British Borneo - Sketches of Brunai, Sarawak, Labuan, and North Borneo

W. H. (William Hood) Treacher

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• Publié par: fuim
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 29
• Langue: English

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British Borneo, by W. H. Treacher
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Title: British Borneo
Sketches of Brunai, Sarawak, Labuan, and North Borneo
Author: W. H. Treacher
Release Date: December 16, 2008 [eBook #27547]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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BRITISH BORNEO:
SKETCHES OF
BRUNAI, SARAWAK, LABUAN,AND
NORTH BORNEO.

BY
W. H. TREACHER, C.M.G., M.A. Oxon.,
Secretary to the Government of Perak,
Formerly Administrator of Labuan and H.B.M. Acting Consul-General in Borneo,
First Governor of British North Borneo.

Reprinted from the Journal of the Straits Settlements Branch
of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Singapore:
PRINTED AT THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING
DEPARTMENT.
1891.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. Pages 1-11.
The Hudson's Bay Company's Charter, 1670. British North
Borneo Company's Charter, November 1881, as a territorial
power. The example followed by Germany. Borneo the second
largest island in the world. Visited by Friar Odoric, 1322, by
Berthema, 1503; but not generally known until, in 1518
Portuguese, and in 1521 Spanish, expeditions touched there.
Report of Pigafetta, the companion of Magellan, who found
there a Chinese trading community. Origin of the name Borneo;
sometimes known as Kalamantan. Spanish attack on Brunai,
1573. First Dutch connection, 1600; first British connection,
1609. Diamonds. Factory established by East India Companyat Banjermassin, 1702, expelled by natives. British capture of
Manila, 1762, and acquisition of Balambangan, followed by
cession of Northern Borneo and part of Palawan. Spanish
claims to Borneo abandoned by Protocol, 1885. Factory
established at Balambangan, 1771, expelled by Sulus, 1775;
re-opened 1803 and abandoned the following year. Temporary
factory at Brunai. Pepper trade. Settlement of Singapore, 1819.
Attracted trade of Borneo, Celebes, &c. Pirates. Brooke
acquired Sarawak 1840, the first permanent British possession.
Labuan a British Colony, 1846. The Dutch protest. Their
possessions in Borneo. Spanish claims. Concessions of
territory acquired by Mr. Dent, 1877-78. The monopolies of the
first Europeans ruined trade: better prospect now opening.
United States connection with Borneo. Population. Malays,
their Mongolian origin. Traces of a Caucasic race, termed
Indonesians. Buludupih legend. Names of aboriginal tribes.
Pagans and Mahomedans.
CHAPTER II. Pages 11-33.
Description of Brunai, the capital, and its river. Not a typical
Malayan river. Spanish Catholic Mission. British Consulate.
Inche Mahomed. Moses and a former American Consulate.
Pigafetta's estimate of population in 1521, 150,000. Present
estimate, 12,000. Decay of Brunai since British connection. Life
[iv]o f a Brunai noble; of the children; of the women. Modes of
acquiring slaves: 'forced trade.' Condition of slaves. Character
and customs of Brunai Malays. Their religion, gambling, cock-
fighting: amoks, marriage. Sultan and ministers and officers of
the state. How paid. Feudal rights—Ka-rájahan, Kouripan,
Pusaka. Ownership of land. Modes of taxation. Laws. Hajis.
Punishments. Executions. A naval officer's mistake. No army,
navy, or police, but the people universally armed. Cannon
foundries. Brass guns as currency. Dollars and copper coinage.
Taxation. Revenue; tribute from Sarawak and North Borneo;
coal resources.
CHAPTER III. Pages 33-62.
Pigafetta's description of Brunai in 1521. Elephants. Reception
by the King. Use of spirituous liquors. Population. Floating
Market. Spoons. Ladies appearing in public. Obeisance. Modes
of addressing nobles. The use of yellow confined to the Royal
Family. Umbrellas closed when passing the Palace. Nobles
only can sit in the stern of a boat. Ceremonies at a Royal
reception; bees-wax candles.
Mr. Dalrymple's description of Brunai in 1884. Quakers'
meeting. Way to a Malay's heart lies through his pocket. Market
place and hideous women. Beauties of the Harems. Present
population. Cholera. Exports. Former Chinese pepperplantations. Good water supply. Nobles corrupt; lower classes
not. The late Sultan Mumim. The present Sultan. Kampongs, or
parishes and guilds. Methods of fishing: Kèlongs; Rambat;
peculiar mode of prawn-catching; Serambau; Pukat; hook and
line; tuba fishing. Sago. Tobacco; its growth and use. Areca-
nut; its use and effects. Costumes of men and women.
Jewellery. Weapons. The kris; parang; bliong; parang ílang.
The Kayans imitated by the Dyaks in a curious personal
adornment. Canoes: dug-outs; pakerangan; prahus; tongkangs;
steering gear; similarity to ancient Vikings' boat; boat races.
Paddling. The Brunais teetotallers and temperate. Business
and political negotiations transacted through agents. Time no
object. The place of signatures taken by seals or chops. The
great seal of state. Brunais styled by the aborigines, Orang
Abai. By religion Mahomedans, but Pagan superstitions cling to
them; instances. Traces of Javanese and Hindu influences. A
native chronicle of Brunai; Mahomedanism established about
1478; connection of Chinese with Borneo; explanation of the
name Kina-balu applied to the highest mountain in the island.
Pepper planting by Chinese in former years. Mention of Brunai
in Chinese history. Tradition of an expedition by Kublai Khan.
The Chinese driven away by misgovernment. Their
descendants in the Bundu district. Other traces of Chinese
intercourse with Borneo. Their value as immigrants. European
expeditions against Brunai. How Rajah Brooke acquired
Sarawak amidst the roar of cannon. Brooke's heroic
[v]disinterestedness. His appointment as British confidential
agent in Borneo. The episode of the murder of Rajah Muda
Hassim and his followers. Brunai attacked by Admiral Sir
Thomas Cochrane. Captain Rodney Mundy follows the Sultan
into the jungle. The batteries razed and peace proclaimed.
CHAPTER IV. Pages 63-77.
Sarawak under the Brooke dynasty. By incorporation of other
rivers extends over 40,000 square miles, coast line 380 miles,
population 280,000. Limbang annexed by Sarawak. Further
extension impossible. The Trusan river; 'trowser wearers';
acquired by Sarawak. The Limbang, the rice pot of Brunai. The
Cross flown in the Muhamadan capital by pagan savages. A
launch decorated with skulls. Dyak militia, the Sarawak
'Rangers,' and native police force. Peace of Sarawak kept by
the people. Cheap government. Absolute Monarchy.
Nominated Councils. The 'Civil Service,' 'Residents.' Law,
custom, equity and common sense. Slavery abolished. Sources
of revenue—'Opium Farm' monopoly, poll tax, customs, excise,
fines and fees. Revenue and expenditure. Early financial
straits. Sarawak offered to England, France and Holland. The
Borneo Company (Ltd.). Public debt. Advantages of Chinese
immigration 'Without the Chinese we can do nothing.' Java an
exception. Chinese are good traders, agriculturists, miners,
artizans, &c.: sober and law-abiding. Chinese secret societiesand faction fights; death penalty for membership. Insurrection of
Chinese, 1857. Chinese pepper and gambier planters. Exports
—sago and jungle produce. Minerals—antimony, cinnabar,
coal. Trade—agriculture. Description of the capital—Kuching.
Sir Henry Keppel and Sir James Brooke. Piracy. 'Head money.'
Charges against Sir J. Brooke. Recognition of Sarawak by
United States and England. British protectorate. Death of Sir J.
Brooke. Protestant and Roman Catholic Missions. Bishops
MacDougal and Hose. Father Jackson. Mahomedans'
conversion not attempted.
CHAPTER V. Pages 77-84.
Incident of the Limbang rebellion against Sultan of Brunai.
Oppression of the nobles. Irregular taxation—Chukei basoh
batis, bongkar sauh, tulongan, chop bibas, &c. The orang
kayas. Repulse of the Tummonggong. Brunai threatened.
Intervention of the writer as acting Consul General. Datu Klassi.
Meeting broken up on news of attack by Muruts. Sultan's firman
eventually accepted. Demonstration by H.M.S. Pegasus.
'Cooking heads' in Brunai river. Death of Sultan Mumim.
Conditions of firman not observed by successor. Sir Frederick
Weld visits and reports on North Borneo and Brunai. Legitimate
extension of Sarawak to be encouraged.
[vi]CHAPTER VI. Pages 84-92.
The Colony of Labuan, ceded to England in return for
assistance against pirates. For similar reasons monopoly of
pepper trade granted to the East India Company in 1774. First
British connection with Labuan in 1775, on expulsion from
Balambangan. Belcher and Brooke visit Brunai, 1844, to
enquire into alleged detention of an European f