CHAPTER VII. 



The Sooloo Archipelago. 



Pearls and gems of lustre bright, 

 All sleep beneath the wave.'* 



Barton . 



HE islands constituting the " Sooloo 

 Archipelago," whence the greater num- 

 ber of the finest round Pearls are 

 derived, lie on the north side of Borneo, between 

 the parallels of 4° 40' and 6 50' north latitude ; and 

 the meridians of 119° 20' and 122° 20' east longitude. 

 The group consists of nearly 150 islands, extending 

 to within 40 miles of the Bornean coast ; but 

 geographically and geologically they belong to the 

 fertile chain of the Philippines, rather than to the 

 dismal forest-clad island of Borneo. 



The appearance of the Sooloo Islands from sea- 

 wards is extremely beautiful ; there are several 



