76 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. 



liaiids, but for praiis and small sailing ships insufficiently armed 

 the locality is a dangerous one. The chief strongholds of these 

 people are in the mangrove-lined shores of the southern part of 

 the island, where, guarded by a network of reefs and shoals, they 

 can bid defiance to any gun-boat sent against them. The Spanish 

 settlement at Tataan is but a small beginning, but now that the 

 supremacy of Spain in these seas is recognised by the European 

 Powers, and the establishment of the North Borneo Company close 

 at hand has caused a considerable development of trade, the 

 islands have ceased to be the no-man's-land that they have hitherto 

 remained, and the days of piracy are practically numbered. Tawi- 

 tawi is about forty miles in length, is possessed of several good 

 harbours and an excellent soil, but as yet it has been little 

 cultivated. The northern coast appeared everywhere covered with 

 dense jungle, but the south side is said to abound in natural 

 clearings and to resemble Sulu Island. In the neighbourhood 

 pearl-fishing is carried on to a considerable extent, but the pearls 

 are stated to be of no great size. 



In spite of the comparative proximity of the two countries the 

 fauna and flora of Borneo are remarkably distinct from those of 

 the Philippine Islands. Borneo, as we know, is almost typically 

 Indo- Malayan in its zoological characteristics, much more so 

 indeed than Java, in spite of the far greater extent of sea which 

 separates it from the ]\ialay peninsula. Its flora shows an equally 

 great similarity to that of the latter country, and, if we pass to its 

 physical aspect, .we find that not only is the island devoid of recent 

 volcanoes, but its geology is entirely continental. "Were we to 

 look at a chart we should see that, like Java and Sumatra, it is 

 connected with the mainland by a submarine bank of vast extent, 

 on which the soundings are everywhere extremely shallow. In 

 sliort, it can be affirmed with the most absolute certainty that at 

 one period of the world's history — geologically speaking, a com- 

 paratively recent one — Borneo was united with, and formed the 

 south-eastern limit of the great Asiatic continent. 



