1838.] Information regarding Illanoon Pirates. 979 



To Sir Frederick L. Maitland, K. C. B. 



Rear Admiral and Commander-in-Chief. 

 Sir, 



In compliance with your memorandum of this day's date, to " report 

 to you any information I may have been able to obtain during my stay 

 at Manilla, respecting the state of piracy in the Sooloo Sea" I beg 

 to inform you, that on the arrival at Manilla, about two days before my 

 departure, of some Singapore papers, containing the particulars that 

 transpired at the trial of the " Illanoon" pirates at Singapore, lately 

 captured by Her Majesty's sloop Wolf and the Honorable Company's 

 steamer Diana off Tringana, I sought an interview with Don Jose 

 Arconi a post captain in the Spanish royal navy, and Don Villa- 

 stcenzis his assistant, two officers who have been employed for some 

 years in watching and suppressing piracy amongst the southern group 

 of the Philippine Islands and Sooloo Sea, and I may observe that the 

 former officer, while I was at Manilla, received his promotion from 

 Spain for his exertions on this service. 



It appeared from their statements, that the " Illanos," as they call them, 

 are a distinct race of people, inhabiting the line of coast comprised within 

 the bight of the bay of that name in the island of Mindanao, the shore of 

 which is there one continued line of mangroves and swamp, and which soon 

 communicates with an immensely extensive inland lake. This lake they 

 consider as their stronghold and their home, and these people are 

 termed by the Spaniards " Los Illanos de la Laguna." Here they 

 build and repair their prahus, which they convey to and from the sea by 

 means of ways or platforms constructed of bamboo and ratan and placed 

 on the unsolid surface of the mangrove roots and branches, over which 

 their prahus are hauled to and fro. On this lake too they have their 

 wives or females in the prahus, in which they live, and in short, here 

 they carry on all intercourse with each other as an insulated and dis- 

 tinct community. Born and bred in a life of piracy, they look on it merely 

 as a means of living, and not as a criminal occupation. For this reason 

 they meet with nothing that escapes their attack in the shape of native 

 vessels of those seas ; but I was especially assured, and all accounts seem 

 to confirm it, that they are quick and intelligent in the extreme, in dis- 

 criminating and instantly avoiding a canvas sail, or any vessel of Euro- 

 pean appearance ; and so dexterous are they, that they in a moment 

 lower mast and sail, and are hauled in among the mangrove shores with 

 which the innumerable islands thereabouts abound; and though the 

 Manilla government maintains a constant establishment at different points 

 of Mindanao, especially at Samboongan, it is but rarely that their 



