140 RIVER KAWALAN. [1846. 



with rollers ; but the depth on its bar will not admit 

 vessels drawing over six feet. Dalrymple terms this 

 river " Tawarran, inhabited by Idaan ; there are many 

 goats in this district ; it is very populous. About sixty 

 Chinese, who left Borneo many years ago settled amongst 

 them. The river is reported to be navigable for boats to 

 the lake of Keeney Balloo." 



The name Kawalan is scrupulously adopted from a 

 very intelligent Malay fisherman ; but I am inclined to 

 think that Tawarran, as used by Dalrymple, is more cor- 

 rect, and, probably, immediately connected with the 

 character of its waters, said to flow from the lake of 

 Kini Balu, tawar, signifying fresh water. Kimanis has 

 probably a similar character, mams, signifying sweet, that 

 river also furnishing fresh water. The Cape Sampan- 

 mangio I have also been informed (by my friend Mr. 

 Brooke) derives its name from its having been the ren- 

 dezvous of the pirates, and is the corruption of the words 

 Simpang, point, and meng-i-ow, which in seaman-like 

 phrase may be reduced to "cruizing", or pulling off 

 under oars. Mr. Brooke informs me, that with all his 

 endeavours to trace the word Idaan, as used by 

 Dalrymple, and adopted from him in this work, he has 

 been unable to find it understood by any one inhabiting 

 the region to which it is applied, and that it is possibly a 

 Sooloo term. This is not improbable. It was so referred 

 to as I-daw-an by my naval friend at Gunung Taboor, 

 but there it may apply to one of the Jive tribes which he 

 named, as intervening between the Sagai and Ka-dy-an 

 The papers containing these names, and much valuable 

 matter, accompanied by Malay characters, has, unfortu- 



