732 



BORNEO. 



Borneo, when the captain of an English vessel, who had 

 ' v ' come by accident to Banjar- massin, dispersed the 

 barbarians, and pursued them along the river as far 

 as Nagra, about sixty leagues from the mouth of the 

 Banjar. The factory was no longer molested by the 

 natives ; but the English, destitute of money and of 

 victuals, were obliged to abandon it. They return- 

 ed, however, in 1 704, with a fleet of several ships, 

 which enabled them to give law to the islanders. 

 Captain Barr was ordered to take the direction of 

 that establishment, and to build a fortress upon the 

 banks of the Banjar. Alarmed by that undertaking, 

 the Moors advanced upon the river with a numerous 

 flotilla to attack the factory ; but Barr, proceeding 

 against them with a single vessel, terrified them to 

 such a degree by the fire of his artillery, that they 

 fled in all directions. 



The death of that brave and active man, in 

 1706, was immediately followed by the total de 

 struction of the English factory. Cunningham, 

 his successor, was a mean and dastardly wretch, a- 

 fraid to encounter the slightest danger, and unable 

 to provide against the most trifling contingen- 

 cy. The Moors, no longer kept in awe by the name 

 of Barr, again appeared in arms before the fortress ; 

 when its infamous governor, without making one ef- 

 fort to defend it, embarked with all the garrison, and 

 set sail for England, abandoning, to the discretion of 

 the enemy, not only all the goods and ammunition of 

 the factory, but a number of workmen and slaves at- 

 tached to its service. The Moors pillaged and sack- 

 ed the fort, massacred all the Indians whom they 

 found there, and, soon after, drove from^Tamborneo, 

 at the southern extremity of the island, a remnant of 

 English who had settled in that quarter. Such was 

 the disgraceful manner in which the British colony 

 in Borneo was completely destroyed. 



They again attempted, in 1766, to form a settle- 

 ment in the island of Balambangan, at the northern 

 extremity of Borneo, which was ceded to them by 

 the king of Soloo. They stationed there a few Eu- 

 ropeans, and a garrison of 300 soldiers, Europeans 

 and blacks, and designed to establish a factory, 

 where they might exchange the productions of Eu- 

 rope and Hindostan for those of China and the In- 

 dian islands ; but, in the year 1772, their garrison 

 was greatly reduced by contagious diseases, and the 

 fort which they had constructed being badly forti- 

 fied, was suddenly attacked, and the whole establish- 

 ment was destroyed. Yet the English have still a 

 factory at Borneo, and are masters of all the northern 

 coast of the island, which was delivered up to them by 

 the Soloos, who had conquered it. The places ceded 

 to the English to the south of Pirates Point are, 

 Pandassan, Tampassook, Abia, Amboug, Salaman, 

 Tawarran, Juannan, aud Palatan as far as Keemanees. 

 In this extent of coast there are some good harbours ; 

 and it is much more populous than the country north 

 of Pirates Point, which extends a little beyond the 

 spacious harbour of Sandakan as far as Towson 

 Abia, where the English possessions in this island 

 terminate. 



Mr Dalrymple, in a plan which he has given for 

 forming an establishment at Balambangan, expresses 

 his conviction, that the Idaans, if they were well 

 treated, would eagerly crowd in from all quarters, to 



place themselves under the protection of any Euro- Borneo, 

 peans who should settle in their neighbourhood. His 

 opinion is supported by Mr Forrest, a very judicious 

 navigator ; who adds, that if an English establish- 

 ment should be formed in that quarter, these people 

 would supply them abundantly, by their different ri- 

 vers, with pepper and rough materials for exportation, 

 besides the precious articles of gold and diamonds ; not 

 to mention the great advantages which a free commerce 

 between this island and Hindostan would afford to 

 Bengal and Bombay. There might be there trained 

 a race of Lascars, or mariners, who would employ a 

 great number of vessels ; because the commodities 

 which are exchanged for the salt and embroidered 

 cloths of Hindostan are of great bulk. These Las- 

 cars, mingled with an equal number of English sea- 

 men, would tight a vessel well, as has been often ex- 

 perienced in India, especially on the coasts of Mala- 

 bar. Another advantage resulting from this establish- 

 ment would be, the ready communication which it 

 would open with Cochin-China, and other places on 

 the eastern shores of the China seas. As the track 

 is nearly north-west or south-west, every trade wind 

 would furnish a favourable gale for sailing thither from 

 Borneo or Balambangan, and even for returning ; and 

 Cochin-China would afford a ready market, not only 

 for woollen stuffs, but likewise for the cottons of In- 

 dia, and particularly the muslins of Bengal. 



Long before Borneo was known to Europeans, ciiinesr 

 the Chinese had established an extensive commerce trade, 

 with that island, which they still continue. This 

 commerce resembles, in some measure, the trade of 

 Europe with America. The Chinese export from 

 Borneo great quantities of wood, which they employ 

 for making furniture, and which they purchase for 

 about two dollars the pecul, and sell for five or six. 

 They likewise export junks, a kind of resin, cloves, 

 swalloos, tortoise shells, birds nests, and camphor, 

 which is much superior even to the camphor of Su- 

 matra. A great proportion of this precious drug 

 comes from those districts of Borneo which have 

 been ceded to the English by the Soloos. In return 

 for these commodities, the Chinese import every de- 

 scription of their national manufactures or workman- 

 ship, and keep open shop, not only on shore, but 

 likewise on board their junks. 



The bay of this island is very spacious, and has a 

 gulf in the form of an arm of the sea, interspersed 

 with several islands. The water is every where deep, 

 and is never more agitated than a lake or a river. 

 See Transactions qftheBatavian Society; Mcrhmr- 

 digkeiten aus Ostindicn ; Valentyn's General Descrip- 

 tion of India; Salmon's Present Stale of all Nations; 

 Prevost's General History of Voyages ; Oriental Re~ 

 jwrtory ; Forrest's Voyage, Sfc; and Peuchet's Diet, 

 de la Geog. Commerg. (k) 



BORNEO, a sea-port town in the island of Bor- 

 neo, and capital of the kingdom of the same name, is 

 situated about ten miles from Pulo Chirming, on the 

 north-west side of the island. It consists of about 

 300 houses, built upon piles along the two banks of 

 the river Borneo, and the houses are entered by lad- 

 ders and stairs. On the left, the houses stretch to- 

 wards the land, upon a narrow point or cape. There 

 is little communication from house to house by land, 

 because there is no road, and the ground is very 



