1844.] SEARCH FOR EUROPEAN FEMALE. 163 



' Driver ', Capt. Hayes ; ' Vixen ', Captain Giffard : and, 

 as the orders were so imperative, I despatched the 

 'Wolverine' to seek the 'Dido' at Sarawak; 'Driver' 

 upon the same service ; and directed Capt. Giffard of the 

 'Vixen', in his route to Hong-kong, to so far diverge 

 from his course as to apprize him of the Admiral's 

 intentions, should the currents have pressed him northerly. 

 During the night, ' Dido ' anchored, and ' Vixen ' was 

 detained to send Capt. Keppel's replies by that vessel. 

 The Governor, Lieut. Col. Butterworth, having returned 

 to this place, I had the pleasure of making his acquaint- 

 ance; and the short period of our delay in port, re- 

 fitting and provisioning, was agreeably occupied by inter- 

 changes of civility, and the arrangement of matters 

 between Keppel and myself relative to the still unfinished 

 affairs of Borneo. 



At this period a question had arisen relative to the 

 reported existence of an European female, said to have 

 been seen somewhere about Ambong, and as the relatives 

 of the late Mr. Presgrave, formerly Resident Councillor 

 at Singapore, had some faint suspicion that it might be 

 his widow, application had been made to the Supreme 

 Government at Calcutta to have the matter satisfac- 

 torily enquired into. After a verbal conference with the 

 Governor upon the subject, it was intimated to me, that 

 if I would consent to conduct this investigation the 

 ' Phlegethon ' should be placed at my disposal ; and fore- 

 seeing the important advantages which would necessarily 

 result from the searching examination such an enquiry 

 would entail, into the practices of the pirates on the 



north coast of Borneo, causing, with the aid of Mr. Brooke 



M 2 



