SHIPPING OF SARAWAK. 135 



tion, they having been sold at Singapore at less than 

 their original cost. This the Klings buy from their cor- 

 respondents at Singapore cheaper than can the Malayan 

 traders who visit that settlement ; and as they are not 

 at the expense of sailing ships of their own, but get 

 their things on freight by the schooner, the Malays ge- 

 nerally leave this branch of the commerce to them, and 

 confine themselves to trading in the goods of Javanese 

 and Chinese manufacture, the prices of which do not 

 fluctuate. The Kling merchants, after living here for 

 two or three years, become so rich that they are soon 

 enabled to return to their own country, which, as they 

 bring no wives with them, and have no ties in the 

 island, they are all anxious to do. 



The vessels belonging to the Malayan nakodahs 

 of Sarawak are sailed at an inconsiderable expense. 

 A person having the capital to build a boat, when 

 it is finished finds no difficulty in getting sailors to 

 navigate it; the sailors, being all merchants on a 

 smaller scale than the owner and captain of the vessel, 

 engage with the nakodah to sail with him, and assist 

 in navigating and keeping the ship in repair, on 

 condition of having a certain quantity of the ton- 

 nage of the vessel for their own purposes. Thus, 

 if a nakodah gives out that he intends to sail his 

 boat to Singapore, all the persons wishing to go to 

 Singapore apply to him, and he grants them passages, 

 or such of them as he has room for, on the above 

 conditions. Quarrels respecting amount of tonnage 

 allowed to each are very rare, and every thing pro- 



