Government of the Sooloo 

 Archipelago. 



SOOLOO. 



Population of the island. The Vincennes 

 sails for the Straits of Balabac. 



335 



treason for any low-born freeman to injure or mal- 

 treat a datu, the latter, who are of a haughty, over- 

 bearing, and tyrannical disposition, seldom keep 

 themselves within bounds in their treatment of 

 their inferiors. The consequence is, the lower 

 class of freemen are obliged to put themselves 

 under the protection of some particular datu, which 

 guards them from the encroachment of others. 

 The chief to whom they thus attach themselves, 

 is induced to treat them well, in order to retain 

 their services, and attach them to his person, that 

 he may, in case of need, be enabled to defend him- 

 'self from depredations, and the violence of his 

 neighbours. 



Such is the absence of legal restraint, that all 

 find it necessary to go abroad armed, and accom- 

 panied by a trusty set of followers, who are also 

 armed. This is the case both by day and night, 

 and, according to the datu's account, frequent 

 affrays take place in the open streets, which not 

 unfrequently end in bloodshed. 



Caution is never laid aside, the only law that 

 exists being that of force ; but the weak contrive 

 to balance the power of the strong by uniting. 

 They have not only contentions and strife among 

 themselves, but it was stated at Manilla that the 

 mountaineers of Sooloo, who are said to be Chris- 

 tians, occasionally make inroads upon them. At 

 Sooloo, however, it did not appear that they were 

 under much apprehension of these attacks. The 

 only fear I heard expressed was by the sultan, in 

 my interview with him ; and the cause of this, as 

 I have already stated, was probably a desire to 

 find an excuse for not affording us facilities to go 

 into the interior. Within twenty years, however, 

 the reigning sultan has been obliged to retire 

 within his forts, in the town of Sooloo, which I 

 have before adverted to. 



These people are hostile to the Sooloos of the 

 coast and towns, who take every opportunity to rob 

 them of their cattle and property, for which the 

 mountaineers seek retaliation when they have an 

 opportunity. From the manner in which the datu 

 spoke of them, they are not much regarded. 

 Through another source I learnt that the moun- 

 taineers were Papuans, and the original inhabitants 

 of the islands, who pay tribute to the sultan, and have 

 acknowledged his authority, ever since they were 

 converted to Islamism. Before that time they were 

 considered extremely ferocious, and whenever it 

 was practicable they were destroyed. Others speak 

 of an original race of Dyacks in the interior, but 

 there is one circumstance to satisfy me that there 

 is no confidence to be placed in this account, 

 namely, that the island is not of sufficient extent to 

 accommodate so numerous a population as some 

 ascribe to it. 



The forts consist of a double row of piles, filled 

 in with coral blocks. That situated on the east 

 side of the small stream may be said to mount a 

 few guns, but these are altogether inefficient ; and 

 in another, on the west side, which is rather a rude 

 embankment than a fort, there are some twelve or 

 fifteen pieces of large calibre ; but I doubt very 

 much if they had been fired off for years, and 

 many of the houses built upon the water would 

 require to be pulled down before these guns could 

 be brought to bear upon any thing on the side of 

 the bay, supposing them to be in a good condition ; 

 a little farther to the east of the town, I was in- 



formed they had a kind of stockade, but none of us 

 were permitted to see it. 



According to our estimates, and the information 

 we received while at Sooloo, the island itself does 

 not contain more than thirty thousand inhabitants, 

 of which the town of Soung may have six or seven 

 thousand. The whole group may number about 

 one hundred and thirty thousand. I am aware; 

 however, that it is difficult to estimate the popula- 

 tion of a half-civilized people, who invariably ex- 

 aggerate their own strength ; and visiters are like- 

 wise prone to do the same thing. The Chinese 

 comprise about an eighth of the population of the 

 town, and are generally of the lower class. They 

 are constantly busy at their trades, and intent upon 

 making money. 



At Soung, business seems active, and all, slaves 

 as well as masters, seem to engage in it. The 

 absence of a strong government leaves all at liberty 

 to act for themselves, and the Uunia Bechara gives 

 unlimited freedom to trade. These circumstances 

 promote the industry of the community, and even 

 that of the slave, for he too, as before observed, 

 has a life interest in what he earns. 



Soung being the residence of the sultan, as well 

 as the grand depot for all piratical goods, is proba- 

 bly more of a mart than any of the surrounding 

 towns. In the months of March and April it is 

 visited by several Chinese junks, who remain 

 trading until the beginning of the month of August. 

 If delayed after that time, they can scarcely 

 return in safety, being unable to contend with the 

 boisterous weather and head winds that then pre- 

 vail in the Chinese seas. These junks are said to 

 come chiefly from Amoy, where the cottons, &c., 

 best suited for the Sooloos, are made. Their car- 

 goes consist of a variety of articles of Chinese 

 manufacture and produce, such as silk, satin goods, 

 cottons, red and checked, grass-cloth clothing, 

 handkerchiefs, cutlery, guns, ammunition, opium, 

 lumber, china and glass-ware, rice, sugar, oil, lard, 

 and butter. In return for this merchandise they 

 obtain camphor, birds'-nests, rattans, biche-de-mar, 

 pearls and pearl-shells, cocoa, tortoise-shell, and 

 wax ; but there is no great quantity of these arti- 

 cles to be obtained, perhaps not more than two or 

 three cargoes during the season. The trade re- 

 quires great knowledge of the articles purchased, 

 for the Chinese and Sooloos are both such adepts 

 in fraud, that great caution and circumspection are 

 necessary. 



Soung Road offers good anchorage; and supplies 

 of all kinds may be had in abundance. Beef is 

 cheap, and vegetables and fruits at all seasons 

 plenty. Our observations placed the town in lati- 

 tude 6 1' N., longitude 120 55' 51" E. 



On the 6th, having concluded the treaty and the 

 other business that had taken me to Sooloo, we 

 took our departure for the Straits of Balabac, the 

 western entrance into this sea, with a fine breeze 

 to the eastward. By noon we had reached the 

 group of Pangootaaraang, consisting of five small 

 islands. All of these are low, covered with trees, 

 and without lagoons. They presented a great con- 

 trast to Sooloo, which was seen behind us in the 

 distance. The absence of the swell of the ocean 

 in sailing through this sea is striking, and gives 

 the idea of navigating an extensive bay, on whose 

 luxuriant islands no surf breaks. There are, how- 

 ever, sources of danger that incite the navigator to 



