130 ACTION OF THE 'NEMESIS/ 



taken out, she was scuttled and sunk ; the crew saved 

 themselves by their boats. This was in April last. 

 Another boat, coming from the Natunas to Sarawak 

 laden with oil, was chased by five boats to the small 

 island Satang, opposite the western entrance of the 

 Sarawak river, and two large boats, the property of 

 merchants of this town returning from Singapore in 

 March, sustained an action which lasted several hours, 

 but the boats being well armed, and containing cargoes 

 which rendered them worth defending, succeeded in 

 beating off the pirates. 



The action of the ' Nemesis ' in June last is 

 fresh in the recollection of our readers ; of eleven 

 boats which were caught by that ship in the act 

 of piracy, chasing a small merchant-man near the 

 mouth of the Borneo river, five were sunk, and of the 

 six which escaped three only were enabled to reach 

 Soolu from the damages they had received. This 

 action, conducted by Captain Grey, of H. M.S. 'Colum- 

 bine,' and Captain Wallage, H.C.'s steam-ship, ' Ne- 

 mesis,' has been the severest lesson the pirates have ever 

 received at sea, of the force of European nations, and 

 their determination to suppress piracy : by this action 

 the pirates suffered very severely, and several slaves 

 which were bound in the boats were released. The 

 pirates, who deserted their sinking boats and fled into 

 the jungle, were captured by the parties sent against 

 them by the Sultan of Bruni, in his anxiety to convince 

 the English of the goodness of his intentions. It is 

 rumoured that the fine frigate lately commissioned by 



