194 OPPRESSION OF SERIFF HOOSMAN. [1844. 



coast, would have caused overtures to be made long since, 

 had any other white person remained captive. It is not 

 improbable that the Lascar, who asserts that he saw an 

 European female, might have mistaken a Malay woman 

 for one, who might by chance have been travelling with 

 her husband in that neighbourhood, possibly one of the 

 wives of Seriff Hoosman, who has himself been in the 

 Port of Ambong ; and this is rendered still more pro- 

 bable, as he married into the Sooloo Royal Family, who 

 are particularly fair, and it would require no stretch of 

 imagination on the part of a Lascar to term one of that 

 race European. 



The people of Ambong complained very much of the 

 oppression of Seriff Hoosman, and informed us that his 

 extortions prevailed along the entire coast of Borneo, be- 

 tween Brunai and Maludu Bay, where his stronghold is 

 situate, and that he had lately compelled them to provide 

 a Prahu and a certain number of men to assist in com- 

 pleting his fleet, which to the amount of 200 sail were 

 now about to make an Excursion to the northward, from 

 the Islands of Banguey and Balabac, in order to enforce 

 tribute of birds' nests, which the authorities of Palawan 

 had refused to pay. They expressed themselves very 

 anxious to see him punished, and offered their aid in 

 boats and pilots, if we would pursue him. I very much 

 question, however, if these people were not themselves 

 the greater pirates ; the offer of boats and men, where 

 but few of the latter, and none of the former, were 

 noticed, was in itself suspicious. 



Our new ally, the Sultan of Tampassook, was very 

 anxious that we should pay him a visit at his city, and I 



