Life in the forests of the Far East (vol. 2 of 2)

by Sir Spenser St. John

The Dutch authorities who formerly suffered so much from that very formidable association, the great gold kunsi of Montrado, are now free from all anxiety, as they no longer permit the Chinese to form companies more numerous than may prove sufficient to develop a single working, and the same system is at present pursued in Sarawak. It is not at all surprising that those Chinese who were forced to join in the insurrection under threats of the vengeance of the kunsi, should look back with regret to the quiet days they spent whilst cultivating the fertile soil around Stapok or Suñgei Tañgah, and should now petition for permission to return to Sarawak, which they do. However, the regulation I have before mentioned as in force in the Sambas territories, prevents their leaving, as they cannot readily gather together the six pounds sterling necessary, and if they remove they like to do so in a body, but small parties of fugitives occasionally arrive. It is worthy of remark, that a few days after the insurrection, boats full of armed Chinese arrived from Sambas to inquire whether Sarawak were not now in the hands of their countrymen, and were proceeding up to join them, but were easily driven back and destroyed by the Malays, who, in a cause which they have at heart, are more than a match for treble their number of Chinese.

The Dutch authorities hearing of the rebellion in Sarawak sent round a steamer with a party of soldiers to the assistance of the authorities, but fortunately by that time all danger was passed, and as soon as possible after the receipt of the news, Sir William Hoste, who has always shown so intelligent an interest in Bornean affairs, sailed for Sarawak in H. M. S. Spartan.

The news of the insurrection reached me after a very long delay, as the first intimation I had of it was through a letter from Mr. Ruppell, dated Singapore, as he had left Sarawak after the failure of the Sunday attack, and I was kept in suspense for above a week, when a more rapid sailing-vessel brought me the news that Sir James Brooke had triumphed.

I went down to Sarawak by the first opportunity, and reached it in July, to find everything proceeding apparently as if no insurrection had occurred. Though the Malay town had been burnt down, yet the inhabitants had soon recovered their energy, and had built their houses again, which, though not so substantial as the former ones, still looked very neat. Some things were missed in the landscape, and the handsome government house with its magnificent library, had disappeared; Mr. Crookshank’s and Mr. Middleton’s houses were also gone, and, with the exception of the rajah, they were the principal sufferers, as the Chinese had had no time to destroy either the church or the mission-house, or the Borneo company’s premises, and although they all suffered losses from pilferers, yet they were comparatively trivial, when placed in comparison to that noble library, which was once the pride of Sarawak.

I found, as I had expected, that the loss of worldly goods had had little effect on the ruler of the country, who was as cheerful and contented in his little comfortless cottage, as he had ever been in the government house. His health, which before was not strong, had been wonderfully improved by his great exertions to endeavour to restore the country to its former state, and I never saw him more full of bodily energy and mental vigour than during the two months I spent at Sarawak in 1857. Everybody took their tone from their leader, and there were no useless regrets over losses, and it was amusing to hear the congratulations of the Malay chiefs, “Ah, Mr. St. John, you were born under a fortunate star to leave Sarawak just before the evil days came upon us.” Then they would laughingly recount the personal incidents which had occurred to themselves, and tell with great amusement the shifts they were put to for want of every household necessary. There was a cheerfulness and a hope in the future which promised well for the country.

There is at the present time a branch of the Tien Ti Hué, established in our colony of Labuan, and last August its meeting-house was discovered in the depths of the forest, but none of its members were caught unlawfully assembling, though all its chief officers are well known to the police, and as Labuan is a penal settlement for Chinese convicts, the evil of permitting the secret societies to continue is obvious.

The danger to be apprehended from the secret societies is that all the members are banded together by the most solemn oaths, and under the penalty of death, not to divulge one of its secrets, and to aid and assist its members under every circumstance; to bear no witness against them, whatever may be their crimes, to shield fugitives from the laws of the country, and lastly to carry out the orders of their chiefs, whatever may be the consequences. In Singapore murdered men were formerly often found with the mark of the secret societies upon them, and the ordinary operations of the law are insufficient to meet these cases. In fact, when any of their members are brought to trial, the wealth of these great societies is sufficient to enable them to engage the services of the best advocates, and to bribe most of the witnesses, and the Singapore government has been thwarted in its efforts to put down the secret societies, and to prevent pirate junks arming in the harbours, by the technicalities of judges totally unacquainted with the condition of eastern society, and by the perseverance of some of the lawyers there, who consider it right to defend those curses to the country by every means which are placed within their reach, by laws intended to meet the requirements of a highly civilized people like the English, and not a wild gathering from a hundred different countries, such as is to be found in Singapore.

Not to interrupt the narrative, I have not before noticed that during the height of the insurrection, when the rebels had only been driven from the town a few days, news came that several hundred Chinese fugitives from the Dutch territories had crossed the borders towards the sources of the left-hand branch of the Sarawak, and were seeking the protection of the Sarawak government. Though harassed by incessant work, the rajah did not neglect their appeal, but immediately despatched trustworthy men, who safely piloted them through the excited Dayaks, who thought that every man who “wore a tail” ought now to be put to death. No incident could better illustrate the great influence possessed by the rajah over the Dayaks and Malays, and his thoughtful care of the true interests of the country, during even the most trying circumstances.

CHAPTER XIV.
THE MISSIONS: ROMAN CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT.

Arrival of the Roman Catholic Mission in Labuan—Signor Cuarteron its head—Curious reports—His real history—Finding the Treasure—Turns Priest—Ostensible object of the Mission—Not attempted—Ease with which Captives could escape—No Inclination to do so—Turned Mahomedans—Return of Signor Cuarteron—Courtesy of the Brunei Government—Intentions of the Italian Priest—Model Village—The Italian Priests—The Churches—Old Battery—Regret at the withdrawal of the Roman Catholic Mission—Protestant Mission at Sarawak—Present Condition—Comparative Failure—Partial Success at Lingga and Lundu—Mr. Chalmers and the Land Dayaks—Causes of his Influence—Mistake in establishing the Mission at Kuching—The Reasons—Objectionable Position for Schools—Proper Position for the Mission—Suitable spots—Waste of Funds in Boats and Plantations—Deplorable Secession of Missionaries—Reasons to account for it—Present Management faulty—Mr. Gomez in Lundu—Christian Dayaks warn the Government—Missionaries always welcome in Sarawak—Important political effect—The Church should be among the Dayaks—Suitable Men for Missionaries—What the Head of a Mission should be—What he too often is, and should not be—Five Recommendations to increase Efficiency—Unoccupied Room for a great Increase of the Number of Missionaries—Method of distributing them—Personal Character—Dayaks an interesting Race—A Tribe half Mahomedans half Pagans—Use of eating Pork—Districts unoccupied—Position of the Missionary in Sarawak—The Bornean Mission an important one.