20 ENTER THt SARAWAK RIVER. [1843. 



rocky patches off its northern extremity, but they may 

 be avoided by keeping in twenty fathoms until it is 

 rounded, when Tanjong Sipang, capped by the high 

 mountain of Santubon, points out the western or " San- 

 tubon entrance " of the Sarawak, accessible to vessels of 

 twelve feet draught by the chart, and of eighteen feet, 

 aided by pilots, at high-water. Beyond Tanjong Sipang, 

 off which a rock a-wasli lies, a deep indentation called 

 Ape's Bight occurs, and round the high peninsula, or 

 where solid high land terminates (at Tanjong Po), will be 

 found the Morotabas or eastern entrance to the Sarawak. 

 These facts being then unknown to us, and forced easterly 

 by currents, we attempted the first great gap which 

 seemed to correspond with Mr. Brooke's pamphlet, until 

 we found the depth decrease to four fathoms ; anchoring 

 until the change of tide, and ascertaining by the charts 

 that we were too far to the eastward, (being now at the 

 mouth of the Batang Lupar), we worked an opposite 

 course, and on the following morning found ourselves 

 westerly of Santubon. I then determined to approach the 

 river, now in sight, and anchoring in five fathoms off the 

 mouth of a promising stream, which proved to be the 

 Lundu, the boats were despatched for information, as 

 well as to procure a pilot. Towards the evening they 

 returned, having, after a smart chase, come up with a 

 canoe, from which a very intelligent native, who happened 

 to be an ally of Mr. Brooke's, volunteered to show us 

 the way into the Sarawak. 



By 8 o'clock that evening we reached Tanjong Po, and 

 by moonlight, assisted by our boats sounding, worked 

 into the Morotabas, and anchored in safety. The ability 



