PUNISHMENTS. 133 



abolished. Formerly the slightest and most paltry 

 theft, if, during the supremacy of the native rajahs, 

 the culprit had no powerful friend to protect him, was 

 punished by the loss of his hand ; and, at the present 

 day, many of these mutilated objects may be seen at the 

 town of Bruni, where, notwithstanding thefts are of 

 daily occurrence, the followers and slaves of the Parig- 

 erans of Borneo were formerly allowed, and are still 

 excepting in countries under the influence of Sarawak 

 to commit any excesses, without the fear of punishment, 

 as followers ' amba-raja' of the princes and power- 

 ful nobles, who frequently themselves employed them 

 in robberies and extortions on the poorer and indus- 

 trious classes of the people. 



Murder is, at present, the only crime in Sarawak 

 punishable with death ; and, during its recent history, 

 occasions which have called for this extreme penalty 

 are of very rare occurrence : for the most part the 

 crimes are of so light a nature, that fines and banish- 

 ment are considered sufficient punishments ; the 

 money collected from the former is spent on the ex- 

 tension and improvement of the roads and government 

 buildings, though the rarity of fineable offences prevents 

 this fund from ever becoming sufficient to be of any con- 

 siderable service to the purposes to which it is applied. 



No duties or exactions are levied on any ships or boats 

 entering the port, all being allowed to come and go as 

 they please, provided only that they report their arrival 

 and departure to the government. The trade of the place 

 has increased in the same proportion as its size and 



