The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido

The Expedition to Borneo of
H.M.S. Dido, by

Henry Keppel and James Brooke This eBook is for the use of anyone
anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You
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Title: The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido For the Suppression of
Piracy
Author: Henry Keppel James Brooke
Release Date: October 6, 2007 [EBook #22903]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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EXPEDITION TO BORNEO ***

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THE EXPEDITION TO BORNEO

OF
H. M. S. DIDO
FOR
THE SUPPRESSION OF PIRACY:
WITH EXTRACTS FROM
THE JOURNAL OF JAMES BROOKE, ESQ., OF SARAWAK,
(Now Agent for the British Government in Borneo).

BY
CAPTAIN THE HON. HENRY KEPPEL, R. N.

NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
82 CLIFF STREET.
1846.

TO
THE EARL OF ALBEMARLE.
My dear Father,
You could scarcely have anticipated, from my profession, the
dedication of a book in testimony of my gratitude and affection; but,
having had the good fortune to acquire the friendship of Mr. James

Brooke, and to be intrusted by him with a narrative of his extraordinary
career in that part of the world where the services of the ship I
commanded were required, I am not without a hope that the
accompanying pages may be found worthy of your approval, and not
altogether uninteresting to my country.
I am, my dear father,
Your affectionate son,
Henry Keppel.
Droxford, January, 1846.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
The visit of her majesty's ship Dido to Borneo, and her services against
the pirates, occupy comparatively so small a portion of this volume,
that some excuse may be necessary for its leading title.
It was only by undertaking to make the account of them part of the
narrative, that I could prevail upon my friend Mr. Brooke to intrust me
with his Journal for any public object; and when I looked at his novel
and important position as a ruler in Borneo, and was aware how much
of European curiosity was attached to it, I felt it impossible not to
consent to an arrangement which should enable me to trace the
remarkable career through which he had reached that elevation. I hope,
therefore, to be considered as having conquered my own disinclination
to be the relater of events in which I was concerned, in order to
overcome the scruples which he entertained against being the author of
the autobiographical sketch, embracing so singular a portion of his life,
which I have extracted from the rough notes confided to me.
That his diffidence in this respect was groundless will, I trust, be
apparent from these pages, however indifferently I may have executed
my unusual task, during a long homeward sea-voyage; and, from the
growing interest which has arisen throughout the country for

intelligence on the subject of Borneo and the adjacent archipelago, I
venture also to indulge the belief that the general information will be
deemed no unfit adjunct to the story of personal adventure.

ADVERTISEMENT TO THE SECOND EDITION.
The text of this edition has been carefully revised, and has undergone
numerous verbal alterations; some portions of it have been transposed,
and a few additions have been made to the work. [In the American
edition, a few pages of matter, of no interest to American readers, have
been omitted from the Appendix.]

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
The Chinese War having terminated, Captain Keppel in H.M.S. Dido
appointed to command of the Straits station.--Meeting with Mr.
Brooke.--Sketch of his life.--Mr. Brooke's outward voyage in the
Royalist.--Touch at Singapore.--Arrival off the coast of Borneo.--Land
at the island of Talang Talang.--Intercourse with the Bandar Page 1
CHAPTER II.
Progress: observations.--Description of the coast of Borneo.--Account,
&c. of a Pangeran.--Arrival at Sarawak.--Meetings with Rajah Muda
Hassim, and conversations.--The Town.--Interchange of visits and
presents.--Excursion to Dyak tribes.--Resources and commercial
products 14
CHAPTER III.
Second Cruise: up the River Lunda.--The Sibnowan Dyaks.--Their
Town of Tungong.--Their Physical Proportions, and Words of their
Language.--Their Customs.--Skull-trophies.--Religious Ceremonies

and Opinions.--Their Ornaments.--Appearance of both Sexes.--Dress
and Morals.--Missionary Prospects of Conversion, and Elevation in the
Social Scale.--Government, Laws, and Punishments.--Dances.--Iron
Manufacturing.--Chinese Settlement.--Excursion continued 32
CHAPTER IV.
Renewed intercourse with the Rajah.--Prospects of
trade.--Ourang-outang, and other animals.--The two sorts of
mias.--Description of the Rajah, his suite, and Panglimas, &c.--The
character of the natives.--Leave Sarawak.--Songi Dyaks.--Visit Seriff
Sahib.--Buyat tongue.--Attack by pirates.--Sail for Singapore 45
CHAPTER V.
Summary of information obtained during this visit to
Borneo.--Geographical and topographical
observations.--Produce.--Various Dyak tribes.--Natural
history.--Language.--Origin of Races.--Sail from
Singapore.--Celebes.--Face of the country.--Waterfall