BORNEO 2 1 5 



was the first European to visit Borneo, probably at the 

 end of 1505, but he appears to have made no stay there. 

 Malacca fell to the Portuguese in 1511, and it seems im- 

 probable that for ten years after that date the island should 

 have remained unvisited, especially when it is remembered 

 that the far-distant islands of Banda and Ternate were 

 reached before the year had ended. We have, however, 

 no trustworthy account of any such visit, and the next 

 mention of " Bornei " occurs in Pigafetta's diary. After the 

 death of Magellan in the Philippines, the two remaining 

 ships of his squadron sailed south-westward, and reached 

 the city of Brunei in July, 1521. Pigafetta's description 

 of the town would almost serve for the present day. The 

 Malays had been long established there, and were in a 

 high state of civilisation. They had forts mounting 

 heavy guns, and used horses and trained elephants. In 

 the king's house were silver candlesticks, and gold spoons 

 of European shape were used at his table. Although 

 Pigafetta makes no mention of Chinese being settled in 

 the city, it is very probable that they had even then 

 established themselves. Considerable Chinese trade must 

 at all events have existed, as is proved by the descriptiou 

 of the silks, brocades, and porcelain vases in the king's 

 possession, while the currency was entirely of that 

 country, bronze or brass coins pierced for stringing, and 

 stamped with Chinese characters. 



Except for a possible visit by Lorenzo Gomez in 

 1518, the first acquaintance of the Portuguese with the 

 island was in 1526, when Jorge de Meneses touched at 

 Brunei on his way to the Moluccas. A few years later they 

 established trading posts at various ports, but no attempt 

 at conquest was made then or at any subsequent period. 

 Oliver van Noort brought the Dutch to the island in 

 1598, and commerce was soon initiated by them, as it 



