Borneo and the Indian Archipelago / with drawings of costume and scenery

by Frank Marryat

On the 23d August, the Samarang, Harlequin, Ariel, and Royalist, weighed anchor and steered along the coast for Borneo Proper, where we arrived on Tuesday the 29th. On the Thursday following, Mr. Brooke, accompanied by the captains of the three men-of-war and some officers, started in one of the barges for the city of Bruni, which was about eighteen miles from our anchorage. They had an audience with the sultan, but upon what cause I do not exactly know. They were treated with great civility, and returned to the ship about one o'clock on the following morning. My description of Bruni I shall reserve for a future visit. On the 5th of September we made sail for Hong Kong, with the Vixen in company, leaving the Ariel and Royalist to carry Mr. Brooke and the rajah's brother down to Sarawak. The Harlequin sailed for Sincapore. The Vixen having parted company to obtain fuel at Manilla, we continued our course to Hong Kong, where we arrived on the 14th inst., and found there Admirals Parker and Cochrane, in their respective ships the Cornwallis and Agincourt, with others of the squadron. We sailed again on the 2d of November, and after working up the coast of China for a week, we steered to the eastward, and on the 12th sighted the Bashee group. Here our surveying duties commenced in earnest, as we left the ship at four A. M. and did not return till darkness put an end to our labours. The governor of this group of islands sent a letter to our captain requesting the pleasure of seeing the ship in San Domingo Bay, where wood, water, and live stock could be obtained on reasonable terms. This letter was accompanied with a present of fruit and vegetables. A few days afterwards, we worked up to San Domingo Bay (Batan Island), and we were much surprised on our arrival to perceive that the town had a cathedral, of apparently ancient architecture, besides several houses built on the European style. The remainder of the town, which is of some extent, was composed of houses built of bamboo, and thatched with palm leaves.

We anchored late in the afternoon, and were boarded by a Spanish military officer, who, to judge by certain signs and peculiarities, had been imbibing something stronger than water. The captain and some of the officers went on shore, to call upon the governor. The governor's house was distinguished by a flag-staff, with the Spanish colours, or, rather, a remnant of the Spanish colours; and around the door stood a group of most indifferently clad Luzonian soldiers, turned out, we presumed, as a guard of honour. The governor was as much in dishabille as his troops, and shortly afterwards the party was joined by two priests and the governor's wife, a very pretty Creole, about twenty years of age. We were regaled with wine and chocolate, and parted late in the evening, on very friendly terms. The governor's house is a miserable abode: it has but one story, and the basement is a barrack for the soldiers. The upper part, inhabited by the governor, was very scantily furnished: a few old chairs, a couple of tables, and the walls whitewashed and decorated with prints of the Virgin Mary and his excellency's patron saint. The house of the priests, which adjoined the cathedral, was in much better repair, and more gaudy in the inside.

There are three missions in Batan, each settlement having its cathedral and officiating priests. The natives, who are a distinct race, are well-proportioned, of a copper colour, and medium stature. They are very ugly: their hair is black, and cut short. Their usual dress consists of a piece of cotton, passed round the loins, and a peculiar-looking conical hat, surmounted with a tuft of goat's hair. In rainy weather they wear a cloak of rushes, through which the water cannot penetrate. The sole covering of the women is a piece of cotton, fastened below the bosom, and reaching down to the knee. Almost the whole of the Bashee group of islands are very mountainous. At the back of San Domingo the land rises to a great height, forming a remarkable peak, which can be seen many leagues distant. Bullocks, goats, pigs, and vegetables, can be obtained at a very moderate price; but very little fruit is grown, the natives usually preferring to cultivate yams, cocoas, and sweet potatoes. The sugar-cane is cultivated, and the tobacco grown here is considered, 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 the missions, and made a rough survey of the bay. The mission house at this place was fitted up with every comfort, and we even found luxuries which we looked in vain for at San Domingo.

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 to return to San Domingo by land. Our path lay over mountains nearly 2000 feet in height, from the summit of which every point and inlet could be discerned, over the whole of the group which lay below, exactly as if they were laid down on a chart. Our walk was very fatiguing, and we were all rejoiced when, from an eminence, we descried the village of San Carlos, the residence of the warm-hearted and hospitable Father Nicholas. We descended into the vale, and were heartily welcomed by the jolly old priest, who regaled us with all that his larder could supply us. It had been arranged that the ship should leave Ivana for San Domingo on the following morning. At the entreaty of the good padre we remained at San Carlos all night, and the following morning returned to San Domingo, the ship anchoring in the bay on the same afternoon. We had now become quite domesticated with the friendly Spaniards. In the evenings we were received by an assemblage of the natives at the governor's house. They were dressed in their best, and went through an unmeaning dance, which was kept up till a late hour.

On the 27th November we left Batan, and its kind inhabitants, who exacted a promise that we would return at some future period, and shaped a course for the Madjicosima islands, which are subject to the kingdom of Loo Choo. On the afternoon of the 1st of December land was discovered ahead, and a few hours afterwards we anchored in a narrow passage, surrounded by reefs on every side. We were anchored off the island of Pa-tchu-san, one of the group: it was very mountainous. On the following morning the captain and some of the officers went on shore. They were received by several hundred natives, who saluted them as they passed on their way to a temporary shed, where a levee was held by all the principal mandarins. Our Chinese interpreter, who was a native of Canton, explained the captain's wishes, and the nature of the service that we were employed on. They appeared uneasy at the proposal of our surveying the whole group, and informed the captain that they would refer the question to the viceroy, and give him a final answer on the morrow. This answer was in the affirmative, and a few days afterwards we commenced our survey of the islands. We were attended by the natives, who furnished us with horses, and anticipated our wishes in every thing that could make us comfortable. On the first day, at sunset, we arrived at 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 more delightful spot could not well be imagined than our resting-place.

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

Pa-tchu-san, as I have before observed, is very mountainous and exceedingly picturesque. A high ridge covered with trees extends the whole length of the island, north and south. On either side of this ridge are innumerable grassy knolls and mounds from which we looked down upon the extensive plain on either side, which was studded with knolls similar to those that we were standing on. During our survey we passed through all the villages bordering the sea, at the entrance of which we were invariably received by all the principal inhabitants. All their villages or towns are surrounded by the most luxurious groves, which have been apparently planted, for in many parts not a shrub could be seen beyond the confines of the town. The roads through the towns or streets generally meet at right angles, lined on each side with gigantic trees. The houses are built within enclosures raised with huge stones. These houses are strongly built, the frame being composed of four uprights of large timber, to which are attached cross pieces on the top of them, of the same dimensions as their supporters. Openings are left on each side of the house, which, when the owner pleases, can be closed by well-fitted shutters on the sliding principle. The roofs are thatched with paddy stalks. The floor frame is raised about two feet from the ground, and on it are fixed strong slips of bamboo, which are covered over with mats. These afford very comfortable sitting and sleeping apartments. The only inconvenience was, that the fire was made in the corner of the sitting-room, and as there was no vent for the smoke, we were nearly stifled. This nuisance was, however, soon removed by a word to the natives through the medium of the interpreter, and afterwards the fire was lighted, and the victuals cooked, at an adjoining shed.