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

by Frank Marryat

There are two hotels, the proprietors of which are of course rivals. One is kept by an Englishman, the other by a Frenchman; both are equally attentive, but the Frenchman's house has the preference, in consequence of its superior locality, facing the esplanade, and looking upon the sea. The governor's house is situated on the summit of a hill, about a quarter of a mile from the beach. From it you have a bird's eye view of the whole town, and also of the country in the interior for some distance. From this eminence the town has a very picturesque appearance; the houses on the east side of the river (the May fair of Sincapore), are built apart and surrounded by pretty gardens and lawns; beyond this you have the roads and the sea studded with every variety of vessels; and the island of Binting rises from sea in the distance. The interior is not without beauty: the eye ranges over a vast expanse of grove and forest, interspersed with plantations of nutmegs, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar canes, and from which a most delightful perfume is brought by the breeze, while here and there white houses may be perceived, looking like mere specks in the dark foliage by which they are surrounded. It is surprising, when we reflect how short a space of time has passed since this settlement was first made, how such a mass of building and such a concourse of people can have been collected.

It certainly does appear strange, but it is no less true, that no nation can colonise like the English, and I have often made that remark in my wanderings and visitings of the various parts of the globe. England fills the world and civilises the world with her redundant population, and all her colonies flourish, and remind you of a swarm of bees which have just left the old hive and are busy in providing for themselves. The Dutch colonies are not what you can call thriving; they have not the bustle, the enterprise, and activity which our colonies possess. The Dutch have never conciliated the natives, and obtained their goodwill; they have invariably resorted to violence, and to a disregard of justice. One would have thought that the French, from their bonhomie, would have been one of the very best nations to civilise, and certain to have succeeded; but such is not the case. What can be the cause of this, if it be not that, instead of raising the character of the native population by good example and strict justice, they demoralise by introducing vices hitherto unknown to them, and alienate them by injustice? There was an outcry raised at the French taking possession of Taheite, as if any attempt on their part to colonise was an infringement on our right as Englishmen of universal colonisation. I think if we were wise, we should raise no objection to their colonising as much as they please. The whole expence of founding the colony, raising the fortifications, and building the towns, and, if I may use the phrase, of settling every thing, may safely be left to them. If a war breaks out, they will have done a great deal of expensive work for our benefit, as we are certain then to take possession. Algiers has cost an enormous sum to France, and will cost still more, and yet it can hardly be considered as a colony. It is a military possession, an African barrack, no more; and what will be the result in case of the breaking out of hostilities? Their possession of Algiers will be most advantageous to England, for defend it they will with all their power. We, with Gibraltar as a rendezvous, shall of course have a most favourable position for assailing it, and the consequence will be, that the whole focus of the war will be drawn away from our own coasts, and the Mediterranean will be the arena of all the fighting. The struggle must be before the Pillars of Hercules. The more we increase our fleets, the larger must her force be, and she will have no squadron to spare to send out to annoy our trade and colonial possessions. But as this is a digression, and has nothing to do with my narrative, I beg pardon and go on.

We found that the Dido had anchored there before us, and had received her orders to proceed to England. Oh! how we envied her good fortune; and surely if envy is a base passion, in this instance it becomes ennobled by the feelings of home and country which excite it. The Dido left on the 10th, and we regretted the loss of Captain Keppell most deeply. Many merchant vessels had been lately wrecked on the north coast of Borneo, and their crews made prisoners by the pirate hordes. Some of the vessels had had females on board, who had not been heard of since. A letter from a master of a merchant vessel was received by the authorities at Sincapore, wherein it was stated on oath, that, having lately put into the port of Ambong, in Borneo, an European woman had been seen near one of the huts of the village; but that on their approach, she disappeared. This account was corroborated by the evidence of some Lascar seamen, who formed a portion of the crew of the vessel. The contents of this letter being forwarded by the authorities to our gallant captain, he determined upon proceeding to Ambong, accompanied by our old ally, the Phlegethon steamer. Fortunately the town lay in our track, as we were about to proceed to Labuan, and from thence to Manilla. We again weighed anchor for Sarawak, whither the steamer had already proceeded. On our arrival at the mouth of the river we anchored, and the captain went up in his gig. The following day, to our great surprise, we received an intimation that we might make a party of pleasure (a party quite unknown in the Samarang), and go up to Kuchin. We hurried away before the captain had time to repent his indulgence, and set off, some seven or eight of us, in the cutter, and pulled away as fast as we could, till we were first out of hail, and then out of sight, when we considered that we were safe.

I have already stated that the native houses are built on the left side of the Sarawak river, and those of the Europeans on the right. These latter are pretty commodious little bungalows, built of cedar and pine wood. At present there are but three, belonging to Mr. Brooke, Mr. Williamson the interpreter, and Hentig, a merchant who has lately settled there. Ruppell, Mr. Brooke's superintendent, and Treecher, the surgeon, live in a large house on the native side of the river. Each of these European houses has its chatty bath adjoining to it, and this luxury is indulged in at all hours of the day. At nine o'clock a gong summons all the Europeans to the breakfast table of Mr. Brooke. When breakfast is over, they all separate, either to follow business or pleasure, and seldom meet again till six in the evening, when dinner is served, and the time is passed away till all retire to bed.

Let me describe the view from the front of Mr. Brooke's house:—The schooner lying half way across the river is the Julia, belonging to Mr. Brooke: she sails every month for Sincapore, laden with antimony ore; and thus, at the same time, she forms a mail-packet between Sincapore and Kuchin. The large open building, with a wharf, leading down to the river, is the store in which the antimony is sifted, smelted, and weighed. On the point near the bend of the river is the fort. It is a strong building of large timbers, and mounts eight 24-lb. iron guns, in very excellent condition. This is a very necessary defence, as the European rajah has many enemies. The building whose top just appears above the trees is the Chinese joss-house, or temple; for there are many Chinese settlers at Kuchin, who are very useful in their capacities of carpenters, blacksmiths, and agriculturists. Sweeping with the eye a range of dwelling houses built on stakes, you stop at one of tolerable proportions, which has a platform in front of it, on which are mounted about twenty small guns, and there is a flag-staff, on which is hoisted a red and yellow flag: that is the palace of Rajah Muda Hassan. Take a canoe, and cross over to it. You will find Muda sitting cross-legged in the centre of it: he shakes hands with you, and offers you cigars and tea. You will also meet his brother, Bud-ruddeen. You take your leave of the rajah, and amuse yourself with a walk round the town, during which you examine the natives and their wives, their customs, their houses, and their gardens.

With the exception of the more civilised tribes in the vicinity of the Sarawak, the Malays who inhabit the coast of Borneo are a cruel, treacherous, and disgusting race of men, with scarcely one good quality to recommend them. The numerous tribes of these people are separately governed, either by a rajah or petty sultan. Their laws are much more respected than would be supposed in a country where every man is armed, and is a robber by profession. The dress of the Malay is very uniform, consisting of a loose jacket, a sash, and trousers: in some parts a cloth is worn round the head; in others, a hat, made of leaves or rattan. Their arms are the kris and spear; occasionally they carry the sum-pi-tan, and poisoned arrows. Their houses are built upon stakes, probably for the sake of cleanliness; as the flooring consists of a kind of grating made of rattan, all dirt falls through. The houses are small, and contain but one family, and, like those of the Dyaks, are built of the lightest materials. The Malays pretend to Mahomedanism, and there is generally a large empty building in every town which is dignified with the name of a mosque: on the outside are hung drums or tom-toms, of huge dimensions, which are used as gentle reminders of the hours of prayer.

I have already stated that these Malay tribes live almost wholly by piracy, to carry on which each town possesses several large prahus, which they man, and send out to intercept any unfortunate junk or other vessel incapable of much resistance, which fate or the currents may have driven too near their coast. When the vessels are captured the cargoes are deposited in their warehouses, the vessels are broken up, and the crews are retained as slaves, to dig yams or pound paddy. Unless they are irritated by a desperate resistance, or they attack an inimical tribe, they do not shed blood, as has generally been supposed; restrained, however, by no other feeling than that of avarice, for the slaves are too valuable to be destroyed. In their physiognomy these Malays are inferior to the Dyaks: they have a strong resemblance to the monkey in face, with an air of low cunning and rascality most unprepossessing. In stature they are very low, and generally bandy-legged. Their hair and eyes are invariably black, but the face is, in most cases, devoid of hair; when it does grow, it is only at the extreme point of the chin. The Borneo Malay women are as plain as the men, although at Sincapore, Mauritius, and the Sooloos, they are well favoured; and they wind their serang, or robe, so tight round their bodies, that they walk in a very constrained and ungainly fashion. Many of these tribes are intermixed with the natives of the Celebes, such as the inhabitants of Sooloo.

MALAY WOMAN.