196 DEPART FOR MANILA. [1844. 



conducted under such favourable circumstances, the 

 whole powers of Northern Borneo, English as well as 

 Malay, having, by good fortune, been enlisted in the 

 cause ; and therefore the friends of the late Mr. Presgrave 

 and his wife, might consider the question of her existence 

 in a state of captivity, utterly without foundation. After 

 a parting dinner to my kind friend Mr. Brooke, and the 

 zealous and hospitable Commander of the ' Phlegethon ', 

 Capt. Scott,* they departed for Sarawak and Singapore, 

 leaving the ' Samarang ' to pursue her voyage to Manila. 



From the reports we obtained of this Seriff Hous- 

 raan, and his piratical fleet of Prahus, I determined to 

 pass through the channel, between Balambangan and 

 Balabac, and endeavour to ascertain the truth of their 

 assertions, as well as the force he might have with him. 

 I had further determined on making our way towards 

 Manila by the Inner Passage, on the eastern coast of 

 Palawan, a route formerly preferred, but now considered 

 not so safe as that to the westward, probably on account 

 of defective charts. 



On the 15th November, the wind failing, and finding 

 the current setting to the southward, we dropped our 

 kedge anchor close to the eastern coast of Balabac, at the 

 the entrance of a very deep and inviting bay, which I pur- 

 posed exploring. In the morning I examined the landing, 

 but found all access to the bay completely barred, and 

 the extremity of the ledge, then dry, on which I landed 

 for a short time, preventing the approach of a light gig 

 within 500 yards of the coast. The scenery was wild ; 

 lofty ranges of mountainous land clothed with timber 



* Since deceased. 



