22 EXCURSION UP THE RIVER. [1843. 



visited the river shortly before. Previous to the arrival 

 of the ' Samarang,' Capt. Keppel had been appointed to 

 the command in the straits of Malacca, and in the execu- 

 tion of the duties entrusted to him, had visited Sarawak, 

 in order to repress some piracies committed in the vicinity 

 of the territory ceded to Mr. Brooke. The pirates, as I 

 before mentioned, threatened to attack Mr. Brooke, and 

 but for the timely aid of the ' Dido,' for an account of 

 which I must refer the reader to Capt. Keppel's very 

 interesting work, he might have been defeated before the 

 * Samarang' could have rendered any assistance; the 

 arrival of our frigate at this particular period, was esti- 

 mated therefore, beyond doubt, by the people of Sarawak 

 as a jealous interest on the part of the British Govern- 

 ment in the affairs of Mr. Brooke. 



On the second day of our sojourn at Kuching, we paid 

 a formal visit to the Rajah Muda Hassim ; it appeared to 

 gratify him much, and the arrival of a second British 

 ship-of-war added in no small degree to the importance 

 of the * Tuan besar' (great man), the term by which Mr. 

 Brooke was known to the natives, who concluded he 

 must be a very important chief for his Government to 

 send two large war ships to support him. 



Preparations were now made for ascending the river, 

 and for visiting the mines, as well as Mr. Brooke's friends, 

 the Dyak tribes, in their native holds. On the morning 

 of the llth we started, accompanied by all the Officers 

 who could be spared from duty, and well stored with 

 provisions, in three covered canoes and my gig, and 

 shortly before sunset reached Siniavan; here we slept, 

 and on the following morning proceeded to Toondung, a 

 distance of about twelve miles. 



