and so painfully calamitous in its immediate effects, that, to use the energetic language of Mr. Muntinghe, "it obliged us, as it were, to close our lips before the Almighty!"

Strong, and extensive in their operation, were the ties which attached that noble person to this colony-to the whole community of Java-and especially to our society! A tender and parental care for the island of Java was publicly declared on different occasions, and proofs of it were received. The European commu→ nity was saved by his humanity, and on his responsibility; for the native administration, principles on which the whole of the present structure has been raised, were laid down; and, in every instance, the wish was evinced, to employ the successes of war as much in favour of the conquered as of the conqueror.

It would not be proper, on this occasion, to enter into particulars; but who does not gratefully recollect the general tenor of his Lordship's conduct and demeanour while in Java, administering assistance with his own hands to the maimed and wounded among the enemy; setting, in the midst of his victories, an example of moderation, and of simplicity of manners; never missing an opportunity of doing even a momentary good; and conciliating, by these means, the mind of the public in such a degree, that enemies were rendered friends, and that the names of conqueror and subduer were lost in those of protector and liberator.

Having paid this humble tribute to the memory of our departed patron, I proceed to notice those scientific and literary acquisitions which have either resulted from the inquiries set on foot by the Society, or have otherwise fallen under its observation, since I had last the honour of publicly addressing you.

BANCA.

At that period, Dr. Horsefield had just commenced, under the instructions of government, his laborious researches in Banca. We have since seen those exertions brought to a close; and I have to report a collection of the most complete information regarding the position, geological structure and natural productions of that important island: the state of society has not been omitted in that investigation; and satisfactory data have been furnished, from which to estimate

the present condition of its inhabitants, as well as to deduce plans for their progress and advancement in civilization and happiness.*

It is only during the late periods of the European establishments, that Banca has attracted notice. The discovery of the tin-mines about the twelfth year of the last century, first gave it celebrity; but we can only date the commencement of scientific investigation, or European controul, from the time of its cession to the British government, in 1812. The Dutch government, it is true, set on foot, at different periods; and some account of the population and produce of the coun→ try is contained in the earlier volumes of our transactions; but those views being confined to commercial objects, and the despotic sway of the native government of Palambang still remaining absolute, but little was known of the country, be yond the extent of the produce in tin which it could annually export.†

In aid of the geographical description, and to point out the places referred to in the descriptions of the mines, and in the detail of the mineralogical and botanical remarks, Dr. Horsefield has constructed the outlines of a map, on which are laid down the principal rivers, the mountains and ridges of hills, with the settlements of the Malays and Chinese, and the local subdivisions adopted by the original inha bitants.

After completing a detailed geographical account of the island, and furnishing statistic tables of the population and produce, Dr. Horsefield proceeds to a narrative of the mineralogical appearances, as explanatory of the constitution of the

The island of Banca intended in the text, lies off the north-eastern coast of Sumatra, opposite the mouth of the river Palambang, and forms the eastern shore of the straits called after its name. It is estimated at one hundred and thirty miles in length, by thirty-five in average breadth. Banca is also the name of a very small island, surrounded by a cluster of islands still smaller, lying off the north eastern extremity of Celebes.-Edit.

+ The tin-mines in Banca are said to have been discovered in 1610, through the accidental burning of a house. Former writers have described them as worked by a colony of Chinese, of twenty. five thousand persons, under the nominal direction of the Rajah of Palambang, but for the account and benefit of the Dutch company, which endeavoured to monopolize the trade, and ac tually obtained two millions of pounds annually. The island and mines, according to some, were taken possession of by the British in 1813.-Edit,

mines, and of the geological history of the country.

On the mineralogical constitution of Banca, he observes, that the direction of the island being from north-west to southeast, it follows, not only the direction of Sumatra and the Malayan peninsula, but also the great chain of Asiatic mountains, one of the many branches of which terminates in Ceylon, while another, traversing Arakan, Pegu, the Malayan peninsula, and probably Sumatra, sends off an inferior range through Banca and Billiton, where it be considered to disappear.

The elevated parts of Banca are observed to have the same constitution as the great continental chain, being composed principally of granite; after which Qccurs a species of rock, which Dr. Horsefield terms red iron-stone, extensively distributed in situations of secondary elevation, in single rocks, or in veins covering large tracts of country. Tracts composed of this rock are bounded by alluvial districts, which are again subdivided into undulating hills, gradually rising on others of apparently prior formation, and such as are low and level, of recent origin, and bordering on the mouths of the rivers. Those districts which, occuring in juxta-position with the primitive portions, fill that space between these latter and the veins of red ironstone, or, again, between those and the alluvial parts, are stratified; and the strata uniformly horizontally arranged.

It is through these horizontal strata that the tin-ore is represented to be disseminated; and, as far as has hitherto been remarked, it appears to be either immediately under the surface, or at no great distance from it.

Another section of the report contains a view of the tin-mines, exhibiting a general enumeration of those worked at present, or in former periods; with an account of the process of mining, and the economy of the mines.

The process of mining in Banca is remarkable for its simplicity. It consists in an excavation, of a square or oblong form, made by digging perpendicularly to the beds or strata containing the ore,

Billiton is a small island situated between Sumatra and Borneo, estimated at fifty miles long, by forty-five average breadth.-Edit.

and in a proper application of the water to facilitate the labours of the miners, and the washing of the ore. There is no necessity in Banca, as in countries where the metal lies concealed in deep veins, to have recourse to difficult operations, or expensive machinery; and the process, indeed, requires so little previous instruction, that it is mostly performed by persons whose only qualification is a robust constitution. A favourable spot being selected, the pit is sketched out, a canal conducted from the nearest rivulet, and then, the miners excavate the soil until they arrive at the stratum containing the ore, which is next deposited in heaps near the water, so as to be placed conveniently for washing: the aqueduct is lined with the bark of large trees, and, a stronger current being produced by the admission of more water, the heaps are thrown in, and agitated by the workmen the particles of the ore subsiding through their gravity, and those of common earth being carried away by the current.

When a sufficient quantity of ore is thus accumulated, the process of smelting commences :-this is also very minutely and accurately described by Dr. Horsefield. It is unnecessary to observe, that almost all the operations connected with the process of mining and refining of metal are performed by the Chinese.*

In his botanical pursuits, Dr. Horsefield has been peculiarly successful, his descriptions comprising a collection of upwards of five hundred plants, of which sixteen appear to be of doubtful genera.

An accouut of the inhabitants, their mode of life and occupations, the state of agriculture, and the history of the

*Former writers have described seven principal mines, under the direction of Chinese managers, who pay the miners. Wood is. employed as fuel; and it is added, that the miners, are arrived at much perfection in reducing the ore into metal. The profit derived from the mine to the Dutch company, at one period, is esti mated at 180,000l. annually. Very little was sent, to Europe. Banca tin sells rather higher in, China (where it is used for tinning paper for sacrifices. See page 21,) than English grain-tinyas being more malleable. The Chinese have the slabs of metal, in order fraudently to intaught the Malays to put iron shot and stones into crease their weight. Under the Dutch comTM“ pany, private merchants and English, and vessels from the United States of America, exported car goes of Banca tin to China. One hundred and thirty-three pounds of tin-sand of Banca is said to yield, on an average, seventy-five pounds of metal, or rather more than fifty per cent,--Edit.

f

different settlements, is introduced into this valuable report, which I hope will shortly appear in print, under the patronage of the East-India Company. In this expectation, and that I may not diminish the interest excited in its favour, or exceed the latitude with which I am invested, by more extensive drafts on the valuable information which it contains, I shall close these notices of Banca with a short account of the extent and character of the population, as it appeared to Dr. Horsefield, at an early period of the establishment of European influence.

The inhabitants of Banca consist of Malays, Chinese, and indigenes, of whom the latter are subdivided into Orang Gunung (men of the mountains) or Mountaineers; and Rayads or Orang Laut (men of the sea) or Sea-people. The Malays are few in number, of a peaceable but indolent disposition, and of little importance in the affairs of the island. The Chinese in Banca preserve their original habits of industry, enterprise, and perseverance; they are the most useful among the inhabitants, and indispensable in the labours of the mines. The general character of the Orang Gunung, or Mountaineers, the original, and, perhaps, most interesting portion of the population, is rude simplicity. Dispersed over large tracts in the interior of the country, they live nearly in a state of nature, but submit without resistance to the general regulations which have been established, and willingly perform the labours required of them; although their natural timidity, and wandering habits, render them, in a considerable degree, inaccessible to Europeans. The Rayads are the remains of a peculiar people, so called, who, with their families and households, live in small prows, in the Bays of Jebus and Klabut, and obtain subsistence by fishing and adventure. Particulars of the Mountaineers and Rayads, will form a separate notice.

*

BORNEO.

and

}

Some notices have been received of ruins of temples, of statues, and dilapidated cities in Borneo, and of the existence of various inscriptions, in different parts of the country, in characters unknown either to the Chinese, Malays, or Dayacs; but the information yet obtained is too vague, and, in some instances, too contradictory, to be relied upon; the question, whether this island, at any former period, rose to any considerable degree of greatness, must yet remain undecided. Embanking, as it were, the navigable pathway between the eastern and western hemispheres, and lying contiguous to the most populous regions of the globe (China and Japan), there can be little doubt but at one period it must have risen far above its present state of degradation and neglect. That Borneo was visited, many centuries ago, by the Chinese and Japanese, is well established ; but whether it was ever more extensively colonized by either of those nations, than it is at present from China, must be left to future inquiry. Porcelain, jars, plates, vases, and earthen utensils of various descriptions, the manufacture of China the Europeans Tiroon (Orang Tidong) and reside up the rivers.

A third, on the north-west coast of Borneo, are more civilized than the others.

A fourth is found on the coasts of Celebes, Borneo, and the Phillipines, consisting of va grants of several nations; as, Chinese, Javanese,

and natives of Celebes:

The Orang Lauts (sea-men) and Orang Gunung (mountaineers) appear to differ from each chiefly from circumstances incident to their respective modes of life, and to be one and the same ancient people; the most ancient people of the Eastern Islands, if that title is not to be given to the Papuas, or Oriental Negroes. In Ceylon, the Orang Gunung of the Malays are called Idaans and Maroots. Maroot is the Sanscrit name of the forty-nine spirits of the winds, dependent on Indra or Jupiter.

The Idaans are called Horaforas (Alfoers) by the Dutch, apparently after the Arabians.-Edit. VOL. I. 2 Y

and Japan, are frequently discovered in different parts of the country; and, such is the veneration in which these articles, so found, are held, that a single jar of this description has been known to be purchased by Dayacs of the interior, for a sum little short of two hundred pounds sterling. They are prized by the Dayacs as the supposed depositaries of the ashes of their forefathers.

I would herc take notice of the information collected concerning the different tribes of Dayacs which have come under consideration, but that the detail might appear misplaced in the very general view of the subject which I am of necessity compelled to take, I will only observe, that from a comparative vocabulary of as many of their dialects as are at present accessible, they appear to differ but little from the Malayan; that of the numerous tribes distinguished by their names and other peculiarities, several are represented as tattooed; and that some have curled hair, and resemble the Papuas.

In the vicinity of Banjar-masin* no opportunity of increasing our information has been suffered to be lost. Mr. Alexander Hare, the founder of the interesting colony established in the southern part of the island, has himself penetrated across the south-west peninsula; and, as confidence advances, we may look to a more extensive intercourse with the rude and scattered tribes of the interior.+

* A town (and also a district) at the mouth of the river of that name, on the south-eastern coast of Borneo.-Edit.

+ Borneo (Varuni) the largest of the Eastern Islands, is estimated at seven hundred and fifty miles in length, by three hundred and fifty average breadth. The chief European settlements in Borneo are Passir, Banjar-masin, and Pontiana, and the principal native town is Borneo (Varuni); all at the mouths of the river, by whose names they are called. The Dayacs, mentioned in the text, are the same Idaans or aborigines of the Eastern Islands, which have been spoken of in a former note. Some of their bands, from the author's description, are composed, as in the case of the Biajoos, of men of various nations; but the account that all their known vocabularics concur in proving an identity between their language and the Malayan, must, if accurate, go far to establish an interesting historical fact: namely, that the aborigines and the Eastern Islands, (Idaans, &c.) are of Malay origin. The inhabitants of the north coast of Borneo have a tradition, that their country was once subject to China. In 1530, when the island was first visited by the Dutch, the Mohammedan religion was found fully established on the sea-coast. The intelligence

CELEBES.*

In a former discourse I took occasion to notice, that the most prominent people on Celebes were the Bugis and Macassars; that though speaking different languages, their respective races used the same written character; and that the Mahomedan religion prevailed generally in those parts of the islands which might be considered to have at all advanced from a state of barbarism.

Confining our observations to the south-western limb of this whimsicallyshaped island, we may infer, that notwithstanding the country has generally declined since its intercourse with Europeans, it may still be reckoned populous, compared with many of the islands of the east. The population has been roughly estimated at about a million; but the data, on which this estimate was formed, are not to be unreservedly relied upon.

About the period of the first arrival of Europeans in the East, the Macassar and Bugis+ tribes were among the principal dealers in spices, and the Isle of Celebes was nearly under the authority of a single sovereign. On the breaking down of that great empire, several of the minor states submitted to European administration ; while the support given to the authority of Boni, and the monopoly of the spice-trade by Europeans, effectually reduced the political influence of the ancient state of Goa.

The most ancient state, of which tradition makes mention in Celebes, Luhu or Luwu, situated in the inner part of the Bay of Boni, and the Galigas, or historical romances, are replete with the adventures and exploits of Sawira Gading, the first chief of that country, and who is said to have extended his dominions to the straits of Malacca. Next to Luhu, the empire of Goa has the concerning Borneo, contained in the text, is a most valuable addition to the very slight knowledge hitherto possessed respecting that island. -Edit.

The large island of Celebes is separated from Borneo by the straits of Macassar. Making allowance for the extreme irregularity of its figure, its length is estimated at five hundred miles, by one hundred and fifty miles average breadth. It has Borneo on the west, and Gilolo, or Halamahara, Poby, Ceram, and Amboyna to the east: to the south lies Salayer, divided from Celebes by a strait, called, by the Dutch, the Budgeroon's.Edit.

+ Bugis or Bugess. Celebes is called, by the natives and Malays, Negree Oran Bugess,-Edit.

greatest claims to antiquity; and a period is mentioned when this state extended its influence to Achin, Manilla, Sulu, Ternate, and the whole of the SpiceIslands.

In 1663, Rajah Palaka visited Batavia; and, in 1666, co-operated with the Dutch government against the native states on the coast of Sumatra: from this period the authority of Boni advanced, until the recent arrangements by the British government.

The Macassar and Bugis tribes are known to be the most bold, adventurous, and enterprizing of all the people of the Eastern Islands. They were formerly celebrated for their fidelity and their courage; and, for this reason, were employed, like the Swiss in Europe, in foreign armies. They served in those of Siam, Camboja, and other countries, and also as guards to their own princes.

The most singular political feature in Celebes, is that of an elective monarchy, limited by an aristocracy generally hereditary, and exercising feudal authority over the minor chiefs and population, at all times prepared to take the field; a constitution of civil society which, however common in Europe, is perhaps, without parallel in Asia, where we seldom witness any considerable departure from the despotic sway of an individual. The whole of the states, in that portion of Celebes to which I have alluded, are constituted on the peculiar principle stated: the prince is chosen from the royal stock by a certain number of counsellors, who also possess the right of subsequently removing him. These counsellors are themselves elected from particular families of the hereditary chiefs of provinces; and, such is their influence, that the prince can neither go to war, nor, indeed, adopt any public measure, except in concert with them. They have the charge of the public treasure, and also appoint the prime minister. The prince cannot himself take the personal command of the army; but the usage of the country admits of a temporary resignation of office for this purpose; in which case, a regent succeeds provisionally to the rank of

Among Europeaus in the Eastern Isles, the word Bugess or Bugis has come to signify a soldier, the same as Sepoy (Sippahee;) on the continent of India.-Edit.

66

chief, and carries on the affairs of government in concert with the majority of the council. Women and minors are eligible to election in every department of the state, from the prince down to the lowest chief; and, when this takes place, an additional officer, having a title which literally means support," or " prop," is appointed to assist. Some variation is observable in the different states. In Boni, the prince is elected by the Orang Pitu, or seven hereditary counsellors. In Goa, the prince is chosen by ten counsellors, of whom the first minister, termed Bechara Buta, in one. This last officer is himself first appointed by the Council of Nine, termed the Nine Banners of the Country; but in the exercise of his office he possesses very extraordinary powers. He can even remove the prince himself, and call upon the electors to make another choice. The inferior chiefs or krains, who administer the dependent province are appointed by the government, and not elected by a provincial council, although in the exercise of their office their power is in like manner limited. The number of the council varies, in different provinces, from two to seven.

War is decided upon in the council of state; and, so forcibly is the desperate ferocity and barbarism of the people depicted by the conduct they observe on these occasions, and in their subsequent proceedings towards their enemies, that however revolting the contemplation of such a state of society may be, it forms too striking a trait in their character to be omitted. War being decided upon by the prince in council, the assembled chiefs, after sprinkling their banners with blood, proceed to take a solemn oath, by dipping their creeses* in a vessel of water, and afterwards dancing around the bloody banner, with frantic gesture and a strange contortion of the body and limbs, so as to give the extended creese a tremulous motion. Each severally imprecates the vengeance of the Deity against his person, if he violates his vow. An enemy is no sooner slain, than the body is decapitated, and treated with every indignity which the barbarous triumph of savages cau dictate. The heads are carried on poles, or sent in to the lord-paramount. Some accounts go so far as to represent them de* Knives or daggers.