168 STATEMENT OF HAGGEE HASSAN. [1844. 







in point of fact, there is any female captive at Borneo, but for any 

 instructions His Lordship may be pleased to deliver on the subject 

 either to the local Government in the Straits or to the Commanders of 

 Her Majesty's and the Hon. Company's vessels, I shall be most truly 

 grateful. 



" Extract from the Bombay paper which arrived in London t/te 

 1th January, 1842. 



" ' EUROPEAN FEMALE AT BORNEO. 



" ' The mention by Capt. Page that some of the Lascars of the 

 ' Sultana', who had found their way to Maludu (northern extremity of 

 Borneo), had therein seen an European female, led to some enquiry on 

 the subject by the local authorities, and the following is a copy of the 

 deposition of one of the Sultana's crew, taken here in the course of the 

 investigation : Haggee Hassan, a Lascar, states that, ' I was one of 

 the party in the cutter which landed at Maludu, I cannot say how 

 long I remained at this place, but I had been at Borneo ten days when 

 the steamer arrived. When at Maludu, I lived at the house of a Syed, 

 and was treated very well. About three days after leaving Maludu, 

 we touched at a place called Amboon, for water, where there is a good 

 harbour, there were about forty houses on the beach. I had previously 

 heard when on board the boat, from the crew, that there was an Euro- 

 pean female residing at Amboon. The house was pointed out to me 

 which induced me to enter, it was raised on poles about six feet high, 

 and situated in the centre of the village. On entering I saw, seated 

 on a mat, an European female ; she was dressed in the Malay costume, 

 there was a Malay woman seated near her, and five or six children 

 were playing about the house. I did not see any man in the house. 

 I remained about a minute. The European female did not attempt to 

 leave, nor did she say a word ; she looked at me for a moment and 

 then hung down her head. I am most positive she was an European, 

 and about forty years of age, fair, with blue eyes and light hair. We 

 remained at Amboon two days, but I did not see the female save on 

 the occasion just stated. I heard that about fifteen years since, the 

 female alluded to had been taken to Amboon, but whether a vessel had 

 been wrecked or captured, I did not learn. Tampassook is inland of 

 Amboon.' 



" This is all the testimony that has been elicited, but there seems 



