these animals. 

Early in the afternoon we disembarked at a Chinese village twenty-fivemiles from Kuchin. The inhabitants of this village work the gold andantimony mines belonging to Mr. Brooke. We remained there for thenight, and the next morning proceeded further up the river, and landedat another village, where we breakfasted, and then proceeded on foot tovisit the mines. Our path lay through dense forests of gigantic trees, whose branches met and interlaced overhead, shading us from the burningrays of the sun. At times we would emerge from the wood, and findourselves passing through cultivated patches of ravines, enclosed on allsides by lofty mountains, covered with foliage. In these spots we founda few natives with their families, who seemed to be contented in theirperfect isolation; for in these secluded spots generations may passaway, and know no world beyond their own confines of forest jungle. Attimes our route was over mountains, whose appearance was so formidablethat our hearts almost failed us at the prospect of having to scalethem; but we succeeded beyond our expectations, and at length arrived atthe antimony village, not a little pleased at our labours being ended. Our spirits, which had been flagging, were revived by a pull at thebottle. From our resting-place we had a good view of the mine, which isa source of great profit to Mr. Brooke. The antimony is obtained fromthe side of a hill, the whole of which is supposed to be formed of thisvaluable mineral. The side at which the men are at work shines likesilver during the day, and may be seen several miles distant, strangelycontrasting with the dark foliage of the adjoining jungles. The ore isconveyed to Kuchin, and is there shipped on board of the Royalist, (Mr. Brooke's schooner yacht, ) and taken to Sincapore, where it is eagerlypurchased by the merchants, and shipped for England. 

After partaking of a little refreshment we set off, through woods andover mountains, as before, to visit the gold mine. On our arrival atevery village on the road, a certain number of guns were fired by thenatives, in honour of the European rajah; and the same ceremony wasrepeated when we left it. It was late in the afternoon before wearrived at the village attached to the gold mine. It is prettilysituated in the depth of a valley, through which runs a small rivulet. 

On every side mountains soar into the clouds, which must be passedbefore you can reach the village. Dinner had been prepared for us by theinhabitants of the village, who were a colony of Chinese; and it wasserved up in a large building dedicated to Joss, whose shrine wasbrilliantly illuminated with candles and joss-sticks. Some of theofficers unthinkingly lighted their cigars at the altar. The Chinese, observing it, requested very civilly that they would do so no more; arequest which was, of course, complied with. After dinner we allproceeded to the rivulet, in search of gold; the natives had cleared outthe bed of the river; the sand and stones were thrown into an artificialsluice for washing it; and a little gold was found by some of the party. This gold mine, if it may be so called, is worth to Mr. Brooke about1000l. Per annum, after all the expenses are paid. Its real value ismuch greater; but the Chinese conceal a great quantity, and appropriateit to themselves. But if the particles of gold which are brought down bya small rivulet are of such value, what may be the value of the minesabove, in the mountains as yet untrodden by human feet? This, it is tobe hoped, enterprise will some day reveal. 

We remained at the village that night, and at daylight commenced ourjourney back to the village from which we had started the day before. There we embarked, and proceeded down the river to the first Chinesevillage, at which we arrived in the course of the afternoon. A shortdistance inland is a mountain, called Sarambo, which it was proposed toascend, as, by our telescopes, we could perceive houses near to itssummit, and were told it was the residence of some of the mountain Dyaksunder Mr. Brooke's sway. From the village this mountain wore theappearance of a huge sugar-loaf, and its sides appeared inaccessible. Mr. Brooke, with his usual kindness, gave his consent, and despatched amessenger to the Dyak village, requesting the chief to send a party downby daylight the next morning, to convey our luggage up the mountain. Atday-dawn we were awakened by a confused noise outside of the house, and, looking out, we perceived that more than a score of these mountain Dyakshad arrived. Most of them had nothing on but the usual strip of cotton;some few had on red baize jackets. They all wore a peculiar kind of_kris_, and many had spears, sampitans, and shields. They werefine-limbed men, with muscles strongly developed. Their hair fell downtheir backs, and nearly reached their middle: it was prevented fromfalling over the face by a fillet of grass, which was ornamented withmountain flowers. 

After a hurried breakfast we set off for the foot of the mountain, ourparty amounting to about eighty people. The guides led the way, followedby the Europeans; and the Dyaks, with the luggage, brought up the rear. In this order we commenced the ascent. Each person was provided with abamboo, which was found indispensable; and thus, like a party ofpilgrims, we proceeded on our way; and before we had gone very far, wediscovered that we were subjected to severe penance. The mountain wasnearly perpendicular. In some places we had to ascend by a single pieceof wood, with rough notches for the feet, resting against a rock twentyor thirty feet above our heads; and on either side was a precipice, sothat a false step must have been certain death. In other places a singlepiece of bamboo was thrown over a frightful chasm, by way of bridge. This, with a slight bamboo rail for the hand, was all that we had totrust to. The careful manner in which we passed these dangers was asource of great laughter and amusement to the Dyaks who followed us. Accustomed from infancy to tread these dangerous paths, although heavilyladen, they scorned to support themselves. Some of our party were nearlyexhausted, and a long way in the rear before we came to the village. Wehad to wait for their coming up, and threw ourselves under the shade ofsome huge trees, that we might contemplate the bird's-eye view beneath. It was a sight which must be seen to be appreciated. Almost as far asthe eye could reach was one immense wooded plain, bounded by loftymountains in the far distance, whose tops pierced the clouds. The riversappeared like silver threads, running through the jungles; now breakingoff, and then regained. At our feet lay the village we had started from, the houses of which appeared like mere points. Shakspeare Cliff was asnothing to it, and his beautiful lines would have fallen very short ofthe mark; and while we gazed, suddenly a cloud below us would passbetween us and the view, and all would be hidden from the sight. Thus wewere far above the clouds, and then the clouds would break, and open, and pass and repass over each other, until, like the dissolving views, all was clear again, although the landscape was not changed. It wastowards noon before we saw the first mountain village, which we did notimmediately enter, as we waited the arrival of the laggards: we stopped, therefore, at a spring of cold water, and enjoyed a refreshing wash. Here we fell in with some pretty Dyak girls, very scantily clothed, whowere throwing water at each other in sport. We soon came in for aplentiful share, which we returned with interest; and in this amusingcombat we passed half an hour, until all had joined the party. We thenentered the village, which was situated in a grove of trees. The houseswere built upon posts, as those down by the river side. They wereimmensely large, with a bamboo platform running the whole length of thebuilding, and divided into many compartments, in each of which a Dyakfamily resides. We were escorted, through a crowd of wondering Dyaks, toa house in the centre of the village, which was very different inconstruction from the others. It was perfectly round, and wellventilated by numerous port-holes in the roof, which was pointed. Weascended to the room above by means of a rough ladder, and when weentered we were rather taken aback at finding that we were in the HeadHouse, as it is termed, and that the beams were lined with human heads, all hanging by a small line passed through the top of the skull. Theywere painted in the most fantastic and hideous manner; pieces of wood, painted to imitate the eyes, were inserted into the sockets, and addednot a little to their ghastly grinning appearance. The strangest part ofthe story, and which added very much to the effect of the scene, was, that these skulls were perpetually moving to and fro, and knockingagainst, each other. This, I presume, was occasioned by the differentcurrents of air blowing in at the port-holes cut in the roof; but whatwith their continual motion, their nodding their chins when they hiteach other, and their grinning teeth, they really appeared to be endowedwith new life, and were a very merry set of fellows. However, whatevermight be the first impression occasioned by this very unusual sight, itvery soon wore off, and we amused ourselves with those motions whichwere "not life, " as Byron says; and, in the course of the day, succeededin making a very excellent dinner in company with these gentlemen, although we were none of us sufficiently Don Giovannis to invite ourfriends above to supper. We visited three villages on the Sarambomountain. Each of these villages was governed by a chief of its own, butthey were subordinate to the great chief, residing in the first village. 

[Illustration: DYAK HEAD. ]

In the evening the major portion of the population came to the HeadHouse, to exhibit to us their national dances. The music was composed oftwo gongs and two large bamboo drums. The men stood up first, in warcostume, brandishing their spears and shields, and throwing themselvesinto the most extraordinary attitudes, as they cut with their knives atsome imaginary enemy; at the same time uttering the most unearthlyyells, in which the Dyak spectators joined, apparently highly delightedwith the exhibition. The women then came forward, and went through avery unmeaning kind of dance, keeping time with their hands and feet;but still it was rather a relief after the noise and yelling from whichwe had just suffered. The chief, Macuta, expressing a wish to see aspecimen of our dancing, not to let them suppose we were not as warlikeas themselves, two of the gig's boat's crew stood up, and went throughthe evolutions of the broad-sword exercise in a very creditable manner. After this performance one of the seamen danced the sailor's hornpipe, which brought forth a torrent of yells instead of bravos, but theycertainly meant the same thing. By this time, the heat from a largefire, with the smell of humanity in so crowded a room, became sooverpowering, that I was glad to leave the Head House to get a littlefresh air, and my ears relieved from the dinning of the drums and gongs. It was a beautiful starry night, and, strolling through the village, Isoon made acquaintance with a native Dyak, who requested me to enter hishouse. He introduced me to his family, consisting of several fine girlsand a young lad. The former were naked from the shoulders to below thebreasts, where a pair of stays, composed of several circles ofwhalebone, with brass fastenings, were secured round their waists; andto the stays was attached a cotton petticoat, reaching to below theirknees. This was the whole of their attire. They were much shorter thanEuropean women, but well made; very interesting in their appearance, andaffable and friendly in their manners. Their eyes were dark andpiercing, and I may say there was something wicked in their furtiveglances; their noses were but slightly flattened; the mouth ratherlarge; but when I beheld the magnificent teeth which required all itssize to display, I thought this rather an advantage. Their hair wassuperlatively beautiful, and would have been envied by many a courtlydame. It was jet black, and of the finest texture, and hung in gracefulmasses down the back, nearly reaching to the ground. A mountain Dyakgirl, if not a beauty, has many most beautiful points; and, at allevents, is very interesting and, I may say, pretty. They have good eyes, good teeth, and good hair;--more than good: I may say splendid;--andthey have good manners, and know how to make use of their eyes. I shall, therefore, leave my readers to form their own estimates by mydescription. Expecting to meet some natives in my ramble, I had filledmy pockets with ship's biscuit, and which I now distributed among theladies, who appeared very grateful, as they rewarded me, while theymunched it, by darting wicked glances from their laughing eyes. 

Observing that the lad wore a necklace of human teeth round his neck, his father explained to me, in pantomime, that they were the teeth of anenemy whom he slew in battle, and whose head was now in the Head House. 

As it was getting late I bade my new friends farewell, by shaking handsall round. The girls laughed immoderately at this way of biddinggood-bye, which, of course, was to them quite novel. I regrettedafterwards that I had not attempted the more agreeable way of biddingladies farewell, which, I presume, they would have understood better; asI believe kissing is an universal language, perfectly understood fromthe equator to the pole. 

At daylight the next morning we descended the mountain, and, embarkingin the boats, arrived at the ship late in the afternoon. 

While at Sarawak we witnessed a very strange ceremony. Hearing a greatnoise in a house, we entered, and found ourselves in a large roomcrowded to excess by a numerous assemblage, singing in any thing butharmony. They proved to be natives of Java, assembled for the purpose ofcelebrating one of their festivals. On our entrance into the house, wewere literally covered by the inmates with perfumes of the mostdelightful fragrance. Some of these odours were in a liquid state, andwere poured down our backs, or upon our heads; others were in a state ofpowder, with which we were plentifully besprinkled. We were thenescorted into the centre of the room, where we found a circle of elderlymen, who were reading portions of their sacred books, and their voiceswere accompanied by music from instruments of native manufacture. Wewere treated with great attention, being permitted to enter the circleof the elders, who ordered the attendants to hand us refreshments, whichconsisted of cakes made of rice and cocoa-nut oil, and Sam-schoo. Someof our party, having become slightly elevated, volunteered a song, whichproposition was opposed by the more reasonable. The Javanese wereappealed to by the former, and they gave their votes in favour of thesong. It was accordingly sung by our whole party, much to the delight ofour kind entertainers, who, no doubt, considered that we felt andappreciated their rites. At length we took our leave, well pleased withour novel entertainment. So well did we succeed in making ourselvesagreeable, that we received an invitation for the following night. 

July 10th. --In the evening a display of fireworks took place, notice ofwhich had been given to the rajah, and, indeed, to the whole populationof Kuchin, who had all assembled near to the ship, to witness what theyconsidered a most wonderful sight. Seamen were stationed at all theyard-arms, flying jib, and driver booms, with blue-lights, which werefired simultaneously with the discharge of a dozen rockets, and thegreat gun of a royal salute. The echoes reverberated for at least aminute after the last gun of the salute had been fired; and, judging bythe yells of the natives, the display must have created a strongsensation. Immediately after the salute, the anchor was weighed, and wecommenced dropping down the river with the ebb tide; but we soongrounded on the mud, and we remained all night with the bowsprit in thebushes which grow on the banks of the river. 

The ship floated the next morning; the anchor was weighed, and with theassistance of the ebb tide, we dropped down the river at the rate offive miles per hour. As we were nearing a cluster of dangerous rocks, about a mile below Kuchin, we found that the ship was at the mercy ofthe rapid tide; and, notwithstanding all our endeavours, the ship struckon the rocks. Anchors were immediately laid out, but to no effect: thewater rapidly shallowed, and we gave up all thoughts of getting offuntil the next flood tide. As the water left the ship, she fell over tostarboard, and, an hour after she had grounded, she listed to starboard25 degrees. Our position was now becoming critical: the main deck portshad been shipped some time previous, but this precaution did not preventthe water from gaining entrance on the main and lower decks. As shestill continued to heel over to starboard, a hawser was taken on shore, and, by purchases, set taut to the mast head; but before this could beaccomplished she had filled so much that it proved useless. 

A boat was now despatched to Kuchin, to acquaint Mr. Brooke with ourdisaster, and to request the assistance of the native boats. During theabsence of the boats, the top-gallant-masts had been sent down, andtopmasts lowered; but the ship was now careening over 46 degrees, andfull of water. All hopes of getting her off were therefore, for thepresent, abandoned; and we commenced removing every thing that could betaken out of her in the boats. The surveying instruments and othervaluables, were sent up to Kuchin in the gig; and afterwards every thingthat could be obtained from the ship was brought up in the native boats, as well as the whole crew of the Samarang. Mr. Brooke insisted upon allthe officers making a temporary abode at his house, and prepared a shedfor the crew. An excellent dinner was laid before the officers, while asubstantial mess of fowls and rice was served out to the crew. In fact, the kindness of Mr. Brooke was beyond all bounds. The gentlemen whoresided with him, as well as himself, provided us with clothes fromtheir own wardrobes, and during our protracted stay did all in theirpower to make us comfortable; indeed, I may safely say, that we were sohappy and comfortable, that there were but very few of the officers andcrew of the Samarang that ever wished to see her afloat again. But Imust return to my narrative. 

The morning after our disaster we went down to the ship, and commencedrecovering provisions and stores, sending down masts and yards, andevery other article deemed necessary; and this was continued for severaldays: during which the midshipmen, petty officers, and seamen wereremoved to the opposite shore, where two houses had been, by Mr. Brooke, prepared for their reception. Our house, (the midshipmen's) wechristened Cockpit Hall; it was very romantically situate in the middleof a plantation of cocoa nut, palm, banana, and plantain trees. It wasseparated from the house in which the seamen were barracked by a smallkind of jungle, not more than 300 yards in extent, but so intricate thatwe constantly lost our way in it, and had to shout and receive ananswer, or go back and take a fresh departure. Our garden, in whichthere was a delightful spring of cold water, extended on a gentle slopeabout a hundred yards in front of the house, where its base was wateredby a branch of the Sarawak; in which we refreshed ourselves by bathingmorning and evening, in spite of the numerous alligators and watersnakes with which the river abounds. But our incautious gambols receiveda check. Two of our party agreed to proceed to the mouth of the branch Ihave mentioned, to determine which could return with the greatestspeed. They had commenced their swimming race, when we, who stood ashoreas umpires, observed an enormous water snake, with head erect, makingfor the two swimmers. We cried out to them to hasten on shore, whichthey did; while we kept up a rapid discharge of stones at the head ofthe brute, who was at last driven off in another direction. Thisincident induced us to be more cautious, and to keep within safeboundary for the future. 

Our repose at Cockpit Hall was, however, much disturbed by the nightlyvisits of wild hogs, porcupines, wild cats, guanos, and various otheranimals, some of which made dreadful noises. When they paid us theirvisits, we all turned out, and, armed with muskets, commenced an assaultupon them, which soon caused them to evacuate our domain; but similarsuccess did not attend our endeavours to dislodge the swarms ofmusquitos, scorpions, lizards, and centipedes from our habitations. Theysecreted themselves in the thatch, and the sides of the house during theday, and failed not to disturb with their onslaughts during the whole ofthe night. 

July 22d. --Mr. Hooper, the purser, was despatched in the Royalist toSincapore, to purchase provisions and obtain assistance from any of themen-of-war who might be lying in the roads. 

It is not necessary to enter into a minute detail of the service whichwe were now employed upon. It certainly was not a service of love, as wehad to raise a ship which we hoped would remain where she was. To enterinto particulars, technical terms must be resorted to, which would onlypuzzle the reader. The position of the Samarang was simply this: she layon a rock, and had filled by careening over; as long as she was on herside, the water rose and fell in her with the flood and ebb of the tide;but if once we could get her on an even keel, as soon as the water lefther with the ebb of the tide, all we had to do was to pump her out, andthen she would float again. To effect this, we had to lighten her asmuch as possible, by taking out of her her guns and stores of everydescription; then to get purchases on her from the shore, and assist thepurchases with rafts under her bilge, so as to raise her again upon aneven keel. On the second day after she filled, when the tide had runout, we removed all our chests from the lower deck; most of them werebroken, and a large proportion of the contents missing. On the 27th Mayevery thing had been prepared, and the attempt to get the vessel on aneven keel was made, and it proved successful, as it well might with thevariety of purchases, and the force of men we had at our disposition. When we repaired to the ship with 100 Malays to man the purchase-falls, the tide was ebbing fast, and the pumps were immediately set to work; sothat at midnight, when the tide commenced flowing, the ship was nearlyfree of water. The purchases were then manned, and with the assistanceof the rafts the ship gradually righted. The following day, abouthalf-past two in the morning, the ship was free of water, and had risento a careen of 30°; at 3 o'clock she floated into deep water, and wasthen anchored. During the forenoon of the same day the ship was towed toher former anchoring ground off Kuchin. The same night the Harlequin andRoyalist arrived in the river, and a day or two afterwards a brig andschooner came over with the intention of bidding for the remains of theship, and of stocking the officers with clothes and necessaries. Thiswas a losing speculation, as may be imagined, arising from a reporthaving been circulated that it was impossible to raise the ship, whereas, as the reader will perceive, there was very little difficultyin so doing, nothing but sufficient strength being required. 

Our ship, as may be supposed, was in a most filthy state after the lateimmersion. Plunging into a river does not clean a vessel, although itdoes a man. The decks were literally coated with mud and slime, whichemitted the most foetid odour. Silver spoons, watches, and valuables ofevery description, were everywhere strewed about, few of which everreached their rightful owners; for the Malays who were employed to cleanthe ship had an eye to business, and secreted every thing which wasportable. By dint of great exertion, the ship was in a few days ready toreceive her tanks, guns, and stores, which were embarked by theHarlequin's boats and boats' crews. She was soon in a forward state, andan expedition was formed to survey a part of the coast during thecompletion of her refitting. The gig and one of the barges were fittedout for this service, and on August the 13th, at daylight, we leftKuchin, well armed, and provisioned for ten days. At 10 A. M. We droppedanchor under the Peak of Santabong, from which the branch of the Sarawakwe were then in derives its name. Here we remained a short time torefresh the men, who had not ceased tugging at the oar from the timethat we started. The foot of the Santabong mountain is about a quarterof a mile from the river. It then ascends almost perpendicularly to agreat height, towering far above the neighbouring mountains. Afterwardsit runs seaward for a mile or two, and terminates in a remarkable peak, which forms the eastern horn of the extensive bay between it and TanjonDatu. Here we were about a week, during which time we had extended oursurvey to the last-mentioned cape, which is about forty miles to thewestward of Santabong. While in the vicinity of Datu, a strict watch waskept, that we might have timely notice of the approach of any prahus. Ashort distance from the cape is a delightful bay studded with smallislets, which is known by the appellation of Pirate's Bay, so calledfrom its being a favourite resort of the Illanoan pirates. It was inthis bay that the Dido's boats were anchored when they were surprised byseveral piratical prahus, the look-out men in the European boats, exhausted by the heat and long pulling at the oar, having fallen asleep. They had scarcely time to cut the cables and grasp their weapons erethey were assailed on all sides by the pirates, who felt confident ofsuccess, from having found them napping. But they little knew whatpeople they had to deal with, and if Jack was asleep when they made theattack, they found him wide awake when they came to close quarters. Alltheir endeavours to board in the face of the rapid fire of the boats'guns and small arms proved abortive, and they soon discovered that itwould be quite sufficient for their purpose if, instead of capturing theboats, they could make their own escape. One of the prahus, pierced bythe well-directed shot, foundered, another was abandoned, and the rest, favoured by darkness, made their escape. For a more detailed account, Imust refer the reader to Captain Keppel's work on Borneo. 

During the survey, we visited the islands of Talen Talen--the Malay wordfor turtle. These islands are the property of Mr. Brooke. A few Malayslived on the largest of them for the purpose of getting turtle eggs, with which they supply the trading prahus, who continually call here tolay in a stock of these eggs, which are considered a great luxury by theMalays. We landed with Mr. Williamson, the Malay interpreter at Sarawak, belonging to Mr. Brooke's establishment. We were well received by theMalays, who knew Mr. Williamson well, and he informed them that ourobject was to procure a live turtle. They requested us to take ourchoice of the numerous turtle then lying on the beach. We selected oneof about three cwt. ; but although the turtles are never turned on thisisland, she appeared to be aware that such was our intention, andscuttled off as fast as she could for the water; however, we interceptedher, and with some difficulty secured our prize. From one of thenumerous nests on the beach we took 600 turtle eggs. As many thousandscould have been as easily procured, but we had sufficient for our wants. The Malays watch during the night, to ascertain where the turtledeposits her eggs, for as soon as she has finished her task, she coversthem with her nippers with sand, and immediately retires into the sea. Apiece of wood is then set up as a mark for the nest, which is rifled asoccasion requires. It is a curious fact that the male turtle neverlands. 

[Illustration: MALAYS OF KUCHIN. ]

After visiting several villages on the coast, we returned to Kuchin onSaturday the 19th, when we found that death had deprived us of our onlymusician on board the ship, a loss which was much felt by the crew, ashe contributed much to their amusement. One of the supernumerary boyshad also fallen a victim to the dysentery; but, although we deplored ourloss, we had great reason to be thankful that it had been no greater, ason the day we left Kuchin, we had upwards of seventy men on the sickreport. The same day, at noon, the anchor was weighed, and we droppeddown the river with the ebb tide. Strange to say, in spite of all ourprecautions, we struck on the same reef of rocks again; fortunately, however, the ship turned with the tide and grounded in the mud close tothe bushes, from whence there was no extricating her till the flood tidehad made. In the afternoon, when it was low water, a very largealligator was discovered asleep upon the rocks, which had been properlychristened the Samarang Rocks, and which were now, at low ebb, severalfeet above water. A party of officers and marines pulled towards him, and fired a volley at him. The brute was evidently wounded, as he sprangup several feet in the air, and then disappeared under the water. Shortly after he again made his appearance, having landed on theopposite side of the river; his assailants again gave chase, and againwounded him, but he shuffled into the river and escaped. 

At three in the afternoon, we were much pleased at the arrival of theDiana, one of the Company's steamers, sent from Sincapore to ourassistance. She proved extremely useful, for that night we gainedfifteen miles, when we again grounded and remained all night. On thefollowing day, at eleven A. M. , a cloud of thick smoke was observedrising above the jungle, which we immediately decided to proceed from asteamer. Shortly afterwards two masts appeared above the trees, and atone of them the Vixen's number was flying: she soon hove in sight. Weweighed, and with the Harlequin, were towed down the river at a rapidpace. When we arrived at the entrance we anchored, finding there theWanderer, and being joined soon afterwards by the Ariel, Royalist, andDiana, we formed a squadron of six vessels. 

On the 23d August, the Samarang, Harlequin, Ariel, and Royalist, weighedanchor and steered along the coast for Borneo Proper, where we arrivedon Tuesday the 29th. On the Thursday following, Mr. Brooke, accompaniedby the captains of the three men-of-war and some officers, started inone of the barges for the city of Bruni, which was about eighteen milesfrom our anchorage. They had an audience with the sultan, but upon whatcause I do not exactly know. They were treated with great civility, andreturned to the ship about one o'clock on the following morning. Mydescription of Bruni I shall reserve for a future visit. On the 5th ofSeptember we made sail for Hong Kong, with the Vixen in company, leavingthe Ariel and Royalist to carry Mr. Brooke and the rajah's brother downto Sarawak. The Harlequin sailed for Sincapore. The Vixen having partedcompany to obtain fuel at Manilla, we continued our course to Hong Kong, where we arrived on the 14th inst. , and found there Admirals Parker andCochrane, in their respective ships the Cornwallis and Agincourt, withothers of the squadron. We sailed again on the 2d of November, and afterworking up the coast of China for a week, we steered to the eastward, and on the 12th sighted the Bashee group. Here our surveying dutiescommenced in earnest, as we left the ship at four A. M. And did notreturn till darkness put an end to our labours. The governor of thisgroup of islands sent a letter to our captain requesting the pleasure ofseeing the ship in San Domingo Bay, where wood, water, and live stockcould be obtained on reasonable terms. This letter was accompanied witha present of fruit and vegetables. A few days afterwards, we worked upto San Domingo Bay (Batan Island), and we were much surprised on ourarrival to perceive that the town had a cathedral, of apparently ancientarchitecture, besides several houses built on the European style. Theremainder of the town, which is of some extent, was composed of housesbuilt of bamboo, and thatched with palm leaves. 

We anchored late in the afternoon, and were boarded by a Spanishmilitary officer, who, to judge by certain signs and peculiarities, hadbeen imbibing something stronger than water. The captain and some ofthe officers went on shore, to call upon the governor. The governor'shouse was distinguished by a flag-staff, with the Spanish colours, or, rather, a remnant of the Spanish colours; and around the door stood agroup of most indifferently clad Luzonian soldiers, turned out, wepresumed, as a guard of honour. The governor was as much in dishabilleas his troops, and shortly afterwards the party was joined by twopriests and the governor's wife, a very pretty Creole, about twentyyears of age. We were regaled with wine and chocolate, and parted latein the evening, on very friendly terms. The governor's house is amiserable abode: it has but one story, and the basement is a barrack forthe soldiers. The upper part, inhabited by the governor, was veryscantily furnished: a few old chairs, a couple of tables, and the wallswhitewashed and decorated with prints of the Virgin Mary and hisexcellency's patron saint. The house of the priests, which adjoined thecathedral, was in much better repair, and more gaudy in the inside. 

There are three missions in Batan, each settlement having its cathedraland officiating priests. The natives, who are a distinct race, arewell-proportioned, of a copper colour, and medium stature. They are veryugly: their hair is black, and cut short. Their usual dress consists ofa piece of cotton, passed round the loins, and a peculiar-lookingconical hat, surmounted with a tuft of goat's hair. In rainy weatherthey wear a cloak of rushes, through which the water cannot penetrate. The sole covering of the women is a piece of cotton, fastened below thebosom, and reaching down to the knee. Almost the whole of the Basheegroup of islands are very mountainous. At the back of San Domingo theland rises to a great height, forming a remarkable peak, which can beseen many leagues distant. Bullocks, goats, pigs, and vegetables, can beobtained at a very moderate price; but very little fruit is grown, thenatives usually preferring to cultivate yams, cocoas, and sweetpotatoes. The sugar-cane is cultivated, and the tobacco grown here isconsidered, with great justice, far superior to any grown at Luzon. After a week's stay at San Domingo we ran down to Ivana, one of themissions, and made a rough survey of the bay. The mission house at thisplace was fitted up with every comfort, and we even found luxuries whichwe looked in vain for at San Domingo. 

[Illustration: NATIVE OF BATAN. ]

After completing the survey of this portion of the island, the governor(who had accompanied us from San Domingo) and a party of us set off toreturn to San Domingo by land. Our path lay over mountains nearly 2000feet in height, from the summit of which every point and inlet could bediscerned, over the whole of the group which lay below, exactly as ifthey were laid down on a chart. Our walk was very fatiguing, and we wereall rejoiced when, from an eminence, we descried the village of SanCarlos, the residence of the warm-hearted and hospitable FatherNicholas. We descended into the vale, and were heartily welcomed by thejolly old priest, who regaled us with all that his larder could supplyus. It had been arranged that the ship should leave Ivana for SanDomingo on the following morning. At the entreaty of the good padre weremained at San Carlos all night, and the following morning returned toSan Domingo, the ship anchoring in the bay on the same afternoon. We hadnow become quite domesticated with the friendly Spaniards. In theevenings we were received by an assemblage of the natives at thegovernor's house. They were dressed in their best, and went through anunmeaning dance, which was kept up till a late hour. 

On the 27th November we left Batan, and its kind inhabitants, whoexacted a promise that we would return at some future period, and shapeda course for the Madjicosima islands, which are subject to the kingdomof Loo Choo. On the afternoon of the 1st of December land was discoveredahead, and a few hours afterwards we anchored in a narrow passage, surrounded by reefs on every side. We were anchored off the island ofPa-tchu-san, one of the group: it was very mountainous. On the followingmorning the captain and some of the officers went on shore. They werereceived by several hundred natives, who saluted them as they passed ontheir way to a temporary shed, where a levee was held by all theprincipal mandarins. Our Chinese interpreter, who was a native ofCanton, explained the captain's wishes, and the nature of the servicethat we were employed on. They appeared uneasy at the proposal of oursurveying the whole group, and informed the captain that they wouldrefer the question to the viceroy, and give him a final answer on themorrow. This answer was in the affirmative, and a few days afterwards wecommenced our survey of the islands. We were attended by the natives, who furnished us with horses, and anticipated our wishes in every thingthat could make us comfortable. On the first day, at sunset, we arrivedat a temple dedicated to Fo, romantically situated in a grove of trees, which concealed the elevation until you were within a few yards of it. Here it was proposed to take up our quarters for the night, and a moredelightful spot could not well be imagined than our resting-place. 

The temple was built at the foot of a hill, within a few hundred yardsof the sea. Lights were displayed as a signal to the stragglers, groupsof whom might be seen by the light of the moon, reposing themselves onthe ridge behind us. The glare of the torches brought them all down tous, both men and horses anxious for rest after the arduous toil of theday. Just as I was dropping off to sleep, one of my messmates said toanother, "I say, Jemmy, I wonder whether your mother has any idea thatyou are sleeping in the temple of Fo, on the island of Pa-tchu-san?" Aloud snore was the only reply, proving that the party addressed wasunconscious of the island Pa-tchu-san, the temple of Fo, or of hismother, and the bells ringing for church. 

Pa-tchu-san, as I have before observed, is very mountainous andexceedingly picturesque. A high ridge covered with trees extends thewhole length of the island, north and south. On either side of thisridge are innumerable grassy knolls and mounds from which we looked downupon the extensive plain on either side, which was studded with knollssimilar to those that we were standing on. During our survey we passedthrough all the villages bordering the sea, at the entrance of which wewere invariably received by all the principal inhabitants. All theirvillages or towns are surrounded by the most luxurious groves, whichhave been apparently planted, for in many parts not a shrub could beseen beyond the confines of the town. The roads through the towns orstreets generally meet at right angles, lined on each side with gigantictrees. The houses are built within enclosures raised with huge stones. These houses are strongly built, the frame being composed of fouruprights of large timber, to which are attached cross pieces on the topof them, of the same dimensions as their supporters. Openings are lefton each side of the house, which, when the owner pleases, can be closedby well-fitted shutters on the sliding principle. The roofs are thatchedwith paddy stalks. The floor frame is raised about two feet from theground, and on it are fixed strong slips of bamboo, which are coveredover with mats. These afford very comfortable sitting and sleepingapartments. The only inconvenience was, that the fire was made in thecorner of the sitting-room, and as there was no vent for the smoke, wewere nearly stifled. This nuisance was, however, soon removed by a wordto the natives through the medium of the interpreter, and afterwards thefire was lighted, and the victuals cooked, at an adjoining shed. 

The natives of the Madjicosima islands are rather below the middlestature, but very strong and muscular. Their hair is worn in a verypeculiar manner; the crown of the head is shaved, leaving a circle oflong hair, which is turned up on the top of the head and tied into aknot of a peculiar shape. Through this knot of hair are passed two brassornaments by the common people, but the chiefs are distinguished bysilver ones. These are evidently intended to keep the knot in its rightposition. They cultivate the moustache and the beard, the latter beingworn pointed. Their dress consists of a long loose robe of blue orcross-barred cotton stuffs, which reaches down nearly to the ancles. This robe is fastened to the waist by a girdle of the same material, andin which they keep their fans, pipes, &c. The sleeves of the robe arevery large, widening as they approach the wrists, which are consequentlybare. Their shoes or sandals are very ingeniously made of wicker work, and confined to the foot by means of a strap between the larger toes ofeach foot. 

[Illustration: NATIVE OF PA-TCHU-SAN. ]

The inhabitants of these islands certainly deserve to be ranked amongthe most gentle and amiable of nations: no boisterousness attends theirconversation, no violent gestures to give effect to the words; on thecontrary, their voices are modulated when they are speaking, and theiractions, although decided, are gentle. Their mode of salutation isgraceful in the extreme. It consists in a low bending of the head, accompanied with a slight inclination of the body, and the hands closed, being raised at the same time to the forehead. What a change in a fewdegrees of latitude, in manners, customs, and dispositions, between thesavage pirates of Borneo and these amiable islanders!

The plains between the mountains are cultivated as paddy fields: thesoil appears very good, and there is little doubt but that every kind offruit would grow if introduced into these islands; and what a fittingpresent it would be to them, if they were to be sent. They growradishes, onions, and sweet potatoes, but not more than are sufficientfor their own use. They supplied us with bullocks, pigs, goats, andfowls, but they seldom kill them for their own use; their principal dietbeing composed of shell fish and vegetables made into a sort of stew, which is eaten with rice, worked by the hand into balls. Every man ofconsequence carries with him a kind of portable larder, which is a boxwith a shelf in the middle, and a sliding door. In this are put cups ofJapan, containing the eatables. This Chow Chow box is carried by aservant, who also takes with him a wicker basket, containing rice andpotatoes for his own consumption. 

These islands have no intercourse with any part of the world except LooChoo, to which they pay tribute as dependencies, and from whence theyannually receive the necessaries they may require, by a junk. They hadno idea that the continents of Europe or America existed. They had onlyheard of China, Loo Choo, and Japan, and they could hardly credit ourassertions when we stated that we had lately gained a great victory overChina. When we gave them a description of steam vessels, and first-ratemen-of-war carrying 120 guns, they evidently disbelieved us. We were thefirst white men they had ever seen; and ludicrous was the repeatedexamination of our arms, which they bared and contrasted with their own. After great persuasion a few of the chief mandarins and their suitesvisited the ship, which was put in holiday attire upon the occasion. Itwould be impossible to attempt to describe their rapture at theneatness, order, and regularity which reigned on board. The guns wereshotted and fired for their amusement: they threw up their hands inastonishment, and gazed on us and on each other with looks of blankamazement. During the whole of our peregrinations over these islands wenever saw a female, for on our approach to any village a courier wassent ahead to warn the inhabitants of our arrival, when the women eithershut themselves up or retired to an adjacent village until we had passedthrough. The men assisted us in our labours and attended to our comfortsby all the means in their power. Horses were provided every day, housesfor us at night, and good substantial repasts. Wherever they enter, thenatives invariably eat and drink, more, I believe, from custom than fromhunger. On these occasions tea is the general beverage, the kettle beinga large shell, which admirably answers the purpose. It may be worthy ofremark, that on entering a house, the shoes or sandals are invariablyleft at the door. Two of the chiefs were deservedly great favouriteswith our party; they were given the famous names of Chesterfield andBeaufort, the former from his gentlemanly manners, the latter from theprofound knowledge he displayed of all rocks, shoals, &c. On the 17th ofDecember, having completed our survey of Pa-tchu-san, we returned to theship: on the 22d we left our anchorage, which was christened PortProvidence, and ran round to Kuchee Bay on the opposite side of theisland. This noble bay was called Port Haddington, in honour of the latefirst lord of the Admiralty. On the 27th the first barge, cutter, andgig left the ship to survey the island Ku-king-san, the nearest port ofwhich was about twenty miles from Kuchee Bay, alias Port Haddington, where we lay at anchor. The boats carried with them provisions for threeweeks, by which time it was supposed that the survey would be completed. As the formation of this island is similar to Pa-tchu-san, it would bebut repetition to describe it minutely, but it is worthy of remark thatit is indented with numerous deep bays, in each of which there issufficient water for a ship of the line. Many of these bays have naturalbreakwaters, created by shoals, with a deep water passage on either sideof them, and which may be easily distinguished from the shoals by thedeep blue colour of the water. 

On the 15th of January, 1844, the surveying party returned, having beenabsent twenty days. We were again visited by the mandarins, who came tobid us farewell: they quitted us with many expressions of good will, andexpressed a wish that we would return again, and as _individuals_, I hadno doubt of their sincerity. 

On the 18th of January we sailed for Ty-ping-san, which is situatedabout seventy miles north of Pa-tchu-san. On the following day wesighted the land, and late in the evening anchored off the coast. Thisisland is low, compared with the other islands of the group. Thefollowing morning the captain landed and presented a letter ofintroduction given him by the mandarins of Pa-tchu-san. The letter ofintroduction had the best effects, for we were immediately visited bythe principal mandarins, who informed us that we should be furnishedwith horses and every thing else that we might require. 

It was on a reef to the northward of this island that the Providence, oftwenty guns, was wrecked about fifty years back. Captain Broughton andthe crew arrived safely at Ty-ping-san, but the present inhabitants, when it was mentioned, either did not or would not recollect any thingof the circumstances. As a proof of the morality of these people, andhow much crime is held in abhorrence, I have the following littlehistory to narrate. 

During our survey, we fixed a station upon the extremity of a bleak anddesolate point of land running more than a mile into the sea. There, ina cave formed by a reef on a mass of rock, we discovered two skeletons. This would not have so much excited our suspicion, had it not been fromthe remarkable locality, as in all the graves we fell in with thecorpses were invariably uncoffined. We expressed a wish to know why sucha spot should have been fixed upon as a last resting-place, as it wasmany miles from the nearest habitation. It was not until after muchentreaty that they at length, very reluctantly, consented to give us thedesired explanation, which, as nearly as I can recollect, was asfollows:--

A young girl, who was considered as the belle and pride of the nearesttown, had formed an attachment to a youth who had been brought up withher, as a playmate, from their earliest years; and it was acknowledgedby the inhabitants of the town that a more fitting match could not bemade, as the young man was of most graceful mien, and equally wellfavoured as his mistress; but the father of the girl, who had been allalong blind to the natural consequences of their long intimacy, hadother views for his daughter, and had selected a husband for her whosechief recommendation was his wealth. So far it is the old story. 

To oppose her father's commands was not to be thought of, for filialobedience is, with this people, one of the most sacred of duties. The bridal day approached; presents had been exchanged between theparents of the parties; and every thing was in a forward state for thecelebration of the nuptials, with all the magnificence befitting thewealthy condition of the bridegroom. The lovers were in a state ofphrensy, but solaced themselves with stolen interviews. At length thepoor girl, urged by her lover, confessed every thing to her father, andimplored his mercy. He was thunderstruck at this intelligence, for tillthat moment he had imagined that his daughter had not a thought to whichhe was not privy. The most rigorous discipline was resorted to--the girlwas confined to her chamber, and spies placed to watch every motion. Those to whom she thought she could trust were suborned by her father, and to him were conveyed all the letters which she believed to have beensafely conveyed to her lover. His notes being also intercepted, at lasteach considered the other as faithless. The poor girl, imagining thather lover had forsaken her, at last sent to her father, to acquaint himthat she had returned to her duty, and was ready to receive the man whomhe had selected for her husband. They were married: but she deceivedherself; as soon as the ceremony was over, the courage which hadsupported her gave way, her former feelings returned stronger than ever, and she hated herself for her fickleness. Her heart whispered that itwas impossible that one possessing every great and every amiablequality, as did her lover, could ever have proved faithless, or wouldhave abandoned one who loved him so dearly. As she sat in the garden andwept, a slight noise attracted her attention, and she found in herpresence her lover, disguised, who had come to take a last farewell. Explanations immediately ensued--they found that they had beentricked--their love and their despair overcame their reason, and theyfled. The father and bridegroom pursued the guilty pair, and after amost rigorous search, they were discovered. They knew that their fatewas sealed, and they bore up bravely to the last. They were arraigned, found guilty, and condemned to death; after which their bodies were tobe removed far from any dwelling-place. The sentence was carried intoeffect, and their remains were deposited in the cave in which wediscovered them. Many parents might draw a lesson from this tragedy, andanybody who feels inclined may write a novel upon it; it must not, however, bear the same title as the Chinese one translated by GovernorDavis, which is styled the "Fortunate Union. "

In ten days we completed the survey of the island, and sailed for Batan, where we arrived on the 7th of February. There we remained a few days, and then sailed for Hong Kong, having but three days' provisions onboard. We encountered a heavy gale; but, fortunately, it was in ourfavour. On the 9th a junk was reported in sight; and in the course of anhour we were sufficiently near to perceive that the people on board ofher were making signals of distress, and cutting away her masts. We hoveto as near to her as we could venture, for the sea ran high, and lowereda boat, which reached the junk in safety. They found her to be in asinking state: a hawser was made fast to her, with the intention oftowing her into Hong Kong, then not fifty miles distant. We again madesail, towing the junk at a rapid rate; but the strain caused her planksto sever, and consequently increased the rush of water in her hold. TheChinese hailed the ship, and entreated to be rescued from their perilouscondition. She was immediately hauled alongside, and twelve of her crewsucceeded in getting on board of us; but the hawser gave way, and thejunk drifted astern, with five men still remaining on board. Sail wasimmediately made, and in a short time we ran alongside of her, stavingin her bulwarks, for both vessels were rolling heavily. Fortunately hermainmast had gone by the board; had it been still standing, and hadbecome locked in our rigging, we should have been in great perilourselves. The remaining five men and a dog gained the ship, and thejunk again went astern, and in three minutes afterwards went to thebottom. When they saw her sink, the Chinese raised up a cry at theirmiraculous escape. One poor fellow had his hand shockingly mutilated, ithaving been crushed between the sides of the two vessels. 

The wind had now much subsided, and we made sail for Hong Kong, where wearrived on the following day. There we found the Agincourt, Sir ThomasCochrane, who was now commander-in-chief, Sir William Parker havingsailed for England. The cutter and two of the Company's steamers werealso here; and the Minden hospital ship, as usual, crowded with thesick and dying. Our first lieutenant, Mr. Wade, took this opportunity ofleaving the ship, and Mr. Heard succeeded him. 

On the 6th we sailed for Macao, which is too well known to require anydescription here. On the 10th we sailed for Manilla, an account of whichI shall reserve for our future visit. On the 1st of April we againsailed, on a surveying cruise, to the southward. After fixing thepositions of several small islands in the Mendoro Sea, we steered forSamboangan, a Spanish penal colony, situated at the southern extremityof Mindanao. On the 8th we arrived there, and took up our anchorageclose to the town. 

Samboangan is built on an extensive plain; most of the houses aresupported on poles ten or twelve feet from the ground. The roofs arethatched, and the sides covered with palm leaves, ingeniously secured bystrips of bamboo. The fort is well built; and although a century old, isin very good preservation. It has a numerous garrison, and is defendedby guns of large calibre. There is also an establishment of gun-boats, which scour the coast in search of pirates. On each side, and at theback of the town, are groves of cocoa-nuts, bamboos, plantains, andother fruit trees, through which narrow paths are cut, formingdelightful shady walks to a stranger, who gazes with astonishment andpleasure upon the variety of delicious fruits, of whose existence he hadno idea. The plain on which the town is built extends about eight milesinland, when it is bounded by a chain of mountains, which divides theSpanish territory from that of the warlike tribes who inhabit theinterior. 

The plain I have spoken of is covered with small villages, pleasantlysituated among thick groves of trees; and it is watered by numerousstreams. The whole country around Samboangan abounds in scenery of themost picturesque description; and the groups of gaily-dressed andjoyous natives in no small degree add to the beauty of the landscape. Horses can be obtained at very moderate charges; but unfortunately noone has ever thought of establishing an hotel, and the want of one wasmuch felt. We were, therefore, thrown upon the hospitality and kindnessof the natives, who made us welcome by every demonstration in theirpower. Fruit, chocolate, and sweet biscuits, were the ordinaryrefreshments, for which the charges made scarcely repaid the trouble ofpreparing them. 

The church, priests' and governor's houses, are the only respectablebuildings in the colony; the other houses in the town are very inferior, being inhabited by liberated exiles from Manilla. We remained here fivedays, and early on the morning of the 13th ran down to a watering-placeabout fifteen miles from the town, and completed our water. 

The same night we sailed for Sooloo; and the next day, when performingdivine service, it being Sunday, the officer of the watch reported fiveprahus in sight, full of men, and each armed with a long gun, pullingtowards the ship. It was quite calm at the time, and our main deck portswere open. No doubt they perceived the daylight through the ports, andsatisfied themselves that we were a man-of-war, for they soon afterwardsaltered their course, and made for the shore. We presumed that they werepirates from the island of Baselan, who, fancying we were a merchantvessel, had come out with the intention of attacking us. 

At noon on the 16th of April we made the town of Sooloo, the capital ofthe island of the same name. It being calm, and the ship at somedistance from the anchorage, the gig was sent ahead to board one of thethree schooners lying in the bay, and hoist a light, as a guide to theship; and a rocket was put into the boat to fire in case of beingattacked by superior numbers. There were but five men in the gig!

After two hours' hard pulling, they arrived alongside the largest of thethree vessels. She proved to be the Velocipede, an English vessel, trading to Sooloo for pearl oysters. The owner of the schooner soon camefrom the shore, having been sent off by the sultan of Sooloo to know theobject of our visit. He was accompanied by several Datus or chiefs, whowent back to the town perfectly satisfied with the explanation given. But the arrival of a man-of-war appeared to excite the fears of thenatives, for gongs were sounding throughout the night, and lights wereflitting to and fro, by the aid of which it was perceived that there wasa strong assemblage of the natives. 

The ship anchored on the afternoon of the following day, and thecaptain, attended by several of his officers, visited the sultan. Wewere received by the prime minister, who informed us that the sultan wassomewhat indisposed, and begged to postpone the interview until thefollowing day. Leaving the palace, we strolled through the town, whichis partly built in the water; bridges, formed of interlaced bamboo, werethe means of communication between the houses. As these bridges weresome hundred yards in length, the walking was somewhat dangerous; a slipwould have been the cause of a good ducking and a swim to any unluckywight, which, I have no doubt, would have given great satisfaction tothe townspeople, who, armed with spears, krisses, and shields, werewatching our motions; but no such mishap occurred, and we returned onboard before sunset. Next day the captain and the same party went againon shore, and were received by the sultan in person. He was dressed inthe extreme of Malay fashion. He was an excessively plain young man, andseemed to be ill at ease during the whole of the conference. He appearedto be a mere puppet in the hands of his ferocious chiefs, who had allthe conversation, without referring to their royal master at any time. 

The sultan's dress consisted of a purple satin jacket and green velvettrousers, both trimmed with gold and silver lace; a red sash confinedhis trousers at the waist; and in the sash he wore a kris of the mostcostly description. He wore diamond buttons on his jacket, which, beingopen, exposed his naked chest. But the party who mostly excited ourinterest was the heir apparent, a child of four years old, who wasdressed as an adult, even to his miniature kris. He bids fair to be ahandsome man. His laughing face and engaging manner caused him to becaressed by the whole party, a circumstance which evidently gave muchpleasure to the sultan. We were regaled with chocolate, sweet cakes, andfruit; and every attention paid to us by the chiefs. At our departurethe sultan and ministers shook hands warmly with every one of our party, and we returned on board, accompanied by Mr. Wyndham, of the Velocipedeschooner, who, being a perfect master of the tongue, had acted as aninterpreter on this occasion. 

The Samarang was the first English man-of-war that had called at Sooloosince the visit of Dalrymple in 1761, when he reinstated on the thronethe sultan (grandfather to the present one), who had been deposed by hisrebellious subjects. 

Great Sooloo is about fifty miles in length, and twenty-five in breadth, being the largest of a group of islands known as the Sooloo Archipelago. This group of islands is inhabited by a fierce and warlike race, bearingin their personal appearance a strong resemblance to the Malays, although the two languages differ materially from each other. GreatSooloo, the residence of the sultan, is very mountainous. Many of themountains are wooded to the summit, while others are covered withpatches of cultivation. These islands are thickly populated; and if theislanders do not practise piracy as a profession, they are always readyto aid, assist, and protect those who do. The town of Sooloo is wellknown to be the principal rendezvous of pirates, who, whenever theyhave made a capture, resort there to dispose of their lawless booty. Theministers, and even the sultan himself, are not able to resist thetemptation of being able to purchase European goods, and articles ofvalue, for less than half their real value. If not the stealers, theyare the receivers, and thus they patronise piracy of every description. Governed by their own prince, and independent of any other power, thepeople of Sooloo have most extravagant notions of their own prowess, andof the strength of their fortifications; and they ridicule the idea ofany one venturing to interfere with or attack them. 

[Illustration: SOOLOO VILLAGE. ]

On the 18th of April we sailed from Sooloo, and visited several islandsin the Archipelago, on one of which we grounded, but escaped withoutsustaining any damage. On the 23rd we anchored off Unsang, the easternprovince of Borneo, where we remained four days surveying the coast. Ashooting and fishing party visited the shore daily: the former killedseveral wild hogs, and the latter brought every evening a plentifulsupply of fish. 

On the 27th of April sailed from Unsang. This day we first served outour ship-brewed porter, in addition to the usual allowance of spirits. It continued to be served out nightly, but opinions were very differentabout its merits. 

For several days after leaving Unsang, we had but little or no wind, andwe were borne away by a strong easterly current, till we were carried insight of Celebes, which is high and mountainous, and covered with denseforests of gigantic trees. On Sunday, the 4th of May, we arrived offCape Rivers (Celebes), the position of which was determined byastronomical observations. It was the intention of the captain to havepassed through the Straits of Macassar, but light wind, and a strongcurrent from the southward, would not permit us to gain a mile per day. After experiencing very disagreeable weather while off the coast, webore up and made sail for Monado, a Dutch settlement on one of thenorth-western promontories of this remarkably shaped island. Our passagewas any thing but agreeable; scarcely a night passed that we were notvisited by strong squalls, accompanied by thunder, lightning, and heavyrain. On Sunday, the 18th, we anchored in forty-eight fathoms off thetown of Monado, within two cables' length of the shore, which shelvesvery suddenly into deep water. A kedge was laid out in-shore of theship, and kept well taut; a requisite precaution, as otherwise, if theland breeze blew off strong, the ship would have dragged her anchor downthe steep beach, and drifted out. 

The town of Monado is built on a plain surrounded by mountains, thehighest of which, Klabat, is 6000 feet above the level of the sea. Thehouses are well built, and neatly thatched; they are all detached, andenclosed in a yard or garden. The roads are excellent, and reflect greatcredit upon a Prussian engineer, who undertook the task. The fort, whichis at the water's edge, is small, but strongly built, and well adaptedto resist the attack of any native force, although I should imagine itcould not hold out any time against the well-directed fire of afrigate's broadside. A party of us enjoyed a pleasant ramble through thetown and suburbs, which are dotted with neat cottages, where theirowners invited us to enter and partake of refreshments. We went intoseveral, and found them scrupulously neat and clean, as Dutch housesusually are. The people who entertained us refused all compensation, andit was with difficulty that we prevailed upon the black-eyed damsels toaccept our silk handkerchiefs by way of reminiscences. Very fewEuropeans reside here, although their half-bred offspring may be seen inevery tenth person, and they boast of the European blood which flows intheir veins. Monado abounds with poultry, fruit, vegetables, and all thenecessaries of life. Cocoa and sugar are cultivated. Stock is easilyobtained, and very moderate; and water is procured from a small riverwhich divides the town. Boats should enter the river at last quarterflood, and return first quarter ebb, as the tide falls rapidly; and atlow water the bar at the entrance is dry. During our stay we surveyedthe major portion of the bay, finding nothing under 150 fathoms of waterat one-third of a mile from the shore. 

We found here a Mr. Hart, who had been left at this place in consequenceof his precarious state, from a gun-shot wound he had received on theCoti River (Borneo). Mr. Hart was a volunteer in the ill-fatedexpedition undertaken by Mr. Murray, who attempted to establish acolony in the Coti River, and who lost his life in an encounter with thenatives. The vessels employed--a brig and a schooner--were fitting outat Hong Kong while we were there. We fell in with the schooner (theYoung Queen) the day after we left Manilla. The captain of her came onboard to give us the intelligence of the failure of the expedition, withthe death of its leader. Misfortune appeared to cling to them, for, soonafter the schooner left Coti, the crew of her mutinied, and the mutinywas not put down but by the death of the ringleader, who was shot by thecommander. He was bound to Hong Kong to deliver himself up for trial fortaking the life of the man, and I hardly need observe that he was fullyacquitted. This gentleman was a brother of Mr. Hart. 

On the 26th of May, our observations being completed, we sailed fromMonado; Mr. Hart, with the captain's permission, taking advantage ofthis opportunity of reaching Sincapore. The following day we ran throughthe Straits of Banca, and steered for Ternate, off which island wearrived on the following Saturday. On Sunday morning, before daylight, we struck heavily on a coral reef, but by dint of great exertion we gotoff, and floated at six. A boat was despatched to the Dutch governor ofthe town to state that it was not our intention to anchor. The island ofTernate is, I believe, governed by a sultan, who has sway over severalother islands. The Dutch have a settlement here, and have long been ongood terms with the ruling powers. It is the most important of theMolucca group, as it produces a vast quantity of cloves, beside everyvariety of tropical fruits. It was taken by us in 1810, and restored in1815. This island, as far as I could judge, is perfectly round, andabout twenty-five miles in circuit, the land gradually rising to a hugepeak in the centre. It is of volcanic formation. It is well wooded, andabounds with game; and on this island the boa constrictor grows to thelargest size, being often found upwards of thirty feet in length. TheDutch town is built on the south-east side of the island. The housesappear to be better constructed than those of Monado, and the whole townbetter arranged. There are several forts, two churches, and apparentlyabout 400 houses. The one occupied by the governor is distinguished fromthe others by its size, and superiority of architecture and decorations. We obtained quantities of every description of fruit from the boatswhich crowded round the ship: in addition to shaddocks, pineapples, oranges, bananas, and many other common varieties, we had the delightfultreat of the mangosteins, which grow only in these latitudes. It isimpossible to describe the peculiarly grateful taste of this cool andrefreshing fruit. It is a mixture of the sweet and acid, blended in themost luscious manner. It is in size somewhat smaller than an apple, andthe skin, which is very thick and bitter, of a dark plum colour. Thiswhen dried is used as a remedy for the dysentery. The inside, which isnearly white, is divided into four parts, resembling in substance a firmjelly; and, in my opinion, gives one more the idea of what nectar was, or ought to be, than any thing else which enters into the mouth of man. We decided that the Peak of Ternate was the true Mount Olympus, and thatit was there that the gods were assembled and, in ancient days, atemangosteins, called nectar by the Greeks. 

The boat which had been sent on shore to the governor at lengthreturned, and we made sail to the southward, to survey a portion of thecoast of Gilolo (another of the Spice Islands), which was supposed to belaid down incorrectly in the charts. 

On the morning of Monday, the 3rd of June, the ship being off the coastof Gilolo, the gig with the captain, and the barge with severalofficers, left the ship with four days' provisions to survey a portionof the coast. At 11 A. M. They landed on a reef, running out about acable's length from a small island. About two in the afternoon a body ofnatives, armed with spears and krisses, issued with loud yells from thejungle, and advanced towards them. At the same time a prahu pulled rounda point, and made towards the barge, which was at anchor about fiftyyards from the shore. The captain was at the time on shore takingobservations, but as the natives approached he retired to the gig andgot the arms in readiness. The natives came within 100 yards of us, andthen halted. The captain signed them to go away: they approached nearer;we gave them a volley, and they hastily retreated into the jungle. 

The barge was now prepared for the expected attack of the prahu, whichby this time had approached within point blank range of the barge's gun, which was a brass six-pounder. Observing, it is to be presumed, that theboat was so well-armed, and the men were loading the gun, the prahuceased pulling, and hoisted Dutch colours. They were ordered to pull forthe Gilolo shore, which they did; a rocket fired at them quickeningtheir speed considerably. At 3 P. M. The observations being completed, the astronomical instruments were re-embarked on the barge, and thecaptain quitted the gig and went into the barge. Both boats were pulledtowards the main land. On the in-shore side of the small island I havementioned, we discovered a village consisting of fifteen or twentyhouses. The gig was despatched with two officers to burn the village, which was done; the natives who were in the huts escaping into thejungle. In the mean time, the barge proceeded towards a large village insearch of the prahu. On their way they fell in with a large canoe, atanchor in one of the creeks. 

Taking the canoe in tow, we again took to the oars, and in a short timeperceived the natives hauling the prahu into a creek. A round of grapequickly decided the matter; the natives fled, and the prahu was quietlytaken possession of by our crew. Having effected our object, weproceeded along the coast with our two prizes in tow. At sunset, afterrifling the boats of arms, flags, and gongs, we set them on fire, andmade sail to the southward; the gig, which had rejoined us, being incompany. About midnight we anchored in a small and lonely bay, --I shouldsay, twenty miles from where the above occurrences took place. We tookour meals, but did not attempt to repose till after two in the morning, although we were quite tired after the events of the day before. We thenlay down, and composed ourselves to sleep. 

We had not, however, been recumbent long, ere the sounds of gongs wereheard at a distance; and shortly afterwards the man on the look-outreported that three prahus were coming into the bay. A short timesufficed to have every thing in readiness for the expected conflict. 

The foremost of the prahus approached within ten yards of the barge, lowered her sail, and rounded to. A native, one of the chiefs wepresumed, inquired in broken English if we belonged to a ship. Thecaptain would not satisfy him on that point, but desired him to go away. 

The other two prahus, having been joined by a third (making four inall), had now closed within half pistol shot, and lowered their sails. 

Seeing that we were completely enclosed, a musket-ball was fired overthe largest prahu. The men in the prahus gave their accustomed yell, andthe whole force advanced towards us. 

The six-pounder, loaded with round and grape, was now fired into thelargest prahu; the cries and confusion were great; the crew of the prahuleapt into the water, but few arrived on shore, --they sunk under thefire of our muskets. The three other prahus then commenced a spiritedfire from their guns and small arms, assisted by a flight of arrows andspears. 

Pulling within twenty yards of them, we plied them alternately withgrape and canister from our six-pounder. The engagement continued withgreat vigour for some time, when their fire slackened; and shortlyafterwards two more of the prahus were deserted by their crews, who madefor the shore; the fourth made off. The three prahus were takenpossession of, towed into deep water, and anchored. Leaving the gig incharge of them, we went in pursuit of the fourth prahu, and soon came upwith her; but her crew escaped by running the boat on shore. 

Another prahu now hove in sight, pulling, or rather paddling, towardsus. Leaving our prize, we faced our new antagonist, saluting her withgrape and musquetry, and causing so much havoc, that, shrieking andyelling, they made for the nearest shore without returning a singleshot. We followed her, firing into her as fast as possible. On coming upwith her we found her aground, with six dead and one mortally wounded;the remainder of the crew had saved themselves by wading to the shore. After getting this prahu afloat, we brought the other prahu, which wehad just before captured (No. 4. ), alongside. This boat was crowded withdead and dying. Among the latter was a female child, apparently abouteight months old, in a state of nudity. The poor little creature's leftarm was nearly severed from its body by a grape shot. She was removedinto the boat, where the rest of the wounded were placed, with as muchcare as possible. A low moaning sound escaped from her lips, her eyeswere glazed, and she evidently was fast dying: it would have been amercy to have put an end to her sufferings. The dead were then thrownoverboard, and the prahu set on fire; the last prahu, containing thewounded, was left to her fate. 

It was now daylight, and on looking around we perceived five more prahusoff a point between the gig and ourselves in the barge and severalothers pulling in from seaward. We gave way for the five prahus, whichwere drawn up in a line ready to receive us. Notwithstanding their fire, assisted by their spears and other missiles, we pulled within fifteenyards of the outermost prahu of the five, and discharged our gun, accompanied by a volley of musquetry. The other prahus now closed andpoured in a heavy fire; but, although the barge was struck, not one ofour men was injured. The repeated fire from the boats soon caused thepeople in the prahus to make for the shore through the water, when manyof them fell from our musquetry. It was now about six o'clock in themorning, our last charge of canister shot was in the gun, the lastrocket in the tube, and nearly all the percussion caps expended. Thebarge was pulled closer to the nearest prahu to give more effect to thedischarge, and the captain was in the stern of the barge with the rockettube in hand, when one of the prahus on shore fired her swivel; the ballstruck the captain, and knocked him overboard. He was hauled in, and wefound that he had received a severe wound in the groin, which wasdressed by the surgeon. 

_Lieutenant Baugh_ now took the command, and the gun was discharged withgood effect, and all the people on board of the prahus, who were able toescape, made for the shore. One of our marines was wounded in the neckwith an arrow, and, with the exception of the captain, no other casualtytook place. 

The fight would have been continued with the round shot still left inthe barge, but the assistant surgeon was anxious that the captain shouldreturn to the ship and have the ball extracted. The barge thereforepulled for the ship, whose royals were just visible above the horizon. The pirates, finding that we were retreating, returned to their prahusand fired their guns at us, but without effect. 

We arrived on board about 9 A. M. , and the ship's head was put towardsthe scene of action, while the barge and two cutters were despatched insearch of the gig, of whose safety we had great doubts. About 11. 30, A. M. , the second cutter, being in advance, discovered a sail in shore, andwhich, by the aid of our telescopes, we made out to be the gig. When weclosed with her, and found that all was right we were greatly relieved. We heard from Mr. Hooper, the purser, who was in her, that after waitingin vain for the barge's return, he set fire to the prahus. In one ofthem he found a woman and child alive, whom he landed at the nearestpoint. He then pulled in the direction we had gone, being guided by thesound of our guns. On his arrival in the bay we were not in sight, andperceiving several prahus with flags flying and gongs beating, henaturally concluded that we had been overpowered, and he was making thebest of his way towards the ship. The boats continued pulling towardsthe shore, leaving the gig to return to the ship and ease the minds ofthe ship's company respecting her safety. 

On our arrival in the bay with the barge and cutters, we found that theprahus had hauled into a creek, on the banks of which was a maskedbattery, which opened a spirited fire upon us as soon as we came withinrange. After an hour's cannonading on both sides we were joined by thegig, with orders for us not to land, but to return to the ship atsunset. This order was not received with pleasure, as we hoped to have achance of punishing the fellows a little more. We pulled a shortdistance along the coast, and entered another bay, in which we destroyedtwo prahus; after which we returned to the ship. Calms, and a strongcurrent setting to the northward, detained the ship near the scene ofaction for several days. We at length passed through the straits ofPatientia, but did not get the breeze until we sighted the Isle ofBouro. Passing through the Bonta passage, straits of Salayer, and Javasea, we arrived at Sincapore on the 28th of June. 

Here we found the Harlequin, which had had a brush with the pirates onthe coast of Sumatra. The Harlequin, Wanderer, and Diana were sent tothe villages of Micedo and Batta, to demand the murderers of an Englishcaptain. On the rajah refusing to deliver them up, the vessels openedtheir fire and burnt the villages. The Harlequin lost two men killed andfive wounded; among the latter was Lieutenant Chads, whose arm wasnearly severed by a Malay kris. While here the Superb arrived from HongKong on her way to England; the Driver, with Sir Henry Pottinger onboard; and the Cambrian, Commodore Chads. Also the Iris from England, and the Dido from Hong Kong, which latter vessel sailed for Sarawak. 

I may as well here remark, that the Dutch made a formal complaintagainst our captain for having attacked their prahus, which theyasserted were not pirates, but employed by them against the pirates. Itis but fair to give the arguments that were used against us, particularly as the authorities at Sincapore appeared to think that wewere to blame. They said, you were in boats, and you touched at Gillolo;the natives, accustomed to be taken off by the Illanoan pirates, werenaturally jealous and suspicious, seeing no vessel. They came alone, armed, to ascertain who you were. At 100 yards they stopped; yousignalled them to go away, and they advanced nearer to you, but theycommitted no act of hostility. You fired a volley at them, and theyretreated. Here the aggression was on your side. 

At the same time, you say, a war prahu pulled round the point, andapproached to within range; when the prahu was close to you she ceasedpaddling, and hoisted Dutch colours. You desired it to pull for theGillolo shore, which it did. There was no aggression in this instance, and nothing piratical in the conduct of the prahu. After she had obeyedyour order to pull to the Gillolo shore, you wantonly fired a Congreverocket at her; your conduct in this instance being much more like thatof a pirate than hers. In the afternoon you pull along the Gilloloshore, and you discover a village; you send your boat ashore and setfire to it. Why so? You state that you were attacked by Illanoanpirates, who reside at Tampassook, some hundred miles from Gillolo, andyou then burn the village of the people of Gillolo, and that without theleast aggression on their part. Is it surprising that you should besupposed to be pirates after such wanton outrage? To proceed: you statethat you then go in search of the prahu which you ordered away, and thaton your way you captured a large canoe, which you take in tow, andafterwards perceive the pirates hauling their vessel into a creek. Youattack them, and they run away, leaving the prahu in your possession, and, as usual, after rifling the prahu and canoe, you set them on fire. Up to this point there has been nothing but aggression on your part; andit is not, therefore, surprising that you were supposed to be pirates, and that the communication was made along the coast, and the vesselsemployed against the pirates were summoned for its protection. Again, the prahus came out and surrounded you; they did not fire at you, buthailed you in English, requesting to know if you belonged to a ship. Now, if any thing could prove that they were not pirate vessels, it wastheir doing this; and had you replied, they would have explained to youwhat their employment was: but you think proper to give no answer tothis simple question, order them to go away, and then fire a loadedmusket into them, which brings on the conflict which you so muchdesired. That these observations were true, it must be admitted, and thecomplaint of the Dutch, with the hoisting of the Dutch flag, gave greatweight to them: however, pirates or no pirates, the Admiralty Court, onour arrival in England, considered them to have been such; and, as willbe seen by the extract from the "Times" below, awarded head money to theamount of about 10, 000l. To the captain and crew of the Samarang, andfor his wound received, our captain obtained a pension of (I believe)£250 a year. [1]

 "ADMIRALTY COURT. 

 (_Before Dr. Lushington. _)

 "ILLANOAN PIRATES. --BOUNTY. 

 "In this case a petition was presented by Sir Edward Belcher, the captain, and the rest of the officers and crew of Her Majesty's ship-of-war Samarang, setting forth that on the 3d of June, 1844, the Samarang being then engaged in surveying duties, and near the island of Gillolo, on her passage towards the Straits of Patientia, Sir E. Belcher, with two officers and four men, quitted her in the gig, accompanied by the second barge, armed with a brass six-pounder gun and small arms, and manned with twenty officers and men. While engaged on the extreme side of a reef, extending from a small islet, in taking astronomical observations, they were disturbed by an extraordinary yell proceeding from about forty men of colour, who were advancing from the islet along both sides of the reef, with the evident intention of surrounding Sir E. Belcher and his party, on nearing whom they commenced hurling spears and arrows, though without effect. They were soon repulsed and put to flight by musketry. In the course of the day several large prahus made their appearance, manned by large crews of Malay pirates, and severe conflicts took place between the respective parties, in one of which a ball from the leading prahu struck Sir E. Belcher on the thigh, and knocked him overboard, severely and dangerously wounding him; but, having been lifted out of the water, and dragged into the barge, _he shortly after resumed the command_, and ultimately succeeded in destroying all the prahus. 

 "Dr. Addams applied to the Court to award the bounties specified in the 6th of George IV. C. 49. For the capture and destruction of piratical ships and vessels. He submitted that the affidavits produced clearly showed the character of the persons on board the prahus, and that not less than 1, 330 persons were alive on board the several prahus at the beginning of the attack, 350 of whom were killed. 

 "The Queen's Advocate, on behalf of the Crown, admitted that a very meritorious service had been performed, and made no opposition to the application. 

 "The Court pronounced for the usual bounties on the number of pirates stated. "

 [Footnote 1: The account of this transaction is taken from the private log of one of the officers who was present in the barge during the whole time. I was not there myself. In his narrative it will be observed that he makes no mention of the natives who came down upon them having _thrown spears_ at them, although in the extract from the "Times" it is so stated. It would appear also that there was some mistake as to the number of men on board of the prahus and the number killed. A war prahu generally contains from fifty to eighty men. Some are smaller, and occasionally they are larger, but not often. Capt. Keppell states fifty men to be the usual number in his work; and, in his conflict with the pirates, estimates the force accordingly. Now the first day there was one war prahu, which ran up a creek; and, on being fired at, the crew deserted her. On the second day there were five prahus, all captured. On the third day the five prahus engaged were not captured, the boat returning to the ship after the captain was wounded; so that in all it appears that there were nine prahus; and, allowing eighty men to each, the force would only amount to 720 men, or about one half of the number stated, viz. 1330. How the killed, amounting to 350, or about half the number, were arrived at and estimated, it is impossible to say; but in the narrative of the officer, which I have given, the major portion of the crews deserted the prahus and got on shore. ]

Our captain having now nearly recovered from the wound which he hadreceived, we found that our destination was Borneo; but previous to theship getting under weigh, the boats were ordered to be manned and armed, to proceed on an excursion to Romania Point, distant about thirty milesfrom Sincapore. It was expected that we might there fall in with some ofthe piratical vessels which so completely infest the Indian Archipelago;and if so, we trusted to give them a lesson which might for a time put acheck to their nefarious and cruel system of plunder and rapine. I foundthat my name was down in the list of the party selected for theexpedition. Bidding, therefore, a temporary adieu to Sincapore, on the2d of August we set off on the expedition, with a force consisting oftwo barges, one cutter, and a gun-boat belonging to the merchants ofSincapore, which had been expressly built to resist any attacks of thesebold assailants. 

Although the real object of the expedition was, as I have above stated, to fall in with the pirates, our ostensible one was to survey theislands off the Point Romania, which is the most unfrequented part ofthe Malay peninsula. We arrived there late at night, as ignorant whetherthe pirates were there, as the pirates would have been of our arrival. We had, therefore, nothing to do but to anchor close under the land, andkeep a sharp look-out, in case of being the attacked instead of theattacking party. As we were not indifferently provided with the creaturecomforts which Sincapore afforded, we amused ourselves pretty well; butif we occasionally opened our mouths, we took good care not to shut oureyes, and were constantly on the alert. There is a far from pleasantfeeling attached to lying in an open boat, in a night as dark as pitch, expecting a momentary attack from an insidious enemy, and wholly in astate of uncertainty as to from what quarter it may be made, or as towhat odds you may be exposed. Under these circumstances, we remained inwatching and silence during a night which appeared interminably long;and daylight was gladly welcomed by the whole party; and when it arrivedwe found ourselves anchored among a crowd of small islands, which werecovered from the beach to their summits with the most luxuriant foliage. Within shore of us was a beautiful little sandy bay; while the wholecoast, as far as the eye could reach, was one extended jungle, by allaccounts extending many hundred miles inland, and infested with tigersand other beasts of prey. As for pirates, we saw nothing of them, or anysigns of their having been in that quarter; either they were away onsome distant marauding party, or, having received intelligence of ourapproach and force, had considered us too strong to be opposed, and hadkept out of the way. Our warlike expedition, therefore, was soon changedinto a sort of pic-nic party--we amused ourselves with bathing, turningof turtle, shooting, and eating the wild pine-apples which grew on allthe islands. We remained there for three days, during which nothingoccurred worth narrating, unless it is an instance of the thoughtlessand reckless conduct of midshipmen. We were pulling leisurely along thecoast in one of the boats, when we perceived a very large Bengal tigertaking an evening stroll, and who, by the motion of his tail, wasevidently in a state of much self-satisfaction. We winded the boat'shead towards him, and were preparing to give him a round of grape fromthe gun, but before we could get the gun well pointed, he retreatedmajestically into the jungle, which was in the bight of a small bay, andcut off from the main jungle by some large rocks. Three of our partyimmediately declared that they would have a tiger-hunt, and bring backhis skin as a trophy. They landed, two of them having each a ship'smusket, a very uncertain weapon, as they are at present provided, for, whether from damp or careless manufacture, the percussion caps will notoften go off; and the third armed with nothing but a knife. On theirlanding, they took their position on the rocks, and were delighted tofind that the tiger could not retreat to the main jungle without passingthem. They had not long taken up their position before they heard thecrackling of the wood in the jungle, announcing the tiger's approachtowards them. They fixed their bayonets and cocked their locks; theyoung gentleman with the knife was also prepared; but the noise in thejungle ceased. Whether it was that the tiger was afraid to attack threeat the same time, or was making a circuit for a more convenient springupon them, certain it is that our three young gentlemen either becametired of waiting for him, or had thought better of their mad attempt. One proposed returning to the boat, the others assented; and afterdenouncing the tiger as a coward, and wholly unworthy of the name of aroyal tiger, they commenced their retreat as the dark set in; graduallytheir pace quickened, in two minutes they were in a hard trot; at lastthe panic took them all, and by the time they arrived at the boats theycould not speak from want of breath, so hurried had been their retreat. We sincerely congratulated them upon their arrival safe and sound, andhaving escaped without loss of life and limb from a very mad adventure. I subsequently related this incident to an old Indian sportsman, whotold me that my messmates had had a most fortunate escape, as they wouldhave had little or no chance had the tiger made his spring, which hecertainly would have done had they remained much longer, and that one ofthem at least must have been sacrificed. On the morning of the fourthday, the ship, having made sail from Sincapore, hove in sight, andpicked us up. The boats were hoisted in, and we steered for Borneo, tocomplete some surveys on the north-east coast. 

The island of Borneo, throughout the whole of the N. E. Coast, is, withfew exceptions, a low land, covered with jungle; but so beautifullyverdant does it appear when viewed from some distance, that you would beled to suppose that it was widely cultivated. This idea is, however, soon dispelled on a near approach, when you discover the rich groups ofacacias, palms, pandani, and numerous trees as yet unknown, so luxuriantin themselves, but forming one entangled mass, alike impenetrable toEuropean or native. What, in the distant view, we fancied a verdantmeadow, where we might relax from our long confinement, and amuseourselves with recreation, now proved to be ranges of long damp grass, interspersed with swamps, and infested with venomous snakes. In short, Inever yet was on a coast which, on arriving on it, promised so much, and, on landing, caused such a series of disappointments to those wholove to ramble about, than the coast of Borneo. To the naturalist, however, confined as he is to the shelving beach, there is ample foodfor employment and research: the island abounds in novel objects ofnatural history, both in the animal and vegetable kingdom. 

Nothing certain is as yet ascertained relative to the interior of thisimmense island, if island it can with propriety be called. From theaccounts of the natives (which, however, must be received with duecaution), it consists of a large plain, devoid of jungle, and inhabitedby cannibals. Two adventurous Dutchmen have latterly set off fromPontiana, the Dutch settlement, on an excursion into the interior; butit is doubtful if they succeed, where so many others have alreadyfailed. 

[Illustration: KEENEY-BALLO. 

(OOSOKAN BAY, BORNEO. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

Borneo has but small elevation for so large an island; in the immediatevicinity of Keeney Ballu the country is hilly, but by far the greatestportion of Borneo is but a few feet above the level of the sea. KeeneyBallu is the highest mountain in the island, --its height is estimated at14, 000 feet or more, --and it can be seen at 150 miles distant on a veryclear day. It is very singular that there should be a mountain of sogreat a height rising from an island of otherwise low land. Near Sarawakthere is mountainous country, where live the Dyaks, previouslydescribed, and a mountain of the name of Santabong, which has alreadybeen made mention of. On the S. E. Coast of the island we saw noelevation of land of any consequence. I have given a drawing of themountain of Keeney Ballu, distant forty miles. At this distance, withthe aid of the glass, you may perceive the numerous cascades which fallfrom its summit in every direction. The Dyaks of Borneo imagine that alake exists at the top of this mountain, and that it is to be theirreceptacle after death. 

As the island is in most parts a flat and marshy jungle, extending about200 miles inland, and the rivers are not rapid, although numerous, itwould be presumed, especially as the dews of the night are very heavy, that the island would be fatal to Europeans. Such, however, proved notto be the case. During our repeated visits to the island (a period ofnearly two years), we only lost one man, by a most imprudent exposureto the night air, sleeping in an open boat, without the awning beingspread, and exposed to a very heavy dew. 

Borneo abounds with rivers, some of them very fine, running inland forone or two hundred miles. Most of these rivers have been takenpossession of and colonised by the various tribes indigenous to theneighbouring isles and continent, to wit, Arabs, Malays, Illanoans, Bughis, the natives of Celebes, Chinese, &c. The reason for thisemigration to Borneo is the protection afforded by these rivers; for asall these tribes live entirely by piracy, they here find a safe retreatfor themselves and their vessels. How long ago their settlements mayhave been first made, or what opposition they may have received from theDyak aborigines, it is impossible to say; but as most of the head men inBorneo claim to be of Arab descent, it may be presumed that many yearsmust have elapsed since the aboriginal tribes of Dyaks and Dusums weredispossessed of the rivers, and driven into the interior. Of thesepeople I shall speak hereafter; there is no doubt but that they were theoriginal inhabitants of the whole island, and that the various tribes Ihave mentioned are but colonists for piratical purposes. 

These piratical hordes generally infest the high lands upon the shoresof these rivers, which are difficult of navigation; and, moreover, fromtheir numerous branches, their resorts are not very easily discovered. These towns are fortified with stockades, guns of various calibre, andthe passage up the river defended by booms or piles of timber, whichadmit of but one narrow passage for their prahus. 

It must be understood that these piratical hordes are not onlyindependent of each other, but often at war, in consequence of theirspoliations. Some of their chiefs have taken upon them the titles ofprinces; and one has assumed, as is well known, that of Sultan ofBorneo, another of Sooloo, --how far entitled to such a rank it would bedifficult to say; but this is certain, that there must be a beginningto every dynasty; and if we trace back far into history, we shall find, both at home and abroad, that most dynasties have had their origin infreebooting on a grand scale, --even the House of Hapsburg itself isderived from no better an origin; and the Sultan of Borneo, whoever hemay be, and if a Sultan does exist, some 800 years hence will, by theantiquity of his title, prove his high descent, as the German emperornow does his own. 

On the 20th of August we came to an anchor at the mouth of the Sarawakriver, where we remained three weeks completing some very importantsurveys. When our work was done, the captain, accompanied by severalofficers, went up the river. 

On our arrival at Kuchin, we found the Dido corvette, commanded byCaptain Keppell, lying abreast of the town. We also found that Kuchinwas at present nearly deserted, as the Dido's boats, with the Phlegethonsteamer, and all the native war prahus which could be mustered, hadproceeded with Mr. Brooke to the Sakarron, a neighbouring river, topunish some of the mixed tribes who had lately been detected in an actof flagrant piracy. On the change of the tide we started for theSakarron, with the hope of gaining the Dido's boats, and rendering themsome assistance. Our men exerted themselves to the utmost; but itrequires time to pull eighty miles; and I will therefore, _en voyage_, explain more fully the cause and the object of the expedition. 

The river Sakarron, with its tributaries, the Linga and Serebis, havebeen for a long while in the possession of a proverbial piratical tribeof Malays, governed by chiefs, who are of Arab descent, and much betteracquainted with the art of war than those lawless communions are ingeneral. Their towers and fastnesses on the banks of their rivers theyhave contrived to fortify in a very superior manner. Living wholly bythe proceeds of their piratical excursions, and, aware of the effortsmade by the European rajah, Mr. Brooke, to put it down, they resolved totake the first opportunity which might offer to show their hostility andcontempt to their new-raised enemy. The occasion soon presented itself. Seven of the Kuchin Malays, having ventured in a canoe up the Sakarronriver, were all murdered, and their heads cut off, and kept, as usual, as trophies; and the intelligence of this outrage communicated by themto Mr. Brooke, with defiance. 

Captain Keppell, of the Dido, had just arrived at Sarawak when this newswas brought to Mr. Brooke. Captain Keppell had been sent by Admiral SirThomas Cochrane to the island on purpose to look out for pirates, and todestroy them and their nests wherever he could find them. He thereforegladly offered his assistance to Mr. Brooke to punish these murderouswretches; and the Phlegethon steamer coming in while they were preparingfor the expedition, was, of course, added to the force employed. Thisfortunate accession of strength, assisted by all the Malay war boatswhich Mr. Brooke could muster, enabled them to give an effectual checkto a band of pirates, so numerous and so warlike as to have become mostformidable. To proceed:--

That night we anchored with the last of the flood at the entrance of theSakarron. We had great fear, from the intelligence we had received fromtime to time, from boats we fell in with on our passage, that we shouldarrive too late to be partakers of the affray; and so it proved, for thenext morning, while proceeding higher up the river, we perceived a largeforce of native boats coming down with the ebb, and all of them filledto the gunwale with plunder. 

The Malay and Dyak canoes are made out of a hollowed tree, or, as theyare termed in many ports of India, "dug-outs. " They are long and narrow, and are capable of being propelled with great swiftness. Although veryeasy to capsize, they are constantly loaded till so deep that at theleast inclination the water pours over the gunwale, and one man isusually employed baling with a scoop made out of a banana leaf. Custom, however, makes them so used to keep the equilibrium, that you often seethe Dyaks, whose canoes are similar to the Malays', standing upright andpropelling them with their spears. 

[Illustration: NATIVE BOAT--BORNEO. ]

The Malay war-boat, or _prahu_, is built of timber at the lower part, the upper is of bamboo, rattan, and kedgang (the dried leaf of the Nepapalm). Outside the bends, about a foot from the water line, runs astrong gallery, in which the rowers sit cross-legged. At the after-partof the boat is a cabin for the chief who commands, and the whole of thevessel is surmounted by a strong flat roof, upon which they fight, theirprincipal weapons being the kris and spear, both of which, to be usedwith effect, require elbow-room. 

The Dyak war-boat is a long built canoe, more substantially constructedthan the prahu of the Malays, and sufficiently capacious to hold fromseventy to eighty men. This also has a roof to fight from. They aregenerally painted, and the stern ornamented with feathers. 

Both descriptions of war-boats are remarkably swift, notwithstandingsuch apparent top-weight. To proceed:--

[Illustration: DYAK WAR PRAHU. ]

We hove to, to speak to those on board of the canoes, and were informedby them that the pirates had sustained a severe defeat, and that theEuropean force was about to descend the river on their return to Kuchin. As a proof of the victory having been gained, they produced severalheads which had been taken in the fight. 

We proceeded about six miles further up the river, when we discoveredthe European boats and crews lying at anchor abreast of the smokingruins of what had been a Malay town. Here we learnt that the pirates hadbeen completely routed, after a desperate resistance, that four largetowns had been burnt, and seventy-five brass guns of the country, calledleilas, had been captured. The victory, however, had not been gainedwithout loss on our side, and had the pirates been better prepared, wemust have suffered much more. Several of the people of Kuchin had beenkilled, and of Europeans we had to lament the loss of Mr. Wade, firstlieutenant of the Dido, and formerly of the Samarang, and Mr. Stewart, one of the residents at Kuchin; the latter gentleman lost his life by anexcess of zeal which quite overcame all prudence. Mr. Wade had landedwith his men after an attack and capture of a fort, and when in advancereceived a bullet in the heart. He fell instantly dead; his body wasrecovered by his shipmates, and borne to the boat, and during atemporary cessation of hostilities was conveyed to the river. His losswas much deplored by his shipmates in both vessels, by whom he wasrespected as an officer, and beloved as a friend. 

Mr. Stewart, pulling in advance in a small canoe, with some of thenatives belonging to Kuchin, was suddenly pounced upon by three or fourof the enemy's prahus full of men. They ran down the canoe, and thuswere Mr. Stewart and his companions at their mercy. Mercy!--a wrong termto use when speaking of those who never show any. They were all krissed, to the number of seventeen, in sight of their companions in the otherboats, who were too far behind to arrive in time to render them anyassistance, although it hardly need be said that every effort was made. The last that was seen of poor Stewart was his body being carried by oneof the Dyaks into the jungle by the side of the river, and the fellowwas so anxious to obtain the much-valued trophy of a white man's head, that, as he bore it along, he kept his knife sawing at the head to severit from the body. Indeed, so much do these people value a white man'shead, that they will build a separate room on purpose to contain it. 

Whilst lying at this place, riding to a strong flood tide, a canoefloated past us, in which we could discern two dead bodies; they wereboth dressed as Malays, and the garments were good. Over the bows of thecanoe there hung a handsomely ornamented kris. We tried to hook thecanoe with the boat-hook, but the strength of the tide was so great thatwe could not succeed in securing it, and it floated away with thestream. We presumed that they were the bodies of some of the Malayskilled in the recent conflict, who probably inhabited a higher portionof the river, and that they had been put into the canoe by their friendsto be carried home, and had been swept away by the tide from not havingbeen securely fastened, for nothing would have induced the enemy thus tomake us a present of _two heads_. 

"We weighed, in company with the steamer and boats, on the same evening, and returned to Kuchin, where we arrived on the following day. Themen-of-war boats having been towed by the steamer, we arrived some timebefore the native prahus belonging to the river, which had accompaniedus. On the following day they arrived, and the scene was novel andinteresting. They all rounded the point together, dressed out with flagsof all descriptions, beating their gongs and tom-toms, and firing blankcartridges from their "Leilas. " Highly elated with their victory, andwith the plunder which had accompanied it, they celebrated it by allgetting excessively drunk that night upon shamsoo. 

We remained at Kuchin for three days, enjoying Mr. Brooke's hospitality;and during that time it was proposed and arranged that we should pay avisit to the river Loondoo, the residence of a very remarkable tribe ofDyaks under Mr. Brooke's authority; but not being able to fix the exactperiod for the visit, on that night we returned to the ship. 

We had not been much more than twenty-four hours on board, when thecaptain, who had been away, returned at midnight; and, at this unusualhour, ordered all the boats, manned and armed, to be piped awayimmediately. We were informed that the river Sakarron was again ourdestination; and at four o'clock in the morning we started, withfourteen days' provisions, and armed to the teeth, to join the Dido'sboats at the mouth of the river Morotabis, from thence to be towed withthem by the steamer to our destination. The cause of this new expeditionwas the intelligence that the Arab chief, Serib Saib, who had escapedduring the late conflict, had returned to the Sakarron to collecttogether and re-organize his piratical subjects. We soon arrived at thesame spot which we had before visited when the town had been burnt down;but the expedition proved to be one of little interest. Notwithstandinghis threats, Serib Saib's confidence gave way at the approach of ourforce, and he made a precipitate retreat up the river, accompanied byfour or five hundred of his warriors. Nevertheless, we continued toforce our way up the river, with the expectation that, when fairly atbay, he would make a stand. Our advance was made known to the enemy byfires lighted on the different hills abreast of the boats. This speedymode of communication is adopted by all the natives in this part of theworld. Determined not to abandon the pursuit while a chance remained, wefollowed the redoubtable Serib Saib for eighty miles up the river, whichin some parts was too narrow for our boats' crews to make use of theiroars; but all obstacles were overcome in the ardour of the chase. 

To impede our progress, large trees had been felled so as to fall acrossthe river where it was narrow; but these were removed, and we forced ourway on. At last the river, as we approached the source, became littlewider than a ditch, the barges grounded, and could proceed no farther;the gigs only could float, and we continued, till, after forty-eighthours of severe labour, we found ourselves at the head of the river; andwe also discovered that Serib Saib had escaped, having with his wholeforce landed, and made his way through the jungle into the interior, leaving at our disposal the forty war canoes which had carried him andhis men. To follow him was impossible; so we were obliged to contentourselves with the capture of the war canoes, which were all that we hadto show for our exertions. Disappointed, and hungry withal, we were notsorry to find ourselves once more with our heads down the river. 

I must not omit, however, to narrate a little trick played upon ourgallant captain. I have stated that the river was so narrow near itssource that we could not use the oars, and the gigs, which continued thepursuit, had to be hauled through the bushes by the boat-hooks. Returning to where the larger boats had been left aground, our bow-man, who was employed shooting the gig along by such aid as the branches ofthe trees, or the tendrils which hung to them, afforded him, stuck hisboat-hook into what appeared to be a suspended ball of moss; but he soondiscovered that it was something more, as it was a nest of hornets, which sallied out in great numbers, and resented the insult to theirdomicile by attacking the bowman first, as the principal aggressor, andus afterwards, as parties concerned. Now the sting of a hornet is nojoke; we covered our faces with our handkerchiefs, or any thing we couldfind, and made a hasty retreat from the spot, pushing the gig down thestream, till we were clear of their attacks. In the hurry of our escapewe left the boat-hook hanging in the hornet's nest, and not feeling atall inclined to go back for it, we hailed the captain's gig, which wasfollowing us, and requested very humbly that they would be pleased torecover our boat-hook for us, as we could not well re-ascend the streamfrom the want of it. As we did not mention that it was so peculiarlysituated, the captain saw no objection, and as they came to where ithung, his bow-man caught hold of the staff, and wrested it from itsposition; but this time such force was used that the tendril gave way, and the nest itself fell down into the boat, and the irritated insectspoured out their whole force to revenge this second aggression. Theinsects after all appeared to have a knowledge of the service, for theyserved out their stings in the same proportion as the prize-money isdivided: the captain came in for his full share. 

Returning rather in a bad humour at having had so long a pull fornothing, we anchored off a fortified Malay town, which went by the nameof Bintang, and which had been brought to terms by Captain Keppell on aprevious expedition up the river. The people had consequently remainedneutral, although it was well known that they were not to be trusted, and that, had we been defeated above and beaten back, they would, in allprobability, have attacked us in the rear. As the evening closed in, byway of astonishing the natives, and giving them some idea of our perfectequipment, the boats were directed to give a _feu-de-joie_. Some fifteenguns, with rockets, port-fires, blue lights, supported by awell-sustained roulade of musketry, had a very warlike effect; and, nodoubt, gave the natives an impression of our superiority in the use offire-arms. At the conclusion, Captain Keppell, who was always ready forfun, gave out the order that all hands were to join in "God save theQueen, " taking the time from him. A dead silence was immediatelyproduced, waiting for him to lead off, which he did; but, to our greatamusement, he, by mistake, commenced with "Rule Britannia;" and this, being more to the seamen's taste, certainly, as far as lungs wereconcerned, was done most ample justice to. 

The saying is, "No song no supper;" of course it must be presumed that asong deserves a supper. It proved so in this instance; for just as thechorus was hushed, the Sultan of Bintang, as he styles himself, sent offto the head boat (the one I happened to be in) a superb supper for sevenpeople, consisting of seven bronze trays, each tray containing about adozen small plates, in which were many varieties of flesh and fowlcooked in a very superior manner. To each tray was a spoon, made of theyellow leaf of some tree unknown; but, as specimens of primitiveelegance and utility combined, they were matchless. We had some doubts, from our knowledge of the treachery of the Malays, whether we shouldfall to upon these appetising viands, as there was no saying but thatthey might be poisoned. Mr. Brooke, however, who, although not thecommandant, was the mentor of the party, explained that he invariablyobserved one rule when treating and dealing with these people, --whichwas, never to exhibit any unworthy suspicion of them, as, by so doing, they became convinced of our own integrity and honour. That thisconfidence might have, in many instances, proved dangerous, unlessadopted with great caution, must be admitted; but in our relations withthe people on the rivers of Borneo it was of great service. The Malaysare so very suspicious themselves, that nothing but confidence on yourpart will remove the feeling; and, in treating with Malays, this is thefirst object to be obtained. The remarks of Mr. Brooke, which were not alittle assisted by the tempting nature of the viands, and no smalldegree of hunger, had the effect, and the trays were all cleared out inconsequence. 

While I was in this river I was capsized by a _bore_. This, I mustexplain to my non-nautical readers, is a huge rolling wave, which is asupright as a wall, and travels almost as fast as a locomotive. It isoccasioned by the flood tide pouring in and overcoming the feeders tothe river, forcing them back to their source. On this occasion I waspulling down the river in a small gig, following the other boats, whichhad turned up another branch of it, when I perceived it rapidlyadvancing, and making a noise not unlike the animal of the same name, only a great deal louder. Had I been steering a straight course down theriver I should have faced it, and probably have got off with the boathalf full of water; but I calculated upon reaching the point andentering the branch of the river before its arrival. But I had notcalculated upon its speed, and a strong eddy current at the point waswicked enough to draw our boat broadside to the middle of the stream. 

The wall of water rushed on us, turned us over and over; but fortunatelyby its force it also threw us all, with the gig, upon the point. It didnot, however, throw us our oars, which were performing a _pas de quatre_in a whirlpool close to us. This was a narrow escape, as, had weremained in the agitated waters, the alligators would soon have draggedus under. For two minutes the river was in a state of ebullition, butgradually subsided. We then launched the boat, regained our oars, andproceeded to join our comrades. Thankful as we were for our lives havingbeen preserved, still as we were wet through and had lost all ourprovisions and necessaries, we were compelled to admit that it was avery great bore. 

Shortly after our leaving this river a fatal accident happened to one ofour best men. The wind was blowing a heavy gale from the westward, accompanied by thunder and lightning, such as is only to be seen andheard on the coast of Borneo. The carpenters were on shore felling treesfor masts and yards, and as we were anchored some distance from theshore a tent was pitched for their accommodation. They had not been inthe tent long when a large iron-wood tree was struck by lightning, andfell, burying one of the carpenters, Miller by name, in the sandunderneath it. He was extricated with great difficulty; but before anysurgical assistance could be rendered him he was a corpse. Onexamination most of his bones were found to be crushed. 

Soon after our return from the Sakarron the expedition to Loondoo wasarranged, and we started in the barge and gig, accompanied by CaptainKeppell in his own boat, and Mr. Brooke and Hentig in one of the nativeboats, called a Tam-bang. The distance was about forty miles, and weshould have arrived at four o'clock in the afternoon, but, owing to thenarrowness of the channel, and a want of knowledge of the river, wegrounded on the flats, where we lay high and dry for the space of fourhours. Floating with the following tide, we discovered the properchannel, and found our way up the river, although the night was dark aspitch: when near the town, we anchored for daylight. 

I may as well here give a slight description of the scenery on theBorneo rivers, all of which, that we have visited, with the exception ofthe Bruni, bear a close resemblance to each other. They are far frompicturesque or beautiful, for the banks are generally low, and thejungle invariably extends to the water's edge. For the first fifteen ortwenty miles the banks are lined with the nepa-palms, which thengradually disappear, leaving the mangrove alone to clothe the sides ofthe stream. When you enter these rivers, it is rare to see any thinglike a human habitation for many miles; reach after reach, the samedouble line of rich foliage is presented, varying only in thedescription of trees and bushes as the water becomes more fresh; now andthen a small canoe may be seen rounding a point, or you may pass thestakes which denote that formerly there had been a fishing station. Atlast a hut appears on the bank, probably flanked with one or two Bananatrees. You turn into the next reach and suddenly find yourself close toone or more populous and fortified towns. As you ascend higher thescenery becomes much more interesting and varied from the mangrovesdisappearing. Few of the rivers of Borneo are more than eighty miles inextent. The two rivers of Bruni and Coran are supposed to meet in thecentre of the island, although for many miles near their source they arenot much wider than a common ditch. 

Before day-light of the following morning our slumbers were disturbedby the crowing of a whole army of cocks, which assured us of theproximity of the town we were in search of. We got under weigh, and, rounding the point, Loondoo hove in sight, a fine town, built in a groveof cocoa-nut trees, and by no means despicably fortified. We found ourprogress arrested by a boom composed of huge trees fastened together bycoir cables, and extending the whole width of the river. Had ourintentions been hostile, it would have taken some time to have cut thefastenings of this boom, and we should, during the operation, have beenexposed to a double line of fire from two forts raised on each side ofthe river. The Chief of Loondoo had, however, been duly advised of ourintended visit, and as soon as our boats were seen from the town, ahead-man was sent out in a canoe to usher us in. After a little delay wegot the barge within the boom. When within, we found that we had furtherreason to congratulate ourselves that we came as friends, as the rakingfire from the forts would have been most effectual, for we discoveredthat we had to pass an inner boom equally well secured as the first. Thetown was surrounded by a strong stockade made of the trunks of theknee-bone palm, a wood superior in durability to any known. Thisstockade had but one opening of any dimensions. A few strokes of theoars brought us abreast of it, and we let go our anchors. The eldest sonof the Chief came to us immediately in a canoe. He was a splendidlyformed young man, about twenty-five years old. He wore his hair long andflowing, his countenance was open and ingenuous, his eyes black andknowing. His dress was a light blue velvet jacket without sleeves, and amany-coloured sash wound round his waist. His arms and legs, which weresymmetrical to admiration, were naked, but encircled with a profusion ofheavy brass rings. He brought a present of fowls, cocoa-nuts, andbananas to Mr. Brooke from his father, and an invitation for us to payhim a visit at his house whenever we should feel inclined. 

[Illustration: DYAK WOMEN IN CANOE. ]

Preparatory to landing, we began performing our ablutions in the boat, much to the amusement and delight of the naked groups of Dyaks who wereassembled at the landing place, and who eyed us in mute astonishment. The application of a hair brush was the signal for a general burst oflaughter, but cleaning the teeth with a tooth brush caused a scream ofwonder, a perfect yell, I presume at our barbarous customs. There weremany women among the groups; they appeared to be well made, and morethan tolerably good looking. I need not enter into a very minutedescription of their attire, for, truth to say, they had advanced verylittle beyond the costume of our common mother Eve. We were soon incloser contact with them, for one of our party throwing out of the boata common black bottle, half a dozen of the women plunged into the streamto gain possession of it. They swam to the side of our boat without anyreserve, and then a struggle ensued as to who should be the fortunateowner of the prize. It was gained by a fine young girl of aboutseventeen years of age, and who had a splendid pair of black eyes. Sheswam like a frog, and with her long hair streaming in the water behindher, came pretty well up to our ideas of a mermaid. 

As we had contrived to empty a considerable number of these bottlesduring our expedition, they were now thrown overboard in everydirection. This occasioned a great increase of the floating party, itbeing joined by all the other women on the beach, and for more than halfan hour we amused ourselves with the exertions and contentions of ourcharming naiads, to obtain what they appeared to prize so much; at lastall our empty bottles were gone, and the women swam on shore with them, as much delighted with their spoil as we had been amused with theireagerness and activity. 

About 10 o'clock we landed, and proceeded to pay our visit to the Chief. We were ushered into a spacious house, built of wood and thatched withleaves, capable of containing at least 400 people. The Chief was sittingon a mat with his three sons by his side, and attended by all hiswarriors. The remainder of the space within was occupied by as many ofthe natives as could find room; those who could not, remained in thecourt-yard outside. The Chief, who was a fine looking grey-bearded manof about sixty years of age, was dressed in velvet, and wore on his heada turban of embroidered silk. The three sons were dressed in the way Ihave already described the one to have been who came to us in the canoe. Without exception, those three young men were the most symmetrical inform I have ever seen. The unrestrained state of nature in which theseDyaks live, gives to them a natural grace and an easiness of posture, which is their chief characteristic. After the usual greetings andsalutations had been passed through, we all sat down on mats andcushions which had been arranged for us; a short conversation with Mr. Brooke, who speaks the language fluently, then took place between himand the Chief, after which refreshments were set before us. Theseconsisted of various eatables and sweetmeats made of rice, honey, sugar, flour, and oil; and although very simple as a confectionery, they werevery palatable. We remained with the Chief about an hour, and before wewent away he requested our company in the evening, promising to treat uswith a Dyak war dance. We took our leave for the present, and amusedourselves with strolling about the town. I will take this opportunity ofmaking known some information I have at this and at different timesobtained relative to this people. 

The villages of the Dyaks are always built high up, near the source ofthe rivers, or, should the river below be occupied by the piraticaltribes, on the hills adjoining to the source. Their houses are verylarge, capable of containing two hundred people, and are built of palmleaves. A village or town may consist of fifteen or twenty houses. Several families reside in one house, divided from each other by only aslight partition of mats. Here they take their meals, and employthemselves, without interfering with each other. Their furniture andproperty are very simple, consisting of a few cooking utensils, thepaddles of their canoes, their arms, and a few mats. 

In all the Dyak villages every precaution is taken to guard againstsurprise. I have already described the strength and fortifications ofLoondoo, and a similar principle is every where adopted. The town beingbuilt on the banks of the river, the boom I have described is invariablylaid across the stream to prevent the ascent of boats. Commanding thebarriers, one or more forts are built on an eminence, mounting withinthem five or six of the native guns, called leilas. The forts aresurrounded by a strong stockade, which is surmounted by acheveaux-de-frise of split bamboos. These stockaded forts are, with thehouses and cocoa nuts adjoining, again surrounded by a strong stockade, which effectually secures them from any night attack. 

Great respect is paid to the laws and to the mandates of their Chiefs, although it but too often happens that, stimulated by revenge, or otherpassions, they take the law into their own hands; but if crimes arecommitted, they are not committed without punishment following them, andsome of their punishments are very barbarous and cruel: I have seen awoman with both her hands half-severed at the wrists, and a man withboth his ears cut off. 

The religious ideas of the Dyaks resemble those of the North AmericanIndians: they acknowledge a Supreme Being, or "Great Spirit;" they havealso some conception of an hereafter. Many of the tribes imagine thatthe great mountain Keney Balloo is a place of punishment for guiltydeparted souls. They are very scrupulous regarding their cemeteries, paying the greatest respect to the graves of their ancestors. When atribe quits one place to reside at another, they exhume the bones oftheir relations, and take them with them. 

I could not discover if they had any marriage ceremony, but they arevery jealous of their wives, and visit with great severity anyindiscretion on their parts. 

The Dyaks live principally upon rice, fish, and fruit, and they are verymoderate in their living. They extract shamshoo from the palm, butseldom drink it Their principal luxury consists in the chewing thebetel-nut and chunam; a habit in which, like all the other inhabitantsof these regions, from Arracan down to the island of New Guinea, theyindulge to excess. This habit is any thing but becoming, as it rendersthe teeth quite black, and the lips of a high vermilion, neither ofwhich alterations is any improvement to a copper-coloured face. 

They both chew and smoke tobacco, but they do not use pipes for smoking;they roll up the tobacco in a strip of dried leaf, take three or fourwhiffs, emitting the smoke through their nostrils, and then theyextinguish it. They are fond of placing a small roll of tobacco betweenthe upper lip and gums, and allow it to remain there for hours. Opium isnever used by them, and I doubt if they are acquainted with itsproperties. 

They seldom cultivate more land than is requisite for the rice, yams, and sago for their own consumption, their time being chiefly employed inhunting and fishing. They appear to me to be far from an industriousrace of people, and I have often observed hundreds of fine-lookingfellows lolling and sauntering about, seeming to have no cares beyondthe present. Some tribes that I visited preferred obtaining their ricein exchange from others, to the labour of planting it themselves. Theyare, in fact, not agriculturally inclined, but always ready for barter. 

They are middle-sized, averaging five feet five inches, but verystrong-built and well-conditioned, and with limbs beautifullyproportioned. In features they differ very much from the piraticalinhabitants of these rivers. The head is finely formed, the hair, slightly shaven in front, is all thrown to the back of the head; theircheek-bones are high, eyes small, black and piercing, nose not exactlyflat--indeed in some cases I have seen it rather aquiline; the mouth islarge, and lips rather thick, and there is a total absence of hair onthe face and eyebrows. Now the above description is not very much unlikethat of an African; and yet they are very unlike, arising, I believe, from the very pleasing and frank expression of their countenances, whichis their only beauty. This description, however, must not be consideredas applicable to the whole of these tribes, --those on the S. E. Coast ofthe island being by no means so well-favoured. 

[Illustration: SEREBIS DYAK. 

(N. W. COAST OF BORNEO. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

The different tribes are more distinguishable by their costumes than bytheir manners. The Dyaks of Loondoo are quite naked, and cover the armsand legs with brass rings. Those of Serebis and Linga are remarkable forwearing as many as ten to fifteen large rings in their ears. The Dusums, a tribe of Dyaks on the north coast, wear immense rings of solid tin orcopper round their hips and shoulders, while the Saghai Dyaks of the S. E. Are dressed in tigers' skins and rich cloth, with splendidhead-dresses, made out of monkeys' skins and the feathers of the Arguspheasant. 

[Illustration: TEETH OF DYAKS. ]

The invariable custom of filing the teeth sharp, combined with the useof the betel-nut turning them quite black, gives their profile a verystrange appearance. Sometimes they render their teeth concave byfiling. 

[Illustration: COSTUMES OF DYAK WOMEN. ]

[Illustration: SUM-PI-TAN--BLOW-PIPE WITH POISONED ARROWS. ]

Their arms consist of the blow-pipe (sum-pi-tan), from which they ejectsmall arrows, poisoned with the juice of the upas; a long sharp knife, termed pa-rang; a spear, and a shield. They are seldom without theirarms, for the spear is used in hunting, the knife for cutting leaves, and the sum-pi-tan for shooting small birds. Their warfare is carried onmore by treachery and stratagem than open fighting--they are allwarriors, and seldom at peace. The powerful tribes which reside on thebanks of the river generally possess several war prahus, capable ofholding from twenty to thirty men, and mounting a brass gun (leila) onher bows, carrying a ball of one to two pounds weight. These prahus, when an expedition is to be made against a neighbouring tribe, aremanned by the warriors, one or two of the most consequential men beingstationed in each prahu. Before they start upon an expedition, like theNorth American Indians, they perform their war dance. 

[Illustration: SAGHAI DYAK. 

(S. E. COAST OF BORNEO. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

Should their enemies have gained intelligence of the meditated attack, they take the precaution of sending away their women, children, andfurniture, into the jungle, and place men in ambush on the banks of theriver, who attack the assailants as they advance. The Dyaks are all verybrave, and fight desperately, yelling during the combat like theAmerican Indians. The great object in their combats is to obtain as manyof the heads of the party opposed as possible; and if they succeed intheir surprise of the town or village, the heads of the women andchildren are equally carried off as trophies. But there is greatdifficulty in obtaining a head, for the moment that a man falls everyeffort is made by his own party to carry off the body, and prevent theenemy from obtaining such a trophy. If the attacking party arecompletely victorious, they finish their work of destruction by settingfire to all the houses, and cutting down all the cocoa-nut trees; afterwhich they return home in triumph with their spoil. As soon as theyarrive another war dance is performed; and after making very merry, theydeposit the heads which they have obtained in the head-house. Now, putting scalps for heads, the reader will perceive that their customsare nearly those of the American Indians. 

Every Dyak village has its head-house: it is generally the hall ofaudience as well. The interior is decorated with heads piled up inpyramids to the roof: of course the greater the number of heads the morecelebrated they are as warriors. 

[Illustration: DYAK VILLAGE. ]

The women of the north-east coast are by no means bad-looking, but veryinferior to the mountain Dyaks before described. I have seen one or twofaces which might be considered as pretty. With the exception of acloth, which is secured above the hips with a hoop of rattan, anddescends down to the knees, they expose every other portion of theirbodies. Their hair, which is fine and black, generally falls downbehind. Their feet are bare. Like the American squaws, they do all thedrudgery, carry the water, and paddle the canoes. They generally fled atour approach, if we came unexpectedly. The best looking I ever saw wasone we captured on the river Sakarron. She was in a dreadful fright, expecting every moment to be killed, probably taking it for granted thatwe had our head-houses to decorate as well as their husbands. Whilelying off the town of Baloongan, expecting hostilities to ensue, weobserved that the women who came down to fill their bamboos with waterwere all armed. 

And now to resume the narrative of our proceedings:--

I stated that after our interview with the old chief, and promising toreturn in the evening to witness a war dance, we proceeded on a stroll, accompanied by the chiefs eldest son, who acted as our guide, andfollowed by a large party of the natives. We first examined the forts:these were in a tolerable state of efficiency, but their gunpowder wascoarse and bad. We next went over the naval arsenal, for being then atpeace with every body, their prahus were hauled up under cover of sheds. One of them was a fine boat, about forty feet long, mounting a gun, andcapable of containing forty or fifty men. She was very gaily decoratedwith paint and feathers, and had done good service on the Sakarron riverin a late war. These war prahus have a flat strong roof, from which theyfight, although they are wholly exposed to the spears and arrows of theenemy. 

We then invaded their domestic privacy, by entering the houses, andproceeded to an inspection of the blacksmith's shop, where we found thechiefs youngest son, with his velvet jacket thrown aside, working awayat a piece of iron, which he was fashioning into a pa-rang, or Dyakknife. The Dyak pa-rang has been confounded with the Malay kris, butthey differ materially. The Dyaks, I believe, seldom use the kris, andthe Malays never use the knife; and I observed, when we visited thesouth coast of Borneo, that the knife and other arms of the tribesinhabiting this portion, were precisely similar to those of the Dyaks onthe northern coast. Customs so universal and so strictly adhered toproves not only individuality, but antiquity. Having examined everything and every body, we were pretty well tired, and were not sorry thatthe hour had now arrived at which we were again to repair to the houseof the rajah. 

On our arrival we found the rajah where we left him, and all the chiefmen and warriors assembled. Refreshments had been prepared for us, andwe again swallowed various mysterious confections, which, as I beforeobserved, would have been very good if we had been hungry. As soon asthe eatables had been despatched, we lighted our cheroots, and having, by a dexterous and unperceived application out of a brandy bottle, succeeded in changing the rajah's lemonade into excellent punch, wesmoked and drank until the rajah requested to know if we were ready towitness the promised war dance. Having expressed our wishes in theaffirmative, the music struck up; it consisted of gongs and tom-toms. The Malay gong, which the Dyaks also make use of, is like the Javanese, thick with a broad rim, and very different from the gong of the Chinese. Instead of the clanging noise of the latter, it gives out a muffledsound of a deep tone. The gong and tom-tom are used by the Dyaks andMalays in war, and for signals at night, and the Dyaks procure them fromthe Malays. I said that the music struck up, for, rude as theinstruments were, they modulate the sound, and keep time so admirably, that it was any thing but inharmonious. 

A space was now cleared in the centre of the house, and two of theoldest warriors stepped into it. They were dressed in turbans, longloose jackets, sashes round their waists descending to their feet, andsmall bells were attached to their ankles. They commenced by firstshaking hands with the rajah, and then with all the Europeans present, thereby giving us to understand, as was explained to us, that the dancewas to be considered only as a spectacle, and not to be taken in itsliteral sense, as preparatory to an attack upon us, a view of the casein which we fully coincided with them. 

[Illustration: WAR DANCE OF THE DYAKS. 

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS]

This ceremony being over, they rushed into the centre and gave a mostunearthly scream, then poising themselves on one foot they described acircle with the other, at the same time extending their arms like thewings of a bird, and then meeting their hands, clapping them and keepingtime with the music. After a little while the music became louder, andsuddenly our ears were pierced with the whole of the natives presentjoining in the hideous war cry. Then the motions and the screams of thedancers became more violent, and every thing was working up to a stateof excitement by which even we were influenced. Suddenly a veryunpleasant odour pervaded the room, already too warm from the numbers itcontained. Involuntarily we held our noses, wondering what might be thecause, when we perceived that one of the warriors had stepped into thecentre and suspended round the shoulders of each dancer a human head ina wide meshed basket of rattan. These heads had been taken in the lateSakarron business, and were therefore but a fortnight old. They wereencased in a wide net work of rattan, and were ornamented with beads. Their stench was intolerable, although, as we discovered upon afterexamination, when they were suspended against the wall, they had beenpartially baked and were quite black. The teeth and hair were quiteperfect, the features somewhat shrunk, and they were altogether veryfair specimens of pickled heads; but our worthy friends required alesson from the New Zealanders in the art of preserving. The appearanceof the heads was the signal for the music to play louder, for the warcry of the natives to be more energetic, and for the screams of thedancers to be more piercing. Their motions now became more rapid, andthe excitement in proportion. Their eyes glistened with unwontedbrightness. The perspiration dropped down their faces, and thus didyelling, dancing, gongs, and tom-toms become more rapid and more violentevery minute, till the dancing warriors were ready to drop. A farewellyell, with emphasis, was given by the surrounding warriors; immediatelythe music ceased, the dancers disappeared, and the tumultuous excitementand noise was succeeded by a dead silence. Such was the excitementcommunicated, that when it was all over we ourselves remained for sometime panting to recover our breath. Again we lighted our cheroots andsmoked for a while the pipe of peace. 

A quarter of an hour elapsed and the preparations were made for anothermartial dance. This was performed by two of the rajah's sons, the sameyoung men I have previously made mention of. They came forward eachhaving on his arm one of the large Dyak shields, and in the centre ofthe cleared space were two long swords lying on the floor. The ceremonyof shaking hands, as described preparatory to the former dance, wasfirst gone through; the music then struck up and they entered the arena. At first they confined themselves to evolutions of defence, springingfrom one side to the other with wonderful quickness, keeping theirshields in front of them, falling on one knee and performing variousfeats of agility. After a short time, they each seized a sword, and thenthe display was very remarkable, and proved what ugly customers theymust be in single conflict. Blows in every direction, feints of everydescription, were made by both, but invariably received upon theshields. Cumbrous as these shields were, no opening was ever left, retreating, pursuing, dodging, and striking, the body was never exposed. Occasionally, during this performance, the war cry was given by thesurrounding warriors, but the combatants held their peace; in fact theycould not afford to open their mouths, lest an opening should be made. It was a most masterly performance, and we were delighted with it. 

As the evening advanced into night, we had a sort of extemporary drama, reminding us of one of the dances, as they are called, of the AmericanIndians, in which the warriors tell their deeds of prowess. This wasperformed by two of the principal and oldest warriors, who appeared inlong white robes, with long staves in their hands. They paraded up anddown the centre, alternately haranguing each other; the subject was thepraise of their own rulers, a relation of their own exploits, and anexhortation to the young warriors to emulate their deeds. Thisperformance was most tedious; it lasted for about three hours, and, aswe could not understand a word that was said, it was not peculiarlyinteresting. It, however, had one good effect: it sent us all asleep. Ifell asleep before the others, I am told; very possible. I certainlywoke up the first, and on waking, found that all the lights were out, and that the rajah and the whole company had disappeared, with theexception of my European friends, who were all lying around me. Mycheroot was still in my mouth, so I re-lighted it and smoked it, andthen again lay down by the side of my companions. Such was the wind-upof our visit to the rajah, who first excited us by his melodramas, andthen sent us to sleep with his recitations. 

The next morning, at daylight, we repaired to our boats, and when allwas ready took leave of the old rajah. The rajah's eldest son hadpromised to accompany us to the mouth of the river, and show us how thenatives hunted the wild pigs, which are very numerous in all the junglesof Borneo. 

We got under weigh and proceeded down the river accompanied by a largecanoe, which was occupied by the rajah's son, six or seven hunters, anda pack of the dogs used in hunting the wild boar on this island. Thesedogs were small, but very wiry, with muzzles like foxes, and curlingtails. Their hair was short, and of a tan colour. Small as they are, they are very bold, and one of them will keep a wild pig at bay till thehunters come up to him. 

[Illustration: OBTAINING FIRE. ]

We arrived at the hunting ground at the mouth of the river in good time, before the scent was off, and landed in the _Tam-bang_. Our captainhaving a survey to make of an island at the mouth of the river, to ourgreat delight took away the barge and gig, leaving Mr. Brooke, Hentig, Captain Keppell, Adams, and myself, to accompany the rajah's son. Havingarranged that the native boat should pull along the coast in thedirection that we were to walk, and having put on board the little thatwe had collected for our dinners, we shouldered our guns and followedthe hunters and dogs. The natives who accompanied us were naked, andarmed only with a spear. They entered the jungle with the dogs, rathertoo fatiguing an exercise for us, and we contented ourselves withwalking along the beach abreast of them, waiting very patiently for thegame to be started. In a very few minutes the dogs gave tongue, and asthe noise continued we presumed that a boar was on foot; nor were wewrong in our conjecture; the barking of the dogs ceased, and one of thehunters came out of the jungle to us with a fine pig on his back, whichhe had transfixed with his spear. Nor were we long without our share ofthe sport, for we suddenly came upon a whole herd which had been drivenout of the jungle, and our bullets did execution. We afterwards had moreshots, and with what we killed on the beach, and the natives secured inthe jungle, as the evening advanced we found ourselves in possession ofeight fine grown animals. These the rajah's son and his hunters verypolitely requested our acceptance of. We now had quite sufficientmaterials for our dinner, and as we were literally as hungry ashunters, we were most anxious to fall to, and looked upon our pigs withvery cannibal eyes. The first thing necessary was to light a fire, andfor the first time I had an opportunity of seeing the Dyak way ofobtaining it. It differs slightly from the usual manner, and is bestexplained by a sketch. Captain Keppell, who was always the life and soulof every thing, whether it was a fight or a pic nic, was unanimouslyelected caterer, and in that capacity he was most brilliant. I mustdigress a little to bestow upon that officer the meed of universalopinion; for his kindness, mirth, and goodness of heart, have renderedhim a favourite wherever he has been known, not only a favourite withthe officers, but even more so, if possible, with the men. In theexpeditions in which Keppell has been commanding officer, where the menwere worn out with continued exertion at the oar, and with the manyobstacles to be overcome, Keppell's voice would be heard, and whenheard, the men were encouraged and renewed their endeavours. Keppell'sstock, when provisions were running short, and with small hopes of afresh supply, was freely shared among those about him, while our gallantcaptain, with a boat half filled with his own hampers, would see, andappeared pleased to see, those in his company longing for a mouthfulwhich never would be offered. If any of the youngsters belonging toother ships were, from carelessness or ignorance, in trouble with thecommanding officers, it was to Keppell that they applied, and it wasKeppell who was the intercessor. In fact, every occasion in whichkindness, generosity, or consideration for others could be shown, suchan opportunity was never lost by Keppell, who, to sum up, was a belovedfriend, a delightful companion, and a respected commander. As soon asour fire was lighted, we set to, under Keppell's directions, and, as maybe supposed, as we had little or nothing else, pork was our principaldish. In fact, we had pig at the top, pig at the bottom, pig in thecentre, and pig at the sides. A Jew would have made but a sorry repast, but we, emancipated Christians, made a most ravenous one, defying Mosesand all his Deuteronomy. We had plenty of wine and segars, and soonfound ourselves very comfortably seated on the sand, still warm from therays of the burning mid-day sun. Towards the end of a long repast wefelt a little chilly, and we therefore rose and indulged in the games ofleap-frog, fly-the-garter, and other venturous amusements. We certainlyhad in our party one or two who were as well fitted to grace the senateas to play at leap-frog, but I have always observed that the cleverestmen are the most like children when an opportunity is offered forrelaxation. I don't know what the natives thought of the European RajahBrooke playing at leap-frog, but it is certain that the rajah did notcare what they thought. I have said little of Mr. Brooke, but I will nowsay that a more mild, amiable, and celebrated person I never knew. Everyone loved him, and he deserved it. 

After we had warmed ourselves with play, we lighted an enormous fire tokeep off the mosquitoes, and made a bowl of grog to keep off the effectsof the night air, which is occasionally very pernicious. We smoked andquaffed, and had many a merry song and many a witty remark, and many alaugh about nothing on that night. As it is highly imprudent to sleep inthe open air in Borneo, at ten o'clock we broke up and went to repose inthe boats under the spread awnings. Just as we were selecting thesoftest plank we could find for a bed, we had an alarm which might havebeen attended with fatal consequences. I omitted to mention that when werose to part and go into the boats, one of the party threw a lightedbrand out of the fire at the legs of another; this compliment wasreturned, and as it was thought very amusing, the object being to leapup and let the brand pass between your legs, by degrees all the partywere 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 aworse chance of being hit than we did. At last the brands were allexpended and the fire extinct, and then, as I said, we went away tosleep under the boats' awnings. We were in the act of depositing ourloaded rifles by our sides in a place of security, when the unearthlywar cry rose in the jungle, and in the stillness of the night thesediscordant screams sounded like the yelling of a legion of devils. Immediately afterwards a body of natives rushed from the jungle in thedirection of the boats, in which we supposed that our European partywere all assembled. Always on our guard against treachery, and notknowing but that these people might belong to a hostile band, in aninstant our rifles were in our hands and pointed at the naked body ofnatives, who were now within twenty yards of us. Mr. Hentig was on thepoint of firing, when loud shouts of laughter from the Dyaks arrestedhis hand, and we then perceived that Mr. Brooke and others were with thenatives, who enjoyed the attempt to intimidate us. It was fortunatethat it ended as it did; for had Mr. Hentig been more hasty, blood musthave been shed in consequence of this native practical joke. We joinedthe laugh, however, laid down our rifles, then laid ourselves down, andwent fast asleep, having no further disturbance than the still smallvoice 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 Imust not here omit to mention a trait of honesty on the part of theDyaks. I had dropped my pocket handkerchief in the walk of the daybefore, 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 beknown, that a coloured silk handkerchief is to one of these poor Dyaks, who are very fond of finery, an article of considerable value. He mighthave retained it without any fear; and his bringing it to me was notcertainly with any hope of reward, as I could have given him nothingwhich he would have prized so much as the handkerchief itself. He wasmade a present of it for his honesty. 

We bade farewell to our friends at Kuchin, and continued our survey onthe coast. The boats were now continually employed away from the ship, which moved slowly to the westward. At this time exposure and hard workbrought the fever into the ship. The barge returned in consequence offour 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 buriedalong side the same morning. This death, after so short an illness, damped the spirits of the officers and men, particularly of those whowere ill. After this burial we sailed for Sincapore. At this time oursick report contained the names of more than thirty men, with everyprobability of the number being increased; but, thanks to God, fromchange of air, fresh provisions, and a little relaxation from theconstant fatigue, the majority were in a short time convalescent. On the25th 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 principalmerchants' houses, face the sea. The church is also close to the beach, I presume to allow the congregation the benefit of the sea breezes. Ithas no architectural beauty to recommend it, being a plain building witha spiral steeple, surmounted by a cross. The interior is fitted up withmore regard to neatness than elegance. It has an organ, and is suppliedwith a host of young choristers from the academy. 

Between the beach and Government Hill is a delightful upland, which isgenerally attended by all the beauty and fashion of Sincapore in thecool of the evening. A canal or small river divides the town into twoparts. On the western side of it, stand all the stone houses of themerchants, and it is here that all commercial business is transacted. Itis densely populated with Armenian Jews, Chinese, and people from everypart of India, each nation residing in its own quarter, in the housespeculiar to and characteristic of their country. Indeed, one of thefirst things that strikes the stranger in Sincapore is the variety ofcostume; Chinamen, Malays and Indians, Armenians and Jews, all mingletogether in every variety of picturesque costume, giving you an idea ofa carnival. The palanquins resemble an omnibus on a small scale, theyare drawn on four wheels, have a door on either side, and seats for fourpeople. 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. Oneis kept by an Englishman, the other by a Frenchman; both are equallyattentive, but the Frenchman's house has the preference, in consequenceof its superior locality, facing the esplanade, and looking upon thesea. The governor's house is situated on the summit of a hill, about aquarter of a mile from the beach. From it you have a bird's eye view ofthe whole town, and also of the country in the interior for somedistance. From this eminence the town has a very picturesqueappearance; the houses on the east side of the river (the May fair ofSincapore), are built apart and surrounded by pretty gardens and lawns;beyond this you have the roads and the sea studded with every variety ofvessels; and the island of Binting rises from sea in the distance. Theinterior is not without beauty: the eye ranges over a vast expanse ofgrove and forest, interspersed with plantations of nutmegs, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar canes, and from which a most delightful perfume isbrought by the breeze, while here and there white houses may beperceived, looking like mere specks in the dark foliage by which theyare surrounded. It is surprising, when we reflect how short a space oftime has passed since this settlement was first made, how such a mass ofbuilding and such a concourse of people can have been collected. 

It certainly does appear strange, but it is no less true, that no nationcan colonise like the English, and I have often made that remark in mywanderings and visitings of the various parts of the globe. Englandfills the world and civilises the world with her redundant population, and all her colonies flourish, and remind you of a swarm of bees whichhave 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 thebustle, the enterprise, and activity which our colonies possess. TheDutch have never conciliated the natives, and obtained their goodwill;they have invariably resorted to violence, and to a disregard ofjustice. One would have thought that the French, from their _bonhomie_, would have been one of the very best nations to civilise, and certain tohave 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 nativepopulation by good example and strict justice, they demoralise byintroducing vices hitherto unknown to them, and alienate them byinjustice? There was an outcry raised at the French taking possessionof Taheite, as if any attempt on their part to colonise was aninfringement on our right as Englishmen of universal colonisation. Ithink if we were wise, we should raise no objection to their colonisingas much as they please. The whole expence of founding the colony, raising the fortifications, and building the towns, and, if I may usethe phrase, of settling every thing, may safely be left to them. If awar breaks out, they will have done a great deal of expensive work forour benefit, as we are certain then to take possession. Algiers has costan enormous sum to France, and will cost still more, and yet it canhardly be considered as a colony. It is a military possession, anAfrican barrack, no more; and what will be the result in case of thebreaking out of hostilities? Their possession of Algiers will be mostadvantageous to England, for defend it they will with all their power. We, with Gibraltar as a rendezvous, shall of course have a mostfavourable position for assailing it, and the consequence will be, thatthe whole focus of the war will be drawn away from our own coasts, andthe Mediterranean will be the arena of all the fighting. The strugglemust 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 tosend out to annoy our trade and colonial possessions. But as this is adigression, and has nothing to do with my narrative, I beg pardon and goon. 

We found that the Dido had anchored there before us, and had receivedher orders to proceed to England. Oh! how we envied her good fortune;and surely if envy is a base passion, in this instance it becomesennobled by the feelings of home and country which excite it. The Didoleft on the 10th, and we regretted the loss of Captain Keppell mostdeeply. Many merchant vessels had been lately wrecked on the north coastof Borneo, and their crews made prisoners by the pirate hordes. Some ofthe vessels had had females on board, who had not been heard of since. Aletter from a master of a merchant vessel was received by theauthorities at Sincapore, wherein it was stated on oath, that, havinglately put into the port of Ambong, in Borneo, an European woman hadbeen seen near one of the huts of the village; but that on theirapproach, she disappeared. This account was corroborated by the evidenceof some Lascar seamen, who formed a portion of the crew of the vessel. The contents of this letter being forwarded by the authorities to ourgallant captain, he determined upon proceeding to Ambong, accompanied byour old ally, the Phlegethon steamer. Fortunately the town lay in ourtrack, as we were about to proceed to Labuan, and from thence toManilla. We again weighed anchor for Sarawak, whither the steamer hadalready 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 greatsurprise, we received an intimation that we might make a party ofpleasure (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 awayas fast as we could, till we were first out of hail, and then out ofsight, when we considered that we were safe. 

I have already stated that the native houses are built on the left sideof the Sarawak river, and those of the Europeans on the right. Theselatter are pretty commodious little bungalows, built of cedar and pinewood. At present there are but three, belonging to Mr. Brooke, Mr. Williamson the interpreter, and Hentig, a merchant who has latelysettled there. Ruppell, Mr. Brooke's superintendent, and Treecher, thesurgeon, live in a large house on the native side of the river. Each ofthese European houses has its chatty bath adjoining to it, and thisluxury is indulged in at all hours of the day. At nine o'clock a gongsummons all the Europeans to the breakfast table of Mr. Brooke. Whenbreakfast is over, they all separate, either to follow business orpleasure, and seldom meet again till six in the evening, when dinner isserved, and the time is passed away till all retire to bed. 

Let me describe the view from the front of Mr. Brooke's house:--Theschooner 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 Sincaporeand Kuchin. The large open building, with a wharf, leading down to theriver, is the store in which the antimony is sifted, smelted, andweighed. On the point near the bend of the river is the fort. It is astrong building of large timbers, and mounts eight 24-lb. Iron guns, invery excellent condition. This is a very necessary defence, as theEuropean rajah has many enemies. The building whose top just appearsabove the trees is the Chinese joss-house, or temple; for there are manyChinese settlers at Kuchin, who are very useful in their capacities ofcarpenters, blacksmiths, and agriculturists. Sweeping with the eye arange of dwelling houses built on stakes, you stop at one of tolerableproportions, which has a platform in front of it, on which are mountedabout twenty small guns, and there is a flag-staff, on which is hoisteda red and yellow flag: that is the palace of Rajah Muda Hassan. Take acanoe, and cross over to it. You will find Muda sitting cross-legged inthe centre of it: he shakes hands with you, and offers you cigars andtea. You will also meet his brother, Bud-ruddeen. You take your leave ofthe rajah, and amuse yourself with a walk round the town, during whichyou 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 theSarawak, the Malays who inhabit the coast of Borneo are a cruel, treacherous, and disgusting race of men, with scarcely one good qualityto recommend them. The numerous tribes of these people are separatelygoverned, either by a rajah or petty sultan. Their laws are much morerespected 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 acloth is worn round the head; in others, a hat, made of leaves orrattan. Their arms are the kris and spear; occasionally they carry thesum-pi-tan, and poisoned arrows. Their houses are built upon stakes, probably for the sake of cleanliness; as the flooring consists of a kindof 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 ofthe lightest materials. The Malays pretend to Mahomedanism, and there isgenerally a large empty building in every town which is dignified withthe name of a mosque: on the outside are hung drums or tom-toms, of hugedimensions, which are used as gentle reminders of the hours of prayer. 

I have already stated that these Malay tribes live almost wholly bypiracy, to carry on which each town possesses several large prahus, which they man, and send out to intercept any unfortunate junk or othervessel incapable of much resistance, which fate or the currents may havedriven too near their coast. When the vessels are captured the cargoesare deposited in their warehouses, the vessels are broken up, and thecrews are retained as slaves, to dig yams or pound paddy. Unless theyare irritated by a desperate resistance, or they attack an inimicaltribe, they do not shed blood, as has generally been supposed;restrained, however, by no other feeling than that of avarice, for theslaves are too valuable to be destroyed. In their physiognomy theseMalays are inferior to the Dyaks: they have a strong resemblance to themonkey in face, with an air of low cunning and rascality mostunprepossessing. In stature they are very low, and generallybandy-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 theextreme point of the chin. The Borneo Malay women are as plain as themen, although at Sincapore, Mauritius, and the Sooloos, they are wellfavoured; and they wind their serang, or robe, so tight round theirbodies, that they walk in a very constrained and ungainly fashion. Manyof these tribes are intermixed with the natives of the Celebes, such asthe inhabitants of Sooloo. 

[Illustration: MALAY WOMAN. ]

The Malays deal with criminals in a very summary manner, the knowledgeof which prevents many crimes among this semi-barbarous people. Robbers, for the first offence, lose their right hand; for the second theyundergo the penalty of death. When we were at Kuchin a Chinaman wasconvicted of selling sam-schoo without permission: his goods wereconfiscated for a time, to be redeemed only by his good behaviour. I amnot acquainted with their punishments for minor offences, except in theabove instance; but I believe it is generally by fine. Every rajah holdsdespotic sway over the inhabitants of his province, and punishes as hethinks proper, without reference to any tribunal, even in cases wherethe sentence is death. The method of executing criminals with the krisis as follows:--He is made to sit down in a chair, with his armsextended horizontally, and held in that position by two men. Theexecutioner, who stands behind him, inserts his kris above thecollar-bone, in a perpendicular manner, which causes instant death, asthe 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, mayamuse the reader:--A celebrated Malay pirate, whose sanguinary deeds hadfilled the Archipelago with terror, became violently enamoured with oneof the slaves of a rajah living on the river Sarawak. After vainlyendeavouring to obtain her from her master by offers of money andentreaties, he lay in wait for her, and ran away with her into thejungle. 

He had hardly passed his honeymoon before the rajah discovered hisretreat, and he sent to the Malay to inform him, that, if he would makehis appearance at the audience upon a certain day, he should havejustice done him. 

The Malay chief, who was a man of undaunted courage, and who feltconfident that the reputation he had acquired by his piratical exploitswas alone sufficient to awe his enemies, consented to appear, hopingthat arrangements might be made which would permit him to leave thejungle, and allow him to enjoy his new bride in quiet. 

On the day appointed he appeared before the council, armed, andaccompanied by his brother, both resting their hands upon the handlesof their krisses, a movement which among the Malays proclaims nofeelings of amity. In this attitude of preparation they walked into theaudience room, which was crowded with a host of enemies. The councildecided, that if on a certain day he would produce a specified sum ofmoney the girl should be his, and he should return unmolested. The sumnamed was exorbitant, but the Malay chief agreed to the payment, and waspermitted to depart. 

When the day of payment arrived, the council sat as before, and theMalay chief again made his appearance; but this time he came alone, hisbrother being absent on a piratical expedition. He had, in consequenceof his violent affection for the girl, made every attempt to raise thestipulated sum, but could not succeed. He brought all that he couldcollect, but it fell far short of the sum which had been agreed upon, and he requested time to procure the remainder. The council consulted awhile, and then stipulated, that the chief, not having brought the sumagreed upon, should leave his kris as a pledge till the rest should beforthcoming. The kris that the chief wore was itself of great value, very handsomely ornamented with precious stones. It had belonged to hisancestors, and was, as they always are, highly prized, and they knewthat it would, if possible, be reclaimed. The chief was most reluctantto part with it, but his love for his mistress overcame his scruples, and also his prudence, for it left him unarmed amidst his implacableenemies. He pulled out his kris, and laid it on the table upon themoney, and was busy disengaging the sheath to add to it, when, by asignal from the rajah, he was seized from behind. He started up, but itwas too late; his trusty weapon, which had so often stood by him in hisneed, was no longer within his reach, and he was in a moment transfixedwith a dozen blades, falling a victim to his love of the girl and thetreachery of his foes. 

After passing two very pleasant days at Kuchin, we prepared to descendthe river. I have omitted to say that Mr. Treecher, the surgeon, wasfond of natural history, and possessed a very tolerable collection ofbirds, and other animals indigenous to the country. I was shown severalskeletons of the orang outang, some of which were of great size. Thereis no want of these animals in the jungle, but a living specimen is noteasy 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, orlong-armed ape, which had been presented to Mr. Brooke by one of theneighbouring rajahs, and they are by the natives considered veryvaluable. Their affection when domesticated is remarkable; their firstact when they meet one they know is to leap upon your breast and embraceyou with their arms, just like a child will its mother, and they willremain, if permitted, in this position for hours, and complain ifremoved. 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 thatin the presents made by chiefs, a scarce variety of monkey is often theprincipal gift, and most esteemed. 

The scarcest monkey in Borneo is the proboscis, or long-nosed. I saw buttwo specimens of this animal, one a female, with the nose very long, andpendulous at the extremity; the other a male, very young, and with thenose more or less prominent, and giving its face a more actualresemblance to that of a man's than I had ever before seen. This monkeyhas never, I believe, been brought to England alive. The British Museumhas a stuffed specimen. It is not so mischievous in its habits as thetribe in general. 

As Rajah Muda Hassan has been so frequently mentioned, it may be as wellto give a succinct outline of his history. At the death of the latesultan, Muda Hassan was the heir-apparent to the throne, but he resignedin favour of his nephew, retaining the office of prime minister, whichoffice he had held during the former reign, not only to the satisfactionof the sultan, but also of the people, with whom he was deservedly agreat favourite. His influence, being even greater than that of thesultan, occasioned a jealous feeling, and a contention of party, whichinduced Muda Hassan to retire to Sarawak with his wives and personalattendants. He was succeeded in his office of prime minister by an Arab, Pangeran Usop, a man of unbounded ambition, who by his harsh andtyrannical conduct soon became hated by the Brunese, who longed for thereturn of Muda Hassan, under whose sway they had been quiet and happy. Pangeran Usop, aware of the popular feeling, now considered Muda Hassanas his enemy, and took every opportunity of vilifying and creatingsuspicion of Muda Hassan on the mind of the sultan, who was littlebetter than an idiot. He asserted that Muda Hassan and his brotherBud-ruddeen were leagued with the English, and were their onlysupporters in their pretensions to the isle of Labuan, and that theywould assist the English in taking possession of Borneo. 

These reports, although at first treated with disdain, continuallyrepeated had their effect, not only upon the sultan, but upon thepeople; and Muda Hassan, who was informed of what had been going on, andhad not deigned to notice it, now considered that it was advisable torepair to Borneo, and refute the charges brought against him. 

When Mr. Brooke purchased the rajahship and mines of Sarawak, he agreedto compensate Muda with a life annuity of two or three hundred perannum, and give him a passage to his native city, Bruni, whenever heshould feel disposed to leave Kuchin. Some time had now elapsed sincethe signing of the contract, during which Muda had remained at hispalace at Kuchin, enjoying his income, and living on the very best termswith the Europeans. He now, however, expressed a wish to return toBruni, and as it was Mr. Brooke's intention to proceed to that port inthe Samarang, it was proposed that the Phlegethon steamer should embarkMuda and his suite, and that on our arrival at Bruni we should see thisrajah and his brother Bud-ruddeen installed in their positions which bytheir birth they were entitled to. Another object was in view, andexpected to be gained by this step. Up to the present, no efforts hadbeen made by the Bornean government to discountenance piracy; on thecontrary, the plunder of the pirates was brought in and openly disposedof at Bruni, which is the royal residence. Muda and his brotherBud-ruddeen were stanch friends to the English, and it was anticipatedthat by their being appointed to offices of power, and forcing thesultan to a treaty to put down piracy, and pay respect to the Englishflag, a very important advance would be made towards the exterminationof these marauders, and commerce, once rendered secure, and propertyrespected, Borneo would soon be brought to a state of comparativecivilisation. 

As soon as the two rajahs, with all their wives and suite, &c. , could begot on board of the Phlegethon, Mr. Brooke, and Mr. Williamson theinterpreter, came on board the Samarang, and we sailed. On our arrivalat the island of Labuan, we anchored the ship, and despatched thesteamer, with her cargo, up to Bruni. The captain of the Samarang andone or two officers proceeded up to Bruni in the barge on the followingday; and I was the midshipman in charge of the boat. We did not arriveat the city till 8 o'clock in the evening; and it was too dark todistinguish the houses. With some difficulty, we discovered the steamer, which was anchored on the main street. We pulled alongside, and landingthe captain and Kuchinians, Adams, the surgeon of the party, and I, found ourselves in undisturbed possession of the barge. 

[Illustration: BRUNI. 

(BORNEO PROPER. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

Bruni is called by Crawfurd the Venice of the East; and he is so farcorrect, that it is built in the same peculiar way, and is a mostextraordinary town. It is built almost entirely on the water. It is ofgreat size, containing from thirty to forty thousand inhabitants, mostof whom are Malays, but who, from having so long intermixed with thetribes on the coast, now style themselves Brunese, after the town. Thistown, which is situated where the river forms a wide and shallowestuary, is built with little regard to regularity. There are, however, two large main streets, intersecting each other in the form of anirregular cross. These divide the town into four parts, one of which ispartly built upon terra firma, while the other three portions arecomposed of massive wooden houses, built on piles, and just sufficientlyseparated here and there to admit of the passage of a canoe. On theportion which is on dry land is built the sultan's palace, a church ormosque, and most of the more prominent buildings. It was in the mainstreet (if such a term may be used), and as near as possible in thecentre of the town, that the steamer was anchored. 

When we awoke and roused up it was broad daylight, and the scene wasmost novel: surrounding the steamer and the barge, and extending manyyards from them, lay hundreds of canoes, filled with natives of everytribe to be found on the coast, and dressed in every variety of costume. From the wild Dusum to the civilised Arab and Malay rajah, natives inevery posture, and decked in every colour, impelled by curiosity, werecrowded around us. Here was a chief, dressed in an embroidered jacket, sitting cross-legged, and shading himself with a yellow silk umbrella. There were some wild-looking Dyaks, with scarcely as much covering asdecency demanded, standing up on their narrow canoes, one hand restingon the handle of their knives, the other on their hips, eying us fromunder their long matted hair with glances that told of no good feelingtowards us. In another quarter were women, in a covered boat, whosejealous lattices only permitted us a glimpse of sparkling eyes, and ofthe yellow array which proclaimed them as some of the royal favourites. As far as you could see on all sides there was a confused mass, composedof embroidered chiefs, black-eyed women, grey-bearded Arabs, spears, shields, paddles and umbrellas. Taking out my sketch-book, I amusedmyself with drawing the various costumes--no very easy task, as thecanoes were continually on the move; and before I could well catch thehead and shoulders of a native, when I raised my eyes from the paper hehad often disappeared in the crowd, and I found another party andanother costume in his place. 

[Illustration: NATIVES OF BRUNI. ]

Rajah Muda Hassan had already landed, and 10 o'clock had been fixed uponas the hour for a full-dress visit to the sultan. As the timeapproached, Mr. Brooke, with our captain and the officers composing theparty, came into the barge, and were pulled up to the sultan's audiencechamber. This was a large three-sided building, facing the water, with aplatform in front, on which were mounted five or six leilas, or nativeguns. The roof was slightly carved, and the gables ornamented with largewooden rams' horns. The red and yellow flag of Borneo waved above it. 

We were received at the platform by a numerous party of chiefs, handsomely dressed in silks, satins, and gold embroidery. They usheredus into the audience chamber, the walls of which were lined with a sortof cloth, and ornamented with shields. The floor was matted. The chamberwas filled with natives, all well dressed and armed. They satcross-legged, preserving a respectful silence. A vacant aisle waspreserved between them leading to the throne, which was at the upperend of the chamber. The throne was a frame of painted wood, gilt andcarved, and bearing a very suspicious resemblance to a Chinese bedstead. On this, sitting cross-legged, was the sultan of Borneo, to whom we wereall separately presented as English warriors, &c. &c. Chairs were thenplaced in a half circle in front of the sultan, and we seated ourselves. The sultan, a man of about sixty years of age, is said to be veryimbecile, and under the control of his ministers, who do with him asthey please. He was dressed in a loose jacket and trousers of purplesatin, richly embroidered with gold, a close-fitting vest of gold cloth, and a light cloth turban on his head. In his sash he wore a gold-headedkris of exquisite workmanship. His head was bald, and his features worea continual air of suspicion, mixed with simplicity. The first is not tobe wondered at, as he lives in the happy expectation of being poisonedevery day. He has two thumbs on the right hand, and makes thesupernumerary one useful by employing it in charging his mouth with thebeetle-nut and chunan, in which luxury he indulges to excess. Immediately below him were his two body attendants, who have charge ofhis beetle-nut box and his weapons. In front of the throne, and insidethe half aisle formed by the Europeans, Seraib Yussef, the primeminister, Muda Hassan, and Bud-ruddeen, were seated on their hams. Oneach side and below the throne were hundreds of attendants or guards;those in the front row sitting cross-legged, with drawn krisses; thosebehind them standing with long spears, tipped with bunches of redhorsehair, in their hands. The remainder of the chamber was occupied bychiefs, all of them armed. 

[Illustration: COURT OF THE SULTAN OF BORNEO. 

(SIGNING THE TREATY WITH ENGLAND. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

The communications and demands we had to make were carried on throughMr. Williamson, the interpreter. The speakers were Mr. Brooke, ourcaptain, the sultan's prime minister, Muda and Bud-ruddeen, the sultanoccasionally nodding his head in approval of replies made by his primeminister. The whole of the conversation was carried on in so low a toneas not to be heard except by those sitting nearest to the throne. Thesubject of it was, however, no secret; and it was as follows:--

Near to the mouth of the river, is an island called Pulo Cheremon, onwhich the sultan has built some forts. On our entering the river, one ofour boats had been fired at from one of these forts, although theEnglish flag was hoisted at the time. The demands made in thisconference were, that the proper respect should be paid to the Englishflag, that the forts upon Pulo Cheremon should be dismantled, and thatthe sultan should reinstate Muda and Bud-ruddeen in offices becomingtheir rank. Now, that the first demand was reasonable must be admitted;but what right we had to insist upon the forts being destroyed, and thesultan's uncles put into office, I really cannot pretend to say. 

Seraib Yussef, who was inimical to the English, expressed hisdisapprobation of their demands in very strong terms: as for the sultan, he had very little to say. As it appeared that there was no chance ofour demands being complied with without coercion, the conference wasbroken up by our principals pointing to the steamer, which lay withinpistol-shot of the palace, and reminding the sultan and the ministersthat a few broadsides would destroy the town. Having made thisobservation, we all rose to take our departure, stating that we wouldwait for an answer to our demands upon the following day. Our situationwas rather critical, only eight Europeans among hundreds of armednatives taking their sultan in this manner by the beard, when, at asignal from him, we might have all been despatched in a moment. Morethan one chief had his hand upon his kris as we stalked through apassage left for us out of the audience chamber; but whatever may havebeen their wishes, they did not venture further without authority. Onreaching the platform outside, a very strange sight presented itself. With the exception of a lane left for our passage to the boat, the wholespace was covered with naked savages. These were the Maruts, a tribe ofDyaks who live in the mountains. The word marut signifies brave. Thesenaked gentlemen, who are very partial to the sultan, had come down fromthe mountains to render assistance in case of hostility on our part. They were splendidly framed men, but very plain in person, with the longmatted hair falling over their shoulders. They were armed with longknives and shields, which they brandished in a very warlike manner, occasionally giving a loud yell. They certainly appeared very anxious tobegin work; and I fully expected we should have had to draw and defendourselves. I was not sorry, therefore, when I found myself once more inthe stern sheets of the barge, with our brass six-pounder loaded withgrape, pointed towards them. The poor fellows little knew the effect ofa shower of grape-shot, or they would not have been so anxious for a"turn-up. "

The sultan had offered a house for the accommodation of the Europeansduring our stay at Bruni. It was a small wooden building over the waterand resting upon piles. It communicated by a platform with the Mahomedanmosque, which was built of brick and of tolerable dimensions. Theinterior of this mosque had no other furniture in it except a sort ofpulpit painted, which stood in the centre. Outside on a raised platformwas a very large tom-tom or drum, upon which a native played frommorning to night, much to our annoyance, as it was so close to us. Religious worship appears at a very low ebb at Bruni, for during thewhole time that we remained there I did not see one person enter themosque. 

At the back of the mosque there was a piece of green sward, whichseparated us from the royal buildings. Passing through the mosque westrolled over this piece of pasture, when, close to the water's edge, wediscovered several fine old brass 32-pounders, dismounted andhalf-buried in the swamp. On inspection we found them to be Spanish, bearing the inscription of Carolus Tertius, Rex Hispaniorum, with thearms of Castile above. How they came into the sultan's possession wecould not find out. He was said to value them exceedingly; if so, he didnot show it by the neglect paid to them. 

Bruni on a calm day presents a novel and pretty appearance. The massesof houses appear to float on the water, and the uniformity is broken bygay flags and banners, which indicate the rank and the office of themwho hoist them. The large square sails of the prahus, the variety ofboats and canoes, the floating bazaar, and the numerous costumescontinually in moving panorama before you, all combine to form a veryadmirable picture. Add to this the chiming and beating of gongs andtom-toms in every cadence, and from every quarter, and you are somewhatreminded of an Asiatic Bartholomew fair. 

The right-hand side of the river, which is opposite to the town, consists of a series of small hills, which are partially cleared, butpresent little appearance of cultivation. Here we were shown a specimenof the upas tree: it was growing close to a small stone fountain in thevicinity of some straggling huts. It was a solitary tree, tall andred-stemmed, with the foliage branching out in a canopy at the top. 

So much has been said for and against this tree, usually supposed to befabulous, that we looked upon it with great curiosity; and althoughaware that its noxious qualities have been much exaggerated, we wereanxious to test its powers, if we could. We procured a ladder, which weraised against the tree, and one of our party ascended to the uppermostbranches without experiencing the fainting sensation ascribed to beproduced by close contact with its foliage. We then tapped the tree atthe bottom, and there issued from it a white viscous fluid, which thenatives asserted to be a virulent poison, and used by them for dippingthe points of their arrows. We carried off a bottle of this poison, andhaving drunk from the fountain beneath the tree, without fear andwithout injury, we went away. This was the only specimen of the upastree that I saw in Borneo. The lower orders at Bruni, in addition to ajacket and trousers, wear an immense straw hat of a conical shape, witha brim as wide as an umbrella. This hat, unless thrown back on theshoulders, entirely conceals the face. At times, when the river iscrowded with canoes, nothing is to be seen but a mass of these strawhats, which present a very strange appearance. But the greatest noveltyat Bruni is the floating bazaar. There are no shops in the city, and themarket is held every day in canoes. These come in at sunrise everymorning from every part of the river, laden with fresh fruit, tobacco, pepper, and every other article which is produced in the vicinity; a fewEuropean productions, such as handkerchiefs, check-cotton prints, &c. , also make their appearance. Congregated in the main street the canoesare tacked together, forming lanes through which the purchasers, intheir own canoes, paddle, selecting and bargaining for their goods withas much convenience as if the whole was transacted on terra firma. Ironis here so valuable that it is used as money. One hundred flat pieces aninch square are valued at a dollar, and among the lower classes theseiron pieces form the sole coin. They are unstamped, so that every personappears to be at liberty to cut his own iron into money; but whethersuch is really the case I cannot vouch. 

We remained at Bruni for a week, during which time a great deal ofdiplomatic duty was got through by the seniors of the party, leaving thejuniors to amuse themselves with discovering fresh objects of interest, and illustrating every thing worthy of notice. 

Our whole party met every evening at the small house which had beenappropriated for our use by the sultan. It staggered fearfully upon itswooden legs under our accumulated weight, and we constantly expectedthat we should be let down into the water. Here we dined and passed theevening in conversation, with our arms all ready at hand, guns andpistols loaded, and the boats anchored close along side of us, in caseof any treachery. Every day an interview was had with the sultan, but nodefinite answer had been obtained to our demands. On the 6th, however, it was resolved by our diplomatists that no more time should be wastedin useless discussion, but that the sultan must be at once brought toterms; indeed, our own safety demanded it, for the popular feeling wasso much excited, and the people were so indignant at our attempt tocoerce their sultan, that we were in hourly expectation of an attack. 

At seven in the evening the party repaired to the audience chamber, leaving their arms behind them, for they felt that any effort from fiveEuropeans to defend themselves against so many hundreds, would beunavailing, and that more would be gained by a show of indifference. They landed at the platform, and the barge, in which were LieutenantBaugh (since dead) and myself, was ordered to lie on her oars abreast ofthe audience chamber, and to keep her 6-pounder, in which there was afearful dose of grape and canister, pointed at the sultan himself duringthe whole of the interview. 

It was an anxious time: the audience chamber was filled with hundreds ofarmed men, in the midst of whom were five Europeans dictating to theirsultan. The platform outside was crowded with the wild and fearlessMaruts: not a native in the city but was armed to the teeth, and anxiousfor the fray. 

We, on our parts, were well prepared for fearful vengeance; the bargewas so placed that the assassination of Mr. Brooke and the Europeanswould have been revenged on the first discharge of our gun by theslaughter of hundreds; and in the main street lay the steamer, with aspring on her cable, her half ports up, and guns loaded to the muzzle, awaiting, as by instruction, for the discharge of the gun from thebarge, to follow up the work of death. The platform admitted one of thesteamer's guns to look into the audience chamber, the muzzle was pointeddirect at the sultan, a man held the lighted tow in his hand. EveryEuropean on board had his musket ready loaded, and matters assumed aserious appearance. 

From where I was on the barge, all appeared hushed in the audience room. I could see the prime minister, Muda, and Bud-ruddeen, as they rose inturns to speak. I could perceive by the motion of their lips that theywere talking, but not a sound came to our ears. This state of thingslasted about half an hour, and then there was a slight stir, and Mr. Brooke and his party marched towards us through the crowd of warriors. 

By dint of threats he had gained his point. The sultan had signed atreaty by which he bound himself to respect the British flag, to makeover to us the island of Labuan, to destroy the forts on Pulo-Cheremon, to discountenance piracy, and to instal Muda and Bud-ruddeen intooffices becoming their birth and high rank. 

I have since heard Mr. Brooke remark, that considering the natives werewell aware that our guns were directed against them, the self-possessionand coolness shared by every one of them were worthy of admiration. Theynever showed the slightest emotion, their speeches were free fromgesticulation, and even their threats were conveyed in a quiet subduedtone; and every thing was carried on with all the calmness anddeliberation that might be expected at a cabinet council at St. James's. 

Whilst at Bruni, we picked up several specimens of coal, and asking oneof the chiefs if much could be procured, he showed us a few sacks. Ignorant of its value, he was still cunning enough to perceive how muchinterest Ave felt in the discovery, and immediately asked a mosttremendous price for his stock. One would really have thought that wewere bargaining for precious stones; at all events he must have had anintuitive idea that we considered them as "black diamonds. " On the otherhand, an old Arab at Bruni, who had supplied us with one or two livebullocks, when he saw the Samarang at anchor at the mouth of the river, had the modesty to offer our captain 400 dollars for her, less than100l. Sterling. Sell dear and buy cheap is the way to get rich, andproves how fit for commerce are all the people of the archipelago. 

While we were lying at Bruni in the barge, one day, when Adams theassistant-surgeon and myself were sole occupants, we were surprised atthe appearance of a handsomely dressed Malay youth, who stepped into theboat, greeting us, although strangers, _sans cérémonie_. Always wishingto study native character, we amused him as well as we could, and on hisdeparture gave him to understand that he might come whenever he pleased. About dark we were surprised by a canoe coming under our stern, and theoccupant throwing into the barge several fine fowls and a large basketof fruit. We could not imagine to whom we were indebted for thiscivility, but suspected our Malay friend, and when he came again wetaxed him with it, and he acknowledged it. On this visit he sat in theboat for some time, appearing to take a great interest in every thingconnected with us, and observed that we were bargaining with the nativesin the canoes alongside of us for the various arms of the country, whichthey are content to sell provided they obtain a most exorbitant price. Our Malay friend went off in his canoe, and in the course of an hourreturned with a large collection of shields, spears, krisses, and mats, which he begged our acceptance of. Every day did he bring us presentsof some description or another, refusing to take any thing in return, except perhaps an English pocket handkerchief or something of verytrifling value. Suddenly his visits were discontinued, and we saw nomore of him. One day, dining at the house lent us by the sultan, Mr. Brooke was talking with some of our party of a young Malay chief, who, being mad, had attempted to kill his wife, and had in consequence beenplaced in durance, but had since been liberated. Mr. Brooke wishing tospeak to him, sent for him, and on his appearance this madman proved tobe our generous unknown. 

The day after the signing of the treaty we left Bruni, the steamertaking the barge in tow, and the same afternoon we joined the Samarangat our newly-acquired possession, the isle of Labuan. This island isabout thirty miles in circumference, flat, and covered with thickjungle. It has no inhabitants. Its anchorage is good, being protected bythe main and two smaller islands. The embouchure of a rivulet forms asmall bay, which we dignified with the title of Victoria. We found waterplentiful, and several specimens of coal. 

From Labuan we proceeded to Ambong, a place where it was supposed thatan European female had been detained as a slave. Ambong is a prettylittle bay, with a Malay village built in the bight of it, and there isa fine view of Keeney Balloo, the great mountain of Borneo, in theback-ground. This mountain, estimated to be 14, 000 feet high, is aboutforty miles from Ambong, and with the aid of a glass we could discerncataracts and ravines innumerable. It is certainly a most splendidaffair, on one side rising almost perpendicularly, and in appearancenearly flat at the top. At sunset, from the bay, its appearance wassplendid. We found nothing at Ambong to lead us to suppose that Europeanfemales had at any time been made prisoners by the inhabitants: theywere apparently a quiet, peaceable people, living entirely byagriculture. Their close neighbours, however, the Moros of Tampassook, are a notorious tribe of the Illanoan pirates, who are the terror of theAsiatic seas. It was not improbable that these people might have manyEuropean prisoners as their slaves, but from what we knew of theircharacter, we felt assured that if they possessed white femaleprisoners, they would never consent to their being ransomed. 

After making a survey of Ambong, we only waited to take in a supply offresh beef, and then started the Phlegethon on her return to Sarawakwith Mr. Brooke and Mr. Williamson, while we shaped our course in anopposite direction on our way to Manilla. 

I may here remark that the bullocks at Ambong were remarkably fine andthe price of them ridiculously cheap. Two of the largest were to bepurchased for about twenty-five shillings worth of calico or any otherEuropean manufacture. Wherever we went on this island, and I may sayover the Indian archipelago generally, the spirit of trade and barterappeared to be universal; and if the inhabitants of Borneo were inclinedto look into the riches of their island, and with them procure Englishmanufactures, which when piracy is abolished they will do, thecommercial opening to this country will be great indeed. The scenery inthe bay of Ambong varies from that of the Borneo coast in general. Thebay is backed by a series of small hills, cleared away and partiallycultivated, instead of the low jungle which is elsewhere so universal. 

On our way to Manilla we touched at the entrance of a river up which issituated the town of Tampassook. Bodies of armed men came down in hasteto oppose our landing, which we did with a view of taking sights toverify the chronometers. We came to a parley before we came to blows, and the captain drew a line close to the beach, telling the Illanoansthat his men would remain inside of it, on condition that they wouldremain outside. This arrangement was agreed to, and the observationswere taken between four or five hundred armed warriors on one side, andfour boats with the guns ready to fire on the other. 

The pirates were all very well dressed in stuffs and cloths: theycarried shields so large as to cover the whole body, and long heavyswords with the handles ornamented with balls and human hair. Many wereon horseback, and formed a very respectable irregular cavalry, wearing alight loose dress, and armed with long spears and short round shields. One costume was quite novel, being a coat of armour made of buffaloleather scaled with oyster shells. Both parties adhered to theagreement, and all therefore passed off quietly; the observations werecompleted, and we returned to the ship. 

Tampassook, it is asserted, would be a grand place for booty if it wasstormed, as the inhabitants possess a great deal of money and diamonds. They are, however, a very brave people, and would not part with theirriches without a terrible resistance. 

While off this river we had notice given us that there was a fleet of100 piratical prahus lying off the island of Balabac. We shaped ourcourse thither, hoping to surprise them, but we were disappointed: thebirds had flown, and the bay of Balabac was untenanted. We cruised for aweek among the islands in search of them, but could not discover theirretreat; so we shaped our course for Manilla, taking the passage to theeastward of Palawan, which was considered the best at this season of theyear. 

While off the north-east coast of Palawan, our boats left to surveydiscovered an Illanoan prahu at anchor off one of the small islands thatsurround the coast. The boats gave chase, and the pirates used everyexertion to get away. The gig soon headed the other boats, but gainedvery slowly on the pirate, and her muskets caused no apparent execution, but one of the cutters with the grape from her gun killed several oftheir fighting men, who stood on the roof brandishing their krisses, andfearlessly exposing themselves to the fire. On turning a point the prahukept before the wind, and walked away from us so fast that we gave upthe chase. 

In about a fortnight afterwards, the Corregidor, a small island at themouth of Manilla Bay, hove in sight. On our arriving abreast of it, agun-boat came out to board us, and inquire after our bill of health; butas we had a spanking breeze, and men-of-war do not heave-to to beboarded, the gun-boat returned to the island as wise as she came out. Manilla Bay is of immense size, being thirty miles deep, and twentywide. Near the mouth of the Bay the land is high, but at the head, wherethe city of Manilla is built, it is remarkably low and flat. As we hadthe wind in our teeth, and Manilla was twenty-five miles distant, we didnot arrive there till sunset. After shaving the sterns of severalmerchant ships, who would have been better pleased if we had given thema wider berth, we at last dropped anchor about two miles from the town. 

Manilla, from the anchorage, has not an inviting appearance. I have saidthat the land upon which it is built is very low, and as the town isstrongly fortified, nothing is to be seen from the shipping but a longline of sea wall, with the roofs of the largest buildings, and a mass ofbrick, which we were told was the cathedral, overtopping it. At one endof this sea wall is the canal, or river, flanked on one side by a mole, and on the other by a light-house. 

Manilla is, however, a very delightful place; and to us, who had been somany months among savages, it appeared a Paradise. The canal I havealluded to divides the fortified city from the suburban towns of SanFernando, San Gabriel, and others, in which are situated all thecommercial houses, stores, godowns, dock-yards, and saw mills. All theChinese and lower orders also reside in these suburbs, and I may addthat all the amusements, feasts, &c. , are carried on in this quarter. The city of Manilla within the fortifications is a very quiet, clean, and well-regulated town, inhabited entirely by the higher orders: thestreets are well laid out, the houses regular, and built of whitefreestone. In the centre of the city is the Plaza, on one side of whichis the cathedral, and opposite it the governor's palace; both veryinsignificant buildings. The cathedral, which is very ancient, is devoidof all attempt at architecture, and resembles a huge barn; while thegovernor's palace, in appearance, reminds you of a stable. 

[Illustration: CITY OF MANILLA. ]

During the day the streets of Manilla are perfectly quiet and deserted. At dusk the people begin to move, and show signs of life. The sallyportgates are closed at eleven o'clock at night, after which hour there isneither ingress or egress, and on this point they are most absurdlyparticular. 

The natives of Luzon are much below the middle size. The men areslightly made, weak, and inoffensive; the women, on the contrary, areremarkable for their pretty faces, feet, and figures, set off by a dressof the most picturesque description: a short petticoat, ofgaily-coloured silk or cotton, and a boddice of similar material, ofsufficient height to cover the bosom, is their usual costume. Their longjet black hair is allowed to fall in tresses down their backs. Many havea kerchief tastefully thrown over their heads; and they wear littlevelvet slippers, embroidered with gold and silver thread. Theirappearance is extremely captivating to foreigners, who do not in a hurryforget their graceful mien and the arch glances from their brillianteyes. Manilla supports a considerable body of infantry and cavalry, thewhole composed of natives of the island. Their horses are small, as wellas the men, and are not well trained; but the object of the Spaniards isto make a show to intimidate the Indians, who, having no disciplinewhatever, are, of course, inferior even to these very moderate troops. Not long ago, one of the strongest forts was taken possession of by aparty of rebels, assisted by some soldiers who had revolted: the fortwas recaptured, and, as an example, a dreadful slaughter ensued. Theparade ground, outside the citadel, was the scene of carnage. A largepit was dug, at the brink of which the victims were placed; they werethen shot, and thrown into this grave. Eighty-two were thus butchered, and buried in the pit, over which a mound has been raised, tocommemorate their execution. 

Outside the town, and half encircling it, there is a splendidesplanade, between an avenue of trees. This leads to the water, whenthe road runs parallel with it for nearly a mile, terminating at one ofthe piers of the canal. This is known by the, I presume, correct name ofScandal Point. A number of carriages, filled with all the _élite_ ofManilla, turn out on this drive a little before sunset, and the scene isvery gay and exciting. I leave the reader to conceive upwards of 200carriages passing and repassing, besides equestrians and pedestrians. The reader may say that it must be like the ring at Hyde Park; but it ismore brilliant, although not in such good taste; and then it is thebeauty of the climate--the contrast between the foliage and the blueocean--which gives the effect. No buttoning up to an east wind, norrunning away from a shower; but ever gay, and fresh, and exhilarating. Here you meet the old Don, enjoying his quiet stroll and cigar, allalone. Soldier officers, in plain dress and long mustachoes, doffingtheir hats to every señora. The English merchant, in his unassumingundress of a white jacket; the British naval officers, with their gayuniforms and careless manners, prying, with a sailor's curiosity, intoevery pretty face; and now and then a saucy mid, mounted on a hack, dashing between the line of carriages at a full gallop, disturbing theirpropriety, and checking the cavalcade, to the great consternation, realor assumed, of the ladies. All was gaiety and gladness; on every sidewas to be heard the merry laugh and hail of recognition. To add to theexcitement, the bands of the several regiments played the most popularairs on a parade adjoining to the esplanade. 

While the carriages were driving up and down, the vesper bell tolledfrom the cathedral. In an instant every carriage stopped--every head wasuncovered, and bent in an attitude of devotion. Horses, women, men--allas if transfixed: every tongue silent--nothing heard but the bell of thecathedral, and the light breeze which bore away its vibrations. Thebell at last ceased, and in a moment every thing was in full activity asbefore. 

Twice a week a military band plays at the public almeda from nine tillten in the evening; and on one of these nights we started in a carriageto the spot. The almeda is situated close to the gates of the city, andjoins to the esplanade. It is an open square, bordered with a row oftrees, to which are suspended lamps; while in the spaces between thetrees there are seats for the accommodation of the public. In the middleof the almeda is a stand erected for the musicians. On our arrival therewe found it well lighted up; the place was surrounded by carriages, which were empty, their occupants having joined the parade. Followingthe example, we mixed with the throng, which was numerous. The womenwere mostly collected in groups, and the men were smoking their cherootsand beating time to the music, which was excellent. Lighting our cigars, we strolled lazily along, and, by dint of lamp-light and impudence, managed to form a very tolerable idea of the beauty of the senoras. Atten o'clock, the band struck up a lively polka, which was the signal fora general dispersion. This is considered one of the principal and mostfavourite recreations at Manilla. 

The inhabitants of Manilla are composed of the pure Spaniard, and theMustichas, or mixed breed. The former are very proud and inhospitable;the latter are, on the contrary, very friendly, and, for any littlecivility, request that you will make their house your home. The women ofthe latter are by far the most preferable: the former are said to bevery deficient in good-breeding and education; like the Indians, theysleep half the day, and are scarcely alive till sun-down, when theydress for the almeda or esplanade. 

There are very good subscription rooms in the city. Every month theygive a ball, concert, or amateur performance. Strangers are presentedwith tickets for these amusements--no thanks to the Spaniards--but fromthe kindness of the English merchants, who are nearly all members. Iwent to one of these balls: there were plenty of women--more than couldget partners; the music was good, the women well dressed, and theywaltzed exquisitely. Adjoining the ball-room was a billiard-room, inwhich those who preferred smoking cigars in a cool room to dancing, withthe thermometer at 90°, had retreated. Nothing can be done at Manillawithout the cigar: they smoke for an appetite, they smoke for digestion, they smoke when they are too hot, they smoke when it is chilly. As thehands of the time-piece approached the hour of eleven, every one wholived outside the city was obliged to be off. We, among others, took ourdeparture; but when we sought for our carriage, it had disappeared. Weset off at a hard trot, to reach the gates before eleven, but in ourhaste we missed the road, and came to a cul-de-sac. We retraced oursteps, but when we reached the gates they were closed. A request to theofficer of the guard we knew to be useless, so we turned back, andprepared to pass the night in the streets, in our uniforms and swords. After wandering half an hour up and down without seeing a light ormeeting a soul, I heard a violent hammering at a door at a littledistance. I found it was one of our party, who hammered away, and calledout for "Soda water" between each hammering. "All's right!" said he;"look here!" And sure enough there was a board outside, with "SodaWater" painted in large letters in English. This repeated hammering anddemand for soda water at last produced the desired effect. A person in adressing-gown and slippers came out into the balcony, and demanded ourbusiness. We explained our extreme thirst and benighted condition; andas the gentleman hesitated, we again applied to the door, intimatingthat if we had no admission, at all events he should have no repose. Atlast he sent down to have the door opened. We found that he was aGerman chemist, who fabricated soda water, among other articles, and, knowing the partiality of the English for the beverage, had advertisedit in our language over the door. We passed the night with him verycomfortably at his house, breakfasted with him the next morning, and, promising to bring the whole of our shipmates to drink soda water forhis benefit till we were blown out like balloons, we wished himgood-bye, and returned to the ship. 

Gambling is carried to a great extent in Manilla: the game played isMonté. We visited one of their gambling houses. Winding our way down adark and narrow street, we arrived at a porte-cochère. The requisitesignal was given, the door opened cautiously, and after some scrutiny wewere ushered up a flight of stairs, and entered a room, in the centre ofwhich was a table, round which were a group, composed of every class. AnIndian squaw was sitting by the side of a military officer, the onestaking her annas, the other his doubloons. I stood by the side of anold Chinaman, who staked his doubloon and lost every time. The strictestsilence was observed, and nothing was heard but the chinking of thedollars, and the occasional _à quien_ of the banker, who inquired theowner of the stakes. Every thing was conducted with the greatest order;when one man had lost all his money he would retire, and make room foranother. The authorities of Manilla have made every effort to put acheck to this demoralising practice, but without much success. It isuniversal, from the highest to the lowest, from the civilised to themost barbarous, over the whole of the Indian Archipelago. 

The Indians of the Phillippines are among the best favoured of theAsiatic islanders, but they are not reckoned so brave as the Malays. They are a quiet inoffensive race, clean and well shaped, and are allconverted to the Catholic faith. Their principal amusement iscock-fighting, which, indeed, is carried to a great extent in all theislands. Every man in the streets has his fighting cock under his arm, and groups may be seen at all hours of the day, pitting their cocks andbetting on the issue. The country about Manilla is very pretty, wellcultivated, and studded with thriving villages. The Spanish possessionsin this part of Luzon are confined to about twenty miles in everydirection; the interior of the island being peopled with a race ofsavages who occasionally make incursions into the country, carrying awaycattle or any thing else that they can lay their hands upon. I couldobtain no particulars of these aborigines, except that they go nearly ifnot altogether naked. 

On the 1st of December, our old acquaintance, the Velocipede schooner, arrived from Sooloo, having on board six Lascars, who had been ransomedfrom the sultan of Sooloo by Mr. Wyndham. They had formed a portion ofthe crew of the Premier, an English merchant vessel, which had beenwrecked on a reef off the eastern coast of Borneo. The crew, consistingof Europeans and Lascars, had been divided between the sultans ofSooloo, Gonong Tabor, and Balungan. One of the Lascars was the bearer ofa letter from the captain of the Premier, stating that he and his crewwere still captives, and trusting that a vessel would be sent to rescuethem, as they were strictly guarded by the natives, and had no hopes ofescape. The Samarang being the only man-of-war at Manilla, the Englishconsul requested our captain to proceed again to Borneo to obtain thesepeople, calling at Sooloo in order to obtain information and a pilot. 

On the 10th of December we sailed for Sooloo, where we arrived on the15th. We found the natives preparing for an attack, which theyanticipated from the French, and suspicious that our intentions werealso hostile. Having already described Sooloo, I shall confine myself toevents. The captain, with his officers, went on shore, and had anaudience with the sultan; and having brought an interpreter with us fromManilla, the conversation was carried on without difficulty. Refreshments, as lemonade, &c. Were handed round as before, and, asbefore, the room of audience was crowded to suffocation. 

The prime minister, who was a little corpulent man with an aquilinenose, wore such an expression of low cunning, and eyed us with suchill-concealed hatred, that we christened him Daniel Quilp, and he wasever afterwards spoken of by that soubriquet. Our object being madeknown, and the sultan's assistance demanded to obtain the remainder ofthe prisoners, every obstacle that Quilp could throw in our way wasresorted to; and thus the audience became very tiresome, and I paidlittle or no attention to what was said, amusing myself by using myeyes, instead of tormenting my ears. A heavy red curtain was hung up, dividing the room into two compartments. Observing that this moved onceor twice, I endeavoured to find out the cause, when several pairs ofblack eyes, half hidden in the folds and rents, explained the mystery;and whilst they were loudly disputing, I was winking and making faces atthe sultan's wives, who, stimulated by curiosity to behold the whitemen, were thus transgressing the rules of the harem. But old Quilplooked very hard at me, and for the ladies' sakes I was obliged todesist. 

Behind the sultan stood a young man very handsomely dressed in crimsonsilk, who held in his hands an English finger-glass. We were very muchat a loss to know what his office might be, and also what might be theoffice of the finger-glass; but our curiosity was soon gratified; thesultan beckoned the youth to approach, and as the latter presented thefinger-glass, his highness blew his nose in it. 

Indeed, the misappropriation of English utensils in this part of theworld is very absurd, although it is not surprising that an articlecoming into their hands, the use of which they have no idea of, shouldbe appropriated to that use which they consider it best adapted to. Onthe occasion of a dinner given to us by the sultan of Bruni, the wholeparty were seized with a fit of very indecorous and immoderate laughter, by finding the centre dish, which was a curry, served up in a capaciousvessel, which in Europe is only to be found under a bed. The curry, nevertheless, was excellent; and what matter did it make? "What's in aname? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. "--But to return. 

We remained eight days at Sooloo, during which time there was muchaltercation and excitement. At last the sultan of Sooloo agreed to senda prahu with us to pilot us up the river, to the town where the crew ofthe Premier were in durance. 

During the time that we were at Sooloo, we had evidence sufficient ofthe vindictive feeling held by the rabble against Europeans, and at thesame time the various ways they resorted to, to give us an idea of theirsuperiority. They drew our attention to some old cannon mounted onrotten gun-carriages; they pointed out the strength of their fort, thesharpness of their krisses and spears; and we could not but smile at thefalse estimate of their and our capabilities. They expressed curiosityto see our swords, which are always made of finely tempered steel, although not sharp edged, as they are required more for thrusting andparrying. Of our mode of self-defence they are ignorant, as theyinvariably cut with their krisses; their first attention was, therefore, drawn to the edge of the sword; passing the thumb along it, and findingit blunt, they expressed the greatest contempt for the weapon. It wasuseless to show them the thrust and parry movements, or to prove thewell-tempered steel by bending the blade till the hilt and point werealmost meeting. A sharp iron hoop in their ideas was preferable to allthe best English workmanship. The Sooloo knives are larger than theyusually are in the Archipelago, and of superior manufacture. By rubbingthem with limes and exposing them to the sun, they stain them in amanner quite peculiar to the place. 

Partly to the machinations of our friend Quilp and the irritable andproud disposition of the people, who considered that the sultan washumiliated by listening to reason and remonstrance, we were more thanonce very near coming to blows. At last every thing was arrangedamicably; and just before starting, the prime minister, Quilp, and alarge party of chiefs, condescended to pay a visit to the ship. 

To guard against treachery, for Quilp was equal to any thing, themarines were kept under arms, and supplied with ball cartridges. Theship was soon crowded with chiefs, armed to the teeth, and accompaniedby men with muskets, spears, and shields. It certainly did not look likea very amicable visit on their part, or a very friendly reception onours; but the ship wore a very gay appearance. The guns, nettings, andbooms were covered with the chiefs and attendants dressed in very gaycolours. Groups of them sat down on the decks, and made their remarksupon what they beheld; while numbers prowled about up and down, examining, peeping, and wondering. We amused them with firing congreverockets, guns, &c. , which gave them some idea of our value, and wetherefore combined instruction with amusement. They departed highlypleased and astonished, and it was evident that we were some degreeshigher in the estimation of Quilp himself. 

The prahu ordered to pilot us having come alongside, we hoisted her upabaft, and took the people on board, and then made sail for the hithertounknown territory of Panti river. We anchored off the main land on the25th December, that we might discover the mouth of the river, which wasunknown to us. Our Christmas-day was not a very happy one; we didnothing but drink to the hopes of a better one the ensuing year. On thefollowing day we weighed, and moved some distance up the river, and thenanchored, waiting the return of the prahu, which had been despatched upto the town the night before. We had, by the means of warping andtowing, gained about fifteen miles up the river, when we found that itdivided into two branches, and, not knowing which branch to take, we hadanchored, waiting the return of the prahu. As she, however, did not makeher appearance, although she had had quite sufficient time allowed her, the boats were therefore manned and armed, and we started in search ofthe town Gonong Tabor. As bad luck would have it, we chose the leftbranch of the river, and, after two days' unsuccessful search, came backjust as we went, but not quite so fresh as when we started. The prahuhad not yet returned, so, taking a new departure, we proceeded up theright branch. This proved a fine broad river; one portion of it, studdedwith small islands, was very picturesque. We soon hove in sight of whatappeared to be a town, although there were no signs of life visible. Itwas built on the left side of the river on two small hills, but we heardno gongs or tomtoms sounding, the usual alarm of all the Malaysettlements on the approach of strangers. When we arrived off it, wefound that the town was deserted. It had evidently but a short time backbeen a populous and flourishing place, but it had been destroyed by theenemy, as, although the houses were standing, the cocoa-nut and othertrees had been all cut down. On the brow of the hill were many graves;one, which was stockaded and thatched, and the remnants of several flagsfluttering in the wind, denoted the resting-place of a rajah. He littlethought when he was alive that his head would be transported to a headhouse some 20, 000 miles distant, but such was his fate: science requiredit, and he was packed up to add to the craniological specimens in theCollege of Surgeons, the gentlemen presiding over which are as fond ofheads as the Dyaks themselves. 

We moved up the river till nightfall, and then anchored. We weresatisfied from appearances that we were not far from a town, and, loading our arms, we kept a very strict look-out. 

At daylight the next morning we weighed anchor, and, having passed tworeaches of the river, we came in sight of the towns of Gonong Tabor andGonong Satang. We pulled towards them, with a flag of truce, and wereimmediately boarded by a canoe, which contained the prime minister, whomade every profession of good-will on the part of his master, the sultanof Gonong Tabor. We observed with surprise that he hoisted a Dutch flag, which he requested that we would salute. The captain replied, that theymust first salute the English flag, and, if they did so, he promised toreturn the salute. This was complied with; the English flag was salutedwith twenty-one guns, and an equal number returned. The boats were thenanchored off the town. 

Immediately after we had returned the salute, we heard an attempt atmusic, and this was soon explained by the appearance of a processionfiling through the gates of the town towards the boats. It was headed bya Malay, bearing the standard of Gonong Tabor, --red, with a whiteborder; he was followed by another carrying a large canopy of silk, highly ornamented, and fringed with lace. After this personage came theprime minister; then two musicians, one playing the drum, and the othera flageolet of rude construction. These musicians were dressed in redbordered with yellow, with cowls over their heads. The rear was composedof a body-guard of Malays, well armed. The whole advanced towards thelanding-place, having been sent by the sultan to escort the captain tothe palace. The captain and officers landed, and, escorted by thenatives, proceeded to the palace, the red silk canopy being carriedover the head of the captain as a mark of honour. The sultan, acorpulent but fine-looking man, received us very courteously. Heinformed the captain that all the white people belonging to the Premierhad been ransomed by the Dutch, whose trading vessels were in the habitof visiting Gonong Tabor. The captain of the Premier had refused toacknowledge the Lascars as British subjects, and, in consequence, thepoor fellows had been retained as slaves. They were not, however, atGonong Tabor, but at Baloongan, a town of some importance up aneighbouring river. He added, that four of the Lascars had fallenvictims to the climate, and that there were twelve still remaining atthe above-mentioned town. It appeared that, from some misunderstandingbetween the sultans of Gonong Tabor and Gonong Satang relative to thedisposal of the English prisoners, they had come to blows, and were atthis time at open warfare, the two towns being within gunshot of eachother. Gonong Satang was built on a hill on the opposite side of theriver, and was strongly stockaded as well as Gonong Tabor. 

[Illustration: PROCESSION OF THE SULTAN OF GONONG TABOR. ]

The sultan expressed his desire to enter into an amicable treaty withthe English, and offered our captain his assistance in procuring therelease of the Lascars at Baloongan. This offer was accepted, and, whenwe left, a prahu accompanied us to that town. 

In the course of the evening the sultan's prime minister and suitevisited the barge, which was moored within a few yards of thelanding-place. We surprised them very much with our quick firing, buttheir astonishment was unbounded at the firing of a congreve rocket, which they perceived carried destruction to every thing in its flight. The grand vizier was in ecstasies, and begged very hard that the captainwould go up to Gonong Satang, and just fire one or two at theiradversaries in that town. This, of course, was refused. 

[Illustration: EARS OF DYAKS AT GONONG TABOR. ]

We here fell in with a most remarkable tribe of Dyaks: they wore immenserings in their ears, made of tin or copper, the weight of whichelongated the ear to a most extraordinary extent. On their heads theywore a mass of feathers of the Argus pheasant. They wore on theirshoulders skins of the leopard and wild cat, and neck-laces of beads andteeth. They were armed with the usual parang, blowpipe, and shield. Theywere a much larger race of men than the Dyaks of the north coast, butnot so well favoured. We remained here five days, and on the 1st ofJanuary, 1845, went down the river to the ship, accompanied by the prahuwhich was to be our guide to Baloongan. The following day we sailed forBaloongan, and on the 3rd we anchored off the bank where the Premier wascast away. Her ribs and timbers were left, but the natives had carriedaway every thing of value, except a small anchor, which they had notingenuity enough to recover. Leaving the ship at anchor here, we againmanned the boats, and, accompanied by the pilot prahu, proceeded up theSaghai river: the next day we arrived in sight of Baloongan. Heaving to, to load our guns, and get our fire-arms in readiness (for we expected ahostile reception), we then hoisted a flag of truce and pulled up to thetown. What first occupied our attention was a green plot in front of thetown, on which were mounted from fifteen to twenty guns, which werecontinually pointed so as to bear upon us as we pulled up, and whichwere backed by some thousands, I should think, of Malays and savages, all well armed with spears and knives. This looked like business, but wepulled on, with the white flag still flying. A canoe came off, containing, as at Gonong Tabor, the prime minister. He waved with hishand, ordering us to anchor, and pointing to the guns, which the nativesstill continued to train after us. The captain refused to anchor, andpulled on; we were then almost abreast and within thirty yards of thebattery. As we passed it within ten yards, the natives kept the muzzlespointed at our boats, and we expected them every moment to fire. Hadthey done so, we might have received considerable damage; but what wouldtheir loss have been when we had opened with round, grape, and canister, and congreve rockets, upon such an exposed and densely crowdedmultitude? They contented themselves, however, with yelling, which doesnot kill, and, passing the battery, we dropped our anchor close to thegate of the stockade by which the town was surrounded. 

In passing the battery, and refusing to anchor, the captain adopted themost prudent and safe course; for we had long before discovered thatdecision is absolutely necessary with these people. The least hesitationon our part would have fortified their courage to attack; but they areso much awed by our superior arms, and I may safely add the superiorcourage of our men, that they never will, however much they maythreaten, be the first to come to blows, provided there is novacillation or unsteadiness on our parts. This the captain knew, andacted accordingly. 

After returning their salute of twenty-one guns, the captain, with someof the officers and a party of small-armed men passed through a line ofDyaks to the hall of audience, which, as usual, was crowded to excesswith armed Malays. The sultan, who was a stout athletic man, received usvery cordially, but his confused manners and restless eyes showed thathe was not at his ease. His dress consisted of a yellow satin jacket, over which he wore another of purple silk, worked and hemmed with lace. His trousers and turban were made of similar materials. Shoes andstockings he had none, and wearing both jackets open, his chest wasexposed. The sultan acknowledged that the Lascars were still in histerritory, but, as two of them were at some distance in the interior, itwould require a few days to bring them in. He appeared very glad thatthe business was settling so easily, for he no doubt expected an inquiryand a demand for all the ship's stores, the major portion of which hadfound their way to Baloongan. The chain cables must have been invaluableto the natives, and I detected several links which had been partlyconverted into spear-heads. 

There was nothing worthy of remark in the town of Baloongan. We werevery much interested in the Dyak tribes, who were the same as thosedescribed at Gonong Tabor, and in greater numbers. They were equallytall, and appeared to be the very perfection of savage warriors. Theyinvited us several times to pay them a visit on the hills, where theyresided. These Dyaks appeared very friendly to us, and one of them, anintelligent fellow, of the name of Meta, volunteered to take a letteroverland to Mr. Brooke: his mode of travelling was by pulling up theSaghai river to its source in his canoe, till he came close to thesource of the Coran, and by his account the two rivers nearly meet. Hetook the letter, binding it round his head with a piece of linen; but Ido not know if ever it was delivered. One observation I made relative tothese Saghai Dyaks, which was, that much as they must have beenastonished at our arms and equipments, like the North American Indians, they never allowed the least sign of it to be perceived. 

At the end of a week the prisoners returned in a very miserablecondition. They had been at work, pounding paddy and digging yams; andthey stated that they had not sufficient allowed to eat to supportexistence, besides being beat about the legs with bamboos. Two of thetwelve died evidently from ill treatment and exhaustion. Their gratitudeat being delivered from their slavery was beyond bounds; and itcertainly is not very creditable to the master of the Premier to haveabandoned them in the way he did, when a word from him would haveprocured their liberty. 

We returned to the ship, and the next day ran down to the Premier Reef;the captain then went again to the Panti river, in the boats, toconclude the treaty with the sultan of Gonong Tabor. This was soonaccomplished; and giving him an union jack to hoist, at which he wasmuch pleased, we bade him farewell. 

We finished the survey of the Premier Shoal, as it is now named, andthen steered for the island of Maratua, which the sultan of Gonong Taborhad by his treaty made over to the English, representing it as having anexcellent harbour and good water; but on our arrival we were muchdisappointed to find an island surrounded by reefs, with only oneintricate passage through them and sufficiently wide only for boats. Probably the sultan knew no better. As we were very short of water, wenow made sail for Sooloo, and fell in with the Sooloo prahu, which hadbeen sent to us as a pilot, and which we had never seen since she wentup the river Panti before us. She had been waiting for us outside, andthe people were very much pleased at finding us, as they feared beingtaken by the pirates of Tawee-Tawee. After having been nearly wrecked ona reef, and having grounded on another, we anchored off the Lugutanislands, and despatched the two cutters in search of water. One of themattacked and burnt a prahu, because she looked suspicious; the other didbetter, she discovered a stream of water, off which we anchored the sameevening. Having completed wood and water, we sailed for Sooloo, wherewe arrived on the Sunday. We were surprised to find a French squadronanchored in the bay. It consisted of the Cleopatra, 50-gun frigate, RearAdmiral Cecile, with an ambassador on board, the Victorieuse, 22, andthe Alchimede war steamer. They were treating with the sultan of Sooloofor the island of Basilan, the natives of which had beat off theirboats, with the loss of a lieutenant and four men killed and manywounded. The island of Basilan is subject to Sooloo, although thenatives have refused to pay tribute for many years. The French, aware ofthis, and wishing to establish a colony in the East, offered the sultan20, 000 dollars if he would make over the island to them; but this wasnot acceded to, the chiefs being divided on the question. The people ofSooloo have a great dislike to all Europeans, but particularly to theFrench. Treacherous as we and the French knew them to be, we littlethought to have it proved in so fearful a manner. About a mile to theright of the town is a spring, where all the ships watered. One day somepeculiar looking berries were found in the pool, which, on examination, proved to be deadly poison, the natives having thrown them in with theintention of poisoning us _en masse_. The water was of course startedoverboard, and intelligence sent to Admiral Cecile, who was highlyincensed. 

[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF MAHOMED PULLULU, SULTAN OF SOOLOO. ]

It was singular by what means this discovery was made. One of the seamenof the Samarang complained of a stinging sensation in his feet fromhaving wetted them in the pool. Our assistant surgeon happening to be onshore at the time, caused the watering to be stopped, and the pool to beexamined. Buried in the sand, at the bottom of the pool, and secured inwicker baskets, were found those poisonous berries, which the nativeshad concealed there. As soon as Admiral Cecile received the information, all the water was thrown overboard, and the boats of the whole squadron, manned and armed, landed the French admiral, the ambassador, and ourcaptain. They repaired to the palace of the sultan, who not onlyexpressed his abhorrence of the attempt, but promised to put to deaththe parties if they could be discovered. The attempt did not, however, stop here. In addition to fruit, the boats at Sooloo brought off ricecakes, which were eagerly bought by the seamen. Some of the chiefsissued an order for a large number of poisoned cakes, which theyintended for our consumption; but fortunately the order was so extensivethat it got wind, and we were warned of what was intended by a native ofManilla, who had been captured by pirates and sold at Sooloo. In rewardfor this intelligence, we gave him, and others of the same place, apassage to Manilla, taking care, however, that they should be smuggledon board. Sailed for Manilla, staid there a few days, and then went toBatan, from thence to Hong Kong, where we arrived on the 1st of April, and found the Iris and Castor in the harbour. 

[Illustration: TANKA BOATS--HONG KONG, ]

There never was, perhaps, so rapid a rise in any settlement made by theEnglish as that of Hong Kong, considering the very short time that ithas been in our possession. Where, two years back, there existed but afew huts, you now behold a well-built and improving town, withchurches, hotels, stores, wharves, and godowns. The capacious harbourwhich, but a short time ago, was only visited by some Chinese junks orEnglish opium clippers, is now swarming with men-of-war and merchantships. The town extends along the base of the mountain. Every day someimprovement takes place in this fast-growing colony, but, from thescarcity of building ground, house rent is very dear, and every thinghas risen in proportion. The town which, from the irregularity of theground, has but one street of importance, lies under the highest part ofa rock, which is called Possession Peak. It is built on a kind of ledge, but this is so steep that the basements of the back houses can be seenover the roofs of those in the front, although the houses are no furtherapart than is necessary for the streets. Above the town the rock risesalmost perpendicularly; but every spot which can be built upon isappropriated, and scattered buildings may be seen half way up the rock, only accessible by tortuous and narrow paths. The houses are built ofwhite freestone; many of them are handsome erections, and on a fine daythe town of Victoria has an imposing appearance. 

The island is now intersected by roads, in some parts necessarilyprecipitous, but equestrians can make the circuit of Hong Kong withoutany other risk but from the marauding Chinese, who, in spite of thepolice, still find means of exercising their vocation. To the left ofthe town of Victoria is a very pretty valley, but in the middle of it isa swamp, which renders the place so unhealthy that no one can residethere: some who did, died there; and there are one or two neat littlevillas on it, now untenanted and falling into ruins. Strange to say, itstill bears the name of Happy Valley. 

The harbour is completely land locked, and has two entrances. One sideof it is formed by Hong Kong, the other by Kow-loon, which is part ofthe mainland. 

[Illustration: WEST POINT. 

HONG KONG. 

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

But all this has its reverse. The unhealthiness of the climate is verygreat, and this is impressed upon the stranger while at anchor in theroads; for the first object that meets his eye is the Minden hospitalship, with her flag continually half mast high, announcing that anotherpoor sailor had gone to his long home. When you land you will certainlymeet a funeral; and watching the countenances of the passers by, theirsallow complexions, and their debilitated frames, with the totalunconcern with which they view the mournful processions, you may assureyourself that they must be of daily and hourly occurrence. And such isthe fact. 

I was sorry to find that murders and robberies were most frequent atHong Kong, although the police force has been augmented from London, andis under the charge of an experienced officer. While on shore, Iobserved the body of a Chinaman rise to the surface, disfigured in ahorrible manner, and although notice was sent immediately to theauthorities, it was allowed to remain beating against the wharf tilllate in the afternoon, when it was towed out and sunk in the middle ofthe harbour. 

I once witnessed the punishment of a Chinese robber at the market gate;he had been apprehended on the preceding night. His tail, which wasfalse, and filled with blades of knives, needles, &c. , came off in theofficer's hands. However, he was secured, and received a daily allowanceof fifty lashes, which was continued as long as he was capable ofbearing the punishment, and then he was sent to work on the roads. 

I left H. M. S. Samarang at this port, and joined the Iris, commanded byCaptain Mundy, whose high character as an officer and a gentleman I wellknew; unfortunately I was only lent to the Iris, and the consequencewas, as will be seen, I had ultimately to return to the Samarang. Ifound that the Iris was to sail for the north coast of China, and I wasdelighted at the idea of visiting those parts, which there was littlechance of if I had remained in the Samarang. 

[Illustration: CHINESE FISHERMEN. ]

One object of the Iris proceeding to the coast of China was to carryGeneral D'Aguilar and suite on a visit to the most interesting of thehostage ports. We sailed on the 6th of April, and after a week's beatingarrived at Chapel Island, at the mouth of Amoy bay. This bay is veryspacious, being nearly thirty miles deep. To the left of the entrance isa high peak, on the summit of which is built a splendid pagoda, servingas a landmark to vessels coming from seaward. The town of Amoy is builtat the bottom of the bay. Close to it, and forming an inner harbour, isthe island of Ku-lang-so, near to which we dropped our anchor. Ku-lang-so is a pretty island, about a mile in diameter. Up to theevacuation of Amoy it had been occupied by our troops; and the remainsof a race course and a theatre prove that the gallant 18th had contrivedto amuse themselves. At the present time it is all but deserted, theonly European residents being Mr. Sullivan, the Vice Consul; theChinese, who had been driven from it at the capture of the city, nothaving as yet returned. The houses on it are prettily disposed, and somerich foliage and green pasture give an English character to the scenery, and are very refreshing, after continually looking at the everlastingpaddy fields, which constitute the principal features of the sea coastof China. It is to this circumstance that I ascribe the exaggeratedaccounts we have of the beauty of the island of Ku-lang-so. It forms, however, a very pleasant promenade, and may be enjoyed withoutinterruption from the inhabitants. The city of Amoy is built on a lowneck of land. The houses are of a dusky tint, and from the anchorage areindistinguishable through forests of junks' masts, which surround thetown. To the right of the town, and extending to some distance, is afortified wall, which gave some trouble at the capture. I landed with aparty to walk through the city. The streets are narrow and dirty, theopen shops on either side reminding you very much of Constantinople. Thepopulation is immense, the streets are always crowded. We soon foundthat we were objects of attention, and were followed by a mob. It waswith difficulty that we could force our way; and, moreover, the townhaving been lately evacuated by our troops, the Chinese thoughtthemselves secure in venting their animosity, by pushing, jostling, andthrowing stones at us. In this, however, they were mistaken, for being atolerably strong party, and knowing that they had a very wholesome fearof us, we were not slow in resorting to blows when intreaties proved invain; and, before we were in the middle of the town, more than onecelestial head had come in contact with the pavement. One had theimpudence to bellow in my face; for which impertinence he received afacer, which gave him something to bellow for. Those, however, who"were at a distance had the means of annoying with impunity, and we wereglad to take refuge in a pastry cook's shop, which happened mostopportunely to present itself. 

[Illustration: COOK'S SHOP. ]

On our entering, we were each presented with a pair of chop sticks, anda large tray was placed before us, filled with sweetmeats of everydescription. There were nutmegs and other spices, ginger, sugar cane, bamboo, and the knee-bone palm, preserved in the most exquisite manner. Every thing was so novel, chop sticks not excepted, that it was quitefearful the extent to which we indulged in the sweetmeats; however, aswe had no maiden aunts ready with their doses, as in our infancy, we ateand spared not. Cakes of the most recherche description, and pastry, thelightness of which would have shamed Gunter, were each and all in theirturn discussed; and what was our astonishment to find that, on callingfor the bill, the charge amounted to about sixpence. 

We visited as much of the town as the mob would permit, but I shallreserve my description of a genuine Chinese town until our arrival tothe northward. The joss-houses at Amoy are not remarkable, and onedescription of these buildings will suffice for all. 

We lay at Amoy for about a week, during which the Mandarins paid us afull dress visit. They were extremely cautious, and remained on boardfor a couple of hours. At their departure we gave them the economicalChinese salute of three guns. During our stay here I amused myselfprincipally on the island of Ku-lang-so, and I was not sorry when weweighed anchor, and, with a fair wind, made sail for Chusan. 

Chusan is the largest of a closely packed group of islands, near to themain land of China, and about 500 miles to the northward of Amoy. Theseislands, many of them very diminutive, are so close to each other, thaton threading them to approach the town of Chusan, the channel wears theappearance of a small river branching out into every direction. If theleading marks were removed it would be a complete marine labyrinth, anda boat might pull and pull in and out for the whole day, withoutarriving at its destination. Narrow, however, as is the passage, with adue precaution, and the necessary amount of backing and filling, thereis sufficient water for ships of the largest size. At sunset we anchoredoff the town of Chusan. Here the islands form a beautiful littleharbour, sufficiently capacious. The island being covered with teaplants, the panorama is pretty and refreshing. From the anchorage littlecan be seen of the town, as it is built on a flat, and hidden by aparapet and bank of mud, which runs along the bottom of the harbour. This temporary fortification is called a bund, and was erected by theChinese previous to the capture of the place. Behind this bund is anesplanade, parallel with which are houses, which serve as barracks forthe troops, and the residences of the civil and military functionaries. The country is hilly, and several commanding forts are visible from theanchorage. 

On landing, we directed our steps to the town by a causeway which leadsfrom the landing-place to the gates between the fields of paddy, whichare, as usual, swamped with water. The sides of this causeway are linedwith shops; and the island being occupied by the English, soon staredyou in the face, in the shape of boards in front of each shop, bearingsuch inscriptions as "Snip, from Pekin, " "Stultz, from Ningpo, " andothers equally ludicrous, in good English letters. There were"Buckmasters" and "Hobys" innumerable; Licensed Victuallers and "Dealersin Grocery. " Passing a tolerably well constructed gate, guarded by anEnglish sentry, we entered the town. The streets are cleaner than thoseof Amoy, and not so narrow; but what gave us most satisfaction was, thatour appearance excited no attention; and we enjoyed our walk, and madeour observations uninterruptedly. 

Our first visit was to a toy-shop: a great many articles were exposedfor sale, and many very beautiful carvings; they were, however, far toodelicate for a midshipman's chest, and the price did not exactly suit amidshipman's pocket. A silk warehouse next occupied our attention: herewe were shown some beautiful embroidery, some of which was purchased. After walking over the whole town, we proceeded to the principaljoss-house: this was very handsome; but I was sorry that it had beenselected as a barrack, and was occupied by a company of sepoys. Thealtar was converted into a stand for arms, and the god Fo was accoutredwith a sheath and cross belt. To complete the absurdity, a green demonbefore the altar was grinning maliciously from under the weight of afrieze coat. At the entrance of the joss-house is a covered porch, underwhich are two figures sitting, and in this posture nearly twenty feethigh. The interior of the house is handsomely ornamented and gilt; andbehind the altar there is a row of some fifteen figures, in a sittingposture, all gilt from head to foot, and forming a very goodly assembly:they represented old men wrapped in togas, with faces expressive ofinstruction, revelation, and wisdom. There was nothing Chinese in theirfeatures; the heads were shaved, and it is to be presumed that theyrepresented the prophets and holy writers who flourished antecedent tothe great Fo. The expression on their countenances was admirable; andsurprised us the more, from a knowledge how fond the Chinese are offilling their temples with unnatural and unmeaning devils. 

We then visited a smaller god-house: this the 8th regiment had convertedinto a theatre. Very little traces of a holy temple were discernible;and the great Fo occupied a corner of the green-room. The scenes werepainted in fresco, and the whole affair was very tolerably arranged. Most part of the scenery had been painted by my brother during his stayat this port in the Cambrian. The Chinamen consider this no sacrilege, as they always use the temples as theatres themselves. 

During the winter months Chusan is very cold, and the snow lies on theground. The country there abounds with game--deer, swans, partridges, pheasants, and wild fowl of every description: the prices are verymoderate; a fine buck may be purchased for a dollar, and a brace ofpheasants for a rupee. It was now the month of May, and the swans andgeese had departed, and game was becoming scarce as the weather becamefine; still, however, there was a duck or so to be picked up, so Ijoined a party bent on trying their luck, and we prepared for a hardday's work. 

No one who has not tried it can have an idea of the fatigue of a day'sshooting at Chusan. Having a Chinese covered boat, we loaded her withquite sufficient to support nature for twenty-four hours; and pullingabout four miles through the channels intersecting the islands, welanded about daylight. Before us was a vast paddy field, into which weplunged up to our knees in mud and water. As we approached one of thedykes which convey the water for the irrigation, caution was observed, not a word was uttered by one of the party, and our good behaviour wasrewarded by a brace of fine birds, which were deposited in the bag, carried by a celestial under-keeper. Crossing the dyke, we continued towade through the paddy fields, shooting some plover and a red-leggedpartridge, until we arrived at a Chinese village. We passed through it, and fell in with a herd of water buffaloes, as they term them. One ofthem charged furiously, but the contents of one of our barrels in hiseyes made him start in mid career; and having had quite enough into hishead, he turned to us his tail. These animals show a great antipathy toEuropeans, probably from not having been accustomed to their dress. Red, of course, makes them furious, and, thanks to his jacket, a drummer ofone of the regiments was killed by these animals. Towards evening wefelt it quite impossible to wade any further; and although nightfall isconsidered the best time for shooting ducks, we thought it was the besttime to return to the boat, which we did not regain, fatigued, hungry, and covered with mud, till ten o'clock at night. 

[Illustration: VIEW ON THE ISLAND OF POO-TOO. 

(NEAR CHUSAN. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

One day, strolling in the country about four miles from Chusan, we fellin with a very pretty little house surrounded with trees. The courtesyusually shown to the English at Chusan induced us to enter it, that wemight inspect the premises. Its owner, a mandarin, was absent, but hismajor-domo took us over the whole house. The round doors andoyster-shell windows amused us greatly. The garden was ornamented withartificial rocks, studded with flowering shrubs, with great taste. Therewere two or three grottoes, in one of which was a joss; and an arbour oflilacs and laburnums, in full bloom, gave a charming appearance to thewhole. Thanking the Chinaman for his civility, we went away, muchpleased with the mandarin's country retreat. 

During our stay at Chusan we had made a party to go to the island ofPoo-too, but we were hurried away sooner than we expected, and ourdesign was frustrated. I will, however, give a description of the islandof Poo-too, as described to me. This island is about forty miles fromChusan, and is inhabited solely by priests. These being condemned to alife of celibacy, no woman resides on the island, which is covered withtemples of all descriptions, many of them very handsome, but one inparticular, which was built by the emperor. The island is not large, andis laid out like a vast garden, with squares and walks, bridges, &c. 

We left Chusan, and soon afterwards anchored off the mouth of the NingpoRiver, which is only thirty miles to northward and westward of theChusan isles. The first object of interest before us was the famousjoss-house fort, which gave us so much trouble at the capture. GeneralD'Aguilar and Captain Mundy being about to visit the city of Ningpo, aparty of us obtained a week's leave of absence for the same purpose. Welanded in a ship's boat at Chinghae, a small but tolerably fortifiedtown, which, however, needs no description. There we obtained a coveredChinese boat, in which we put our beds and blankets, intending to liveon board her during our stay at Ningpo. Starting with a fair wind andtide, by noon we were within five miles of the city, which is builtabout forty miles up the river. The banks of the river appeared to behighly cultivated, and the river was crowded with boats of alldescriptions, some going up with the tide, others at anchor, waiting forthe tide to change, to go in an opposite direction. The first that wesaw of Ningpo was a low wall, from the middle of which rose a tallpagoda. This, with innumerable masts of the vessels lying off the town, was all that was visible: nor could we discern much more on a nearerapproach. Threading the crowd of vessels which filled the river, on ourleft we could only see the wall and battlements of the town, thebefore-mentioned pagoda soaring above every thing. To the right, on theside of the river opposite to the town, were several detached houses, surrounded with low shrubberies; behind these was the Chinese country, and then the eye wandered over countless paddy fields, until it at lastrested upon some faint blue mountains in the distance. 

Among the houses on the right was that of the vice-consul, Mr. Thorn. Anchoring our boat as near to his landing-place as possible, we madearrangements for the night, it being then too late to pay him theaccustomed visit. We had, however, scarcely spread our mattresses, andput some supper on the fire, when we were hailed by a Chinese boy, andrequested to come on shore. Ignorant from whence the invitation mightcome, but nothing loath, we hauled our boat to the jetty, and, landing, followed young pigtail, who ushered us through a court-yard into a houseof tolerable dimensions, agreeably arranged according to English ideasof comfort. In five minutes more we were introduced to Mr. Mackenzie, anEnglish merchant, who, having been informed of our arrival, had sent forus to request that, during our stay at Ningpo, we would make his houseour home. We would not tax his hospitality so far as to sleep at hishouse, having already made our own arrangements; but we willinglyaccepted his kind offer of being his guests during the day, and provedour sincerity by immediately sitting down to an excellent dinner, and inthe evening we retreated to our boat. The next morning we breakfastedwith our host, and then crossed the river, to inspect the city. Havinglanded at one of the gates, we hired a sort of sedan chairs, which werecarried by two athletic Tartars, and proceeded to examine a veryremarkable building called the Ruined Pagoda. I shall give Dr. Milne'sdescription of it, taken out of the Chinese repository, as I think itwill be better than my own:--

"We bent our steps to the Tien-fung, called by foreigners the RuinedPagoda. Foreigners make for it as soon as they enter the east gate. After shaping their course in a south-east direction through numberlessstreets, it abruptly bursts upon the view, rising 160 feet above theirheads, and towering high above the surrounding houses. The pagoda ishexagonal, and counts seven stories and twenty-eight windows. Aboveevery window is a lantern, and when the pagoda is illuminated, theeffect is very brilliant. This building is in much need of repair, andis daily becoming more dilapidated. It has already deviated many feetfrom the perpendicular, and might not unaptly be described as theLeaning Tower of Ningpo. "

Dr. Milne thus describes the view from the summit:--

"The entire city and suburbs lay beneath us; the valley of Ningpo, withits hamlets and villages, hills and rivers, on every side; and away inthe distance, on the one hand chains of lofty mountains, the sea, withall its islands, on the other. " Dr. Milne asserts that Ningpo is 10, 000years old, and that the pagoda was raised antecedent to the city beingbuilt. He concludes by explaining the object of the Chinese in raisingthese monuments. 

[Illustration: PAGODA--NINGPO. ]

The view from the summit is remarkably fine, and the ruinous conditionof the pagoda almost warrants the supposition of its being nearly asancient as Dr. Milne asserts. I made a drawing of it, and we thenproceeded to the joss-house, which is considered as the handsomest inthe Celestial empire. No part of the building was visible from thestreet, and we stopped at an unpretending door where we dismounted fromour vehicles. A Bhuddist priest, clothed in grey and his head shaved, ushered us through a long gallery into the court-yard of the temple. Todescribe this building accurately would be impossible. It was gilt andcarved from floor to ceiling. The porch was supported by pillars ofstone beautifully carved with figures of griffins and snakes. In thecourt-yard were two lions carved out of a purple marble, and in themiddle of the yard was an immense brazen ram highly ornamented withhieroglyphics and allegorical designs. As for the temple itself, it wasso vast, so intricate, and so various in its designs and gildings, thatI can only say picture to yourself a building composed entirely ofcarving, coloured porcelain, and gilding, and then you may have a faintidea of it. I attempted to make a drawing of it, but before I hadobtained much more than the outline, it was time to recross the river. We dined and passed the evening with Mr. Mackenzie as before. The nextmorning I walked to the Chinese cemetery with my gun in my hand, andshot a few snipe and wood pigeons, and after breakfast we crossed theriver to pay a visit to the shops of Ningpo. The streets of the city arenarrow, but superior to any that we had yet seen. The principal streetsare ornamented with stone arches, and the huge painted boards used bythe Chinese for advertisements give them a very gay appearance. We firstentered into a furniture warehouse, some 300 yards in length, and filledwith Chinese bedsteads carved and gilt in a very splendid manner. Thesebedsteads consist of moveable frames about twelve feet square, andwithin them are disposed couches, chairs, tables, and the requisites forthe toilet, besides a writing desk, so that a bedstead in China containsall the furniture of the room. Some of these were valued at five and sixhundred dollars, but were very highly ornamented and of exquisiteworkmanship. 

A hat shop was the next visited. Its interior would have been consideredsplendid even in Regent Street. A long highly polished counter with atop of cane-work, was loaded with the hats and caps of Mandarins ofevery class, and the display was very tempting to those who wanted them. We then passed five minutes in a porcelain warehouse; from the warehousewe went to a toy-shop, and being by this time pretty well encumberedwith mandarins' hats and caps, gongs, and a variety of other articleswhich we did not want, at the same time making the discovery that ourpurses were not encumbered with dollars as they were when we set forth, we thought it advisable to leave off shopping for the day. 

The next day we visited the Hall of Confucius, which was not worthseeing, nor could we discover to what use it was dedicated, so we turnedfrom it and went off to see a Chinese play. As we proceeded to thetheatre we were surprised to hear a lad singing "Jim along Josey, " weturned round and found it was a real pig tail who was singing, and weinquired where he learnt the air. We found that he had served on boardone of our vessels during the Chinese war, so we hired the young traitoras a cicerone during our stay at Ningpo, and ordered him to follow us tothe theatre, which as usual was a temple or joss-house. 

[Illustration: CHINESE JOSS HOUSE AT NINGPO. 

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

We found it crowded with Chinese, and the actors were performing on araised platform. Our entrance caused a great sensation, and for a shorttime the performance was unnoticed by the audience. Our beaver hatsquite puzzled them, for we were in plain clothes; even the actorsindulged in a stare, and for a short time we were "better than a play. "The Chinese acting has been often described: all I can say is, that sofar it was like real life that all the actors were speaking at one time, and it was impossible to hear what they said, even if the gongs had notkept up a continual hammering, which effectually drowned the voices. Atall events they were well off in the property line, being all veryshowily dressed. Fireworks were at intervals exploded, and occasionallya tumbler would perform some feat, but I felt little interest in theperformance, and kept my eyes on the gallery containing the ladies, among whom I saw one or two very pretty faces. 

The wall round Ningpo is built wide enough for a carriage drive. It hasembrasures, but no guns were mounted. By ascending some steps near tothe town gate we found ourselves on the top of the wall, and walked halfround the town on the parapet. It was very extensive, and, as far as theeye could reach, the plain was studded with country houses of a slatecolour. 

I forgot to mention that while here we visited a sect of Chinese nuns orfemale devotees. They were assembled in a large room, at one end ofwhich was an image of the god Fo. Each nun was seated at a small tableon which was a reading stand and a book of prayers. They were allreading, and at the same time beating a hollow painted piece of wood:the latter duty was, we were informed, to keep up the attention of thegod. What with them all gabbling at once, and the tapping noise madewith the wood, god Fo appeared more likely to have his attentiondistracted than otherwise. However, it was of no consequence, as Fo wasone of that description of gods mentioned in the Bible, among whoseattributes we find, "Ears have they, but they hear not. "

We remained here a week, and I was much interested with what I saw; butso much has already been written about the Chinese, that I wish toconfine myself to what may be considered unbroken ground. As the timefixed for our departure approached, we determined to go to Chinghaeoverland, in chairs. Taking a farewell of our kind and hospitable host, Mr. Mackenzie, we each took a chair, and took our departure. The roadwas interesting, being at one time through tea plantations, and atanother through paddy fields. Our bearers were strong muscular fellows, and thought little of carrying us twenty-five miles. We passed crowds ofChinamen irrigating the land, and working in the paddy fields. In someinstances they favoured us with a salute of yells and stones; and as weapproached Chinghae, the unwashed vented their feelings in some veryunpleasant ways. In the town we were followed by a mob; and by the timewe had reached the quay, and procured a boat to take us off to the ship, the whole town had turned out. Tapping one or two of the most officiouswith the bamboo oars, we managed to shove the boat off, and pulled onboard. 

We sailed for Chusan the same evening, but this time I unfortunately wasattacked by one of the prevailing diseases of the country, and wasconfined to my hammock. We revisited Amoy, and then shaped our coursefor Hong Kong. On our arrival, we found no ship there but the Castor, the admiral and fleet being employed on the coast of Borneo, subduingthe pirates in Maludu Bay. The ship being again about to start for thenorthward, I was considered too unwell to remain in her, and was sent onboard the Minden hospital ship, to live or to die, as it might pleaseGod. 

The Minden hospital ship is a fine 74; and as all the guns, masts, andstores, had been landed at the time that she was selected for the duty, there was great accommodation on board of her; but great as it was, unfortunately there was not sufficient to meet the demands upon it inthis unhealthy climate. A description of her internal arrangement maynot be uninteresting. The quarter-deck and poop was set apart for theconvalescents; but the heat of the sun was so overpowering, that it wasnot until late in the afternoon that they could breathe the pureratmosphere. Long confinement below had left them pale and wan, and theirunsteady gait proved how much they had suffered in their constitution, and how narrowly they had escaped the grave. To some this escape hadbeen beneficial, as their constant perusal of the Bible established;others, if they even had during their illness alarms about their futurestate, had already dismissed them from their thoughts, and wereimpatiently awaiting their return to health to return to past folly andvice. The main deck was allotted to the medical and other officersbelonging to the ship, the seamen who composed the ship's company, andalso on this deck were located the seamen who had been discharged cured, and who then waited for the arrival of their ships, which were absentfrom Hong Kong. On this deck, abaft all, was the inspector's cabin, andadjoining it the mess-room of the assistant-surgeons, who, like alltheir class, rendered callous by time and habit to their dangerous andpainful duty, thought only of driving away the memory of the dailymortality to which they were witnesses by jovial living and mirth. Indeed nothing could be a more harassing scene than that of the lowerdeck, where the patients were located. Under any circumstances anhospital is a depressing and afflicting sight, even with all theadvantages of clean well-regulated wards, attentive nurses, and pureventilation. Imagine then the feelings of a sick wretch, stretched on acanvass cot, who is first hoisted up the ship's side, and then lowereddown a dark hatchway (filled with anxiety and forebodings as to his everleaving the vessel alive) to the scene of misery which I am about todescribe--the lower deck of the Minden hospital ship. 

This lower deck has on each side of it three rows of iron bedsteads, forthe most part filled with the dead and dying; an intolerable stench, arising from putrefaction, which it is impossible by any means to getrid of, salutes his descent; and to this is added the groans oflingering sufferers. He may chance, God help him, to be lowered down atthe very hour of the inspecting surgeon's visits. The latter is seatedby a bed, having probably just performed, or in the act of performing, an operation. The goodly array of instruments meets his eye, and hewonders, as they are displayed, what these several instruments oftorture can be applied to; the groans of the patient fall upon his ear, and his nerves are so shattered and debilitated by disease, that theblood curdles to his heart. The inspector writes the particulars of thecase on a printed form, while the dressers are passing bandages roundthe fainting patient. As soon as he is out of the cot which lowered himdown, the new arrival is washed, and clothed in hospital linen, ready tobe put into a bed. Not unfrequently he has to wait till room can be madefor him, by removing the corpse of the last occupant, just deceased. Heis then placed on it, a coarse sheet is thrown over him, and he is leftto await the inspector's visit, which, as that officer has all hisformer patients first to prescribe for, may perhaps be not for an houror two, or more. At last he is visited, prescribed for, a can ofrice-water is placed at the head of his bed, and he is left to his ownthoughts, if the groans of those around him, and the horror that hefeels at his situation, will permit him to reach them. If he can do so, they must be any thing but agreeable; and a clever medical man told methat this admission into the hospital, and the scene which the patientwas introduced to, was quite sufficient, acting upon a mind unnerved bydisease, to produce fever. Excepting that the hospital was too crowded, which indeed could not be prevented, there was, however, everyarrangement for the comfort of the patients which could be made undersuch a climate. No one was to blame--the hospital for the military wasbuilding, and until it was ready for the reception of the patients, themen of both services were received on board of the Minden. But if theday is so trying, who can describe the horrors of the night? Theatmosphere becomes still more foul and pestilential, from the partiallyclosed port-holes, and from the indifference of the nurses to thenecessary cleanliness required. The whole becomes alive with cockroachesand other vermin, creeping over the patients; and the mosquitoes preyupon the unfortunate sufferer, or drive him mad with their unceasinghumming preparatory to their attacks. Add these new trials to the groansof the dying, which, during my residence on board, never ceased, and atnight were more awful and painfully distinct. The nurses were all men, obtained from the scum of the sea-ports, for no others would volunteerfor the duty--a set of brutes indifferent to the sufferings of others. As long as they were, during the day, superintended and watched by theofficers, they did their duty, but at night the neglect was mostshameful. In fact, these wretches composed themselves to sleep insteadof watching. Patients may in vain call, in a feeble voice, forwater--the only answer is a snore. On one occasion, having listened tothe call of a poor fellow for more than an hour, and each time in aweaker voice, for drink, I was obliged to get up myself to wake thenurse, that the man might not die of thirst. [2]

 [Footnote 2: These rascally nurses have all been discharged. When enlisted as nurses in England, they signed for three years' service. When their time was expired, they applied to Admiral Cochrane for their discharge. After some demur their request was complied with; but their conduct had been so disgraceful, that, as it was not in the agreement, they were refused a passage home in a man-of-war. I met some of them ashore at Hong Kong, looking in vain for employment, and at a distance of 20, 000 miles from their own country. The retribution was just. ]

My cabin, for all the officers were separated from the men, commandedthe whole view of the lower deck, and I was compelled to be witness ofscenes of the most frightful description. An English sailor had beenhung for murder, in consequence of his accomplice, who was by far themost criminal of the two, having turned queen's evidence. This lattersoon afterwards was brought on board the Minden, having been attackedwith the fever, and never was there such an evidence of the racking of abad conscience. In his ravings he shrieked for mercy, and then wouldblaspheme in the most awful manner. At one moment the spectre of hisdead comrade would be invoked by him, requesting it to depart, ordesiring those around him to take it away. At others, the murdered manwas standing at his bed-side, and he would attempt to run, that he mightflee from the vision. Thus was he haunted, and thus did he disturb allaround him till his very last hour, when he died in an extreme of agony, physical and mental. What a relief it was when this poor wretch was atlast silent!

Almost every day there was to be seen a Roman Catholic priestadministering the last unction to some disciple of his faith, some Irishsoldier or sailor, whose hour was come. On these occasions theamputation table was his altar, and a brass flat candlestick the onlyornament. He never failed to be at his post every day, and was a goodold man. At the same time that the old priest was officiating by theside of one bed, the chaplain of the ship would be attending the lastmoments of some other victim. On these occasions all would be silent onthe deck, even the groans were stifled and checked for the time, andnothing would be heard but the muttered prayer of the Catholic priest, or the last, and often futile, attempts of the clergyman of our owncreed to extract some sign of faith and hope from the fast-sinking andalmost senseless patient. 

 "He dies, and makes no sign! O God, forgive him!"

At times the uproar on the deck would be appalling. Some powerful man inthe strength of delirium would rise from his bed, and, bursting fromsome half-dozen of the nurses, would rush through the tiers of bedsroaring like a bull, and dealing blows right and left upon theunfortunate sick men who fell in his way. Then there would be generalchase after him, until, overpowered by additional help, he was broughtback to his bed and confined by force. An hour or two afterwards, thenurses who watched him would quit the side of the pallet; a sheet wouldbe thrown over it; no other communication was necessary to tell me thatthe storm had been succeeded by a calm, and that life's fitful fever wasover. 

At the forepart of the hospital deck is a bath room; adjoining to thatis a small dark cabin, with no other furniture than a long white-washedboard, laid upon two tressels, with hooks fixed to the carlines of thedeck. Above these the dead bodies are removed: immediately after theirdecease a _post mortem_ examination is made by the assistant surgeon, areport of which is sent into the inspector. A port-hole has a woodenshoot or slide fixed to it, by which the bodies are ejected into theboat waiting to convey them for interment. 

The church service is read every morning on the hospital deck, andduring the performance the strictest attention was paid by the patients. When convalescent I enjoyed the privilege of walking on the poop withthe others who had been spared, and truly grateful was I for myrecovery. Such scenes as I have described could not but have the effectupon me: I hope that I left the hospital a wiser and a better man. 

At last the time came when I was pronounced by the doctors to be quitecured, and at liberty to leave the ship. I hardly need say that I did sowith alacrity. I had always before this considered Hong Kong as a mostdisgusting place; but now that I had been so long cooped up with diseaseand death, it appeared to me as a paradise. I had made one or twoacquaintances during my former visits, and now found their kind offerstoo welcome to refuse them. Having nothing to do, and not being evenobliged to present myself on board of the Mind en, I enjoyed myselfexcessively in journeys and excursions to the other side of the island. My acquaintances were the officers of the 42d regiment, who wereremarkably kind and intelligent men, and during my stay I was a greatdeal in their society. We one day made up a party to visit Pirate's Bay, a spot on the Chinese main, about twelve miles from Hong Kong. Startingearly, we took our guns and the requisites for a pic-nic. When wearrived at the spot, we hired the only respectable house in the place, left a native to make the necessary arrangements for our dinner, andthen started on a cruise to view the country. We shot at any thing thatcame in our way, and by noon our game-bag contained a curious medley ofducks, paroquets, swallows, and water rats. By this time the sun becameso overpowering that we returned to the house which had been hired forour accommodation. Here we dined, and returned to Hong Kong well pleasedwith our trip. The roads at Hong Kong, though not particularly good, have been made at great expence. Large rocks have been cut through toafford communication, and the quantity of rivulets running down from themountains, have rendered it necessary to build innumerable bridges. There were but few good horses on the island; but I managed to procure atolerable one, and in the evening would ride out by "Happy Valley, " andreturn by dark, the only exercise which the heat of the climate wouldpermit, and which was necessary to restore me to health. Society is in aqueer state here, as may be imagined when I state, that the shipownerwon't associate with the small merchant, and the latter will not deignto acknowledge a man who keeps a store. Under these circumstances, thearmy and navy keep aloof, and associate with no class. There were veryfew ladies at Hong Kong at this time, and of what class they werecomposed of may be imagined, when I state that a shopkeeper's sister wasthe belle of the place, and received all the homage of the marriageablemen of Hong Kong. Hospitality to strangers is as yet unknown, and aletter of introduction is only good for one tiffin, or more rarely onedinner. I made several excursions in the country, but did not find anything worth narrating, or describing with the pencil. 

[Illustration: TANKA BOAT WOMEN. ]

It is here worthy of remark, that there is every prospect of all theenormous expense which has been bestowed upon this island being totallythrown away, and that those who have speculated will lose all theirmoney; in fact, that in a few years Hong Kong will be totally deserted, and all the money expended upon it will be lost. To explain this I mustmention a few facts, not probably known to my readers. 

When, many years ago, the trade with foreigners was first permitted bythe Chinese government, Canton was selected as the port from which itshould be carried on. The Chinese government had two reasons for makingthis selection: their first was, their dislike and jealousy offoreigners induced them to select a port at the very confines of theempire where the communication with them should take place, so that byno chance the foreigners should obtain any thing like a footing in orknowledge of their country; the second reason was, that by so doing theyobtained, at the expence of the foreigners, a very considerable inlandrevenue from the tea trade. Canton is situated at least 500 miles fromthose provinces in which the tea is grown, and the transit to Canton isover a very mountainous range, at the passes of which tolls are leviedby the government, which are now said to amount annually to sevenmillions. The assertion, therefore, of the Chinese government that theydo not care about the trade is very false, for they have derived a greatrevenue from it. 

The opening of the more northern ports, which was obtained by the warwith China, has already made a great difference, and every year willmake a greater. Shang-hai, one of the ports opened, and the farthest tothe northward, is situated on the confines of the great tea country, andvessels going there to take in their cargoes avoid all the duties oftransit, and procure the tea in a much better condition. The merchantsof Canton, moreover, who traffic in tea, are all of them for the mostpart people of the province of Shang-hai, who resort to Canton to lookafter their interests, but now that the port of Shang-hai is opened, their merchants are returning to their own country, the Englishmerchants are settling at Shang-hai, and the vessels are going there toload with tea direct. Already a large portion of the traffic has leftCanton and gone to Shang-hai, and it is but natural to suppose, that ina few years the tea trade will be carried on altogether from that port, as the expence of transit over the mountains and the duties levied willbe avoided, as well as the advantage gained of having the tea in a muchbetter condition when shipped on board. How the Chinese government willact when it finds that it loses the great revenue arising from the tradebeing carried on at Canton remains to be seen, but it will, probably, succumb to another war, if such is considered necessary. It will be acurious subject of interest to watch the fall of Hong Kong, of Macao, and also of Canton itself, with its turbulent population, which must, when the trade is withdrawn, fall into insignificance. 

The great error of the last war was, our selection of such an unhealthyand barren island as Hong Kong as our _pied-à-terre_ in China, when wemight have had Chusan, or, indeed, any other place which we might haveinsisted upon. We thought that Chusan was unhealthy because we barrackedour soldiers in the swamps, and consequently lost many of the men, when, as it is a most healthy and delightful climate, had the barracks beenbuilt on the hills, we probably should not have lost a man. Even now itis not too late. The Chinese dislike our propinquity to their coast atHong Kong, and the last expedition will have the effect of increasingthis dislike. I think, with very little difficulty, the Chinesegovernment would now exchange Chusan for Hong Kong, if it were only tokeep such unpleasant barbarians, as the English have proved to be, at amore respectable distance. If we had possession of Chusan, the tradewould come to our ports. The Chinese junks would come to us loaded withtea, and take our goods in return. The trade would then be really thrownopen, which at present it is not. 

[Illustration: MAN-OF-WAR JUNK. ]

Murders and robberies were of daily, or, rather, nightly occurrence atHong Kong, the offenders being Chinese, who are the most daring robbersperhaps in the world. 

[Illustration: TRADING JUNKS. ]

I must now detail the events of a cruise of the Samarang during the timethat I was in the Iris, and I avail myself of the private journal of oneof my friends. 

May 9th, sailed from Hong Kong to Batan, to complete the survey of theBashee group. On the 20th we left Batan to run to Ibyat, about twentymiles from the former island, and although a high table land, it is lowwhen compared with Batan. I never saw an island less inviting inappearance than Ibyat. We landed at the foot of a precipice, nearlyperpendicular, and ascended to the summit by means of rough ladders, placed upright against large masses of rock; on either side of whichwere gaping chasms, the very sight of which were sufficient to unnerveus. This plan was not only the best for landing on this strange island, but, as the natives informed us, was almost the only one where a landingcould be effected without great danger. It was near sunset when welanded; the boats returned to the ship, leaving us to partake of thehospitality of the padres from Batan, who had taken a passage in theship, as they had some spiritual business to transact on this island. About 8 P. M. , we arrived at the village of San Raphael, where we sleptin a house set apart for the use of the padres. This village is situatedin the centre of the island, built in a valley and on eminences whichsurround it. The most commanding position is occupied by the church andmission house, both of which are much larger, although built of the samematerials, and on the same plan, as the houses of the natives. There wasbut one room in the mission house, which was scantily furnished withsome heavy wooden chairs, and some cane settees for bed places; however, thanks to the kindness of the padres, we contrived to make ourselvesvery comfortable. There are four villages in the island, San Raphael, Santa Maria, Santa Lucia, and Santa Rosa; each consisting of about fortyhouses, containing about 300 people; so that the population may betaken, at a rough guess, at about 1200. The natives profess the RomanCatholic religion, and appear to be very sincere in their devotion. Divine service is performed morning and evening, at which time the boysand girls of the village walk to the church in two lines, chanting ahymn to the Virgin Mary. Each line is headed by the youngest of eithersex, bearing a cross. The boys wore nothing but the middle cloth, andthe girls were almost as scantily clothed; the only garment being askirt or petticoat, not larger than a moderate sizedpocket-handkerchief. During two days our friends, the padres, were fullyoccupied with the important ceremonies of marriage and baptism. Many ofthe parties joined in matrimony were mere children. They all had, onthis important occasion, some addition to their general costume. Thebridegroom, for instance, wore a shirt; some of them had actually a pairof trousers. The bride had an additional and large petticoat, and anembroidered handkerchief. They were not at all bashful--there was noblushing--no tears, and, on the contrary, marriage appeared to beconsidered as an excellent joke, and the laughing and flirtation werecarried on to the church door. The padres appeared to be almostworshipped by the poor natives, who, on their arrival and departure, respectfully saluted their hands. But their great affection was shown ina more satisfactory and substantial manner, by the continual supply ofgoats, pigs, fowls, vegetables, and fruit, which were liberally suppliedduring our stay. I forgot to say that the marriage certificates were ofa very primitive kind; they consisted of a laurel leaf, in which wererudely inscribed the names of the bride and bridegroom. At length, having finished our survey, we bid farewell to our hospitableentertainers, and on the 27th made sail for St. Domingo. 

We remained two days at St. Domingo, and then weighed and steered to thenorthward. On the 3d of June we landed on the island of Samazana, nearthe south point of Formosa. The inhabitants of Samazana are Chinese, although they pay no tribute to the emperor. This island was firstinhabited, about twenty years since, by a party of Chinese sailors, whowere thrown on shore in a tempest. They afterwards returned to Amoy, where, having persuaded several families to join them, they returned toSamazana, and colonised it. The fertility of this island has richlyrepaid them for their labour. The village contains about 100 people, whoare located in about ten or fifteen houses. Paddy, sugar-cane, and yamsare grown in abundance, and ground nuts cover nearly one third of theisland. These Chinese settlers keep up a trade with Amoy, from whencethey obtain what they require, in exchange for the productions of theirisland. We found these people very civil and obliging, but excessivelydirty in their persons and apparel. 

About seven o'clock in the evening, while we were dining on the beach, an earthquake shook the island, the glasses jingled together, and allour party were in involuntary see-saw motion, like the Chinese figures. This lasted about ten seconds. Several of us, who had never beforeexperienced the sensation, were much relieved when the shock was over, as it created a suffocating sensation. During the evening there wereseveral other shocks, but none of them equal to the first in violence. We remained all night on the island, to ascertain the latitude by thestars. 

On the following morning we returned on board, when we were informedthat the ship had struck on a reef on the preceding evening, at 7 P. M. The lead was thrown overboard, but no soundings were obtained, proving, beyond doubt, that the concussion had been communicated to the vessel. She was about four miles off the land at the time, and many would notthen be convinced that it was an earthquake; although I believe it hasbeen satisfactorily proved that the shock has been felt by a vesselwhich has been out of sight of any land. 

On the 6th of June sighted one of the Madjicosima islands. The master inthe second cutter left the ship, with a week's provisions, to survey theisland, while we made sail for our former anchorage at Pa-tchu-san, toobtain water. 

On the 8th of June we arrived at Pa-tchu-san, where we were received byour friends, the chiefs, who appeared delighted to see us again. Welearnt through our interpreter that a French frigate had left Loo-choofor Corea two months before--twenty-seven of their countrymen, chieflymissionaries, having been murdered by the Coreans. It would appear thatthe French missionaries, exceeding their vocation, had wished to makesome alterations in the Corean form of government, but their attemptsnot meeting the approbation of those in power, they fell a sacrifice totheir good intentions. 

On the 9th we sailed for Sabangyat to pick up the two cutters. Wearrived there the next day, and were joined by the master. We receivedevery attention from the hospitable and inoffensive natives, whosupplied us with pigs, fowls, and vegetables, refusing to accept anything in return. We returned to Pa-tchu-san to rate our chronometers, and sailed on the same day. The next morning we landed on Hoa-pen, anisland, but the cloudy weather prevented us from obtaining the latitude. We landed during the day, and remained on shore the whole night toobtain our objects, and, I may add, were most cruelly bitten by themosquitoes as a reward for our zeal. 

When we were returning to the ship on the following morning, a largealbatross alighted on the water close to the boat. As we passed it, itmade several futile attempts to rise again on the wing. It is well knownthat this bird cannot fly while under the influence of fear, and so itappeared in this instance, for, while we were passing it, a sharkthrust its head out of the water and took the unfortunate bird down withhim. 

On the 16th we landed at Tea-qua-san, where we captured great numbers ofalbatrosses, ferns, and boobies. They actually refused to move at ourapproach. This island is very small and uninhabited, but it was evidentthat people had landed on it lately, for in a cave we discovered severalgrass beds, remains of game, and remnants of cooking. The weatherprevented us from making any observations, but it did not prevent usfrom collecting several hundreds of eggs, which we took on board withus. The next day we saw a large rock, marked doubtful on the charts. Aheavy squall, which forced us to run before it for several hours, prevented us from ascertaining its position. 

June 19. We found ourselves close to the southern extremity of Loo-choo, the land of which is low. About noon we anchored in the harbour ofNapa-kiang, and were boarded by several mandarins, one of whom thecaptain recognised as the interpreter of the Blossom, whose interestingcruise has been published by Captain Beechey. The natives of Loo-chooare so similar to those of the Madjicosima group that it would beuseless describing their manners and customs, the more so as we havealready the works of Captain Hall and Captain Beechey, in which they aredescribed most accurately. A great many junks were anchored in the innerharbour, their enormous masts towering far above the highest buildings. 

The burial ground is a large tract of land to the left of the town; thetombs are large, and in shape resemble the last letter in the Greekalphabet ([Greek: Omega]). Strange that it should be the last letter. Most of them are painted white, and they have from the anchorage a verypicturesque appearance. 

It was the captain's intention to have sailed on the day after ourarrival, but the weather proving unfavourable for astronomicalobservations, our departure was postponed for another day, when, havingobtained sights, some live stock, and vegetables, we sailed for Guilpat, a large island off the southern extremity of Corea. Previous to oursailing, a French missionary called on the captain. He had been left atLoo-choo by the Alcimene frigate, with a view of introducingChristianity into the island, but the chiefs did not appear to relishhis sojourn there, and were anxious to get rid of him. He offered toaccompany us to Corea and Japan; at the latter place he would have beenof great service, as he was acquainted with the Japanese language. 

June 24. Sighted the Goth island, a portion of the Japanese empire. Thenext morning the wind had increased to a heavy gale, and we werecompelled to reduce our canvass to a close-reefed main topsail, staysail, and trysail. We rounded Cape Goth within a quarter of a mile, and lay to under the lee of the island, where the sea was comparativelysmooth. Towards the evening the wind subsided, and we again made sail. Saw the island of Guilpat, and the next morning anchored off thenorth-east side of it, in a channel between Guilpat and a small island. We landed on the small island, where we were received by about sixtynatives, who did not appear well pleased at our intrusion, but knew thatresistance to us would be useless. 

In the course of the day several thousand natives had assembled on theopposite shore. By the aid of good telescopes we could discern forts andflags. The natives informed us that Guilpat had a standing army, wellsupplied with matchlocks, swords, and bows and arrows. They added thatguns are not wanted to defend the island in case of need. This assertionwe afterwards found, making allowance for a little exaggeration, to bequite correct. 

The island of Guilpat is subject to the kingdom of Corea, and is thelargest in that archipelago, being about thirty miles in length andfifteen in breadth. It is composed of innumerable hills in every varietyof form, such as cones, saddles, and tables. Most of these hills haveforts built on their summits. From these, lights were displayed everyevening, and it was astonishing the rapidity with which these signalswere answered. I have seen the whole coast illuminated in less than fiveminutes, each hill appearing like a little volcano, suddenly burstingout. As soon as the boats had surveyed this part of the island, weshifted the ship to where the survey was being carried on; and this wecontinued to do during the whole time that we were employed in thesurvey, the boats returning on board every night. Good anchorage is tobe obtained all round the island. Innumerable forts and batteries arebuilt along the coast; every rising ground being surmounted with one, although the major portion of them were not supplied with guns. We foundas we coasted along that all the forts were manned, the people beingarmed with matchlocks, spears, and arrows. On several occasions theyfired their matchlocks, and the salute was returned by the 6-pounders inthe barges, which never failed of putting them to flight. In the centreof the island the land runs to an enormous height, and terminates in asharp peak, which, in consequence of its always having been envelopedwith clouds, we did not see till several days after our arrival. 

At last we arrived at the principal town, which is situated on thewestern side of the island. The town was inclosed with thick walls, higher than we had observed before as we coasted along. These walls forma square, each side of which is about half a mile in length, and hasbatteries, parapets, and embrasures. In some of the latter there wereguns, which were occasionally fired. The whole ground before the town, for the distance of a mile and a half, was crowded with people; but ifthey waited for our landing they were disappointed, as the captain wouldnot land. They gave us two bullocks, which were put into the barge, asthe ship was then ten or twelve miles off. The mandarins used everyargument to persuade the captain to come on shore and visit the chiefsof the island; but, as we had but twenty men in the boats, he refused totrust himself among eight or ten thousand whose intentions were anything but satisfactory. However, he promised that he would come on shoreon the following day, but that at present he was obliged to visit apoint of the bay to obtain observations before sunset. We now preparedto move in the barge, but found ourselves encompassed by twelve orfourteen large boats, fastened to each other by strong ropes. We desiredthem to make a passage, but they either did not, or would not, understand us. This looked very much like treachery, and decidedmeasures were become requisite: the nearest boats were boarded, and thecrews made to cut their ropes. Some of them appeared inclined to resist, but a smart stroke of the cutlass put their courage to flight. Thisaffair took place within twenty yards of the beach, and in sight of10, 000 people on the shore. We now being clear, pulled for the point andsecured our station. A great crowd collected around us while we wereobserving; the chiefs expressed a wish, in a peremptory sort of way, that the officers should partake of some refreshment at a short distancefrom the beach. This the captain, who suspected treachery, refused, andas we were going near to our boats, some of the natives laid violenthands upon our men, but having received from them a few specimens of ourmethod of boxing, they soon quitted their hold. The Chinese interpreterwas now missing; our men in consequence procured their arms, andlanding, a strict search was made for him. He was found some littledistance on land, having been enticed away by one of the chiefs, whowas plying him with sam-schoo. On his way to return they forciblydetained him, and were in the act of conveying him away, when theappearance of the armed party from the boat surprised them, and theyhastened to convey their own persons out of reach of our bayonets. Itwas not, however, our intention, or our policy, to commence hostilities, only to show them that we would not be trifled with. 

We returned from the point to the beach before the town, when the boat'sguns were loaded with round and grape, and pointed at the crowdassembled, in case of any further treachery. The captain then landedwith the small armed party, all ready for resistance. 

Music was now heard in the distance, and soon afterwards one of theprincipal chiefs arrived, walking beneath a silken canopy. He wasattended by two young lads and a band of spearmen, who prevented the mobfrom approaching too close to his highness's person. The multitudeshouted, and bowed their heads to the ground as the chief passed them;the latter took no notice of their acclamations, but advanced in a verystately dignified manner towards the captain, apparently keeping time tothe music, which was played by a band of men, dressed in a veryfantastic manner, on cymbals and instruments resembling our clarionets. 

The negotiations were now opened: the captain expressed his surprise anddisgust at the treatment he had experienced at the point, where he hadbeen taking observations. The chief inquired of the captain, in reply, why he did not shoot the offenders? and assured him that, if the nexttime he was annoyed by the rabble he would shoot a few of them, it wouldhave a very salutary effect upon the remainder. In the course ofconversation, the captain informed the mandarin that England possessedships carrying 120 guns of larger caliber than those on board of thevessel he commanded; and that altogether, including large and small, the Queen of England had 800 vessels. This account was evidentlydiscredited, as it always was when such an assertion was made in thoseseas, for looking round him and explaining the nature of thecommunication to his followers, they all laughed. Asang, theinterpreter, then gave them a history of the Chinese war, on which hedwelt upon our immense resources, the size and number of our vessels, and the fire ships (steamers) which we had employed; but it was evidentthat the Quelpartians did not believe one word of his assertions. Beforethe conference was over, rice, cakes, and sam-schoo were handed round, and the captain promised that he would visit the chief mandarin on thefollowing day. By this time, the ship had come to an anchor in the bay, and we returned on board. 

The next morning we got the ship under weigh, and brought her nearer tothe town, so that her guns could be brought to bear in case of need; butwhen within 100 yards of the shore, and in the act of going about, theship struck with great violence against a rock. Hawsers were laid out, and with our usual good fortune, we again got into deep water, and inhalf an hour anchored off the town in a favourable position forcannonading it. We then landed our force, consisting of all the marines, with the drummer and fiddler, besides a party of small-arm men from theblue jackets, all armed with muskets, bayonets, and cutlasses. Theofficers, in addition to their swords, carried pistols in their belts. Afeu-de-joie was now fired, for the double purpose of creating an aweamong the crowd, and ascertaining that all the muskets were in goodorder; for the mandarin resided some miles from the beach, and in caseof attack we must have fought hard to regain our boats and theprotection of the ship's guns. All being ready, the drummer and fiddlerstruck up a lively air, and we commenced our march towards themandarin's house, the officers being accommodated with horses. Afterpassing over a morass, the waters of which ran sluggishly through thearches of a bridge, connecting the suburbs with the city, we ascended arocky eminence, from the summit of which we had a bird's eye view of thecity, and some portion of the interior. We observed that the ramparts ofthe city were lined with people. Our train was nearly a mile in length, although the natives were walking ten or twelve abreast. Immediatelyafter our party came the band of the natives, dressed in russet-colouredcloth, with shawls of the same material; after them the mandarin, followed by above 200 soldiers, a dense mob bringing up the rear, withflags and banners displayed. 

On the inland side of us was an immense plain, bounded in the distanceby high mountains, whose tops were enveloped in clouds. This plain wasmostly cultivated; that portion of it which was barren had beenappropriated to burial grounds, several of which we passed through. Atthe head of the graves were stone figures intending to represent humanbeings, but Chantry had not been employed. At length, having walkedround two-thirds of the walls, we entered a defile, leading to one ofthe gates of the city, but to our surprise, when we arrived at the gate, we found that it was locked, and when the cause was demanded, we wereinformed that the mandarin refused to allow the soldiers to enter, butthat the officers would be admitted alone. This communication greatlyirritated the captain, and our position caused us some uneasiness. Wewere inclosed within two high walls in a narrow lane, our advanceprevented by the locked up gate, and our retreat must be throughthousands who had formed the cavalcade, and were now in our rear. Ouronly passage was through this multitude, and I hardly need say that wewere convinced of the treachery of the people. However, there was notime to be lost: the word was given, the marines formed a front line, cocked their muskets, and then brought them to the charge bayonets; andin this way, the crowd retreating before us, we forced our way back, until we were again clear of the high walls which had flanked us; butour position even then was not pleasant. We had to pass the fort andseveral encampments before we could arrive at the beach, which was atleast four miles distant. However, we put a good face on the matter, andforcibly detaining one of the mandarins upon the pretence that he mustshow us the way back, with the threat, that upon the slightestmolestation on the part of his countrymen, we would blow his brains out, we commenced our march back to the beach, our two musicians playing withgreat energy, "Go to the devil and shake yourselves, " which tune, struckup upon their own suggestion, was the occasion of great laughter amongour party. At last we reached the beach without opposition, and themandarin, who was terribly alarmed, was released. 

When we arrived, the chiefs attempted to throw all the blame upon thehead mandarin, but the captain would no longer stand their humbug. Hereplied to them, that if any of their principal men had visited the shipthey would have been treated with respect and kindness, and that thenumber of their armed retainers would have made no difference in theirreception; that he considered them as faithless in all theirprotestations of good-will, and from thenceforth he should place noreliance on any thing that they said; that for the future he would actas he thought proper without consulting them, and that he would shootany one who attempted to interfere with him. We then got into the boatsand returned on board, where we heard that the cutter's crew had beencompelled to kill or wound some of the natives, who had come down in abody and attacked one of the men with fire-brands. The cutter was atanchor a short distance from the shore; on the natives approaching theyseized their muskets, but did not fire until their shipmate was indanger of his life. Two of the natives had fallen and had been carriedoff by their comrades. 

[Illustration: QUELPARTIANS. 

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

The Quelpartians cultivate paddy (from which they distil theirsam-schoo), sweet potatoes, and radishes, which, with shell-fish, formthe principal articles of food with the lower classes. Pigs, bullocks, and fowls appeared to be plentiful, although we obtained but few. Alltheir towns are enclosed with a stone wall; the houses are also built ofstone, and mostly tiled with a species of red slate; but we had fewopportunities of inspecting them, as the natives kept so strict a watchupon us, and so outnumbered us. These Coreans presented a strongcontrast to the Loo Chooans, who are so polite in their manner and kindin their demeanour. These Quelpartians, on the contrary, are veryunprepossessing in their appearance, rude and boisterous in theirmanner, and of very gross habits. They insisted upon feeling andinspecting every article of our clothing, even baring our breasts toascertain their colour, and in many other respects proving themselvesvery annoying. This was submitted to at first, with the hope of securingtheir good-will, but afterwards very decided measures were taken torepulse these dirty wretches, whose clothes smelt most offensively. Theyhave the high cheek bone and elongated eye of the Tartar, or northernChinese, from whom I am inclined to think they are descended. The crownof the head is closely shaved, leaving a circle of long hair, which istied in a knot on the top of the skull (similar to the people of LooChoo), but without any ornament. Round the forehead is fastened abandanna, about four inches in width, resembling fine net-work intexture, but it is made with horsehair. This is used to keep the hair inits proper position. But the most singular part of their costume is thehat, which is made of the same materials as the fillets: the brim isabout four feet in width, and this gives to the wearer a very grotesqueappearance. The crown in shape resembles a sugar-loaf with the top cutoff, and is very small in diameter. It admits the top-knot of hair, andnothing more. 

[Illustration: MANDARIN OF QUELPART. 

(COREA. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

The lower orders generally wear a felt hat, but of the same dimensionsand shape. The hats of the mandarins are secured on their heads bystrings of amber beads and large ivory balls, and then passed under thechin. Rank is denoted by the peacock's feather in the hat. The army aredistinguished by a tuft of red horsehair stuck in the crown. Therespectable part of the inhabitants have several garments; the outerones are of various colours, but the cut of them extends to all ranks. Ican liken it to nothing but a long pinbefore, slit up in front, behind, and at the two sides. Under this they wear other garments, the textureand quality of which, as well as quantity, depend upon the wealth of thewearer. The sleeves of their dresses are wide and long. In spite oftheir thick mustachios and long flowing beards, they have the appearanceof a very effeminate people. 

One evening we saw a large turtle asleep as we pulled along the coast. ASandwich Islander, belonging to the gig's crew, went in the water andturned him, holding him in this position till a rope was made fast tohim, and he was secured. At night we landed on a small island, and wecooked our prize for our supper. I mention it as a proof of the man'sdexterity. 

Completed our survey of the Quelpart, and stood to the N. E. The nextmorning we found ourselves close to a labyrinth of islands, not laiddown on any chart. The captain named the group after the ship; and, having in three days completed the survey of them, we stood further tothe northward and eastward. It would be tedious to detail our surveyingoperations. We saw the main land of Corea, but did not go on shore; andour provisions getting low, we bore all for the southward. After callingagain at Quelpart, where we remained a few days, we made sail forNangasaki, a seaport town in the empire of Japan. 

We were some distance in the offing in sight of the town of Nangasaki, when several boats, gaily decorated with flags of various shades andcolours, came out to meet the ship and accompany us to the anchorage. One of them brought a letter, written in mingled Dutch and French, inquiring from whence and why we came. The bearer, who was a great manin authority, desired the captain to anchor immediately; but this thecaptain refused, telling him that he should anchor his ship when andwhere he pleased. We afterwards discovered that these were allgovernment boats, and that they were always placed as a guard upon anyship which visited Nangasaki. 

[Illustration: JAPANESE BOAT. ]

The crews were all dressed alike, in chequered blue and white cottondresses; the boats are propelled with sculls used as oars, the menkeeping time to a monotonous song. Forts, or rather the ghosts offorts, appeared as if raised by magic; they were easily distinguishedto be formed out of immense screens of coloured cotton, and they weresurrounded by flags and pennons. Although not effective, their effectwas good at a distance. 

[Illustration: JAPANESE. 

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

In the evening, a large assembly of the principal men visited the ship;they wore very loose jackets and trowsers. The jackets reached no lowerthan the hips, where they were confined by a silk or silver girdle, containing two swords, one somewhat larger than the other. The handlesand sheaths of their swords were beautifully inlaid with copper, andjapanned in a very peculiar manner. They were very curious to know thename and use of every article which excited their attention, and we weremuch surprised at their display of so much theoretical knowledge. Theyparticularly admired the touch-hole of our guns, which are fired withthe detonating tube. The properties of the elevating screws wereminutely examined; and we were inclined to believe that many of ourvisitors were artificers, sent on board to examine and make notes ofevery thing new. 

The Samarang was the first British man-of-war which had visited Nagasakisince the Phaeton, in 1808. The day after our arrival the chiefs sentoff a present of pigs, fowls, and vegetables, but would receive nothingin return. 

I accompanied the master to a small island, to make observations. Several of the great men desired us to return to the ship, but werefused. They appeared greatly annoyed, and drew their hands acrosstheir throats, intimating that their heads would be forfeited for theirbreach of duty. However, seeing that we were determined to remain, theymade a virtue of necessity, and consoled themselves by examining ourinstruments. A laughable occurrence took place while we were on shore. The cutter was at anchor about ten yards from the beach. Two of the crewhaving an argument, one of them drew his bayonet, and made a lunge atthe other in jest. Observing the natives looking on with amazement, andfancying that the men were engaged in deadly fray, it drew our attentionto the scene. They no doubt came to the conclusion that we must be adesperate set of fellows, and killed one another upon the slightestprovocation. At all events, this little incident appeared to have a verygood effect, as the natives, who had continually been interfering withour observations, now left us, not wishing to be so near to people whowere so prone to mischief. 

During the whole night we were surrounded by a squadron of boats, which, with lanterns lighted, and drums beating, continually moved round theship, to intercept any boat leaving it. The captain, finding that thesuspicious character of the Japanese would prevent any thing likecorrect surveying, which was the principal object of his visit toNagasaki, determined upon leaving this inhospitable shore of Japan assoon as possible. 

On Sunday the 6th, we weighed, and although the weather wasunfavourable, contrived to work out of soundings until 3 P. M. , when wemade sail for Loo-Choo. At daylight we found ourselves abreast of aburning volcano. Dense clouds of smoke were issuing from a peakedisland, about three miles distant. We soon afterwards landed upon anadjacent island, which, to our surprise, also began to smoke. 

The day was sultry, and without a breath of air, so that in a shorttime, the atmosphere we were in became overpowering; at last a freshbreeze sprang up, and the disagreeable sensation wore off. The whole ofthe islands between Loo-Choo and Japan appear to be volcanic, and atcertain seasons of the year they break out in a similar manner to thosewhich we saw. At noon the smoke from the large volcano became lurid; butwhether this was the breaking out into flame, or from the rays of thesun pouring down upon the smoke, it was impossible to say, as we werethen several miles off. During the whole of the following night we werebecalmed, and during that time impelled, by a strong current, towardsthe volcanic island. Strange noises were heard, and large columns ofsmoke ascended from the crater, which, from there not being a breath ofair, soon enveloped it from our sight. On the following day we againlanded upon an island, some little distance to the southward of thevolcano, which now vomited flames, ashes, and smoke, during the wholeday. The master landed on another of these volcanic islands, but theshowers of ashes and suffocating atmosphere soon drove him away. 

The captain had finished his observations on the first island where welanded, and we prepared to return on board. Since the morning the swellhad got up considerably, causing the surf to break heavily on the rocks. However, the instruments were safely embarked in the boat; but while thecaptain was waiting for an opportunity to get in, a surf drove the boaton a shelving rock, and suddenly receding, her stern was dropped so low, while her bow remained fast, that she capsized. Although the officer andmen in the boat had to swim for their lives, and were much bruised bybeing dashed against the rocks by the succeeding surf, fortunately nolives were lost; but all the instruments, to the value of about 150l. , went to the bottom, and, no doubt, have since the accident very muchpuzzled the sharks as to their use, as they often had done the nativesof those seas. A signal was hoisted on the summit of the island for theship to send boats to assist, and, on their arrival, the gig was baledout, and by sunset we were again on board. 

August 18th. --Exchanged numbers with her Majesty's ship Royalist, whichwas anchored in Napa Kiang harbour (Loo-Choo). At 3 P. M. , we anchoredalongside of her, impatiently expecting letters by her, and we were nota little depressed at being disappointed. Still we had one comfort, which was that, instead of having brought us, as we expected, threemonths' provisions, to enable us to continue our survey, she had onlyfourteen days' provisions for us, which was not more than sufficient tocarry us back to Hong Kong. Many and various were the surmises that thisrecall and alteration of our planned employment gave us; the mostprevailing one was that our orders from England were at Hong Kong. Others supposed that the ship would be hove down, and subsequentlycondemned; but the rejoicing was universal at the idea that there wouldbe some speedy end to our hardships and vexations. 

A day or two after our arrival the captain and senior officers landed, to partake of a dinner given by one of the principal mandarins. Theywere well plied with soup, fish, fowls, and sam-schoo, being attended onby minor mandarins. After dinner they were escorted through the town, accompanied by a large concourse of natives, who were kept by the policeat a respectful distance. One of the multitude forced his way to jointhe captain's party, but was forcibly ejected, and preparations made tobamboo him, when, to the captain's surprise, he discovered that theunfortunate culprit was our greatest friend and ally during our visit tothe Madjicosima islands. He had been christened Beaufort by ourofficers, in consequence of his accurate knowledge of all the shoals, bays, deeps, &c. A word from the captain released him, and to theastonishment of the mob, the captain and officers shook him cordially bythe hand, and made him walk in their company during the remainder of theday. We did not find out why Beaufort left Pa-tchsu-san, where heappeared to be one of the principal chiefs; while at Loo-Choo heappeared to have no rank whatever. August 21st. --Sailed for Loo-Choo, the Royalist in Company. After looking in at Pa-tschu-san, we made allsail for Hong Kong; but arriving off the island of Botel Tobago, we wereannoyed with light airs and calms, varied with squalls and heavy rain. For several days we were at the mercy of the current, until, at length, we sighted Batan, and steered towards it. The wind still continuinglight, the captain went in the gig, which was my boat, on board of theRoyalist; and we soon left the Samarang far behind. We landed aboutthree o'clock, and were received by the padre, the governor and his ladybeing at San Carlos. The commander of the Royalist and two of hisofficers landed with us, and were much pleased with the hospitality ofthe old priest. In the course of the evening the governor and his ladyreturned from San Carlos; we adjourned to his house, where we passedthe evening. Several dances were performed by the native women; but wedid not admire them--they shuffled with their feet, and threw theirbodies into anything but graceful postures. At midnight we sat down toan excellent supper, and then returned on board of the Royalist. Thefollowing morning the ship was about three miles from the anchorage. Bidding adieu to our hosts, we pulled on board, and made sail for HongKong. 

September 8th. --It being calm, the ship's company were permitted tobathe. In a minute all those who could swim were in the water, playingabout in every direction round the ship, and enjoying the luxury. Whilethis continued, the man at the mast-head reported a shark close athand. The word to come in quickly was given by the first lieutenant andall the officers. It required no second call--every one knew why, andswam to the ropes, which were thrown out in every direction. It wastouch and go, as the saying is--one of the marines, who was last, wasactually touched by the shark, who made at him; but before he couldturn to bite, the fellow had jerked himself up out of his reach. It wasvery fortunate that the man at the mast-head kept so good a look-out, for generally they are more occupied with the gambols of the bathersthan looking out for sharks. As it was, many of the swimmers were sounnerved that it was with difficulty they could get out of the danger. After the men were on board again, the great object was to have revengeupon the animal who had thus put an end to the enjoyment. Theshark-hook was baited with a piece of bull's hide, and the animal, whowas still working up and down alongside the ship, hoping that he wouldstill pick up a marine I presume, took the bait greedily, and washauled on board. The axe was immediately at work at his tail, which wasdismembered, and a score of knives plunged into his body, ripping himup in all directions. His eyes were picked out with fish-hooks andknives, and every indignity offered to him. He was then cut to pieces, and the quivering flesh thrown into the frying-pans, and eaten with asavage pleasure which we can imagine only to be felt by cannibals whendevouring the flesh of their enemies. Certainly, if the cannibalnations have the same feeling towards their enemies which sailors haveagainst sharks, I do not wonder at their adhering to this custom, forthere was a savage delight in the eyes of every seaman in the ship asthey assisted to cut to pieces and then devour the brute who would havedevoured them. It was the madness of retaliation--an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. 

September 14th. --Arrived at Hong Kong, where we found the Castor, Vixen, and Espiègle. The next day the Agincourt, Dædalus, Vestal, andWolverine, arrived from Borneo, having been engaged with the pirates ofMaludu Bay. The squadron had suffered a loss of one officer and eighteenmen killed, and about double the number wounded. This heavy loss wasoccasioned by their having to cut through a large boom which the pirateshad thrown across the creek within half pistol shot of their forts. Butthe official reports of Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane have already beenpublished, and I need not, therefore, enter into further particulars. One incident is, perhaps, worthy of notice, as it shows the respectinvariably paid by the British officers and seamen to a brave enemy, although a pirate. The colours from the pirates' fort had been twiceshot away, when, to the surprise of the boat squadron, a native was seento ascend, without regard to our fire, and nail the colours to theflagstaff. Instead of taking aim at him, he was enthusiastically cheeredby the seamen; and, as if with one consent, the muskets were alldropped, and the firing discontinued until he had again got down undercover, and was safe. The boom being at length severed, the fort in a fewminutes was in our possession. Our late first lieutenant, Mr. Heard, whohad left our ship, in consequence of the treatment he received from thecaptain, was wounded in this attack. Mr. Wade was the first lieutenantwho sailed from England in the Samarang, and who also left us, not beingable to put up with the treatment he received. It is singular that poorMr. Wade should be killed so soon after he left the ship, and that hissuccessor, Mr. Heard, as soon as he also left us, should have beenwounded. But these were not the only officers who had quitted the ship:Lieutenant Inglefield, who joined the ship as assistant-surveyor, was, like most of the other officers, soon under an arrest; and after havinghad a report spread against him that he was mad, he determined to leavethe ship, and obtained his Admiralty discharge. The second master, appointed by the Admiralty as one of the assistant-surveyors, also leftthe ship, but was compelled to join again. 

A court-martial was now held on board of the Castor, to inquire into theconduct of Lieutenant Heard (our late first lieutenant), during the timethat he served under Sir Edward Belcher. The court-martial had beendemanded by Lieutenant Heard, in consequence of Sir Edward Belcherhaving written a private letter to Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane, accusingMr. Heard of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The whole ofthe officers of the Samarang were subpoenaed, and there is no doubtwhat the result of the court-martial would have been; but the court wasbroken up on the plea that the charges were not _sufficiently specific_, as neither date nor circumstances were specified. Before the court brokeup, however, they did so far justice to Lieutenant Heard, as to returnhis sword, and state that there was not the slightest stain upon hischaracter, and that he was honourably acquitted. The reader may perhapsask, why the court was dissolved? It was to save the honour of thecloth, that the court, composed of captains, came to that decision. Hadthe court-martial proceeded, what would it have proved?--that a superiorofficer had been guilty of slander, and had attempted by this means toruin a most excellent officer. The court declared that the charges werenot sufficiently specific. Surely, they were plain enough. LieutenantHeard was charged with conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman--acharge sufficient to dismiss him the service, if it could have beenproved. But let us reverse this case: suppose that Lieutenant Heard hadthus slandered Sir Edward Belcher. Would the court of captains then havediscovered that the charges were not sufficiently specific? Mostcertainly not. The trial would have proceeded, and the lieutenant, formaking such false charges in a private letter, would have been dismissedwith ignominy from the service. 

November 1st. --Sailed from Hong Kong, after a detention of some days, inconsequence of a row between Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane and our gallantcaptain; the admiral, as we understood, refusing to allow the Samarangto leave the port until Sir Edward Belcher had apologised for hisinsubordination towards him. After a detention of a few days, theapology was forced from Sir Edward Belcher, and we were permitted to getunder weigh. Of course, I cannot exactly vouch for the correctness ofthis statement, but such was the _on dit_ of the day. On the second weexperienced a heavy gale, and the Royalist, who was with us as a tender, parted company. After a weary beat of nineteen days, we arrived atBatan, the capital of the Bashee islands; but I have already describedthis place. We remained here eight days, anxiously expecting theRoyalist, but she did not make her appearance, and we concluded that shemust have received some injury in the gale, and had borne up forManilla. We sailed for that place, and arrived there on the 2d ofDecember. Our conjectures relative to the Royalist were correct: she washere at anchor, having crippled her foremast in the gale, so as torender it necessary for her to bear up for this port. 

[Illustration: SALT SMUGGLERS. ]

We had always enjoyed ourselves at this place. During our repeatedvisits we had made many acquaintances and friends, and it was with nosmall pleasure that we found that we were to remain here till the firstday of the new year. 

It is the custom at Manilla for the inhabitants to throw most of theirhouses open on that day: any one may enter, and be sure of a heartywelcome from the hospitable Spaniards. We anticipated greatpleasure, -and we did nothing but talk about it, as our last ChristmasDay had been a most dreary one, and we were delighted at the idea ofpassing this one among hospitable and civilised people. The reader maytherefore imagine our disgust and vexation when, on the 23d, without ourhaving the least notice of his intention, the captain gave orders forthe anchor to be weighed, and ran the ship down to Caviti, a town aboutseven miles distant. Caviti was deserted; all the inhabitants had goneto Manilla to enjoy the holidays; not a soul remained to welcome us; butif they had, it would have been of no good to us, as, on Christmasmorning, about two o'clock, we were almost all of us sent on shore totake a set of magnetic observations, which were not completed until thesame hour on the following day. At the same time, to make "assurancedoubly sure" that we should have no pleasure on that day, leave wasstopped to all those remaining on board of the ship. I will not enterfurther into this affair. All I shall say is, that Christmas Day, theday of rejoicing, the day of good-will, was turned into one in which theworst passions were roused, and in which "curses not loud but deep" werelevelled at the head of the man who, "dressed in a little briefauthority, " took this opportunity of exercising the power entrusted tohim. After completing the observations, we moved further down the Bay, and surveyed the shoals of St. Nicholas; after which we returned toManilla, where all gaiety had ceased. 

Caviti was once a place of great importance, having been the capital ofLuzon, from whence the galleons conveyed the treasure to Spain. Thearsenal still remains, but in a very dilapidated state: we found theartificers busily employed completing some gun-boats and smallschooners, which were intended to accompany the Esperanza, Spanishfrigate, in an expedition to an island off Borneo, where the Esperanzahad latterly sustained a defeat from the pirates who inhabited theisland. 

At Caviti lie the remains of an old Spanish galleon, one of the fewwhich had the good fortune to escape Commodore Anson. The whole of oneside of the vessel is gone, and she is now fast falling to pieces, butthe Spaniards look upon her with great reverence. She is a relic oftheir former grandeur; and I was informed by a Spanish gentleman thatshe never would be broken up. I looked upon her, if not with reverence, at least with sympathy; and as I made a sketch of her my thoughtsnaturally turned to the rise and fall of empires, and I communed withmyself as to what would be the date in which England would be in thesame position as modern Spain, and fall back upon her former glories byway of consolation for her actual decay. 

[Illustration: SPANISH GALLEON. ]

On our arrival at Manilla, whether it was that the captain thought thatwe might too readily console ourselves for our Christmas disappointment, or that he had heard (which I doubt not was the case) the expressions ofdisgust which had been so universal, we found that all leave wasstopped. A few of us, not relishing this confinement without just cause, made our appearance on shore in plain clothes; for we had becomereckless. We could but be turned out of the ship and out of the service:we longed for the first most especially, and were not alarmed at theprospect of the second. But although the captain was very willing tooblige us with the latter as soon as he had done with us, upon thepaying off of the ship, he was not at all inclined to enter into ourviews as to the former; for he knew that he never would get anotherofficer to join him. He therefore took all the work he could out of usfor the present, bottling up his indignation for a future opportunity. 

We visited the cigar manufactory. About three thousand women are dailyemployed in making and packing up the cigars. One party selects, cleans, and moistens the leaf; a second cuts; a third rolls; another packs them;and thus they are passed through a variety of hands before they arecompleted. The best cheroots made here are sent to the royal family, andare called Finas. No. 3. Are the next best: of these there are twokinds--one for consumption, another for exportation. The cheroots soldin England under the name of Government Manillas are of inferiorquality. In consequence of the failure in the preceding tobacco crop, cheroots were very scarce during the time we were at Manilla. 

There is a fine lace sold at Manilla, called Pina-work. It is made bythe women of an island bearing that name, which is close to Luzon. Although not so fine as some of the European manufactures, it fetchesvery high prices in this country. There is not sufficient made forexportation. 

The night on which we went on shore contrary to orders proved to be afestival, and the city was illuminated. There is a variety inilluminations all over the world, as those who have been to variouscountries well know. The lower classes of Manilla construct animals ofall sorts, ships, &c. Out of coloured paper--very good imitations of thereality--and these they illuminate by putting candles within them. Wehad amused ourselves with looking at the variety of objects exhibitedby the various whims of the illuminating parties, when, on passingthrough a street, we observed a large illuminated pig--such a beauty! Hewas standing at the door of a shop, and the owner was quite proud of ourunqualified admiration. We examined him very carefully, and at last weunfortunately discovered that he was fixed on a board with four wheels. Wheels naturally reminded us that they were vehicles of locomotion; thepig could move--that was certain--and we decided that, if possible, pigmust go on board of the Samarang. This was agreed to, _nem. Con. _, byall parties, with the exception of the owner, who was not summoned tothe consultation, which, I grant, was an omission. A ball of twine, somefifty fathoms long, was purchased, and stretched along the street, so asto give us a good start in case of a rescue. We manned it with all handsexcept one, who was appointed to make it fast to the pig, which heeffected with great dexterity, and without being perceived. As soon ashe rejoined us, off we set, followed by pig, who galloped and capereddown the streets in capital style, preserving his equilibrium in a mostastonishing manner. 

But the owner of the pig soon discovered his loss, and gave the signalfor the chase. As we passed the gates, the soldiers joined in thepursuit, and a large mob followed; but pig beat them all, and arrivedsafely at the hotel where we resided. Of course, the owner soon came into claim his property; but he was so nobly remunerated for his animal, which became ours by purchase, that he went away jingling the money, andagreeing with us that it was an excellent joke. We placed our pig in thecentre of the table, and passed our last night at Manilla in a mostagreeable manner. 

[Illustration: NATIVES OF LUZON. 

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS]

We then sailed again for Caviti, which was now again inhabited. Thesociety is confined to the families of the civil and military officerswho are stationed there. Some of the villages in the vicinity of Cavitiare very picturesque: the bamboos planted on each side of the road meetover head, and form shady lanes. The women at these villages werehandsomer than any I had seen at Luzon, and were dressed verytastefully. A petticoat, reaching from the hips to between the knees andankles, a not too jealous boddice of light muslin, their long hairflowing down their backs, and a neat straw hat, composed as graceful acostume as I have ever witnessed. See two of these girls, both ridingone pony, taking eggs to Caviti, as they pass through the shady lanes, and you cannot desire a more agreeable picture. 

[Illustration: WATER CARRIERS--MANILLA. ]

January 3rd. --From this day till the 20th of February we were surveyingvarious portions of the Phillippine group; but as there is nothing tointerest the reader, I shall pass over a dry catalogue of mostlyuninhabited islands. One of the islands was covered with cocoa-nuttrees. We found on it some Malays, who had come there on an annualvisit, and were loading their boats with the nuts. They were the rudestof the Malay tribe we had yet seen. Every article in our possessionexcited their cupidity, and they expressed their wonder and admirationby clacking their tongues against the roofs of their mouths, andemitting a very strange sound. A needle was valued by them at tencocoa-nuts, a button at five. For the value of a few shillings we filledthe ship with those highly esteemed fruit. On the 21st of February weproceeded to Samboangan, a Spanish penal settlement at the southextremity of Mindanao. The town, which is insignificant, is built on aplain. Most of the houses are constructed of leaves and bamboo, supported by stakes. The governor, however, and some of the mostrespectable of the inhabitants, occupy neat little white-washedcottages. There is a fine fort, in good condition, and mounting severalguns, which is garrisoned by about 400 Manilla troops. 

The town is surrounded nearly by groves of cocoa-nut trees and bananas, and the roads cut through them form pleasant shady walks. The plain onwhich the town is built is well cultivated, and watered by a fine river. It is bounded by a range of mountains, which separate the Spanishpossessions from the country inhabited by the warlike natives of theinterior. The people appear well-conditioned and industrious, and areremarkably neat in their dress and persons. There are several gun boatsstationed here, which are employed to scour the coast of the pirates, who are very numerous and formidable. 

Horses can be obtained here in any quantity, but saddles and bridles arescarce. Unfortunately, there is nothing so civilised here as an hotel, so few vessels visiting the port. The little commerce that exists iscarried on by small schooners which run between this island and Manilla. 

[Illustration: VIEW IN SAMBOANGAN. 

(MINDANAO. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS]

I have mentioned that this is the penal settlement of the Spanishcolonies. The prisoners are confined within the fort, and there is noneof that awe of restraint and doubtful position which you find in a placewhere half the population consists of liberated convicts. It is aflourishing and happy little colony. Many officers of an inferior gradereside here, holding appointments either in the fort, gaol, or the gunboats. These people and their wives are Mestichas (or half-breed), andit is among them and their families that some of the prettiest women inthe Asiatic archipelago may be found. 

Our first object after we were on shore was to procure horses, that wemight have a view of the country, as far as prudence would admit. Wewere surprised at starting to find such fine roads, lined with gardensand cottages, embowered in groves of cocoa-nut, bananas, and bamboos. Where the road was not shaded, arches of wood were raised to protectpassengers from the heat of the sun. The whole country was alive withnatives, dressed in every variety of colour, and sledges drawn by waterbuffaloes, carrying fruit, vegetables, and Indian corn. We put ourhorses to a swift canter, and passed through many villages, all inappearance as populous, as thriving, and as happy as Samboangan. At lastwe arrived at an open plain, covered with cattle, and bounded by themountains in the distance. We remained some time admiring and sketching;the inhabitants showed us every kindness, and were more courteous intheir demeanour than might be expected from their isolation from therest of the world. 

On our return, we stopped at a little shop by the road side, close tothe town. It contained fruit, grain, and tobacco; but ascertaining thatcoffee and chocolate could be had here, we ordered some of the latter, which proved to be excellent, and moderate in price. This little shop, for want of an hotel, became our principal rendezvous during our stayhere. 

About nightfall, as we were strolling through the town, we wereattracted by the sounds of music in an adjoining street. We altered ourcourse accordingly, and on arrival at a large thatched house, perceivedthrough the open windows that it was filled with musicians and dancers. We were immediately observed, and the owner of the house, in the mostcourteous manner, and in tolerable English, requested us to enter, whichrequest we immediately complied with. We imagined that it was a ball, perhaps a wedding; but what was our surprise on entering to see a tablein the middle of the room, on which was placed a dead child! It wasneatly dressed, and ornamented with flowers, looking more like a waxdoll than a corpse. The ball, we were informed, was given in honour ofits funeral. The dancing had not yet commenced, so we were in excellenttime. The master of the house was extremely polite, and requested thatwe would consider ourselves at home. We took his advice, and immediatelyseparated, and paid our addresses to the ladies which most interested usby their appearance. A great many of them were exceedingly pretty, andthey were dressed enchantingly. Their hair was drawn back, and collectedin a knot behind, their bosoms covered by a light muslin jacket withshort sleeves. A petticoat of many colours was sufficiently short todisclose their naked feet, on which was a slipper of velvet, embroideredwith gold or silver lace. Two or three great gold ornaments completedtheir costume. Add to this their sparkling black eyes, regular features, and an air of naiveté--inseparable from Spanish girls, and you have someidea of the witchery of the belles of Samboangan. 

We were very soon on excellent terms, and the table with the dead childbeing removed to a corner, the father and mother of the deceased openedthe ball with a slow waltz. This being concluded, we selected ourpartners, and a livelier air being struck up, off we all went at asplendid pace. The women waltzed well. The music was excellent. In thefirst round all the ladies lost their slippers, which were withoutheels; and in the second the pace became fearful, and the old houseshook under the active bounds and springs of some twenty or thirtycouples. 

Spanish quadrilles succeeded the waltz, and then we had the countrydance. This latter is complicated, but very pretty, and, with theassistance of our partners, in a short time we were quite _au fait_ toits mysteries. 

The music, which consisted of violins and guitars, bore upindefatigably. About twelve o'clock we ceased dancing, and preparationswere made for supper. This was laid on the floor, clean grass matsserving as table cloths. The contents of the dishes were of the mostnovel description, and rice was the only article which I could recogniseas unmixed. The repast spread, the host requested us to place ourselves. I followed my pretty partner's example, and came to an anchor on thefloor alongside of her. I was most assiduous in helping her to whatevershe pointed out; and, as nearly as I can recollect, the plate containeda curious medley of rice, prawns, fowls' legs, apples, besides otherarticles unknown, at least to me. I had observed a total want of knives, forks, and spoons, but this was explained when I saw that all ate withtheir fingers. Seeing no objection to this primitive plan, I was aboutgetting a plate for myself, when I was informed by my partner, in themost insinuating way, that I was to consider her plate as my own. Ifully appreciated the compliment, and at once commenced, assisting herto demolish the pile that I had collected, as I thought, for her usealone. On looking round I found that we were not singular, and thatevery couple were, like us, dipping into one dish. Never was there amore merry and delightful supper. As soon as it was over, which was notvery soon, for I could have gone on eating a long while for the verypleasure of meeting the pretty little fingers in the plate, we rose, themats and dishes were cleared away, and we resumed the dancing, and itwas at a late hour that we made our _buenas nochas_ to the fair girls ofSamboangan. 

We remained in this delightful little place for two days. Many of uswere inclined to remain there for life, if we could have escaped. Wemade several excursions into the interior, and the more we saw the morewe were convinced that no place was so pretty as Samboangan. 

March 3d. --Anchored in a port at Baselan, where the Spaniards had verylately founded a colony. We found them very busy felling trees, clearingbackwood, and completing the stockade or fort. The natives of Baselanare a courageous race, and were continually attacking the Spaniards, occasionally with success. Two gun boats were lying off the town, butthe Spanish force is not sufficient to meet the attacks of the natives, who continually surprise their outposts and decapitate their prisoners. On our arrival a discharge of guns and fire-arms was kept up during thewhole night, fully proving the trouble which the Spaniards would have inestablishing and retaining their settlement here. It was a few milesfrom this that the French were beaten off by the Malays or pirates, forthe terms are at Baselan synonymous. 

March 5th. --Having completed the survey of this port, we made sail forBalam-bangan. On our route we stopped at Cagayan Sooloo, where we fellin with two piratical prahus. For reasons, not explained, these vesselswere not interfered with, although there was not the least doubt oftheir occupation. 

March 9. --The ship struck several times while threading her way througha line of dangerous shoals to the eastward of Bangay; and on the sameevening we arrived at Balam-bangan. 

The Royalist had been despatched about a month before to Sincapore, toobtain provisions to enable us to survey the coast of Borneo. Balam-bangan was the rendezvous appointed, and we expected to have foundher anchored there; but in this we were disappointed. The survey ofBalam-bangan was now commenced, and during our survey we discovered theremains of the old English settlement. It may be as well here toconcisely narrate the history of its rise and fall. About the year 1766, four ships, filled with troops and every thing requisite for theformation of a colony, arrived at Balam-bangan, which was formally takenpossession of in the name of his Britannic Majesty. But unexpecteddifficulties arose one after the other. The natives of Bangay, aboutthree miles distant, were hostile, and made repeated attacks upon them. The soil was discovered not to be of that fertile nature which had beenrepresented; and unfortunately two of the ships were thrown on shore ina gale, and every soul on board perished. These several disasters dampedtheir energies, and created a feeling of distrust among the settlers, but still the original intention was not abandoned. The forts werecompleted, a few houses rose, and as their comfort and securityincreased, so did their hopes arise, and they worked with renewedvigour. But their prosperous state excited the jealousy of the people ofSooloo, which island is the emporium of the commerce between Borneo andthe other islands. The ruling powers of Sooloo considered that thiscommerce must fall off if the English established themselves on anisland so well adapted for it in every respect as Balam-bangan, and theyresolved to attack the colony in its infant state. Perhaps they hadanother reason, which was that they anticipated a rich booty, ifsuccessful, and no doubt they were not disappointed. The attack was madewith an overwhelming force, and the English, although they borethemselves bravely, could not resist it. Most of the colonists werebutchered, some few gained the ships in the harbour and sailed away tothe port from which the expedition was fitted out. Since that time nofurther attempt to colonise this island has been made, nor, indeed, isit likely that there will be, as Labuan is much more advantageouslysituated in every respect. 

The Royalist at last arrived: she had but few letters, but, valuable anddear to us as letters always were, she brought intelligence that madeevery heart, except one, beat with delight. Was it possible? Yes, it wastrue--true! We were _ordered home_. Oh, the delight, the frantic joy, which was diffused through the whole ship. To have witnessed the scenewe should have been considered as mad. Every one embracing one another, shaking hands, animosities reconciled at once, all heart-burningsforgotten: we could have hugged every thing we met--dogs, monkeys, pigs--except the captain. All our sufferings and privations wereforgotten in the general ecstasy, and, although thousands of leagueswere still to be run before we could arrive at the desired goal, andmonths must pass away, time and space were for the time annihilated, and, in our rapture, we fancied and we spoke as if we were within reachof our kindred and our homes. Could it be the Samarang that we were onboard of?--the same ship that we were in not one hour ago?--the silent, melancholy vessel, now all hands laughing, screaming, huzzaing, dancing, and polkaing up and down the deck like maniacs? And then when theexcitement was a little over, and we became more rational, Why were weordered home? was the first surmise. We had been sent out on a sevenyears' expedition, and we had not yet been out four. The surveys werenot half finished. Was it the row that the captain had had with theadmiral, and the reports of many officers who had quitted the ship? Wemade up our minds at last that it must have been upon therepresentations of the admiral to the Admiralty that we had been orderedhome. There could be no other reason. We drank his health in nine timesnine. 

[Illustration: ILLANOAN PIRATE. 

(TAMPASSOOK, BORNEO. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

On the 24th of March we sailed from Balam-bangan, with the intention ofmaking a flying survey of the coast of Borneo, as far as the island ofLabuan and the country at Sarawak, to make the best of our way toSincapore, at which place we hoped to arrive about the 1st of May, thereto receive our final orders and start for England. It would be tedious, and it is not necessary, to give a description of the survey which weafterwards made. We went over the same ground as before, and we surveyedwith a musket in one hand and a sextant in the other, for the nativeswere not to be trusted. Our warlike friends at Tampassook did not muchrelish our re-appearance on their coast. A Spanish slave made his escapefrom them and came on board, begging a passage to any where. He had beentaken prisoner, with six or seven others, in an engagement between theManilla gun boats and the Illanoan pirates, and had been very cruellytreated. We learnt from this man that the pirates of Tampassook are veryrich, and possessed a large number of fine prahus. They had also plentyof fire-arms, but were afraid of them, preferring their own weapons. 

It was here that we heard the news of the murder of our old friendsRajah Muda and Bud-ruddeen. It appeared that they had been accused ofbeing privy to the attack of the English on Maludu, and supporting ourclaims to the island of Labuan. Bud-ruddeen died as he had lived, abrave man, and worthy of a better fate. On the approach of his enemieshe retired to his house with his sister and favourite wife, both of whominsisted upon sharing his destiny. For some time he fought like a lionagainst a superior force, until his servants one by one fell dead. Hethen retired dangerously wounded to an inner chamber, with his wife andsister, and, allowing his enemies to follow him till the house wasfilled with them, he fired his pistol into a barrel of gunpowder, whichhad been placed in readiness, and at once destroyed himself, hisfriends, and his enemies. But this barbarous murder on the part of thesultan of Borneo and his advisers was not left unpunished. Sir ThomasCochrane went to Bruni with his squadron, and reduced the sultan tosubmission and a proper respect for the English, and those who werefriendly with them. 

As we approached Labuan we found it necessary to be on the _qui vive_, as all the natives were hostile to us, and would have cut off oursurveying parties if they had had a chance. In the bay of Gaya, we met abrother of Bud-ruddeen. He was the Rajah of the small province ofKalabutan. Both he and his followers burned to revenge the death of aman so universally beloved as Rajah Muda, and offered to accompany uswith their whole force to attack the city of Bruni. They came on boardof us with fowls, eggs, and fruits. They placed little value on dollars, preferring white linen, handkerchiefs, and bottles, to any other articlein the way of traffic. We, therefore, as we were so soon going toEngland, made no ceremony of parting with our old clothes in exchangefor stock; and the next vessel that visits the river will be surprisedat the quantity of midshipmen's jackets, sailors' hats, and marines'boots, which will be worn by the inhabitants, in addition to their owncostume. Mr. Adams, the assistant surgeon, had obtained permission toaccept the Rajah's invitation to visit the town, which was some five orsix miles up the river. He saw nothing worthy of remark except some of atribe of aborigines (Dusums). Their only covering consisted of largemetal rings worn round the neck and hips. 

[Illustration: NATIVES OF N. E. COAST OF BORNEO. ]

While a party were observing on shore, a short distance to the northwardof Kalabutan, they were fired at by a party of natives concealed in thejungle. The only person who was wounded was the Spaniard, whom we hadrescued at Tampassook, who was standing by the captain. The ball passedthrough his arm, and grazed his body. The arms were handed out of thegig, which was close at hand, and the enemy retreated into the wood. Thecutter then joined, and having a three-pounder on her bows, opened fireupon the natives, who had re-assembled. . The first two or three shotspassed over their heads, and encouraged by no injury being done to them, they came forward dancing, yelling, drawing their knives and spears indefiance. But a shot passing through the body of the chief set them alloff. They bore him away on their shoulders, and did not afterwards maketheir appearance. After cannonading the village for an hour, and doingthem all the mischief that we could, by destroying their fortifications, burning one and carrying off another prahu, we returned on board, andthen made sail for the island of Labuan, where we arrived on the 25th ofApril, 1846. Here our surveying was completed, and we made the best ofour way to Sarawak, where we arrived on the 30th of April. We learnt allthe news of the little colony from Dr. Treecher, who came to visit us. 

[Illustration: DUSUM. 

(N. COAST OF BORNEO. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

We found that Mr. Brooke had been recognised by Government, and thatCaptain Bethune had been testing the capability of making Labuan a coaldépot. Poor Williamson, the interpreter, and a great friend of ours, hadbeen drowned some months previous, while crossing the river at night ina small canoe, and no doubt fell a prey to the alligators. He was notonly a very amiable, but a very clever fellow, and his loss was deeplyfelt by every body. 

Mr. Brooke was absent from Kuchin on an expedition to the Sakarranriver, in the Phlegethon steamer, to inquire into the particulars, andpunish, if necessary, an attack upon his Dyak allies by the natives ofSakarran. Two Sakarran chiefs, accompanied by a great many war prahus, had paid a visit to Mr. Brooke, and had been entertained by him in hisusual hospitable manner. At their departure he loaded the chiefs withpresents, for which they appeared to be extremely grateful. As a returnfor this kindness, and to prove their sincerity as allies, the principalchief left his son, a boy of twelve years of age, with Mr. Brooke. Butnotwithstanding that this boy was as a hostage, they could not resist anopportunity of plunder, and that very evening they ascended one of thetributary streams of the Sarawak, attacked a village, and brought offwith them twenty-seven heads of the unfortunate Dyaks. When the newsarrived, Mr. Brooke was so much enraged at their treachery, that healmost determined upon sacrificing the boy chief, as the nativesexpected; but not wishing to visit the sins of the father upon the lad, who was innocent, and fearful that his own people would not be soforbearing, he returned the boy to his parents. We all felt annoyed thatwe had not an opportunity of bidding farewell to Mr. Brooke, andthanking him for his kindness to us whenever he had an opportunity ofshowing it. He was, indeed, beloved by every body who had the pleasureof his acquaintance. 

Sailed for Sincapore. The next night we communicated with the Julia (Mr. Brooke's vessel). She had on board Captain Elliott, and twenty-fivesepoys[3], who were to be stationed as a garrison at Kuchin. We weremuch pleased to find that Government had taken up this cause so warmly, and that Mr. Brooke was likely to be recognised by it, after all hisindividual exertions. Our passage to Sincapore proved very tedious, allhands upon short allowance, and no grog. We touched at Barren Island, and obtained a large quantity of sea birds' eggs, but they were mostlyrotten; but this did not prevent our making omelets of them, for we werenow with only three days' provisions on board at half allowance, and thecalm still continued. Three days we were in sight of the island, thesails flapped idly against the masts, and not a breath disturbed thesurface of the ocean wave. We thought of the tale of the AncientMariner, and there were not wanting those on board who declared thatthis continued calm was a judgment upon us, not for shooting analbatross, but for robbing the nests of the eggs. 

 [Footnote 3: These sepoys were raised and _paid_ by Mr. Brooke. ]

Our barges were sent to Sincapore for provisions, for famine was staringus in the face, but that same night a breeze sprang up, and on the 20thof May we dropped our anchor in the roads. At Sincapore we found theHazard, 18, whose crew suffered so much at New Zealand; and here also wefound, to our inexpressible delight, our orders for England, of which wehad begun to have some doubts. On the 14th of June arrived the Admiral, in H. M. S. Agincourt, towed by the Spitfire steamer. As soon as he wasjoined by the rest of the squadron, it was the intention of Sir T. Cochrane to make sail for Bruni, and punish the six-fingered sultan andhis piratical advisers. 

Sincapore, like all new settlements, is composed of so mixed acommunity, that there is but little hospitality, and less gaiety. Everyone is waiting to ascertain what is to be his position in society, andtill then is afraid of committing himself by friendly intercourse;moreover, every body is too busy making money. The consequence is, butfew parties are given, and a ball is so rare that it becomes the subjectof conversation for months. There are some good-looking girls atSincapore, but it is only at church or on parade that a stranger obtainsa glimpse of them. Prudery is at present the order of the day, and thisis carried to such an extent from non-intercourse, that at a farewellball given to the Cambrians, the women would only polka and waltz witheach other. 

The country immediately outside the town of Sincapore is spotted withlittle bungaloes, the retreat of the merchants from the monotonousbusiness-life which they are compelled to lead. The plantations ofnutmegs and beetle-nut which surround these country residences are veryluxuriant; and at this time the fruit was on the trees, and the odourquite delightful. One male tree is planted for every ten females. Verylittle cloves or cinnamon are grown at this settlement, but I saw somespecimens. A nutmeg tree is valued, when it once arrives to fullbearing, at a guinea a year. The Areca-palm is a very beautiful tree, and requires but little attention: these and cocoa-nut are valued at adollar per year. Large quantities of sugar-cane are now grown here, andsome fine sugar-mills are built in the vicinity of the town. The roadsare kept in good repair by the convicts, and are now really veryrespectable. 

The Chinese joss-house here is considered very fine, and I made adrawing of it. It has some good stone carving and figures, but is veryinferior to that of Ningpo. During the time that I was drawing it wasfilled with Chinese, who were very inquisitive and troublesome: the onlymethod I could devise for keeping them off was by filling a bowl full ofvermilion, and when their curiosity overcame their prudence, and theycame rubbing up against me, daubing their faces with the colour--thisplan, accompanied with a kick, proved effectual. 

[Illustration: CONVICT. ]

Sincapore being the penal settlement of India, there are a large numberof convicts here, who are chained, and work at the roads and bridges. One night I visited the gaol, and was taken over it by an overseer. Wefirst visited the Chinese department. Two long benches ran along theroom, on which were stretched some thirty men. As the overseer passed hestruck each man with his rattan, and in a moment they were all sittingup, rubbing their eyes, and looking as innocent as possible. They wereall confined for murder, and were a most rascally-looking set. From thisroom we proceeded to another, fitted in the same manner, and filled withIndians. Many of them were branded on the forehead with "Doomga, " whichsignifies murder; and in some cases the brand was both in Hindostaneeand English. Leaving them, we entered a small room close to the gates ofthe gaol, and guarded by a sentry. In this room were confined the mostreckless characters. They were but eight in number. Parallel to thebench ran a long iron rod, and to this they were shackled, both handsand feet. The first man among them pointed out to me by the overseer wasa fine-looking grey-bearded Indian, of great stature, and with the eyesof a tiger. He had been formerly a rich shipowner at Bombay; but havingbeen convicted of insuring his vessels to a large amount, and thensetting fire to them, his property was confiscated by the government, and he was sentenced to work for life in chains. It is said that he hasoffered a million rupees to any man who will knock off his irons. Hisson carries on the business at Bombay, and it was reported that a vesselwas always lying at Sincapore ready to receive him in case he shouldeffect his escape; but of this there does not appear to be the slightestchance, as he is particularly watched and guarded. 

[Illustration: KLING WOMAN. ]

The next culprits pointed out to us were two of the heads of the secretsociety of India. So much has already been said of this extraordinaryassociation, that I need not discuss it here. There is, however, asociety in Sincapore of a similar nature, composed of all the lowerorders of the Chinese. It is said to amount to 15, 000; and the police ismuch too weak to prevent the robberies, although some check is put tothem by the presence of the military. It must not be supposed thatbecause there are 15, 000 in the society, that there are that quantity ofrobbers: such is not the case. Of course it is difficult to arrive atthe regulations of any secret society, but as far as can be collected, they are as follows. A certain portion of the society are regularthieves, and these in a body compel those who are inoffensive to jointhe society, by threats of destruction of property, &c. If the partyjoins the society, all that is expected of him is, that he will aid andassist to prevent the capture, and give an asylum to any one of thesociety who may be in danger. The richest Chinese merchants have beencompelled to join, and lend their countenance to this society, upon painof destruction of their property, and even assassination, if theyrefuse; and as they have more than once put their threats intoexecution, the merchants have not the courage to resist. Shortly afterour arrival at Sincapore, the burial of one of the chiefs of the societytook place; and such was the concourse assembled to witness the funeral, that it was thought advisable to call out the troops, as a skirmish wasexpected to take place. However, every thing passed off quietly. 

The richest Chinaman at Sincapore is Whampoa: he supplies the navy withstores, and has a thriving business. His country house is a favouriteresort of the naval officers, and he gives excellent dinners, and veryagreeable parties. His champagne is particularly approved of. 

There is little or no amusement at Sincapore. During the afternoon everybody is asleep. In the cool of the evening half a dozen palanquins, andperhaps a few gigs, may be seen driving on the parade: these proceed ata steady pace round the grass-plot for about an hour; and this is theonly exercise taken. Fashion is very drowsy here, and only wakes upoccasionally, that she may sleep the longer afterwards. From the want ofhospitality, the evenings are passed by strangers at the hotels, playingbilliards, smoking, and drinking. The hotels are very good, inconsequence of the steamers from Bombay to Hong Kong touching here; theyare fitted up with an unusual degree of comfort; and the charges are, ofcourse, not very moderate. The markets are well supplied with fruit, vegetables, and stock of all kinds. Among the fruits must be mentionedthe mangostein, which is brought from Malacca; and the pine-apples fromthe island of St. John's. The opposite side of the island upon whichSincapore is built is well wooded. A great many tigers swim over fromthe main, and pits are dug for their destruction, 100 dollars beinggiven by government for every tiger killed. 

On the 18th we received our final orders, and took our farewell ofEastern India; but it must not be supposed that we made the best of ourpassage to England. On the contrary, the captain was as anxious toremain out as we were to get home; and we were six months and twelvedays from the time that we left Sincapore till our arrival atPortsmouth. The fact was, that the pay and emoluments of a surveyingcaptain are such, that our captain felt no inclination to be paid off;and as he never spent any money, he was laying up a nice provision forhis retirement; besides which he hoped that, upon his representations tothe Admiralty, the order for his recall would be cancelled, and that hewould find a letter to that effect at the Cape of Good Hope. His object, therefore, was to spin out the time as much as possible, so as to allowthe answer of the Admiralty to arrive at the Cape before we did. We wereordered to survey some shoals, the Cagardos Carahos, on our passagehome; but I believe nothing more. 

On Sunday, the 22d, we anchored off a small island near to the isle ofBillaton. At two A. M. We weighed, and ten minutes afterwards the shipstruck on a shoal. All our exertions to get her off proved abortive, andin this uncomfortable position we remained till the following Thursday, when she again floated, after throwing overboard the guns, and landingsuch stores as we could on the island. This accident and light windslengthened our passage to Anger (the Dutch settlement in Java) totwenty-one days; and there we remained five days, to ascertain the rateof our chronometers. This Dutch settlement at Anger, although slightlyfortified, might be made a place of great consequence: both outward andhomeward bound vessels touch here for water and stock; and were itproperly supported and improved by the Dutch, as it should be, it wouldcommand a great deal of trade, and during war be of great consequence. It is governed by a Dutch military officer, and is garrisoned with aboutfifty soldiers. The country is remarkably fine here, the plains richlycultivated and covered with cattle. The farmers complain bitterly of thetaxes imposed upon them by the Dutch, taxes so onerous that no nativehas a chance of realising any profits of consequence; but this is Dutchpolicy, and very unwise policy it is. We now thought that we were aboutto proceed to the isle of France direct, but we were mistaken: weweighed anchor, and proceeded to the Cocoa islands. This is a low groupof islands literally covered with cocoa-nut trees. These islands arepossessed by a Mr. Ross, formerly mate of a merchant vessel. His familyconsisted of two sons and two daughters, and are the only Europeans whoreside there. We could not help thinking that the Misses Ross had verylittle chance of getting husbands. The remainder of the population, amounting to about 120 souls, are all black. They extract the oil fromthe cocoa-nut, and trade with it to Java, from whence they procure thenecessary supplies. Whalers occasionally call here to obtain freshprovisions; but the visit of a man-of-war was quite an event. 

From the Cocoas we steered for the Cagardos Carahos shoals, where weremained for more than a fortnight, surveying. There are several islandsclose to these shoals, which are in the shape of a crescent. They arevery dangerous, being in the direct track of ships from China and theIndies. 

Indeed, we had ocular proof of their dangerous position, for there wereseven or eight wrecks upon them, and the small islands of sand werecrowded with masts, spars, chests, interspersed with human bonesbleaching in the powerful sun. On one of the islands we discovered theremains of the British ship Letitia, which was wrecked in September, 1845. At a short distance from the beach was the grave of the captain, who was drowned in attempting to reach the shore with a bag of dollars. Had he not held on so tight to the bag, he would in all probability havebeen saved, as were all the rest on board of her. It certainly would bevery advisable to build a lighthouse upon these shoals; the expensewould be nothing compared to the loss of property and life which theyoccasion every year. From the Cagardos Carahos we proceeded to theMauritius. Here we found the President, bearing the flag of AdmiralDacres, and the Snake brig just arrived from England. 

Port Louis has been too often described to be mentioned here. Behind itrose a range of mountains, the highest of which are about 1400 feetabove the level of the sea, and completely shelter the town from the S. E. Gales, which at this period of the year blow with great violence. Among these mountains is the famous Peter-Botte, and we looked upon itwith great interest, in consequence of the daring and successful attemptmade a few years since by some Englishmen to attain the summit of it. Even now, although we know that it has been done, it appears to beimpossible. One of the leaders of this expedition was Lieutenant ThomasKeppel, the brother of our favourite Captain Henry Keppel, and thiscircumstance gave it more interest to us; but T. Keppel has since leftthe service, and is now a Reverend, moored in a snug _Creek_, and hasquite given over climbing up Peter-Bottes. During the short time that weremained at this delightful island, we received every kindness andattention from the governor and his lady, and the officers of the tworegiments stationed there. 

[Illustration: PORT LOUIS. 

(MAURITIUS. )

F. M. DELT. 

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

From the Mauritius we proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope. On the morningof the 24th of September we hove in sight of the Table Mountain, but itwas not until the 26th that we cast anchor in Simon's Bay. Here weremained for a month, waiting for the arrival of the mail from England. At last it arrived, but not bringing us, as our captain hoped, the orderfor his return to India, on the 24th of October we made sail forEngland, and, calling at St. Helena and Ascension _en route_, on thelast day of the year we dropped our anchor at Spithead. We were not, however, emancipated till the 18th day of January, on which day the shipwas paid off, for which, and all other mercies, may the Lord bepraised!

OBSERVATIONS

UPON

THE EASTERN ARCHIPELAGO. 

It is with diffidence that I take up my pen to offer a few remarks uponthe prospects afforded to our commerce and manufactures by the openingof the Eastern Archipelago. Hitherto I have done little more thannarrate what I have seen, and have seldom made any attempt to expresswhat I have thought. However, as my thoughts have been generated fromwhat I have observed, whether I am correct or not in my opinions, Ishall venture to lay them before my readers. 

How it is that until lately we have never taken any notice of thisimmense archipelago it is difficult to say, unless we are to supposethat, up to the present, the other portions of the inhabited globe havebeen found sufficient to consume our manufactures as fast as they couldbe produced. It does appear strange that an assemblage of islands, which, large and small, amounting to about 12, 000 in number, equal interritory to any continent, and so populous, for the inhabitants, including the more northern islands, are estimated at fifty millions, should have hitherto been unnoticed, and, at all events, have notattracted the attention of our government. Moreover, there are suchfacilities of communication, not being compelled, as with the Chinese, to confine ourselves to five or six ports, at which the whole trade iscentred in the hands of a monopoly, taxed with the expences ofland-carriage, port duties, and other exactions. Here, on the contrary, from the division of the territory into so many portions, we possess allthe advantages of inland navigation, if I may use such a term, for thestraits and channels between them serve as large rivers do on thecontinents to render the communication with the interior easy andaccessible. And yet, although we have had possession of the East Indiesfor so many years, this archipelago has been wholly neglected. At allevents, the discovery of it, for it is really such, has come in goodtime, and will give a stimulus to our manufactures, most opportune, nowthat we have so much increased them, that we are in want of customers. Still we have, almost unknown to ourselves, been advancing towards itstep by step. The taking possession of the island of Sincapore was thefirst and greatest stride towards it. Had it not been that we hadfounded that settlement, we probably should not have been nearer toBorneo now, than we were fifty years ago. Sir T. Raffles conferred agreat boon upon this country, and is entitled to its gratitude forpointing out the advantages which would accrue from this possession. Till we had made a settlement there, we knew no more of the easternarchipelago, than what had been obtained by our circumnavigators, or ofthe produce of it, further than that Borneo was the country from whichcould be obtained the orang-outang. 

Latterly we have been at some trouble and expence in forcing our tradewith China, little aware that almost in the route to China we had anopening for commerce, which, in a few years, judiciously managed, willbecome by far the most lucrative of the two, and what perhaps is stillmore important, may be the means of a most extended trade with China, aswe can drive the Chinese from the archipelago, and supply China fromthem ourselves; but of that hereafter. 

One cause, perhaps, which has prevented us from turning our attention inthis direction has been, an unwillingness to interfere with the Dutch, who have been supposed to have been in possession of all the valuableislands in the archipelago, and from long-standing to have a prior rightto this portion of the East; but, although the Dutch have not been idle, and are gradually adding to their possessions, there is little chance ofour interfering with them, as there is room, and more, for the Dutch, ourselves, and every other nation which may feel inclined to competewith us. The possessions of the Dutch are but a mere strip in thisimmense field; and, although it is true that they have settlements onthe Spice Islands, so named, yet we now know that every one of theseislands may be made spice islands, if the inhabitants are stimulated bycommerce to produce these articles of trade. 

It was the settlement at Sincapore which first gave us a notion of thetrade which might be carried on with this archipelago. Every year largefleets of prahus have come up to Sincapore laden with commodities forbarter, and have taken in exchange European goods to a certain extent;but their chief object has been to obtain gunpowder and shot, to carryon their piratical expeditions. In fact, they are traders when they canonly obtain what they want by exchange; but when they can obtain it byforce, they then change their character, and become pirates. But ourpossession of Labuan has brought us about eight hundred miles nearer tothese people, and enables us to take more effectual steps towards thesuppression of piracy than we have hitherto done; for this we may laydown as an axiom, that we never shall reap the advantages promised to usby commerce in this archipelago till we have most effectually put an endto the piracy which has existed in these quarters for centuries. BeforeI go on, I cannot help here observing how much this country is indebtedto Mr. Brooke for his unwearied exertions in the cause of humanity, andhis skilful arrangements. It is to be hoped, that our gratitude to himwill be in proportion, and that Her Majesty's ministers will, in theirdistribution of honour and emoluments among those who have served them, not forget to bestow some upon one who has so well served his country. 

The largest, and perhaps the most important of the islands in thisarchipelago, although at present the most barbarous, and the mosthostile to us, is that of Papua, or New Guinea. The inhabitants are aswell inclined to commerce as the other natives of the archipelago, anddo at present carry on a considerable trade with the Chinese, who repairthere every year in their junks, which they fill with valuable cargoesadapted for the Chinese market. The Chinese have found the trade withNew Guinea so lucrative, that they are doing all that they can to securethe monopoly of it, and with this view take every occasion, and do allthat they possibly can, to blacken the character of the Europeans in theminds of the inhabitants. It is to this cause that the Papuan'shostility to Europeans, and especially to the English, is to beascribed; and before we have any chance of commerce with this people, itis necessary that the Chinese should be driven away from the island, that they may no longer injure us by their malicious fabrications. Thiswill be but a just retribution for the falsehoods and lies which theyhave circulated to our disadvantage. And there is another reason why weshould be little scrupulous in taking this measure, which is, that oneof their principal articles of commerce with the Papuans consists inslaves, which are taken on board by the Chinese, and sold at Borneo, andthe adjacent islands of the archipelago, at a great profit. To obtainthese slaves, the Chinese stimulate the Papuan tribes to war with eachother, as is done for the same purpose in Africa. As this traffic isvery considerable, and we are as much bound to put down the slave tradein the east as in the west, we have full warrant for driving their junksaway, and, by so doing, there is little doubt but that in a few years weshall secure all the valuable trade of this island to ourselves. 

Borneo is, however, the island (or continent) to which our firstattention will be particularly devoted. Up to the present we know littleof it except its coasts and a portion of its rivers; but it is here thatour principal attention must be given, as in its rivers and the islandof Sooloo the chief piratical hordes exist. We have already had somesharp conflicts with them, and have given them some severe lessons; butalthough we have given them a momentary check, and some idea of ourimmense superiority, we must not imagine that two or three successfulconflicts are sufficient to put an end to a system which has beencarried on for centuries, and which is so universal, that the whole ofthe present generation may be said to have been "born pirates. " In fact, we shall be compelled to subdue them wholly, to destroy them in alltheir fastnesses, to leave them without a prahu in their possession, todepose or confine their chiefs, to destroy their forts, and to carry ona war of extermination for some years, before we shall put down thepiratical system which at present exists. It is not quite so easy a taskas may be imagined to reform so many millions of people: for it must beremembered that it is not only at Borneo that we shall have to act, butthat we must destroy the power of the sultan of Sooloo, and other tribeswho frequent other islands, and who follow the same profession. It mustnot be forgotten that one of the principal objects of these piraticalexcursions is to procure slaves for sale at other ports; and perhapsthis is by far the most profitable part of the speculation. As long asthere is no security for the person, commerce must languish, and beproportionably checked. In putting down these marauders, we are, therefore, putting down the slave trade as with the Chinese at NewGuinea. The sooner that this is effected the better; and to do iteffectually we should have a large force at Labuan, ready to act withdecision. Let it be remembered that, with people so crafty and so cruelas the Malays and descendants of the Arabs, lenity is misplaced, and isascribed to cowardice. No half measures will succeed with them. Indeed, I have my doubts whether it will not be necessary to destroy almostevery prahu in the archipelago, and compel the natives to remain ontheir territory, to cultivate or collect articles for barter, before weshall effect our purpose; for the prahu that sails as a trader ischanged into a pirate as soon as temptation rises on her way. Indeed, ifLabuan becomes, as it will probably be, an emporium and dépôt forEuropean commerce, without such stringent measures a great stimuluswould be given to piracy. The peaceable trading parties, on theirreturn, would be laid in wait for by the piratical prahus, and theEnglish manufactures on board would be so tempting, and such a source ofwealth, that they would be irresistible. Neither should we be able toafford any protection to the traders, as they would be laid in wait forat the mouths or up the rivers, and would be captured without ourknowledge; with this difference, perhaps, that the fear of detectionwould induce them to murder all the prisoners, instead of selling themas slaves, as they do at present. Unless, therefore, the most stringentmeasures are resorted to on our parts, an increase of commerce with thisarchipelago would only occasion in a reciprocal ratio an increase ofpiracy. 

The occupation of Labuan and Sarawak will, I should imagine, provehardly sufficient to effect the important change to be desired, _i. E. _that of the total suppression of piracy. Stations, with forts, must beestablished at the mouths of the principal rivers, that we may have aconstant watch upon the movements of the occupants. In so doing weshould be only encroaching upon those who have encroached upon others:these rivers have been taken forcible possession of by the Malays andArabs, who have driven away the proprietors of the soil, which are theDyaks, the aborigines of the island; and they have no more right to thepossessions which they hold, than their chiefs have to the high-soundingtitles which they have assumed. That in taking this step we shallinterfere with no vested rights is certain: we shall merely bedispossessing these piratical marauders of their strongholds; and thecause of humanity will sufficiently warrant such interference on ourparts. 

In our first attempts to establish, a peaceful and secure commerce withthis archipelago, it appears to me that it would be advisable for theGovernment to take some share in the venture. Ten or twelve schooners, well manned, confided to intelligent officers, and armed with one heavygun, and swivels in the gunwales, should sail for Labuan, with assortedcargoes, with the view of both trading and checking piracy. Much dependsupon the way in which the barter is first commenced, and it would be aswell that it should not be left in the hands of adventurers, whosemercenary feelings might induce them to excite doubt or irritation inthe minds of the natives, and, by such means, do great mischief, andimpede the trade. The constant appearance of these vessels in thearchipelago, the knowledge that they were sent, not only to barter, butalso to protect the well-disposed against violence and rapine, wouldsoon produce most beneficial effects, and would impose confidence. Merchant vessels which entered the trade should be empowered, by lettersof marque, to put down piracy, and should be armed in a similar way. Although there is little doubt but that in a short time vessels wouldsail from Labuan with full cargoes for Europe, still it is more thanprobable that the most important part of the trade, and which wouldemploy most vessels, would be the colonial trade, or rather, countrytrade, to the several marts in the Indus and China. There are manyproductions of the archipelago which are only valued in the East, suchas bêche-de-mer, or trepang; edible birds' nests, &c. This trade wemight very soon monopolise to ourselves, and a most lucrative one itwould prove. The following are the articles to be found in more or lessquantities over the whole of the Indian archipelago:--Antimony, tin, gold, diamonds, pearls, sapphires, ivory, gums, camphor, sago, pepper, tortoise-shell, mother-of-pearl, skins, wax, honey, cocoa-nut oil, coffee, rice, and coal, edible birds' nests and trepang; all thevarieties of spices, as cinnamon, cloves, nutmegs, can be grown as soonas there is a market for them; the cotton tree nourishes; and, althoughnot yet worked, it is proved that there is abundance of copper and lead. An archipelago containing such rich productions, and which we may, withsome little trouble, receive in exchange for our manufactures, becomes anational concern, and it is the paramount duty of the Government to takeevery measure to facilitate the communication with it. 

The expedition of Mr. Murray to the river Coti, on the south side ofBorneo, although, from imprudence, it ended not only unsuccessfully buttragically, fully establishes that an opening for commerce is to beestablished. In this expedition Mr. Murray, by his imprudence andunguarded conduct, brought upon himself the attack of the natives, inwhich he lost his own life, and the vessels with great difficultyescaped. Since that failure, no English vessels have attempted to tradeto the south of Borneo; but we discovered that the Macassar boats paidthe coast an occasional visit, under Dutch colours, exchanging beads andother trumpery for rich cargoes of ivory and skins. We also discoveredthat commercial negotiations with this country would not be attendedwith any risk, provided that the vessels employed were well armed, andthe arrangements were so made as not to excite the jealousy andsuspicion of the natives. 

European manufactures would be eagerly purchased by the natives, andwould be paid for in ivory, rough ores, or dollars. Mr. Wyndham, who hassettled at Sooloo, has already sent a vessel to trade on the south-eastside of the island, near Gonong Tabor. 

So much for the southern portion of this immense archipelago. We havestill to examine the more northern. Indeed, when we look upon the map, and see the quantity of territory with which we may eventually find themeans of trading, --the millions who, but for the jealousy of thegovernments, would be glad to receive our manufactures, --we are lost inconjecture as to what extent it might eventually be driven. In the northwe should certainly have more difficulties to contend with; and it willrequire that the whole of the naval force in India should be, for atime, devoted to this object. I believe it is as much from their utterignorance of our power, as from any other cause, that we have hithertobeen so unsuccessful at Japan; but the object we have in view may beeffected, provided that a certain degree of the _fortiter in re_ becombined with the _suaviter in modo_. The Japanese now carry on a largetrade with China, and also a confined trade with the Dutch, to whom theyhave allowed a factory upon a small island; but they treat the Dutchwith the greatest indignity, and the Dutch submit to it, and, in sodoing, have rendered the Europeans vile in the estimation of theJapanese. This is the error which must be destroyed by some means orother, even if it should be necessary to pick a quarrel with them, as wehave already done with the Chinese. At the same time that I admit theexpediency of so doing, I by no means assert that we shall be altogetherjustified. 

There is another point worthy of consideration, which is, that a whalefishery dépôt might be made with great success in this archipelago, anywhere to the southward and eastward; and we might recover a largeportion of that lucrative employment, which, by the means of Britishseamen employed in American vessels, has been wrested from us; foralthough, at the commencement, the whale fishery from the States wascarried on by Americans only, since it has so enormously increased, atleast two-thirds of the people employed in the vessels are Englishseamen, who have become expert in the profession. It is much to belamented that the laudable exertions of Mr. Enderby and others to revivethis lucrative employment for our vessels and seamen has hithertofailed, and that some part of our surplus capital has not been devotedto an object so important to us as a maritime country. 

I shall conclude with a reflection which I made while I was on thecoast, leaving the reader to agree with me or not, as he may bedisposed. How is it, as I have already observed, that all the coloniesfounded by other nations, either languish or have been swept away, --notall, perhaps, as yet, but the major portion of them; while every colonyfounded by our little island appears to flourish, till it becomes sopowerful as not only no longer to require the nursing of the mothercountry, but to throw off its dependence, and become a nation of itself?How is it that it can so truly be said that the sun never sets upon theEnglish flag? It cannot be from any want of energy, or activity, orintelligence, or judgment in other nations; for surely in thesequalifications we are not superior to the French or to the Dutch, although we may be to the present race of Spaniards and Portuguese. Ourcolonies have not been more carefully fostered than theirs: on thecontrary, they have been neglected, and, if not neglected, they havebeen but too often oppressed. Why, then, should this be? Can religionhave any thing to do with this? Can it be that Providence hasimperceptibly interfered, and has decided that England shall performthe high mission; that she has been selected, as a chosen country, tofill the whole world with the true faith, with the pure worship of theAlmighty? Has it been for this object that we have been supported in ourmaritime superiority? Has it been with this view that we have beenpermitted to discomfit the navies of the whole world? May it not be thatwhen our naval commanders, with a due regard to propriety, havecommenced their despatches with "It has pleased the Almighty to grant usa splendid victory, " at the same time that they were trusting to thearms of flesh and blood which have so well supported their endeavours, and in their hearts ascribed their successes to the prowess of man, --mayit not be, I say, that the Almighty has, for his own good reasons, fought on our side, and has given us victory upon victory, until we haveswept the seas, and made the name of England known to the uttermostcorners of the globe? Has this been granted us, and have we really beenselected as a favoured nation to spread the pure light of the gospelover the universe? Who can say? "His ways are not our ways;" but if so, it is a high destiny, which we must act up to at every sacrifice and atevery expence. 

THE END. 

London:Spottiswoode and Shaw, New-street-Square. 

Transcriber's Notes:

The author's original (and inconsistent) spelling of place and personnames has been preserved, although in some cases, the modern equivalentsare substantially different. 

In the original text, most illustration captions had terminatingpunctuation but a few did not. In this transcription, terminatingpunctuation has been added to those captions which did not have them inorder to remain consistent with the style most commonly seen in thetext. 

Lithographs facing pages 85, 142, 199 and 201 were missing a linespecifying the publisher "Longman & Co" which is present in the otherlithographs. It is possible that the pages used for this transcriptionhad been physically truncated. The original appearance of the physicalpage has been preserved and the publisher line, if missing, has not beenadded. 

Inconsistencies in hyphenation of words preserved. (orang outang, orang-outang; blowpipe, blow-pipe; bow-man, bowman; daylight, day-light;flagstaff, flag-staff; goodwill, good-will; gunshot, gun-shot;lighthouse, light-house; parang, pa-rang; pineapples, pine-apples;tomtoms, tom-toms; whitewashed, white-washed; pic nic, pic-nic; Nepapalm, nepa-palms)

In the original text, the characters in abbreviations were separated byeither a half-space or a full-space. This has been standardized to afull-space in all cases for this transcription. 

Pg. 19, unusual or archaic spelling of "musquitos" retained. (musquitos, scorpions, lizards, and centipedes)

Pg. 20, there is a reference to date 27th May. Context suggests itshould probably be 27th July. The original text has been preserved. (Onthe 27th May every thing had been prepared)

Pg. 21, "wth" changed to "with". (delightful bay studded with small)

Pg. 35, unusual or archaic spelling of "phrensy" retained. (The loverswere in a state of phrensy)

Pg. 90, unusual or archaic spelling of "segars" retained. (We had plentyof wine and segars)

Pg. 206, word after comma begins with uppercase, most probably itrepresents the start of an unspoken thought in the author's mind. Original text retained. (and we became more rational, Why were weordered home?)

Pg. 211, "dépot". On Pgs. 227 and 230, it is spelled "dépôt". Originalspelling preserved in all cases.