Page images
PDF
EPUB

Cursory Remarks on the Island Borneo, made during a Residence of nearly Three Years thereon; and during Voyages made to different Places on it, and the neighbouring Islands.

E

[Referred to in Unitarian Fund Report, 1821. See Vol. XVI. p. 740.] XTENT and geographical situation.-From Tanjong Salatan, S. E. pt. lat. 4° 11' South; to Tanjong Sampan-Mangis, N. pt. lat. 7° 20 North; being in diameter, N. and S., 691 miles.

From Point Kaneeoongan, in lon. 119% 10 East; to Tanjong Apee, in lon. 108° 40′ East; being in diameter, East and West, 580 miles.

General appearance.-Two chains of mountains, the highest of which are granitic, beginning in the S. E. and S. W. corners of the island, and running generally parallel to the coast, though at a considerable distance, and leaving an alluvial border, containing plains of great extent, and moderately elevated and undulating lands between it and the sea. The Eastern chain is of regular appearance and moderate elevation, increasing as you proceed to the northward; the Western chain begins in insulated hills, chiefly of the table appearance, though some few of a conical shape are to be seen amongst it, and it increases in height and regularity of appearance on proceeding to the northward, where the two chains approximate to each other, in an arched form, leaving the vast mountain on the north coast, called Keeney-Balloo, as it were the key of the arch, or rather semi-circle. This mountain is visible at upwards of 100 miles' distance in clear weather, having myself seen it appearing of considerable height at 95 miles' distance. A little to the southward of this mountain, the great river takes its rise, of which the river of Banjer Massin is the second branch in magnitude; that called the Great Dyac River being of sufficient depth at its entrance, and for upwards of 150 miles inland, to admit ships of any size or burthen. This great river, on reaching the level lands, divides into three large branches, of which are what is called the River of Banjer Massin and that of the Great and Little Dyacs. This noble river, affording access to the interior of

this vast island, is navigable for large boats, nearly 500 miles from its mouth; and were the country ever to become populous and civilized, its importance would be enhanced accordingly. Besides this principal river there are numerous others falling into the sea all round its coasts; some of which, as the river of Pontiana on the S. W., and Borneo Proper on the N. W. coasts, both, and particularly the last, are much larger than the Thames. Some of the mountains on the N. W. coast are volcanic, but not of a violent description, and earthquakes are rarely felt, and never commit devastation in the manner frequently effected in Java by them. Both hills and valleys are fully wooded, except where spotted by human cultivation. The vegetable productions are numerous and important, though the scantiness of the population renders them, as it were, useless to that population themselves, and also to their neighbours. Among the valuable timber trees are the following: teak, mahogany, manchineel, iron wood, ebony, lignum-vitæ, blackwood, greenheart, camphor, cedar, sassafras, bliary, a wood nearly incorruptible in any possible situation, and resisting the attacks of the teredo-navalis, or sea worm, for many years. Many dye and medicinal woods also are to be found in abundance; and the botanical productions of the country will amply reward those who shall be enabled to explore its treasures. The staple article of vegetable produce for exportation, is pepper, and after it are camphor, rattans, canes, frankincense, lignum, aloes, the excellent red dye, known in commerce by the name of dragon's-blood, and which is manufactured by boiling the seed-nuts of a peculiar species of rattan or cane. Sugar cane is large and plentiful, but only reared for the purpose of eating, or rather sucking, in its raw state by the natives. Sago is manufactured by them, but to little extent, although the palm abounds: an extensive and valuable pearl-fishery, existing on the north coast, would be of immense advantage, if the pirates were not to harass and capture the fishermen. Bees' wax is an article of considerable export to China and Bengal. The edible bird's nest is found in considerable quantities in the caverns of the mountains, and is very

valuable in the Chinese market. Cof. fee has been lately introduced, and will amply repay its cultivation; indigo also would become very important under a free and enlightened system of government. All the numerous varieties of fruit, produced in the islands of the Archipelago, are common to Borneo. The mangustin and pomegranate appear, however, to be superior to the same fruit elsewhere. The rivers and coasts abound with fish of many different sorts, most of which are extremely good. The alligator and crocodile are numerous in the rivers, but are very little feared by the natives, and, indeed, may be said to be very harmless. Although the neighbouring islands of Java and Sumatra have the tiger in abundance, yet Borneo is perfectly exempt from wild beasts, of any dangerous kinds a small species of bear is found in it, and the rhinoceros exists in the interior Deer are very numerous, being seen in herds of many thousands. Wild swine are also extremely numerous: and wild buffaloes, and almost every species of the monkey, from the orangootan to the smallest species known. Snakes of many kinds exist, but not in very great quantity, and few are of a venomous species. The doubleheaded snake, I have seen a pretty large specimen of, but whether it be a lusus naturæ or otherwise, I am not able to say with any degree of certainty. Gold is generally distributed through the whole extent of the country, and the mining for it affords employment to little short of 100,000 Chinese emigrants, who are constantly coming from and returning to China with their gains. The natives confine their searches after this precious metal to the sands of the rivers in the dry season. The import of Bornean gold into Calcutta has been for some years (previous to the Dutch restoration to the controul of the Malayan Archipelago) upwards of £50,000 annually. The annual produce of the island is probably upwards of £500,000, the chief part of which goes to China. Copper has lately been found, and is now wrought in the western parts of the island. Iron ore, of most excellent quality, is abundant, and though but partially wrought by the ignorant natives, it would, in the hands of Europeans, suffice to supply all the Archi

pelago. Pit coal is in great abundance, and so near the surface as to be exposed to the air to a great extent in several places. Asphaltum or earth oil, which forms so valuable an article of produce in Pegu, is here in abundance, but quite neglected. Platina is found among the gold, but thrown away by the natives. Though many other valuable mineral productions doubtless exist, yet as being unknown to the natives, I shall close the list with the diamond, which is found in various parts of the country, chiefly in that of the Aborigines, in considerable abundance, and of different sizes and water. One of the largest diamonds in the world, weighing 367 carats, is in the possession of the petty Malay Prince of Luceadana.

The population of Borneo consists of Aborigines, under the names of Pani, Dyac, Ngaju, Idaan, Buguet, &c., possessing the whole interior of the country, and south and north-eastern coasts. The Pani are the most ferocious, devouring the slain, and sometimes some or all of the prisoners after a battle. The Dyac is a step further advanced, or rather less degraded, in intelligence and civilization, and having had considerable acquaintance with them, I can speak of their habits with a greater degree of certainty than those of any of the others. The Buguet, or Bukit, are timid, and inhabit (as their name implies) the secluded glens of the mountains, and on the appearance of strangers abandon their huts and hide themselves in the caverns. Salt is exchanged with some of them in the most inaccessible places of the country, for from one half to the whole of its weight in gold.

The coasts are mostly inhabited by Malayan, Javanese and Chinese colonists; the two former under independent princes, generally of Arabic, missionary, trader, or pirate extraction. Pontiana, on the west coast of the island, and now one of the most flourishing, was formed early in the last century by an Arab pirate, with the crews of his fleet. Banjar Massin was founded by an expatriated Javan prince about five centuries ago, and is the most civilized and populous state on the island, after Borneo Proper, which is chiefly Chinese, though the prince be nominally a Malay. The Abori

gines are rather under than over the middle stature, and very active whenever an object is presented to their minds adequate to stimulate exertion. Their complexion is copper-colour, but many of their women approach to a tawny-white. feature is found among them, from Much diversity of the aqueline and Roman to the flat and Tartarian, though the latter predominates. Their religious ceremonies consist in praying to a species of kite; (the same bird which is held in vene ration by the Hindoos ;) they believe it to be the carrier of their prayers to the spiritual beings whom they suppose to superintend the weather and the affairs of men. They judge of the responses by the mode and direction of flight used by the bird when next seen; and by such indications they are guided, and undertake or defer journeys, expeditions, &c., accordingly. At the death of a notable person they sacrifice, by beheading, one or more of his slaves or prisoners, for the purpose of providing him with attendants in the other world, believing that the good and great (according to their ideas of those qualities) are waited on in the next world by the wicked and the slaves. At the marriage of distinguished individuals, a human head must be brought by the bridegroom to the bride at the door of her house; she receives it into her lap, and carrying it into the house, she has it put into a cage and affixed over the door-way. A buffalo and pig are, however, substituted in both these rites in many instances. The heads for this purpose are mostly obtained in the following manner:-A number of the comrades of the bridegroom, sufficient to constitute a strong boat's crew, associate with him, and go to the mouths of the rivers, &c., inhabited by the Mussulmen, and there hiding themselves among the mangrove woods, they watch for travellers or fishermen, whom, when they espy in parties not strong enough to resist them, they dart out on, and spearing the people, instantly decapitate them and retreat with all expedition to their own country. Probably, the injuries committed by them on each other occasioned the introduction of these bloody customs, and the villainous proceedings of the Mussulmen towards them contribute to keep it up. It is

known and acknowledged by the Mussulmen Malays of Banjar Massin, that several of their princes have crusaded, rigines, for the purpose of forcibly ciror rather crescented, against the Abocumcising and converting them, though Aborigines appear to be a mild, intelnot hitherto with much success. The ligent race, and I therefore believe that such practices would easily fall before the religion of universal brotherly love. They have feasts at the beginning and end of seed-time and harvest, when they intoxicate themselves with palm wine, having mixtures of inebriating substances infused in it. Polygamy is barely suffered among them, and of course is rather rare and is not reckoned honourable. Their women enjoy considerable liberty, and are not kept in such a wretched state as is usually found to be their lot among savages. They have some confused notions of a Supreme Being, but they generally consider him as being too great to take cognizance of their ordinary actions. However, hardly any two of them agree in their tenets on this point. On asking them, How do you believe or suppose this visible world to have been first formed or produced, and continually held up we tell? We know nothing about it, as you see? They answer, How can but we would be glad to know. They have no letters, and tradition is quite faint, puerile and uncertain among them.

Mussulmen, but little bigoted howThe Malays and Javanese are ever, and extremely ignorant, even of the Koran. Little difficulty would be found in establishing the Christian religion among both classes, if its professors practised its morality, and preached only its genuine, simple and unadulterated doctrines. tarian-Antichristian religion, which arThe Trinirogates to itself alone the sacred name of Christian, will most assuredly never succeed in converting Mussulmen of any nation to its absurd tenets. Solitary individuals of an unusually mystic or benevolent turn, may here and there embrace its deformity for the sake of its beauties; but those are and will always be too few to be of any moment as to a general change. An intelligent native with whom I had some conversation on this subject, was surprised to learn that there were any Christians who asserted the proper

unity of God, and thereupon observed, that since we were agreed as to the Divine object of reverence, the only difference which existed was the question, Whether Jesus Christ was the last of the prophets, the finisher of the dispensations of God to man, or merely the forerunner of Mahomet? To which I assented; and observed, that we could only come at the solution of that question by comparing their respective doctrines with the attributes of the One Universal Father of all; and that it could never be reconciled to unbounded love to all his works, that he should authorize one man to destroy another for his (God's) sake, he being abundantly able to do that himself in an instant, and by so doing avoid the evil which must be produced by authorizing man to do that for him, the execution of which must make the world a hell, and mankind devils incarnate. This reasoning appeared to startle him, and he acknowledged that it deserved consideration. I never had an opportunity of seeing him again. Several others whom I had now and then a few words with on these subjects, generally declined entering into an argument on it, assigning their reason to be, that the first question was not whether Mahomet or Jesus was the prophet of God, but whether it was lawful to worship one God, or three or more; and they looked on my assertion that I believed in one only, as a mere bait to draw them into argument, and so declined it. Upon the whole, I apprehend Borneo offers a very favourable appearance for the planting of the Christian religion, which has not yet been preached in its land under any form, except some traditionary efforts of the early Portuguese may be reckoned an exception. A missionary would probably be most useful and successful among the Aborigines; he should on his arrival among them, profess to be come among them merely for the purpose of teaching them the use of let

ferent religions, and I am fully convinced that they would embrace Christianity ere they knew its name; and when once it was established in a few villages, it would rapidly spread over the country, with happiness and civilization in its train. Their present state relative to political government, has in it the rudiments of that best form which mankind have yet devised, or at least hitherto put into execution. Their villages and districts are all independent of each other, and the oldest men of the village select the chief, who frequently is so selected from the same family successively; but that forms no hereditary claim, personal abilities alone deciding the choice. These chiefs lead the warriors to battle, and exercise authority, or rather execute the law or rather custom, according to the decisions of the old men afore-mentioned. They are, in fact, such as the Highland chieftains were, previous to their contamination with the Gothic institutions of feudalism which were established among their neighbours; possessing power of life and death by the general consent of the heads of families, and not claiming any individual right over the persons, lands or property of the tribe or district, his duty being to have a proper division made, and every thing executed for the general good. On occasions of quarrels with their neighbours, they form associations of villages more or less numerous according to the nature of the attack by the enemy, or to the power of persuasion possessed by those who are more immediately attacked; and a principal object with the Mussulmen has been to prevent such associations, which would resist their persevering encroachments, or, perhaps, overwhelm them entirely.

[To be concluded in the next Number.]

Birmingham, SIR, Dec. 21, 1821. ters and the arts of life, both of whiching the Sunday-evening Lecture HE Committee for superintend

they are now anxious to acquire. They would soon inquire about religion, when I would propose that he should merely tell them what was believed, or thought to be respectively the systems held by the Mahometans and Christians, without, however, at first mentioning the names of the dif

in the room belonging to the Sundayschools of the Old Meeting-house in this town, request your insertion of the following sketch of the origin of their institution. They think it not improbable that some of your readers may be placed in similar circum

stances, to whom it may suggest a plan of mutual improvement, and who may not be disinclined to make use of the experience of a society already existing, in carrying their views into effect.

A Sunday-evening Lecture had been delivered at the Old Meetinghouse during the time that the Rev.

Stephen Weaver Browne was minister of the congregation: when, upon his removal to Monkwell Street, London, the Lecture was suspended, a number of the young men connected with the Old and New Meeting congregations and schools, feeling that it had been attended with important religious advantages, formed a plan to continue a Sunday-evening Service until the regular Lecture in the Old Meeting-house should be resumed. The use of the large room belonging to the Old Meeting Sunday-schools having been cheerfully granted, an evening service was immediately commenced. The service, selected from the most approved liturgies and sermons, is read by one of the members of the committee, or by some friend invited by the committee to officiate; the sermon, which any member may select for his appointed evening, being submitted to the approbation of the Committee. This regulation, however, of course cannot take effect when any minister is invited to preach, and the society has already had the gratification of engaging the services of its own ministers, who have thus given their sanction to the institution. That its plan is more generally approved, the Committee are happy to infer from the increasing numbers of those who attend the service-the room, which is calculated to hold upwards of 300 persons, having been on some late evenings even inconveniently filled. The use of the room having been granted to the society, the expenses attending the service will be trifling, and a subscription of one shilling per quarter it is estimated will be adequate to the whole. A library for the use of the members has been established; and the Committee beg to add, that they shall feel grateful for any copies of Sermons that may from time to time be published, not only as forming an addition to their library, but as affording an inference that their object

VOL. XVII.

D

and plan is approved by those who publicly support the cause of virtue and religion.

SIR,

GEORGE TYNDALL,
Secretary.

Edinburgh,

Nov. 7, 1821. [N a note to Southey's Life of Wes

Hey, is the following information as

to the tenets held in the latter part of his life, by William Law, the excellent author of the "Serious Call." "The opinions which Law entertained in the latter part of his life were these: That all the attributes of the Almighty are only modifications of his love, and that when in Scripture his wrath, vengeance, &c., are spoken of, such expressions are only used in condescension to human weakness, by way of adapting the subject of the mysterious workings of God's providence to human capacities. He held, therefore, that God punishes no one. All evil, according to his creed, originates either from matter or from the free will of man; and if there be suffering, it is not that God wills it, but that he permits it for the sake of a greater overbalance of good, that could not otherwise possibly be produced, as the necessary consequence of an inert instrument like matter, and the imperfection of creatures less pure than himself. Upon his system all beings will finally be happy. He utterly rejects the doctrine of the atonement, and ridicules the idea that the offended justice of the one perfect Supreme Being required any satisfaction. He alleges that Paul, when he speaks of redemption, says, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Now he adds, had the Almighty required an atonement, the converse of this proposition would have been the truth, and the phrase would have been, reconciling himself to the world." From this note it is probable that Law was an Universalist, and approaching to Unitarianism. This is a name of which any class of Christians may justly be proud, and a man's last sentiments should be regarded as his most mature ones, except there be reason for believing that his faculties have been impaired by age. The first sentence of the above strongly resembles an expression of Rev. Philip Holland, that

« PreviousContinue »