982 Information regarding Illanoon Pirates, [Nov. 



prahus with caution along the edge of the mangrove banks by 

 night, even for ever so short a distance, and haul them into an 

 impenetrable concealment ere the dawn of day, and at last gain their 

 object by persevering in their progress night after night, while look- 

 outs are kept constantly on the edge of the mangrove banks unseen 

 during the day. 



The Spanish officers confessed to me, that their attempts to capture 

 them were almost uniformly foiled by their quickness, cunning and 

 sagacity ; and strange as it may seem, these extraordinary marauders, 

 acknowledged foes to all they meet, through the advantage of locality, 

 their own adroitness, the peculiar construction of their prahus, and 

 other natural circumstances so favorable to their lawless pursuits, 

 maintain in spite of every thing a constant intercourse with their home 

 the Laguna, almost without interruption. 



It may not be irrelevant here to mention, that a treaty (so called) 

 was concluded between the raja of Sooloo and the late acting governor 

 of Manilla, Salazar, about two or three years since ; this treaty 

 is however proverbially ridiculed at Manilla, as having been made with 

 an individual ignorant of the faith or meaning of a treaty, a mere 

 cypher, nominally a raja, but possessing no control over his subjects 

 who regard not his authority and yield him no allegiance. This may 

 tend to confirm the assurances made me, that the raja of Sooloo pos- 

 sesses not a shadow of power or influence over the community of the 

 <; Illano" pirates. 



The foregoing details are recited from memory, but are the true 

 substance of information I gathered, during a long verbal communi- 

 cation, over charts, with the two very intelligent Spanish naval officers 

 before mentioned : and though they may not throw much additional 

 light on the information already abroad on the subject of piracy in the 

 Sooloo sea, they certainly tend to confirm, or explain some remarkable 

 points of the evidence, that transpired during the late trial of the 

 " Illano" pirates at Singapore, 



I have, &c. 

 (Signed) J. J. Blake, 



Her Majesty's Sloop Lame, \ Commander. 



Toong-koo Bay, 13th Aug. 1838. J 



