ANTIMONY ORE. 17 



known, is the antimony ore ; it is found in several 

 parts of the western coast, in the interior of Sambas, 

 at Sarawak, and several other places ; but, from the 

 wild state of the inhabitants, its distance from the 

 coast, and other causes, it can only be at present 

 effectually worked at Sarawak. It was first brought 

 to Singapore, soon after the establishment of that 

 settlement, by some people who had touched for 

 water at Sarawak on their return from a voyage to 

 Bruni. The ore being of a much richer nature than 

 the antimony produced in Europe, the Rajahs of 

 Borneo were soon informed that it would readily 

 find a sale at the British settlement ; and being en- 

 couraged by some merchants of that place, the needy 

 rajahs were not long in visiting a part of their 

 dominions hitherto neglected, and the Pangeran Der 

 Makota, who governed Sarawak, caused the Dyaks, 

 unaccustomed to such labour, to work at the anti- 

 mony mines : beads and brass were distributed to a 

 very small amount as the price of their labour, the 

 Pangeran with the Princes of Bruni sharing the profits 

 of their reluctant work. 



From this time are to be dated the troubles of the 

 Dyak and other populations of Sarawak : all were 

 obliged to labour to satisfy the demands of the nobles, 

 to whom the Europeans regularly advanced large 

 quantities of goods. After ten years of this oppres- 

 sion the inhabitants rebelled, and were still at war 

 with their rajahs on Mr. Brooke's arrival, as will be 

 hereafter stated. The trade in antimony of course 



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